Your Weekly Update – October 29, 2021

The months of November and December bring many joyous occasions for people celebrating holidays that include the lighting of candles. My Office would like to remind everyone to be mindful of the potential dangers of leaving candlelight unattended for an extended period of time… (continued)

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QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING ARSENAL OF ILLEGAL “GHOST” GUNS

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by NYPD Chief of Intelligence Thomas Galati, announced today that Jonathan Santos, 36, has been charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal sale of a firearm and numerous other charges for allegedly having a stockpile of illegal weapons, including “ghost” guns, magazines and ammo, in…

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TWO QUEENS RESIDENTS CHARGED WITH STEALING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTENDED FOR NYC’S SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett, today announced that Rahmello Poole and Mariah Moore, have been charged with grand larceny, defrauding the government and other crimes for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars intended for youth summer employees. The pair – who worked at the Central…

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DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER IN DEATH OF NYPD DETECTIVE BRIAN SIMONSEN

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Christopher Ransom, 30, has pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter for the February 2019 death of New York City Police Detective Brian Simonsen. The defendant has also pleaded guilty to robbery for holding up the mobile phone store that brought police to the Richmond Hill location and culminated…

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QUEENS MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES FOR DEADLY SHOOTING OF ELMONT MAN

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Edson Giron-Figueroa, 19, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder, criminal possession of a weapon charges in the shooting death of a 25-year-old man from Elmont, Queens, on July 24, 2021. District Attorney Katz said, “This defendant first attempted to…

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CACHE OF GHOST GUNS SEIZED FOLLOWING INVESTIGATION; QUEENS COUPLE CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL POSSESSION AND SALE OF FIREARMS

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Lissette Espinal and Ricardi Kiem, both of Rosedale, Queens, have been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal sale of a weapon and numerous other charges for allegedly having a stockpile of illegal weapons in their home. Defendant Kiem was allegedly assembling the untraceable “ghost” guns…

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QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILES JOINT MOTION TO VACATE CONVICTION IN 1995 ROBBERY

Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz filed today a joint motion with the defense to vacate defendant Chad Breland’s conviction and 15-year sentence for a November 27, 1995, armed robbery in the Far Rockaway section of Queens. Breland is represented by defense attorney Justin Bonus. The Hon. Michelle Johnson granted the joint motion and dismissed…

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DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ HOSTS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION WITH SPECIAL ACCOLADES TO LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS [PHOTOS]

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, in partnership with her Latino Advisory Council, hosted an annual celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month last night during an in-person event at a local venue, La Boom, in Woodside. The program included special awards honoring notable community members of Hispanic and Latin descent and included songs and musical…

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Your Weekly Update – October 8, 2021

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic fueled a national drug abuse crisis. In 2020, Queens saw a significant increase in overdose deaths, echoing national data for the same time period… (continued)

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