MONTICELLO – Two Sullivan County men were sentenced to lengthy prison terms after being convicted of attempted gang assault in the first degree stemming from a March 2025 attack at a Liberty motel, the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Richard Olsen, 40, of Liberty, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. Jonathan Nipitella, 45, of Kiamesha Lake, was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The sentences were imposed by Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell, who presided over the six-day jury trial. The maximum sentence for attempted gang assault in the first degree, a Class C violent felony, is 15 years, according to the district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said the jury found that Olsen and Nipitella attacked Dylan Pascariello on March 28, 2025, at the Knights Inn in Liberty. The defendants beat and kicked Pascariello in the head as he attempted to retreat, prosecutors said.
Pascariello was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for a facial fracture and internal brain hemorrhaging, according to the district attorney’s office.
The Village of Liberty Police Department investigated the assault and obtained video evidence that was critical to the prosecution, prosecutors said. The victim was unable to identify his attackers.
District Attorney Brian Conaty praised the victim for reporting the assault and cooperating with prosecutors. He also credited the jury and Liberty police with helping secure the convictions.
“These lengthy sentences ensure that these defendants will not victimize another member of our community for the foreseeable future,” Conaty said.
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