Archive for August 2023
MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AND RAPE IN ROOFTOP ATTACK ON WOMAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jerson Vasquez was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on attempted murder, rape and other charges for allegedly arranging to meet a woman for paid sex and then beating her and taking back the money he paid along with her cellphone. District Attorney Katz said: “The defendant…
Read MoreTWO QUEENS MEN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING ARSENAL OF ILLEGAL WEAPONS AND STOCKPILE OF AMMUNITION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Christopher Lall and Steve Salamalay were charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon after search warrants executed at their homes, a storage unit, and Salamalay’s workplace uncovered a dozen illegal firearms, including ghost guns, as well as high-capacity magazines, ammunition and gun manufacturing tools. District…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 24, 2023
Fairness in the criminal justice system means we must re-evaluate cases when credible new evidence of actual innocence or wrongful conviction emerges. I filed motions this week with defense attorneys to vacate three wrongful convictions… (continued)
Read MoreBROOKLYN MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR 2011 RIDGEWOOD MURDER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Gerald Griffin was sentenced today to 25 years-to-life in prison for the murder of a 31-year-old man found naked and bludgeoned in 2011 in his Ridgewood home. District Attorney Katz said: “We will pursue justice, no matter how much time has passed. A murderer is going to prison…
Read MoreAFTER EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATIONS, DA KATZ MOVES TO VACATE THREE WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz filed motions today with defense attorneys to vacate three wrongful convictions. In each case, new evidence came to light: In the case of Earl Walters, fingerprint evidence implicates other men in the 1992 abductions and robberies of two women for which Walters served 20 years in prison. A review of…
Read MoreTEACHER CHARGED WITH RAPE OF 14-YEAR-OLD STUDENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that Melissa Rockensies, a New York City public school teacher, was charged with rape for an alleged sexual relationship with a 14-year-old male student. District Attorney Melinda Katz said: “These disturbing allegations represent an abuse of authority and a betrayal of the trust students and parents place in…
Read MoreMAN CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR WHITESTONE ATTACK ON BLACK LIVES MATTER DEMONSTRATORS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Frank Cavalluzzi was convicted of nine counts of attempted murder for attacking peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators in June 2020, first charging at them wearing a glove with serrated blades and then attempting to run them over driving his SUV on the sidewalk. District Attorney Katz said: “A…
Read MoreMAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN ASTORIA ATTACKS BY SKATEBOARDER WIELDING BASEBALL BAT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Matthew Lloyd was arraigned today on charges of attempted murder and assault for allegedly clubbing two men with a metal baseball bat he wielded while riding a skateboard. District Attorney Katz said: “The randomness of the attacks is as frightening as their brutality. As a city, we cannot…
Read MoreSEXUAL PREDATOR SENTENCED FOR RAPING CHILD RELATIVE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Julio Fernando Pina-Illescas was sentenced to 17.5 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a child relative over the course of 10 years, beginning when the girl was 4 years old. In a separate case, Pina-Illescas has been charged with abusing two other pre-teen girls. District Attorney…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 18, 2023
The Merchants Business Improvement Program, created by my office in conjunction with the NYPD and local business owners to combat retail theft and repeat shoplifting, has seen positive results since its launch in 2021. I announced the program’s expansion this week to every precinct in Queens… (continued)
Read MoreMAN CHARGED WITH RAPE AND ASSAULT IN ROOFTOP ATTACK ON WOMAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jerson Vasquez was arraigned on charges of rape, robbery and assault for allegedly arranging to meet a woman for paid sex and then viciously attacking her on a Jamaica rooftop and taking back the money he paid along with her cellphone. District Attorney Katz said: “The charges portray…
Read MoreMANHATTAN MAN SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS FOR KIDNAPPING IN BOTCHED RICHMOND HILL HOME INVASION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Tex Ortiz was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for a kidnapping in which five people – including a 9-month-old – were held at gunpoint during a botched home invasion robbery that turned into a hostage standoff in Richmond Hill in 2020. The case against his co-defendant…
Read MoreDISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ ANNOUNCES PILOT INITIATIVE TO FIGHT RETAIL THEFT WILL EXPAND ACROSS QUEENS
Program’s Success in Jamaica, Flushing and Astoria Leads to Expansion Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and the NYPD announced the borough-wide expansion of the Merchants Business Improvement Program, an initiative to combat repeat shoplifting and the harassment and threatening of customers and store staff by the handful of individuals responsible for many of the disruptions…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 11, 2023
I announced a 50-count grand jury indictment this week against a doctor charged with sexually abusing three patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital and drugging and raping three other women in his Queens home… (continued)
Read MoreNEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR INDICTED IN MURDER OF 10-YEAR-OLD BOY IN FAR ROCKAWAY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ashram Lochan was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with murder in connection with a 2021 shooting, apparently sparked by a dispute over a shared driveway, that killed 10-year-old Justin Wallace and seriously injured his cousin, 29-year-old Kyle Forrester. Lochan allegedly acted in concert with Jovan Young,…
Read MoreBRONX MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER IN SMOKE SHOP SHOOTING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Albert Edwards was arraigned on charges of murder, robbery and weapon possession in the March 18 robbery of a Richmond Hill smoke shop during which a 20-year-old employee was fatally shot. District Attorney Katz said: “A young man lost his life in a senseless act of gun violence.…
Read MoreQUEENS WOMAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS FOR TRAFFICKING ILLEGAL FIREARMS USING THE IRON PIPELINE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jessica Heyliger was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for heading a ring that sold guns and ammunition brought to Queens from the south via the Interstate 95 “Iron Pipeline.” District Attorney Melinda Katz said: “This defendant trafficked illegal lethal weapons with no regard for the bloodshed…
Read MoreDOCTOR CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL, RAPING ACQUAINTANCES AT HIS HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng was arraigned today on a 50-count indictment charging him with sexually abusing three patients at New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital and raping three other women in his Queens home. Cheng was previously indicted in December for allegedly raping a female acquaintance in his apartment. Cheng…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 4, 2023
I had the pleasure of taking part in six National Night Out events on Tuesday. It was great to see so many families, children and seniors enjoying an evening of games, food, refreshments and music… (continued)
Read MoreQUEENS WOMAN INDICTED IN FATAL CRASH THAT KILLED ONE, SERIOUSLY INJURED ANOTHER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Semone Douglass was arraigned today on an indictment charging her with manslaughter, assault and leaving the scene in connection with a high-speed car crash on the Van Wyck Expressway that killed a passenger in another vehicle and seriously injured its driver. District Attorney Katz said: “We have all…
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