GOSHEN – A former Highland Falls man has lost an appeal of his Orange County Court conviction on eight felony counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child.
Jesus Rotella, 57, had repeatedly downloaded video images of children engaged in sexual activity on both his own computer and a computer belonging to a church that operated a parsonage where he was living.
He appealed his conviction in July 2019 and sentencing of up to four years in prison.
The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court said county court erred in denying statements he made to police identifying a room in which he lived, but the appeals court said the error was “harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The appeals court rejected Rotella’s challenge to the legal sufficiency of the evidence against him as well as his contention that he was deprived of his constitutional right to effective legal counsel.
