Catskills Man Fights to Overturn Drug Conviction, Alleges Police Officer Framed Him
South Fallsburg, NY – Colone R. DaCosta, convicted on drug charges, is seeking to overturn his conviction. He claims that former State Police Senior Investigator William Young Jr. framed him, motivated by a personal interest in DaCosta’s girlfriend, Rose Steingart.
Court filings reveal that Young resigned from the state police after evidence surfaced of him sending messages to Steingart, urging her to leave DaCosta and live with him. Some of the texts were explicit.
DaCosta asserts that Young went beyond messages. He alleges Young stopped him during an unjustified traffic stop, threatened him, and warned him to stay away from Steingart or face consequences. DaCosta ignored the warning, and Steingart continued living with him.
DaCosta later learned from Steingart that Young had allegedly pursued her since she was 12. He further claims that Young surveilled his home and contacted Steingart’s relative, Fallsburg Councilman Nathan Steingart, to track her whereabouts.
Months later, state troopers raided DaCosta’s home, charging him with drug possession and distribution. He argues the charges were retaliation for refusing Young’s threats. The warrant, authorized by Sullivan County Judge Frank LaBuda, was based on a confidential informant who, according to DaCosta, never existed.
Case records reveal discrepancies: missing chain of custody for drug evidence, concealed lab reports for two years, and no judicial review of the informant. The search warrant affidavit was signed by Investigator Christina San Felise, who received the case from Young.
DaCosta’s first attorney advised him to plead guilty without reviewing the case file. He withdrew his plea and hired a new attorney, who also discouraged him from going to trial. He now claims his legal representation failed him. Attorney Benjamin Greenwald did not pursue hearings or investigate police misconduct, while John Janusas allegedly withheld key discovery materials, including lab reports.
Prosecutors delayed releasing those reports for two years despite a court order in 2019. Law enforcement also failed to produce buy money or physical evidence linking DaCosta to drug sales.
Judge LaBuda, who signed the warrant, was later charged with running over his own brother with a golf cart. He has since retired. Young also retired after his messages to Steingart surfaced. Though he pursued the teenage girl for years, she rejected him and eventually left New York for California.
Meanwhile, DaCosta remains incarcerated at Groveland Correctional Facility in Sonyea, NY.
This case raises questions about law enforcement, judicial oversight, and personal vendettas in the Catskills. More to come.
