TRR photo by Tom Kane A sheriff's deputy accompanies Richard Castellano to Tusten Town Court last week. (Click for larger image)

Charges to be heard by grand jury

By TOM KANE

NARROWSBURG - Last week, Richard Castellano was arrested and put into jail for three counts of grand larceny. It was learned that the proceedings related to these criminal charges will be shifted from Tusten Town Court to a Sullivan County grand jury.

Castellano, an actor who appeared in the movie "Analyze This" with Robert DeNiro, was remanded to Sullivan County Jail with bail set at $25,000. So far he has not been able to meet bail.

"It's now up to the grand jury to decide whether to indict Mr. Castellano and set a trial in Sullivan County Court, to lessen the sentence or dismiss it," said Tusten Justice Ralph Huebner.

Castellano is alleged to have taken money from three actors with the promise that he would get them a Screen Actors Guild card. The count states that he did not get the card and that he spent the money.

Huebner's court has been swamped with numerous civil cases against Castellano and his wife, Jocelyn and several criminal cases against the actor.

In another action in Tusten Town Court last Friday, two other criminal cases against the actor-one for a bounced check to Narrowsburg chicken farmer John Borg and another for allegedly assaulting Robert Schaffer of Narrowsburg-were adjourned to next Friday at 10:00 a.m. The reason was that Castellano's attorney, Steven Vegliante, decided not to defend him, thus turning the defense over to the Sullivan County Legal Aid Bureau.

Mark Sherman of the legal aid group asked the judge for time to study the case.