Two Convicted of Attempted Gang Assault in Liberty Beating

LIBERTY, NY — A Sullivan County jury has found two men guilty of attempted gang assault in the first degree for their roles in a violent beating last year at a Liberty motel, according to the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office.

District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced March 25 that the jury convicted Richard Olsen Jr., 41, and Jonathan Nipitella, 44, of the Class C violent felony following a six-day trial in Sullivan County Court.

Prosecutors said the evidence showed that on March 28, 2025, at the Knights Inn, Olsen and Nipitella, along with two other individuals, attempted to cause serious physical injury to Dylan Pascariello by beating him and kicking him in the head.

Pascariello was taken to a hospital and treated for a facial fracture and internal brain hemorrhaging.

Two co-defendants resolved their cases before trial. Michael Maus pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, while Dante Vandunk Jr. pleaded guilty to gang assault in the first degree. Both are awaiting sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the Village of Liberty Police Department, which prosecutors said secured key video evidence used in the case.

The trial was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Danielle Blackaby with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Thomas Raleigh. Olsen and Nipitella were represented by attorneys Michael McGuire and Frank Labuda, respectively. James R. Farrell, a judge of Sullivan County Court, presided over the trial.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 15.

Conaty said, “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.”

Image: Sullivan County Courthouse. (John Deacon/American Courthouses)