Dare accepts plea deal

Aaron R. Dare, who is the former Urban League President, could face up to three years as part of a deal that he made on Monday.

Dare pleaded guilty on Monday in Albany County Court to charges of forging a property deed for a real estate transaction. The offense can send Dare to prison for up to three years. Dare is being accused of forging the property deed while he was out on bail when he was awaiting sentencing related to a separate federal plea deal. Dare could be in even more trouble in the near future because David Soares, Albany county District Attorney, said that there will be many more charges ti come. Soares said that Dare was arrogant and took advantage of a system that is obviously vulnerable. Soares is in the process of investigation more than 20 similar cases. Dare is the former head of the urban league of Northeastern New York Inc. which is based in Albany. Back in 2000 Dare stepped down after Gateway Commons collapsed financially. Gateway Commons was a multimillion-dollar commercial and retail project for Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood. A year after Dare stepped down he started the company Emerge Real Properties LLC, based in Troy, which is a real estate business. Dare made some dealings through that company and as a result from some of those dealing he has now pleaded guilty to three felonies. According to a source the plea deal recommends that Dare spends up to 51 months in prison but if Dare is charged with other crimes the deal might be negated. The original conviction could have sent Dare to prison for 27 years. Dare pleaded guilty to charges such as wire fraud and false statements to be made to obtain loans to purchase three apartment complexes in upstate New York. Dare also pleaded guilty to to conspiracy because he was conspiring with another person in a scheme that would defraud private mortgage lenders to obtain loans to buy residential properties. Before Dare accepted the plea deal there was a jury trial that was scheduled to begin on Monday morning and if he was convicted by a jury he could have been sentence to seven years in prison.