- Plea on single charge satisfies eight-count indictment for three separate incidents
- Derek George will spend 10-14 years in prison, but also violated probation
- Charged in AG raid in 2021, three months before current abuse began
ALBANY—A Colonie man indicted on child sex assault charges for incidents that took place in Colonie and Albany over three years accepted a plea deal from the Albany County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, Jan. 27.
Derek George, 33, faces up to 14 years in prison for first-degree criminal sexual act, a Class B violent felony. He is also on probation after being convicted of selling drugs in 2022, stemming from the state attorney general’s takedown of a major drug and gun trafficking ring in the Capital Region in June 2021.
George was originally arrested and charged by Colonie police on the sexual abuse charges on March 21, and an Albany County grand jury handed up an eight-count indictment on July 9. Through the indictment, he was charged with two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, a Class A-II felony, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, attempted second-degree rape, second-degree rape, and second-degree criminal sexual act, all felonies. He also faced multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors. The charges span a three-year period during which the abuse allegedly took place.
The indictment states that the victim, a 13-year-old girl known to George, was first abused in September 2021. According to court documents, the abuse allegedly continued until 2023. The victim came forward in January 2024, prompting investigations by Colonie and Albany police.
George was previously named along with 46 other individuals for their roles in two major drug and firearm distribution networks that trafficked heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and firearms in the Capital Region. According to indictments unsealed in Albany County Court on June 24, 2021, a yearlong investigation resulted in the seizure of nearly 1.2 kilograms of cocaine, 140 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, oxycodone, $40,000 in cash, and nine firearms, including one “ghost gun.”
Attorney General Letitia James described the takedown as a major action to combat violent crime and hold accountable those who endangered the community.
“For the past year, Albany and the surrounding areas have been plagued by violent crime that has terrorized our communities and claimed too many lives,” James said in 2021. “These individuals have allegedly flooded our streets with dangerous narcotics and are responsible for many of the shootings that have been at the center of this devastation. Today’s takedown is yet another major action to combat violent crime and hold accountable those who seek to endanger our communities.”
Officials said the individuals involved in the drug trafficking ring were responsible for multiple shootings and violent crimes in Albany. George was specifically charged with third-degree sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony, but later accepted a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to the attempted sale of a controlled substance, according to the New York Attorney General’s Office. That plea resulted in no jail time and five years of probation when he was sentenced in Albany County Court in June 2022.
According to the recent indictment, some of the alleged abuse incidents involving the 13-year-old victim occurred while George was on probation. He now faces the potential of additional jail time for violating the terms of his probation, according to the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.
George is scheduled to be sentenced by Albany County Court Judge Andra Ackerman on Monday, March 24, at 11 a.m. He faces 10 to 14 years in state prison, followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. The case is being prosecuted by Albany County Assistant District Attorney Caroline Murray of the Office’s Special Victims Unit.