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James Greco, age 52, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, pled guilty on Wednesday, May 11, to felony vehicular manslaughter, said Sullivan County District Attorney Meagan Galligan.
According to Galligan, Greco was driving a pickup truck on Route 42 in the Town of Fallsburg on Friday, May 21, 2021, with oxycodone and fentanyl in his system, crossing a double yellow line and crashing into a vehicle driven by Jose Daniel Roldan-Roldan, age 29, of Spring Valley.
Emergency responders transported Roldan-Roldan to Garnett Catskills Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Greco was transported to and treated at Westchester Medical Center. He was indicted on the vehicular manslaughter charge in Dec. 2021.
Two others in the van were also injured.
The Fallsburg Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office executed search warrants to obtain Greco’s blood and search his vehicle, securing evidence that resulted in Greco’s indictment, Galligan said.
The plea agreement ensures that Greco is going to prison with a maximum term of no less than five years and up to six years, Galligan added.
Sentencing is scheduled for September.
“This victim was a hard-working man on his way to a job when the defendant’s decision to take pills and drive stole Jose from his loved ones," Galligan said. "While my office secured a top-count conviction and ensured that this defendant will go to prison for up to six years, this case demonstrates that statutes pertaining to vehicular deaths in our state are inadequate to address the losses suffered by innocent people at the hands of those who improperly operate motor vehicles."
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