Kingston man sentenced to 20 years after jury conviction

KINGSTON, N.Y. ( NEWS10 )– A Kingston man was sentenced to 20 years in prison following a jury conviction in May. William Mayo, 42, was sentenced to the maximum of 15 years for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and five years for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, to run consecutively.

In June 2022, an investigation in the City of Kingston led to police executing a search warrant of Mayo’s home in Esopus. The search uncovered loaded handguns and magazines, cash and cocaine.

At his arrest, Mayo faced 11 charges, including the sale and possession of drugs and a loaded firearm. After a three-day trial , he was convicted of those charges and nine other narcotics charges.

However, Mayo had five previous felony convictions that the judge could consider determining the length of his sentence. Judge James Farrel, considered those convictions when imposing the sentence.

“The imposition of the maximum sentence in this case is about recidivism, especially after a multitude of opportunities to change,” District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said. “It also sends a clear message that the deadly combination of illegal firearms and narcotics is unacceptable. We must make the choice to do all that we can for the safety of our young people who often are in the crosshairs of drugs and gun violence.”

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