Appellate court upholds drug conviction

KINGSTON – The Appellate Division, Third Department of State Supreme Court has affirmed the February 20167 verdict convicting Akhenaton Russell on two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Following the Ulster County Court jury’s verdict, Russell, who has a prior violent felony conviction, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
On appeal, he argued he had not received pretrial identification notice, that the court erred in allowing the jury to have transcripts of the controlled buy recordings, and that his sentence was excessive.
The appeals court rejected all arguments.