Belter from viewing pornography, something he subsequently acknowledged doing anyway by installing software on his personal computer to flout the restriction, court records show. Her skepticism turned out to be warranted.Īmong other things, the interim sentence prohibited Mr. In explaining the sentence at the time, according to court records, the judge expressed doubts about whether Mr. The sentence offered him the chance, if he met its terms, of being treated as a youthful offender when his final sentence was decided - reducing, or even eliminating, any potential prison term and allowing him to avoid registering as a sex offender. Belter, who was 16 and 17 at the time of his crimes, an interim sentence of two years’ probation. Belter resolved the charges by agreeing in 2019 to plead guilty to third-degree rape, attempted sexual abuse and two misdemeanors, court filings show.Ī different judge gave Mr.
Sullo is the chief executive of Tramec LLC, a privately held company that supplies parts for heavy duty trucks and, according to Dun & Bradstreet, has annual sales of $110 million.Īfter initially being accused of more serious crimes in the four attacks, the younger Mr. All three have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial, court officials said. Sullo and a friend, Jessica Long, were also charged with serving minors alcohol. Belter was arrested, the authorities also charged his mother, Tricia Vacanti, with supplying alcohol and marijuana to teenagers at parties at the house on various occasions. Belter’s circle because of the loose rules governing what they could do there. The house, which news reports describe as being in a wealthy section of Lewiston, N.Y., a small town about 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, was popular among those in Mr. Belter was a student at Canisius High School in Buffalo, where he played rugby. and the three other girls - two 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old - occurred at the house over an 18-month period starting in February 2017, according to court documents.
Belter’s home, “the scene of horrible acts committed by Christopher Belter against the victims, and as such, the consequences for his actions should have been state prison.” “This was a house of sexual assault,” Mr. In a statement on Thursday, Brian Seaman, the Niagara County district attorney, expressed frustration with the sentence, saying that the office had been “very clear that we believed a prison sentence was entirely appropriate in this case.” Wydysh, an assistant district attorney, did not make a sentencing recommendation in court and declined to comment on Judge Murphy’s sentence, according to The Buffalo News. Belter sought to communicate a sense of remorse to his victims at the sentencing, WKBW reported, saying that “through treatment and reflection, I’ve come to feel deep shame and regret for my actions” and that “none of you deserved to be in this situation.” At the sentencing, he said his client was “tremendously remorseful,” according to WKBW. Belter’s lawyer, Barry Covert, declined to comment.
“The truth of what went on and what he did to his victims is far more egregious than the charges he pleaded to,” Mr. Belter’s mother and her current husband, Gary Sullo, are named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by M.M.’s family.) Belter’s mother, is a senior partner at Goldberg Segalla, a large law firm where, according to The American Lawyer magazine, some partners earn up to $1 million a year. Belter’s father, who is also named Christopher and is divorced from Mr.
Cohen said in an email, adding that “if Chris Belter was not a white defendant from a rich and influential family” he “would surely have been sentenced to prison.” “My client threw up in the ladies room following the sentencing,” Mr. was “deeply disappointed” by Judge Murphy’s decision. Cohen, a lawyer for M.M., said late Wednesday that M.M. He offered no further explanation for why the sentence did not include prison time. Belter, who must register as a sex offender, the probation would be “like a sword hanging” over his head for the next eight years. Still, the judge continued, “It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn’t appropriate.” He told Mr. There were multiple crimes committed in the case.” Belter’s sentencing on Tuesday, according to WKBW, a local television station. Murphy III of Niagara, N.Y., County Court, said at Mr. “I’m not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain,” the judge, Matthew J.