(WNY News Now) – Fredonia – After years of legal battles, Samuel Saeli has been sentenced to 19 years in state prison for the 2016 kidnapping of a 13-year-old autistic child in Fredonia.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt announced that Samuel Saeli, formerly of Fredonia, was sentenced to 19 years in state prison followed by 20 years of parole supervision. This sentence comes after Saeli was found guilty by a Chautauqua County jury of Kidnapping in the Second Degree as a Sexually Motivated Crime for the 2016 abduction of a 13-year-old autistic boy from a Walmart store in Fredonia.
This case marks Saeli’s third trial for the crime. The first trial in 2017 ended in a hung jury, while the second trial in 2018 resulted in a conviction and a 16-year prison sentence. However, that conviction was overturned by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, leading to the recent retrial.
District Attorney Schmidt, who served as lead prosecutor in the latest trial, successfully argued for a longer sentence than the previous one. Although the court did not impose the maximum possible sentence of 25 years, Saeli now faces 19 years in prison and double the supervision time upon his release.
“Although I did not get as much prison time as I wanted, 19 years is not insubstantial, and Mr. Saeli now faces double the supervision time he will spend on parole when he is eventually released,” Schmidt stated. “It’s my hope that yesterday’s sentence serves as a deterrence to other child molesters and those who prey on the vulnerable.”
Schmidt also praised the Fredonia Police Department for their dedication throughout the lengthy legal process and expressed deep sympathy for the victim and his family, who have endured significant trauma from the incident.
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