Major Crimes Bureau

The Major Crimes Bureau handles serious felonies not covered by the other Bureaus. These include:

The Predicate Felony Unit
This unit including Bureau Chief Larry Wiest and a senior prosecutor handle the prosecution of those felony offenders previously convicted of a felony offense. These specialized prosecutions utilize the second felony offender sentencing guidelines to rid society of these career criminals.

Violent Felony Offenses Unit
This unit prosecutes most cases of Assault, Burglary, and Robbery in Albany County.

The Motor Vehicle Theft / Insurance Fraud Prevention Unit
This unit consists of a prosecutor and an investigator dedicated to prosecuting cases involving schemes to defraud insurance companies by staging accidents and filing false claims.

The DWI Unit
The DWI Unit works closely with the Albany County's Stop DWI initiative to prosecute cases of driving while under the influence of alcohol and other mind altering drugs. Recently the District Attorney has chosen to stiffen the penalties for repeat offenders of the drinking and driving statutes, stating that “Those who choose to drink and drive represent a clear and present danger to society. For those who have received warnings and had treatment and still make the choice to put the public in danger, the only alternative is incarceration in state prison”.

Financial Crimes
The Financial Crimes Unit manages the Crimes Against Revenue program and handles all cases of Insurance Fraud (not involving automobiles), Embezzlement, Internet Crimes including the illegal online sale of pharmaceuticals, Identity Theft, Schemes to Defraud, and counterfeiting.

Cyber Crimes
With today’s increased dependency on computer technology, people place more personal information on the internet. Consumers engage in millions of daily transactions using the internet. This important tool presents new crimes that must be combated. Cyber Crimes include Identity Theft, use of the internet for the illegal sale of prescription drugs, and other internet related scams.

White Collar Crimes
The largest thefts in US history involved criminals who used pens or computers. Some corporations fraudulently report their financial records. This illegal act violates the trust people place in financial reporting and negatively impacts the value of all corporations engaged in similar businesses. This type of fraud can immediately deplete a retirement account and leave citizens penniless. White Collar Crimes impact everyone. They include embezzlement, fraud, and criminal violations of New York State Labor Law, New York State Environmental Law, and New York State Insurance Law.

Biography of Lawrence Wiest

Lawrence Wiest is chief of the Major Crimes Bureau with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office and has worked in that office for more than twenty-five years. He has served as prosecutor in numerous local courts, grand jury assistant, trial attorney at the County and Supreme Court levels, chief of the Career Criminal Unit, and Chief Assistant District Attorney under District Attorney Sol Greenberg. He represented the office in the planning and formation of the Albany County Drug Court program and was instrumental in the hiring of a young assistant district attorney named David Soares.

Born and raised in North Albany, Mr. Wiest is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the College of St. Rose Graduate School, and Syracuse University College of Law.

Commissioned an officer in the Infantry in 1965, he completed the Army’s Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces schools. While on active duty, he served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969 with the 5th Special Forces Group as A-Team Commander in the Mekong Delta.

Mr. Wiest is president of the Albany Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee which memorial is located in downtown Albany’s Lafayette Park, and numerous veterans organizations.

Lawrence Wiest is married to the former Sara Kittsley. They have two children and a grand-daughter.