Former public defender, in prison for violent assault, loses appeal

CATSKILL―A state appellate court has denied the appeal of a former Greene County assistant public defender convicted of violently assaulting his former girlfriend in Athens while she was holding her young child.

Anthony Pastel, 42, of Freehold, argued to the Appellate Division Third Judicial Department that his seven-year prison sentence was “rendered unlawful and constitutionally defective,” despite the fact that he took a plea deal and waived his right to appeal.

In a brief, two-page decision handed down on February 5, the appellate court declined Pastel’s “request to take corrective action in the interest of justice.”

The case dates back to August of 2020 when Pastel shoved the victim, with whom he had a personal relationship, against the walls of her residence and repeatedly punched her in the head with a closed fist while she held her 20-month-old child, court documents show.

The victim, who spent more than a week in Albany Medical Center, suffered a skull fracture and subarachnoid hemorrhage of her brain.

Pastel was charged in a three-count indictment with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. In January of 2022, he pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree and was subsequently sentenced by Rensselaer County Court Judge Debra Young to the maximum permissible prison term of seven years, to be followed by two years of post-release supervision.

Following his guilty plea, Pastel was also disbarred, banning him from practicing law in New York State.

An attorney since 2014, Pastel began working for the Greene County Public Defender’s Office in the spring of 2019. Following his August 2020 arrest, he was placed on administrative leave. By November, he was no longer employed by the county, however officials could not confirm whether he was fired or resigned. He also served as an assistant public defender for Columbia County.

According to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), the earliest Pastel could be released in July of 2028.