Latest update January 19th, 2025 7:10 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

Guyanese gets 44 years in NY cocaine sex abuse case

Apr 12, 2013 News

 

New York (poststar) — A Schenectady man who gave crack cocaine to a 14-year-old boy before he repeatedly sexually abused him in Lake Luzerne was sentenced Wednesday to 44 years in state prison.
Roopnarain “Joe” Dukharan was convicted of nine felonies and two misdemeanors after a February trial in which a Warren County jury found he repeatedly sexually abused the boy and traded crack cocaine to drug addicts he brought from Schenectady to Lake Luzerne to clear a piece of land he had purchased.
He had contact with the teen because the youth offered to work for him, helping to clear the property. Instead, Dukharan, 58, gave him drugs and repeatedly sodomized him over a several-month period.
The boy’s mother told Warren County Judge John Hall that the assaults did significant harm to her son, who is far less trusting than he was.
“It’s very hard not to be angry but we’re all working on it every day,” she told Hall.
Warren County Assistant District Attorney Emilee Davenport, who prosecuted the case, asked for the maximum prison sentence of 67 years, saying Dukharan is “someone who victimizes people when they are at their most vulnerable.”
Davenport said Dukharan “victimized this child, stole this child’s innocence.”
She said Dukharan would give the workers crack every three hours or so as they worked.
“He used them as slave labour,” she said. “He brought people who were addicted to drugs from Schenectady to Warren County and exchanged drugs for their work.”
Dukharan was convicted of felony counts of criminal sexual act, criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child and labour trafficking. He will have to serve nearly 36 years before becoming eligible for parole.
His lawyer, James Tyner, painted Dukharan as a hard-working man who emigrated from Guyana and built a delivery business in New York City before moving to Schenectady. Numerous people wrote character reference letters to the court on his behalf, he said.
Tyner said the conviction would be appealed, and that Dukharan was not offering a statement in light of that appeal.
Dukharan also faces felony charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance in Schenectady County for unrelated crack cocaine sales during a police investigation there.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 13th, 2025

 

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Windies crumble to spin as Pakistan seize control with 202-run lead in Multan

Windies crumble to spin as Pakistan seize control with 202-run lead...

Jan 19, 2025

SportsMax – West Indies fell predictably to Pakistan’s spinners, as they collapsed for 137 in less than a session on day two of the opening Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday....
Read More
Ashby, Inverary, Lewis among winners on Friday

Ashby, Inverary, Lewis among winners on Friday

Jan 19, 2025

Ninvalle and Sports Commission applaud budgetary allocation for sports

Ninvalle and Sports Commission applaud budgetary...

Jan 19, 2025

Guyanese Swimming star makes waves at SUNY Oneonta after mid-season transfer

Guyanese Swimming star makes waves at SUNY...

Jan 19, 2025

Spartans Dominoes Club/Travis Sargeant tourney on today

Spartans Dominoes Club/Travis Sargeant tourney on...

Jan 19, 2025

Runsfest ends in draw as players await final selection ahead of CWI Regional 4-Day Championships 

Runsfest ends in draw as players await final...

Jan 19, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]