WILLIAMSVILLE TEEN INDICTED ON HATE CRIME CHARGE, CO-DEFENDANT CHARGED WITH ARSON

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 19-year-old Christian R. McCaffrey of Williamsville has been arraigned before Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes on an indictment charging him with one count of Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, a Class “E” felony, and three counts of Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, Class “A” misdemeanors.

It is alleged that over the course of several months, between August 16, 2019 and December 21, 2019, the defendant intentionally harassed the victim through phone calls and text messages. One incident of harassment allegedly involved the use of a derogatory slur against the victim who is Jewish.

If convicted on all counts, McCaffrey faces a maximum of 4 years in prison.

A co-defendant, 27-year-old Dino A. Bruscia of Buffalo, was also arraigned before Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes on an indictment charging him with one count of Arson in the Third Degree, a Class “C” felony.

It is alleged that on December 22, 2019, at approximately 5:00 a.m. the defendant intended to set fire to a home on Arcadian Drive in the Town of Amherst by using a flare gun. The fire caused damage to the dining room of the house, which is the residence of the victim allegedly harassed by McCaffrey.

If convicted, Bruscia faces a maximum of 15 years in jail.

McCaffrey and Bruscia are scheduled to return on Monday, August 24, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. Both were released on their own recognizance because the charges are non-qualifying for bail.

Judge Maxwell Barnes issued a no-contact order of protection on behalf of the victim and his family.

DA Flynn commends the Amherst Police Department for their work in the investigation. DA Flynn also recognizes Confidential Criminal Investigators Kevin Brinkworth, Mike Nigrelli, Joe Catanzaro and Bobby Yeates for their work in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty of the DA’s Tactical Prosecution Unit and Assistant District Attorney Rachel Kranitz McPhee of the DA’s Felony Trials Bureau.

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Despite having about a year's worth of interviews — 11 to be exact — for an in-depth Vanity Fair story, White House insiders scrambled on Tuesday, suggesting to CNN that President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles may not have known she was on the record.

The bombshell story prompted a White House meltdown and plenty of chatter in Washington, D.C.

"But obviously this has really left the White House and not just the White House, but Trump world as a whole in a state of shock," CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said. "I cannot tell you how many conspiracy theories I've heard about how this interview got published, whether it was the idea that she thought she was talking off the record, whether it was the idea that she was sitting for some kind of other interview that wasn't going to be published immediately, that it has something to do with the 2028 campaign, because Susie Wiles is a calculated and political figure. Everything she does has meaning."

The interview was an unusual move for Wiles, who generally has stood guard behind the scenes.

"She is not somebody who seeks the limelight," Holmes added. "She doesn't get out there in the press and do interviews. So the fact that she did this to so many people who are close to President Trump say that it must mean something. Now, of course, again, Wiles has said that that's not the case, that it was just taken out of context. There was an omission in much of what she said. But again, this has caused quite a stir here at the White House."

Social media users responded to the story and Wiles' accusations that she might not have known the interviews were to be included in the story.

"Susie Wiles: What’s that recorder for? Reporter: Recording your answers. Susie Wiles: Right, like I’m going to say anything that’ll come back to bite me in the a--. Ha!" Chris Robinson, former referee and manager, wrote on X.

"Why would a chief of staff agree to an interview that she may now be saying she thought was off the record???. Under those circumstances it's not an 'interview,'" Duff Montgomerie, who described himself as a retired public servant, wrote on X.

"If you give multiple interviews to Vanity Fair and don’t know whether or not you are on or off the record - then you are not qualified to be a chief of staff. Speaking as a chief of staff," Dj Omega Mvp wrote on X.

"Translation: CNN can't believe Wiles would be that dumb," college instructor Anthony M. Hopper wrote on X.

"Haha! So now Wiles & the White House want to follow the rules," social worker and gerontologist Dolly Madison wrote on X.

"She’s been around long enough," retired attorney and professor Howell Ellerman wrote on X.

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