McALESTER — Michael Josh Ginsburg, 36, recently charged with one felony count in Pittsburg County, has been arrested and is being held the Pennsylvania State Prison; but this isn’t his first brush with the law.
Ginsburg was recently charged in Pittsburg County District Court with one felony count of obtaining property by trick/deception after he allegedly told Kreb’s resident Steve DeFrange he had a buyer for his violins and then allegedly sold the violins to a pawn shop owner and kept the money.
On March 6 Ginsburg was arrested in Indiana and extradited to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, according the Pennsylvania D.O.C website. But in 2007 Ginsburg appeared in a Pennsylvania court in connection with the death of a 17-year old girl.
According the Daily Item, Ginsburg appeared in Pa. courtroom in Nov. 2007 and admitted he supplied heroin and cocaine to Lauren Pacenta, 17, who later died and another teen on Nov. 22, 2005. Pacenta died at her home after taking a combination of drugs she allegedly purchased from Ginsburg.
Earlier that same year, Ginsburg was found guilty on unrelated drug charges in Northumberland County and was sentenced to time served, 219 days, in a drug rehabilitation center. In the end as part of a plea agreement Ginsburg was sentenced serve 2 1/2 years to five years in state prison.
On Oct. 25 2010, less than 2 years later, Ginsburg was back in McAlester playing the violin in several events including “Take McAlester Back” a campaign “designed to get drugs out and arts back into the local community.” The campaign was sponsored by Narconon, The McAlester Chamber of Commerce, Pride In McAlester, McAlester Main Street, according to TakeMcAlesterBack.com.
As a public relations spokesman for Narconon, Ginsburg’s story was used its own website.
“Ginsburg is one of many successful graduates of Narconon who now spends his time helping others struggling with addiction and also works to create drug prevention programs for the community,” according to Narconon’s website drugfree.narconon.org.
For more on this story, see the print or electronic editions of the McAlester News-Capital. Click here for print edition home delivery or click here to see the Smart Edition for your computer, tablet, e-reader or smart phone.
Contact Jeanne LeFlore at jleflore@mcalesternews.com.
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion
Woman tricked into taking abortion pill
Emma Watson Goes Pantless
IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes
Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos
Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
Cindy Crawford Stuns At Cannes
Raw: Marines Come to Obama's Aid in the Rain
CUTE: Monkey shares lollipop with dog, then HITS pooch on head with it
Miranda Kerr Looks Sexy in a Bikini Photo Shoot
Hatchet-wielding viral video star, once a hero, now a murder suspect
