Violent Felon Previously Served Jail Time for Burglary and Robbery
A Flanders man was found guilty after a jury trial of possessing nearly one ounce of crack cocaine with the intent to sell it.
On February 1, Andy Sukram, 33, was pulled over on Old Country Road in Riverhead by members of the Suffolk County Police Department. Sukram and the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu he was driving were then searched. During the search, police found cash and crack cocaine hidden in Sukram’s waistband. Law enforcement also found two cell phones and a digital scale often used for weighing drugs.
In 2009, Sukram was convicted in Suffolk County of first-degree burglary, a Class B violent felony, and first-degree robbery, a Class B violent felony, and served 12 years in prison. He was on parole when he was arrested in February.
On October 26, Sukram was convicted after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei of two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, both Class C felonies.
Sukram is due back in court on December 5, for sentencing, and faces up to 15 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant, a prior violent felony offender who was released on parole after being incarcerated for 12 years, lasted just two years out of prison before committing another crime,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Let this case be a warning that if you peddle dangerous drugs to others in Suffolk County, we will prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law and seek a significant prison sentence.”