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According to multiple reports, Chester police have confirmed that four bodies were located at Tartaglione’s home in Otisville, a village in Orange County, late on Tuesday afternoon, after the 49-year-old was charged for his participation in a drug conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and the murder of four men to further his business efforts.
In the indictment that was filed in White Plains Federal Court on Tuesday, Tartaglione was accused of killing Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna and Hector Gutierrez at the Likquid Lounge in Chester in Orange County to further his cocaine distribution plan.
The identities of the uncovered bodies have not yet been released by police, though there have been reports it may have been Tartaglione's victims. Tartaglione pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and will face life in prison or the death penalty if he is convicted on any of the murder charges. He remains held without bail.
“While all murders tear at the fabric of our communities, when the alleged perpetrator of a gangland-style, quadruple homicide is a former police officer, that strikes at the heart of civilized society,” Preet Bharara, U.S. District Attorney for the Southern Distfict, stated. “As alleged, Nicholas Tartaglione, a former Briarcliff Manor police officer, participated in the senseless murder of four people in a bar in Chester.
“These four men had not been seen or heard from since the day of their alleged murder. We hope that today’s arrest brings some measure of comfort to the victims’ families and loved ones.”
This isn’t the first time Tartaglione has been on the wrong side of the law. The late Clay Tiffany, an Ossining resident and host of the public-access TV show, “Dirge For The Charlatans, ” sued the village of Briarcliff Manor numerous times , claiming that Tartaglione had assaulted him.
Briarcliff Manor ultimately settled the lawsuit with Tiffany for more than $1 million.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney, Jr., added “the despicable acts of murder are more egregious in this case, because the alleged murderer, a former police officer, once swore to serve and protect people from harm.”
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