Archive for July 2026
FRESH MEADOWS MAN CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES FOR DAMAGING PROPERTY OUTSIDE JEWISH-OWNED BAGEL SHOP THAT DISPLAYED ISRAELI FLAGS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dawood Faisal was arraigned on hate crime charges for destroying property in May outside of a kosher bagel store on Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows that displayed Israeli flags. Faisal allegedly knocked over multiple plant stands outside the shop on two separate occasions and, in one instance, hurled…
Read MoreBROOKLYN MAN WHO CHASED WOMAN WITH HAMMER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Shaleek Brunson was arraigned on charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes for wielding a hammer and chasing a woman onto the grounds of the Jewish Institute of Queens in Rego Park. While there, Brunson pushed an 8-year-old boy into a fence and bit…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – July 31, 2026
This week we announced the takedown of an international stolen merchandise ring allegedly operated by a mother and daughter…(continued)
Read MoreUNLICENSED SURGEON SENTENCED TO 5 TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR KILLING 31-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DURING OPERATION IN MAKESHIFT HOME CLINIC
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Felipe Hoyos Foronda has been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for the death of 31-year-old Maria Penaloza. Penaloza suffered cardiac arrest inside the defendant’s Astoria apartment, which was set up as a makeshift surgical clinic. Hoyos Foronda, who was not a licensed physician in the…
Read MoreMOTHER AND DAUGHTER CHARGED WITH OPERATING INTERNATIONAL STOLEN MERCHANDISE RING FROM EAST ELMHURST APARTMENT AND VALLEY STREAM HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced today that mother and daughter Maria Betances and Leslie Cruz were charged with criminal possession of stolen property, grand larceny, conspiracy and other crimes for allegedly operating a retail theft and fencing ring from a registered daycare. The duo allegedly…
Read MoreGEORGIA MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT AGAINST CORONA RESIDENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Luis Belis was indicted for first-degree murder and other offenses for fatally shooting 37-year-old Jairo Vinces-Cobena in March on a Corona street. Belis allegedly contracted with a third-party contact in Ecuador to kill the victim, whom he did not know, for a promised $20,000 payment. District Attorney…
Read MoreFLUSHING MAN SENTENCED TO 23 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FATAL EXECUTION-STYLE SHOOTING OUTSIDE CORONA DELI
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Omar Prado was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the execution-style shooting of 29-year-old Kelvin Gomez. Prado pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree last month, admitting that he shot the victim in June 2021. District Attorney Katz said: “After a petty verbal argument, defendant…
Read MoreDEFENDANT SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR TRAFFICKING GUNS FROM GEORGIA TO SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jezerel Huston was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bringing dozens of guns into Queens. Huston pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree. He and codefendant Teddy Gaston were arrested in September 2025 after an undercover investigation resulted in the purchase of…
Read MoreQUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE BURGLARIES IN FIVE-WEEK SPAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Aaron McKelvey was charged in connection with seven burglaries and one attempted burglary at commercial buildings in Long Island City, Woodside, Maspeth and Jamaica in May and June. The defendant allegedly wandered through office spaces and, in some cases, rummaged through desks to take cash and credit cards.…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – July 24, 2026
I am proud to be in my seventh year as District Attorney serving Queens County. Combating illegal guns has been a defining priority for my administration, combining intelligence, investigations and…(continue).
Read MoreDRIVER CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER IN DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN IN MARCH ON JAMAICA AVENUE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Darius Adams was arraigned on an indictment charging him with manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene and other crimes for the death of Suzanne Schmieder, a Queens resident who was crossing Jamaica Avenue in March. Adams is alleged to have sped away after the crash and hours later called…
Read MoreFOREST HILLS MAN SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BEATING OF WOODSIDE DELI WORKER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Osvel Diaz was sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder and other crimes in the June 2024 beating of a 62-year-old deli worker inside the Sunnyside Mini Market in Woodside. The victim was viciously assaulted by the defendant until he was unconscious. District…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – July 17, 2026
This week we announced that three defendants were sentenced to more than a decade in prison each for their roles in a violent home invasion robbery…(continue).
Read MoreFORMER FIREFIGHTER SENTENCED TO 4 TO 12 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FATAL COLLISION IN EAST ELMHURST
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that former FDNY firefighter Michael Pena was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for the death of 23-year-old Justin Diaz in February 2025. Pena, who was off duty, was driving while intoxicated when he sped through an intersection and slammed his Mercedes-Benz into Diaz’s car in East…
Read MoreDEFENDANT SENTENCED TO 55 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING DEATH OF ACCOMPLICE ON CROSS BAY BOULEVARD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Richard Dixon was sentenced to 55 years to life in prison for the June 2022 murder of his accomplice, Raymond Francis, whom he fired upon after shooting past one of the individuals he was pursuing. The incident also resulted in multiple gunshot wounds to the two intended victims.…
Read MoreTHREE DEFENDANTS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR HOLDING FAMILY HOSTAGE IN 2024 DOUGLASTON HOME INVASION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ryan Dash, Brandon Dash and Oneil Thompson were sentenced for their roles in a violent home invasion robbery. The Dashes and defendant Jone Smith broke into a Douglaston family home in August 2024, brandished weapons and threatened the residents, including a child and an elderly couple, with demands…
Read MoreDRIVER OF CAR IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD DET. JONATHAN DILLER SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR ILLEGAL FIREARM
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Lindy Jones was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapon possession charge for a 9 mm pistol found in the glove compartment of the car he was driving. Jones was behind the wheel of the vehicle on March 25, 2024, when his passenger,…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – July 10, 2026
This week five defendants were charged in a 26-count indictment for allegedly falsifying documents to obtain a “cash-out” mortgage of more than $688,000 on…(continue).
Read MoreFIVE INDICTED FOR IDENTITY THEFT AND MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME IN FLUSHING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that five defendants were indicted by a grand jury and variously charged with mortgage fraud, identity theft, forgery and other crimes for falsifying documents to obtain a “cash-out” mortgage of more than $688,000 on a Flushing home that they did not own. The scheme was allegedly orchestrated by a…
Read MoreNEW JERSEY MAN INDICTED ON VEHICULAR ASSAULT CHARGES FOR HIT-AND-RUN COLLISION THAT SERIOUSLY INJURED ELDERLY WOMAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Anthony Lanno was indicted on assault, vehicular assault, leaving the scene and other charges for a hit-and-run collision that seriously injured a 71-year-old pedestrian in College Point in January. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, this defendant was speeding in his car while impaired by drugs when he…
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