Monticello, NY - On March 25, 2026, Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that a Sullivan County Jury returned a guilty verdict against Richard Olsen, Jr., 41, and Jonathan Nipitella, 44, for Attempted Gang Assault in the First Degree a class C violent Felony.
These two convictions followed a 6-day jury trial which established that on March 28, 2025 at the Knights Inn in Liberty the defendants, Nipitella and Olsen, Jr., assisted by two other individuals, Michael Maus and Dante Vandunk, Jr., attempted to cause serious physical injury to the victim, Dylan Pascariello, by savagely beating him and kicking him in the head. Prior to the trial co-defendant Michael Maus pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree and co-defendant Dante Vandunk, Jr., pled guilty to Gang Assault in the First Degree, both are awaiting sentence. Nipitella and Olsen, Jr., instead chose to take the case to trial.
As a result of this beating, the victim, Dylan Pascariello, was rushed to the hospital and treated for a facial fracture and internal hemorrhaging of his brain. The Village of Liberty Police Department conducted this investigation and worked quickly to secure key video evidence which was essential to the prosecution of the case and securing a conviction.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Danielle Blackaby with the assistance of Senior Assistant District Attorney Thomas Raleigh. The defendants were represented by Michael McGuire, Esq., and Frank Labuda, Esq., respectively and Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell presided over the trial. The matter is scheduled for sentencing on June 15th, 2026.
Conaty stated, “I want to thank the jury for returning a just verdict, and also thank the Village of Liberty Police Department for their swift efforts in securing video evidence, interviewing witnesses, and identifying and locating the perpetrators of this crime. Without their efforts, this crime likely would have gone unsolved because the victim could not identify the perpetrators as a result of his injuries.”
