Two New York cousins who were found guilty of a kidnapping incident last year in Greece were both sentenced Thursday.
Dimitri Cash Sr. will face 115 years to life in prison for their involvement in the abduction of Dimitri’s children in January 2021. Joenathan Cash was sentenced to 75 years total.
“We’re very pleased with Judge Argento’s sentence,” said Sara Van Strydonck, assistant district attorney. “I said it during sentencing— I think you guys could probably hear it too— based on what the defendant said during sentencing when given the opportunity to speak— their lack of remorse is clear. It’s evident.
In court, Cash Sr. was presented with agreements and orders of protection to stay away from the kids and the adoptive family, which he refused to sign, telling the judge he believed his rights were violated and that his kids were his property. The judge then called Cash Sr. a “pathetic excuse for a human being.”
The judge also told the defendants she hoped they never see the light of day again, to which Cash Sr. replied “I will,” as he was led out of the courtroom.
On January 18, 2021, an Amber Alert was issued for 3-year-old Shekeria Cash and 5-year-old Dimitri Cash Jr. after they were forcibly taken from a Greece foster home on English Road in Rochester. Two days later, both children were found unharmed in Montgomery, Alabama.
Prosecutors say Dimitri Cash Sr., Joenathan Cash, and another accomplice, Kimara Pluviose, discussed the kidnapping plot in a vehicle rented by Pluviose. They were all charged with kidnapping and robbery among several others.
Investigators say Pluviose drove the two cousins to Alabama because she and Dimitri Cash Sr. lived there sometime before the abduction.
According to police, Dimitri Cash Sr. and Joenathan Cash used duck tape during the break-in.
“The two suspects grabbed all three of them, used duct tape to forcibly tape all three of them together,” foregoing Greece Police Chief Drew Forsythe said. “Once they did that, they also put tape over the female homeowner’s mouth to prevent her from screaming. The two suspects then went upstairs and forcibly removed the two children.”
The pair is also accused of conspiracy to murder a Monroe County Family Court Judge earlier in November. An unsealed complaint alleged the two men were planning to kill Judge Stacey Romeo.
Both Dimitri Cash Sr. and Joenathan Cash were arraigned and being held without bail on separate charges for conspiring to kill Judge Romeo.
You can read the full statement from Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley below:
On Thursday, July 28, 2022, New York State Supreme Court Justice Victoria Argento sentenced 30-year-old Dimitri Cash to 115 years to life in the New York State Department of Corrections and 23-year-old Joenathan to 75 years to life in the New York State Department of Corrections.
Dimitri Cash was previously convicted of two counts of kidnapping in the first degree, two counts of burglary in the first degree, robbery in the second degree and two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, stemming from a home invasion and kidnapping that occurred on January 18, 2021.
He was also convicted of reckless endangerment in the second degree, two counts of custodial interference in the second degree, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for an incident that occurred at Autumn Lane Elementary School in January 2020.
Joenathan Cash was previously convicted of two counts of kidnapping in the second degree, two counts of burglary in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, and three counts of unlawful imprisonment in the first degree stemming from a home invasion and kidnapping that occurred on January 18, 2021.
This case was prosecuted by Special Victims Bureau Chief, Sara VanStrydonck and Domestic Violence Bureau Chief, Patrick Gallagher.
“Dimitri and Joenathan Cash plotted for weeks to commit these heinous crimes, terrorizing an innocent family and ripping two children from the security of their own beds,” said Assistant District Attorney Sara VanStrydonck. “Although they showed no remorse, at least this sentence will ensure our community is protected and the Carstairs family may finally feel safe in their home.”
“These sentences do not erase the calculated and heinous actions of Dimitri and Joenathan Cash,” said Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley. “It is our hope that the family continues to heal knowing these men will be behind bars for the rest of their lives.”
Dimitri Cash Sr. lost custody over an investigation into abuse doled out as corporal punishment.
On social media sites, Dimitri Cash portrays himself as a father wronged by the courts. An attorney appointed to look out for the interests of his two oldest children disagrees.
“This case should have been charged as an abuse case,” said Maureen Polen.
Family court records involving these investigations are usually sealed. Yet when Cash lost custody, he filed an appeal – which was argued via Zoom in December.
An expert medical witness who testified before family court said the older children – a girl and a boy – suffered injuries consistent with being beaten with an extension cord.
His daughter, the oldest, described how she was beaten with a plank.
“She could describe with specificity how she was hit with a plank and how it would cause her bottom to bleed and how she would have to use a damp Kleenex to stop the bleeding,” said Polen.
Drawn on that plank was a smiley face.
A pediatrician documented the welts with photos. “These were serious injuries inflicted over a considerable period of time,” said Carol Eisenman.
She is an attorney for Monroe County’s Human Services. She told the court the CPS investigation points to both the father and the mother.
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