Police: 81-year-old veteran held hostage in Orange County {New York} motel for five years

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Police: 81-year-old veteran held hostage in Orange County motel for five years

By Michael Randall
Times Herald-Record
[email protected]

Posted Jul. 20, 2016 at 4:05 PM
Updated Jul 20, 2016 at 9:51 PM

HIGHLANDS – Police say an 81-year-old Marine veteran was held prisoner for five years by a man who forced him to hand over the proceeds of his Social Security and other benefits checks.

Town of Highlands police arrested the suspect, Perry Coniglio, 43, of Main Street, Highland Falls, in a raid Tuesday night on his room adjoining the victim’s at the U.S. Academy Motel on Main Street. The motel is next door to town police.

Detective Joseph Cornetta of the Town of Highlands Police Department said Coniglio used “brute force and intimidation” to get the elderly and mentally diminished veteran to cooperate. He said the veteran received three checks every month. He would not say how much they were worth.

Coniglio was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony; second-degree unlawful imprisonment, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of an incompetent person and second-degree menacing, misdemeanors, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.

[UMTerp01]

1. Wow....they need to put this man UNDER the jail

What a piece of scum bastard. Abusing children and the elderly, very vulnerable populations, coupled with this man's diminished mental capacity really makes me so angry. I guess this ex Marine didn't have any family looking for him. I feel like there should be more to the story. I also wonder how the police were informed about what was going on. This story really angers me. I hope someone really beats the shit out of this man in prison.

[niyad]

2. this hotel is next to the police station? and NOBODY in five years had the least suspicion

that anything was wrong? the owner? nobody?

something very seriously wrong with this whole situation.

[Ford_Prefect]

3. What are the odds that Perry Coniglio is or was a police informant? Better than even.