CARMEL – William Mancusi, a three-time felon, was expected to receive a lengthy sentence when appearing in Putnam County Court on Tuesday, but the judge postponed the sentencing until May 14.
The 47-year-old resident of Kent, who spent years incarcerated in a state penitentiary for two prior convictions, faces sentencing before Putnam County Judge Joseph Spofford after being found guilty in January of selling a combination of heroin and fentanyl on two occasions, one of which resulted in the death of a man caused by the illegal contraband sold by Mancusi.
Mancusi was convicted of two counts each of criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance, for possessing and selling a cocktail containing heroin, fentanyl and xylazine.
During the trial, testimony revealed that on November 12, 2021, State Police investigators responded to a fatal overdose in Southeast where a query revealed that drugs tied to the fatality had come from Mancusi.
Members of the State Police Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team were able to conduct a series of undercover operations in the following days during which Mancusi provided a confidential informant with heroin, fentanyl and xylazine.
Mancusi was heard on audio recordings bragging that the combination was some of the “strongest stuff” that he has had “in over a year” and urged the confidential informant to “be careful” in using the drugs. A chemical analysis conducted by a forensic scientist demonstrated that the drugs sold were, in fact, a very potent combination of heroin, fentanyl and xylazine.
District Attorney Robert Tendy said Mancusi “knowingly pushed deadly drugs into our community. The drug cocktail he was selling had an additional deadly layer to it when you consider it had xylazine, which is unresponsive to Narcan. This was extraordinarily dangerous stuff.”
Mancusi has been held at the Putnam Correctional Facility since his conviction. He is facing a maximum of 24 years in state prison.
In 2014, Mancusi was convicted by a Putnam County jury of felony driving while ability impaired by drugs. He also has a prior vehicular manslaughter conviction stemming from an incident in 2008.
East Fishkill Police arrested the Putnam man in June of that year after a crash on Route 52 in Stormville. Authorities said Mancusi, who was impaired by drugs at the time, was behind the wheel of his van that drove onto the shoulder of the road west of Leetown Road and struck a 48-year-old cyclist killing him instantly.
Tendy admonished the repeat felony offender. “Mr. Mancusi clearly didn’t learn his lessons from his two previous state prison sentences. We are grateful that we have removed a career criminal from our community.”
