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William Lindley, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday, March 13, in Schenectady County Court. It followed his conviction on multiple violent felonies, including first-degree criminal sex act, in January 2023.
Prosecutors said Lindley fondled and subjected the victim to anal and oral sexual contact while the girl’s mother was at work. The assaults happened in Schenectady on a single day in June 2020.
Schenectady Police began investigating in August 2021 when the child reported the abuse to her mother, according to prosecutors. The case was investigated by the agency’s Youth Aid Bureau and presented to a grand jury the following December.
Lindley was located by police and arrested in February 2022. Following five-day trial, it took jurors just 90 minutes to convict him of the following crimes:
- Two counts of criminal sexual act - first degree (violent felony)
- One count of sexual abuse - first degree (violent felony)
In a statement, Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said Monday’s lengthy sentence was appropriate given that it’s not Lindley’s first violent felony nor his first crime against a child.
“At sentencing Mr. Lindley spoke of himself as a victim of the me-too movement, inadequate police investigation, overzealous prosecution and ineffective assistance by his own lawyer; but neither did he proclaim his own innocence or express an iota of remorse for what he did to this child,” Carney said. “The community is safer with him behind bars.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Lindley must complete 20 years of post-release supervision and register as a sex offender. The judge also issued an order of protection for the victim lasting 48 years.
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