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Orange County Restaurateur Sentenced For Burning Down Eatery, Endangering Others
A former Hudson Valley restaurateur has been sentenced to prison for intentionally burning down his restaurant and endangering the lives of his wife and first responders.
Orange County resident Zef Gjurashaj, age 60, of Newburgh, was sentenced Wednesday, March 1.
Gjurashaj, who was convicted by a jury in September 2022, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for burning down Andiamo’s Restaurant, which was located at 5025 Route 9W, in the Town of Newburgh in 2017, the Orange County DA's Office said.
Prior to the trial, Gjurashaj’s co-defendant and the wife of his nephew…
Man Sentenced In Case Of Missing Orange County Woman
A Hudson Valley man has been sentenced to prison for the death of an area woman and then dumping her body, which was never found, in a landfill.
Orange County resident Matthew Mercado, age 40, of Newburgh, was sentenced to a total of 16 to 19 years in prison for the incident which took place on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, at the Windsor Hotel in the town of New Windsor, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
In August 2022, Mercado pled guilty to manslaughter burglary, and tampering with physical evidence, in connection with the death of 36-year-old Jessica Lopez, of Newburgh.
At th…
Hudson Valley Judge In Trouble For Trying To Use Status To Get Gun Permit Approved
A judge in Northern Westchester has been disciplined for attempting to use his status to influence the approval of a pistol license for his neighbors.
In May 2020, John M. Aronian, a Justice of the North Salem Town Court since January 2016, submitted character reference letters on behalf of his neighbors, Susan and Daniel Koch, to help their pistol permit applications get approved, according to the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct.
After Susan Koch's permit was denied on Sept. 2, 2020, Aronian then wrote another letter dated Oct. 2, 2020, that argued in favor of…
