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A former Saratoga County horse trainer faces up to seven years in federal prison when he is sentenced for lying to a federal grand jury that investigated an 2013 arson in Schenectady that killed three children and their father.

Richard Ramsey pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Albany to two counts of false declaration before a grand jury. The charges stemmed from testimony he gave during three appearances between 2013 and 2016 about loaning his 1994 Nissan Sentra to Robert Butler, who was initially accused of starting the May 2, 2013, fire at 438 Hulett St.

The blaze killed David Terry, 32; his daughter, Layah, 3; son, Michael, 2; and the children's 11-month-old half-brother, Donovan Duell. Terry's daughter, Sa'fyre, now 9, suffered burns to more than 75 percent of her body.

Butler, 31, spent nine months in jail before he was freed in February 2014 without explanation from law enforcement authorities. His release came after information emerged that Edward Leon, of St. Johnsville, who had a grudge against Terry, had lied to detectives and his friends when he denied being at the scene of the early morning fire.

Earlier this year, Butler filed a lawsuit against five of the federal agents and Schenectady detectives who were involved in his arrest.

Leon later became a focus of the investigation but was never charged. He is serving 10 years in prison for lying to federal agents and a grand jury about his whereabouts on the night of the fire.

Duell, serving 11 years and three months for perjury, initially implicated Butler to police and the grand jury — then recanted.

Bryan Fish, 22, another grand jury witness against Butler, also recanted. He is charged with perjury because, according to federal prosecutors, he lied about his brother, Bryan Fish, driving the car.

On Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Myers recited key facts, telling U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino that prosecutors are confident they would have been able to convict the defendant.

He also recounted how after giving similar testimony before the grand jury in October 2013 and January 2014, Ramsey during his third time before the panel in May 2016 said his earlier testimony was false.

"Is that what you did and what occurred?," D'Agostino asked Ramsey after Myers was done recounting how the defendant's story to the grand jury kept changing until he confessed.

"Yes," replied Ramsey, 48, who appeared in green prison garb with his attorney, Lee Kindlon.

Ramsey could have faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, if convicted of the two crimes he admitted to in court Friday.

D'Agostino cautioned him that he could still face that harsher penalty when he is sentenced at 10 a.m. June 13 by Senior U.S District Judge Gary Sharpe.

pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson

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