PATAKI COMMUTES SENTENCES

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki granted Christmas Eve commutations to two drug
dealers, both of whom have served long prison terms under the tough
Rockefeller drug laws.

Pataki's action makes the pair - Samuel Roldan, 49, of Manhattan, and
Richard Seager, 55, of upstate Rome - immediately eligible for release by
the state Division of Parole. Both were described as model prisoners.

Roldan was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in Manhattan in 1988 for
first-degree criminal sale of a kilogram of cocaine to an undercover cop.

Without Pataki's action, Roldan would have had to wait until July 19, 2003,
to be eligible for parole.

Seager was sentenced to 17 years to life in prison in Oneida County in 1987
for first-degree criminal possession of cocaine, after being initially
arrested for the sale of an ounce of cocaine to an undercover police officer.

Seager would have been eligible for parole on Dec. 19, 2003.

"These individuals have served long sentences and have used their prison
time constructively," said Pataki.

"While I remain firmly committed to continuing our successful efforts to
fight crime, these individuals have worked hard to earn a second chance."

The governor picked Roldan and Seager for commutations from a list of four
possible candidates prepared by his criminal-justice advisers, an aide to
the governor said.