Orange County News
For Immediate Release Contact: Ryan Greenbaum
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 845.615.3657, 845.415.0868c
District Attorney Hoovler Announces 12.5 Year Prison Sentence After Jury Trial Gun Conviction
Defendant Convicted After Jury Trial of Sole Count Submitted to the Jury
Defendant Was Previously Convicted of Gun Charge in 2018
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Nicholas Palm, 29, of Newburgh, was sentenced by the Honorable Craig Stephen Brown in the Orange County Court to twelve and one half (12.5) years in prison to be followed by five (5) years of post-release supervision. Palm was convicted in March of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree after a jury trial. At sentencing, prosecutors recommended the maximum sentence of fifteen (15) years in prison.
As alleged at trial, on July 29, 2022 members of the City of Newburgh Police Department and the New York State Police responded to the area of Fullerton Avenue for a report of a man with a gun. Upon arriving at that location, police officers found Palm, who matched the description of the man with the gun. When the police approached Palm, his hands were at his waistband and a loaded 9mm Taurus firearm was recovered from his pants pocket near where his hands were. The firearm was later test fired and determined to be in operable condition.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department and New York State Police for their investigation and arrest of the defendant.
“Prosecuting illegal gun possession has been and will remain a top priority of my Office,” said District Attorney David. M. Hoovler. “We will seek to not only hold these violent offenders accountable, but to argue for the harshest sentences possible. The possession and use of dangerous firearms in the hands of dangerous criminals is a recipe for disaster. My Office will not rest until illegally possessed guns are taken away from the offenders who seek to use them against others. I applaud the steadfast work of the law enforcement officers involved in this case, and others like it. It is through the coordinated efforts of police and prosecutors that we can help keep our streets safe.”
District Attorney Hoovler highly commended Assistant District Attorney Bryan Conway who prosecuted the case.
This criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
