FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT
ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
DATE: OCTOBER 5, 2015
SUBJECT: PRESS RELEASE – MICHAEL R. PARISI
On October 5, 2015, Michael R. Parisi of Newburgh, age 25, was sentenced by Judge Donald A. Williams to six months in the Ulster County Jail, five years of probation, a ten thousand dollar fine, and restitution to Central Hudson in the amount of $32,492. Parisi entered a plea of guilty on July 27, 2015 to Criminal Possession of Marihuana in the First Degree (Class C Felony) and Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class D Felony).
Parisi and co-defendant Denis Pruitt, 32, were arrested on May 1, 2014, in connection with a marihuana grow house operation discovered by members of the New York State Police at Highland. The sophisticated operation was run from a house at 490 Orchard Drive in Plattekill, in a residential neighborhood. The location was found to be heavily barricaded and contained ventilation systems along with over 730 marihuana plants in various stages of growth. It was further discovered that Parisi illegally diverted electrical power underground to the residence to sustain the operation.
Co-defendant Pruitt, who entered a plea to Criminal Possession of Marihuana in the First Degree on December 15, 2014, was sentenced on February 18, 2015 to one year in the Ulster County Jail.