Man charged in gang case arrested again
After involvement in drug trafficking probe, he allegedly stole purse
Hours after his arraignment Thursday, he allegedly stole the purse of an intern in district attorney’s office.
A man snared in a state attorney general’s investigation in which nearly 50 people were charged with drug trafficking and weapons offenses was arrested hours after his arraignment Thursday for allegedly stealing the purse of an intern with the Albany County district attorney’s office.
Benjamin D. Badgley, a 29year resident of Saranac in Clinton County, was among dozens of people swept up in the case that was announced at the state Capitol earlier Thursday by state Attorney General Letitia James and Albany city officials. James characterized the takedown as “another major action to combat violent crime and hold accountable those who seek to endanger our communities.”
The attorney general’s office said the felony indictments had unraveled “two major drug and firearm distribution networks” that had been trafficking heroin, cocaine, oxycodone and firearms in the Capital Region.
“These individuals have allegedly flooded our streets with dangerous narcotics and are responsible for many of the shootings that have been at the center of this devastation,” James said Thursday, referring to the surge in crimes, especially shootings, over the past year in Albany. “Today’s takedown is yet another major action to combat violent crime and hold accountable those who seek to endanger our communities.”
It’s unclear how Badgley, who has several pending criminal charges in Lake Placid, had become involved with the groups indicted in the case. Most of the defendants are from Albany and Schenectady.
Hours after he was released from custody following his arraignment in Albany County Court on Thursday, Badgley allegedly stole the purse of an Albany Law School student who was sitting at a patio table outside a downtown restaurant with an assistant district attorney. The student is an intern with the prosecutor’s office.
Albany police tracked down Badgley a few blocks away and arrested him. The purse and belongings were recovered, according to law enforcement officials.
Badgley was charged with felony grand larceny and — under new bail guidelines in New York — was released on an appearance ticket. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Albany next month on the grand larceny charge. He also has open criminal cases pending in Lake Placid for charges of petit larceny, burglary, grand larceny, possession of stolen property and conspiracy.
In the attorney general’s case, which officials said was the culmination of a yearlong investigation that included wiretaps, police seized nearly 1.2 kilograms of cocaine, 140 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, oxycodone, $40,000 in cash, and nine firearms.
“Today, we’re sending a strong message that we will use all available resources to address violent crime in our neighborhoods and remove any offenders responsible from our streets,” Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said at Thursday’s news conference. “Through operations, such as ‘Cross Town Quarantine,’ we remain committed to working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to ensure that our communities remain safe.”