The insurance fraud trial of a Stockport man will begin Wednesday in Columbia County Court.
The Columbia County D.A.'s office says a jury was selected today. The trial begins tomorrow.
They also said that Barry Goldstein will be the only one on trial. Reports had said that William Travis, who was charged with arson in the case, was being tried as a co-defendant. He is not.
Fire destroyed Goldstein's home on County Route 25, in October 2017.
Here is the original press release from December 2018:
SECOND MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH 2017 STOCKPORT
HOUSE FIRE
Stockport, NY: Sheriff David P. Bartlett reports that a second man has been arrested in connection with an October 2017 house fire in the Town of Stockport. The arrest was made by way of a sealed indictment handed down from the Columbia County Grand Jury.
On October 1, 2017 the Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to 290 County Route 25 in the Town of Stockport by Columbia County 911 for a fully involved residential structure fire. The residence was totally destroyed with the cause of the fire ultimately being ruled suspicious. The investigation led to the arrest of 31 year old William P. Travis III of Woods Lane in the Town of Stuyvesant. Mr. Travis was arrested on December 20, 2017 at about 7:15 pm by sheriff’s investigators and charged with Arson in the Third Degree (a Class C Felony). He is currently incarcerated in the Columbia County Jail awaiting court proceedings.
The investigation continued after the arrest of Mr. Travis and led Sheriff’s Office Investigators to discover that the homeowner, a Mr. Barry Goldstein was also responsible for the fire.
On today’s date at approximately 10:48 am, Investigators Reagan Anderson and Patrick Logue arrested 74 year old Barry Goldstein at his residence in the Town of Stockport without incident. He was transported directly to Columbia County Court and was arraigned at approximately 3:15 pm by the Honorable County Court Judge Richard Koweek, at which time the indictment was unsealed. Mr. Goldstein stands charged with Insurance Fraud in the First Degree (a Class B Felony), Arson in the Third Degree (a Class C Felony) and Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree (a Class D Felony). Mr. Goldstein was remanded to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. He will appear back in county court at a later date.
The Columbia County District Attorney’s Office along with the Columbia County Cause and Origin Team and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control assisted the Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.