NORWICH – Convicted cocaine dealer Michael A. Victor Jr. was sentenced to 39 years in state prison Friday on felony charges of narcotics and weapons possession and conspiracy, the culmination of a police investigation which began in January of 2009.
Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride said he was very happy with the judge’s decision and hoped it would send a message to any other individuals with thoughts of bringing drugs with the intent to sell into the county.
“Mr. Victor was a big problem in our area ... not only did he live off the distribution of narcotics in our area, but people purchasing his products committed numerous crimes to pay for his cocaine,” added McBride. “Not only is it an appropriate punishment for Mr. Victor, but it will serve as a message to those outside of our community that, as a result of that business, you will go to state prison.”
In September, a Chenango County jury found Victor guilty on all 10 of the drug, weapons and conspiracy counts included in his 2009 felony indictment. A combined, concurrent sentence for the criminal possession, criminal possession with the intent to sell, conspiracy and the multiple weapons charges brought against Victor would have sent the convicted drug dealer to prison for a total of 41 years, reported the district attorney, a sentence he asked Judge W. Howard Sullivan to consider.
“Judge, I’d ask the court to contemplate and to give this gentleman 41 years in prison so the word gets out that, if you come to Chenango County and deal drugs from another area and, if you’re going to bring guns and violence and all of the other crimes that are associated with drug use into our area, then you will be punished severely by this court,” stated McBride. “We’re lucky that the guns here were not used in violence against anyone else ... we’re lucky no one was actually killed, that we know of, in connection with this case.”
According to McBride, Victor was “not only in the business of selling cocaine, he was very proficient at it,” having more than $10,000 in cash on his person at the time of his arrest.
“Judge, this defendant is not from our area. He came to our area to deal drugs ... he dealt a lot of drugs,” said McBride prior to Victor’s sentencing.
Defense attorney Paul Battisti said Victor’s story began in 1982 with his birth in Haiti. At the age of five, he added, Victor lawfully entered the United States with his parents, brothers and sisters. It was at that time, said Battisti, that Victor was taken from his home, separated from his family and first became a victim.
“For the next 10 years, Mr. Victor found himself in and out of various homes, group homes ... special housing,” stated Battisti. “Throughout this, Mr. Victor developed a significant addiction to marijuana, an addiction that’s present today.”
