DA Calls For Stronger Penalties Against Unlicensed Drivers in Serious Crashes

NASSAU COUNTY, NY - After the sentencing of Austin Soldano, the Seaford man who killed 12-year-old Valley Stream resident Zachary Ranftle while driving with a suspended license, local District Attorney Madeline Singas once again asked Albany to pass legislation which would stiffening penalties for suspended and revoked drivers who seriously injure or kill others.

“Mr. and Mrs. Flood said it better than anyone in court this morning: Driving is a privilege and a responsibility,” Singas said said. “Austin Soldano flagrantly and repeatedly violated the traffic laws, continued driving while his license was suspended and it led directly to Zachary Ranftle’s death.”

According to Singas, Soldano’s crimes should not be charged as a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of six months in jail, but rather as felony charges.

“Last year the Floods stood with me, Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, Assemblyman Jack Martins and Assemblyman Dave McDonough to announce a bill to make that change,” she said. “The legislative session came and went; it is time for Albany to make this change”

DA Singas’ repeated call for action came again after 30-year-old Soldano was sentenced on Wednesday to charges in two vehicular crime cases: an August 2014 incident in which he drove while intoxicated as a felony in Long Beach, causing his license to be suspended, and a December 2014 incident in which he, while illegally driving with his suspended license, struck and killed Ranftle in Valley Stream.

For the drunk driving case, Soldano pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol (an E felony), reckless driving (an unclassified misdemeanor), failure to stop at an intersection (a violation), and resisting arrest (an A misdemeanor), according to the DA.

For the case involving the death of Ranftle, he pleaded guilty to second degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle (an unclassified misdemeanor) and failure to exercise due care (a violation), according to the DA.

In addition, he was also previously convicted in a 2013 incident on the Southern State Parkway in which he pleaded guilty to third degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle (an A misdemeanor) and reckless driving (an unclassified misdemeanor), the DA said.

Soldano is scheduled to be sentenced for his 2013 case in Nassau County District Court on March 1.

On Wednesday before Supreme Court Justice Angelo Delligatti, he received consecutive sentences of six months in jail for the case involving the death of Ranftle and 12 months in jail for his drunk driving case, plus five years of probation, during which time he’ll be required to install and maintain an ignition interlock device and complete any alcohol treatment or counseling as directed by probation officials, according to Singas.

Soldano’s license will be revoked for one year, after which he will need to reapply for a new one, and he will also provide a DNA sample. His license will also be pending a DMV fatality hearing, which is held whenever a person causes a fatal collision.

The legislation, which was authored by DA Singas’ office and sponsored by Senator Jack Martins and Assemblymembers Todd Kaminsky and David McDonough, would make driving with a suspended or revoked license chargeable as an E felony in incidents involving serious injury, according to Singas.

Under the proposed law, suspended and revoked drivers involved in incidents resulting in death would be charged with a D felony.

The maximum sentence for an E felony is about one to four years in prison; the maximum sentence for a D felony is about two to seven years in prison.

Currently, suspended and revoked drivers involved in incidents resulting in serious injury or death face misdemeanor charges carrying a maximum sentence of six months of local jail time – the same sentence that Soldano received for his unlicensed operation charge, according to the DA.