District Attorney's Comments on Saeli's Sentence | News, Sports, Jobs

District Attorney Jason Schmidt has been fighting for years to have Samuel Saeli convicted and sent to prison for the kidnapping of a 13-year-old boy from the Walmart parking lot in Fredonia in August 2016.

His efforts came to an end this week when Saeli, 46, of Dunkirk, was sentenced by Judge Paul B. Wojtasek to 19 years in prison and 20 years of probation upon release after a Chautauqua County jury found him guilty of second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated crime.

This was Saeli's third jury trial for this crime. The first trial in 2017 ended in a hung jury. The second trial in 2018 resulted in Saeli being sentenced to 16 years in prison plus 10 years probation. That sentence was later overturned by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, which ordered a retrial.

Schmidt was the lead defense attorney for the prosecution in the latest trial and argued successfully yesterday for a higher sentence than that previously imposed. He was assisted in presenting the case by second assistant Emily Woodard.

Late Thursday, he commented on the trials and the verdict.

“After eight years of litigation following this heinous crime, we can now finally bring closure to Mr. Saeli, knowing that he will remain behind bars where he will not harm another child. Although courts are generally required to uphold their previous sentence after a retrial, I sought the statutory maximum prison and release sentence of 25 years in prison plus 25 years of probation after release, which would have been a significant and unprecedented increase to Mr. Saeli's prior sentence. Special thanks to my colleague Ms. Woodard for crafting the legal framework that Judge Wojtasek ultimately followed to impose a higher sentence.

“Although I did not receive as much prison time as I wanted, 19 years is not insignificant and Mr. Saeli will now have to serve twice that amount of time on probation when he is eventually released. He will then be subject to the rules and restrictions that apply to convicted sex offenders and will face further incarceration should he violate those restrictions.

“I hope that (Wednesday's) verdict serves as a deterrent to other child molesters and those who prey on vulnerable people who may be considering giving in to their sick urges. Those reading this should know that justice delayed is not justice denied, that law enforcement will not stop, tire or hesitate to hold criminals accountable for the suffering they inflict on innocents, no matter how lengthy the proceedings become, and we will ultimately catch you, try you and convict you; that is our promise.

“We could not have achieved this end result without the hard work and dedication of the Fredonia Police Department, who not only led the investigation, but stayed with the case the entire time, through three trials, and were present in the courtroom for yesterday's verdict. This is another example of how our local police officers go above and beyond to serve our community, often without the public knowing of their dedication and sacrifice. I say this again and again: Police work is especially challenging and dangerous today, and each and every one of us owes our officers a debt of gratitude for doing everything in their power to keep us all safe. It truly is a thankless job at times, and they deserve our utmost respect and appreciation.

“I must express my gratitude to the victim who bravely overcame her fears and spoke out about the sexual assault Mr. Saeli committed against her. No one should have to endure such atrocities, let alone relive them. From the time I spent with him and his family, it is clear that the events of that August night in 2016 will haunt each of them for the rest of their lives. I truly hope that Mr. Saeli's re-conviction and increased prison sentence will help them in what will undoubtedly be a lengthy, and likely lifelong, healing process.

“Every single one of us, whether parents, friends, neighbors, or just shoppers at the local Walmart, need to be vigilant, always alert, and always aware that we live in a world where not everyone thinks like we do. Not everyone has innocent intentions. That's unfortunate, but it's reality. Please keep your children close to you at all times and always be aware of who is interacting with them.

“Finally, I want to give honorable mention to First Assistant Andrew Molitor and Second Assistant Erik Bentley. Andrew, Erik and Emily worked tirelessly on this and previous trials and lived with this case for the last eight years. They did everything they could within the law to ensure that Mr. Saeli remained where he lived today and behind bars for the next few years. For them, this case had gone everywhere with them, it followed them home every night whether it was a workday, weekend or holiday. They brought it to my attention the day I started this job and I'm glad they were with me to achieve this end result; thank you.”

Saeli kidnapped a 13-year-old boy from the parking lot of a Walmart in Fredonia in August 2016. The victim reportedly entered Saeli's vehicle and left the parking lot, but was reunited with his family about 40 minutes later near Cushing Street in Fredonia.