A state appeals court has upheld the drug convictions of two Cayuga County Court defendants.
Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said in a news release Friday that the Appellate Division, Fourth Department of New York State Supreme Court in Rochester affirmed the convictions of Marcus Brumberger and Jamel Nellons earlier that day.Â
Brumberger pleaded guilty in May 2023 to second-degree conspiracy, and was sentenced to three to nine years in state prison that August. He admitted to participating in "a major cocaine distribution operation," Grome Antonacci said, for which the district attorney's office also secured the convictions of several codefendants.
Nellons pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree assault in December 2023. He was arrested for possessing more than an eighth of an ounce of cocaine during an October 2022 investigation into a fatal drug overdose by the Auburn Police Department. He also assaulted a detective with the department during his arrest, Grome Antonacci said.Â
In April 2024, Nellons received concurrent sentences of four years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. He appealed the sentences based on a claim of ineffective legal representation.
Cayuga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Chris Valdina handled each appeal, Grome Antonacci said.
Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.
