Office of the District Attorney
P. David Soares
Albany County Judicial Building
Albany , New York 12207
(518) 487-5460
(518) 487-5093 – fax

Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Hiding Sawed-Off Shotgun in Stuffed Alligator

ALBANY , NY – District Attorney P. David Soares today announced that CARLTON TILLERY 50, of Schenectady, NY, was sentenced to 9 years in prison by the Honorable Stephen Herrick. TILLERY was found guilty after a jury trial in January of (1) count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class “C” Felony.

“I am very pleased that this dangerous man will be off our streets for most of the next decade. His willingness to bring a concealed weapon onto our streets is not acceptable in this County and anyone who commits similar acts can expect the same aggressive prosecution as this defendant,” commented DA Soares.

On August 14, 2007, at 6:47 P.M. on North Swan Street and Livingston Avenue, Albany Police Officers working in an undercover capacity observed a group of men talking on the street. They observed TILLERY reach into a vehicle and retrieve a stuffed alligator. The behavior seemed unusual and the Officers inquired, at which point TILLERY placed the alligator back into the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the Officers discovered that within the alligator was a sawed-off shotgun and TILLERY had ammunition in his pocket. The barrel of the shotgun was sawed down less than 18 inches making it a firearm.

Street Crimes Bureau Chief Francisco Calderon handled the prosecution of this case.