FLUSHING MAN SENTENCED 92 YEARS TO LIFE IN FOUR UNDERCOVER NARCOTICS SALES; ALSO CHARGED IN TWO HOMICIDE CASES INCLUDING 1987 MURDER OF OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a 34 year old Flushing man convicted on charges of selling more than one pound of cocaine to undercover police officers in March and April of 1999 was sentenced today to 92 years to life. He also faces murder charges in the 1987 killing of off-duty Police Officer George Scheu and the 1996 slaying of a young man in Kissena Park.

District Attorney Brown said, “The evidence of the defendant's guilt in the narcotics case was overwhelming and I believe the sentence is well deserved. We will soon shortly proceed to try the homicide cases.”

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Henry Vega, of 43-76 163^rd Street, Flushing, New York. He was convicted in November 1999 of four counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree among other charges. Supreme Court Justice Randall Eng presided at trial and imposed today's sentence.

According to the testimony at trial, in January, 1999 undercover officers who had information that the defendant was dealing drugs in the neighborhood, set up a social club at 136-04 Booth Memorial Avenue in Flushing and put the word out that they were interested in buying drugs as well as engaging in other illegal activities. The defendant, who began frequenting the club, sold the officers cocaine in March and April on 4 occasions for a total of more than one pound of cocaine worth over $100,000 at the street level.

In addition, during the course of the investigation police developed evidence leading to Vega's arrest for the 1987 murder of Police Officer George Scheu. Officer Scheu was shot to death in front of his home in Flushing on July 11, 1987 when he allegedly interrupted Vega while he was breaking into a car. In a second homicide Vega is charged with murdering Joseph Hill during a robbery in Kissena Park on November 5, 1996.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Peter A. Crusco of District Attorney Brown's Investigations Division along with Assistant District Attorney Brian J. Stavrides of the District Attorney's Trial Bureau under the supervision of Robert J. Masters prosecuted the narcotics case. Assistant District Attorney Daniel A. Saunders, Chief of the District Attorney's Homicide Trials Bureau is in charge of the murder cases.