Archive for August 2026
POSTAL WORKER INDICTED FOR MAIL THEFT AND FORGERY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jere Campbell was indicted for forgery, identity theft, grand larceny and other crimes for allegedly stealing mail and cashing money orders intended for others while working as a clerk at the Whitestone Post Office. Campbell is alleged to have stolen more than $20,000 in a 15-month period. Some…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 28, 2026
This week I was joined by Governor Kathy Hochul to announce that two men pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in staging car crashes on New York City…(continue).
Read MoreTWO CONSPIRATORS SENTENCED FOR STAGING CAR CRASHES ON NEW YORK CITY HIGHWAYS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced today that Jaime Huiracocha and Victor Murillo have been sentenced for their roles in staging three car crashes on New York City highways and seeking insurance payouts for damages and purported injuries. Huiracocha orchestrated the collisions by recruiting participants with promises of cash…
Read MoreFAR ROCKAWAY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO BEATING MALBA HOMEOWNERS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Justin Aguilera pleaded guilty to attacking a Malba couple in November 2025. When the couple attempted to clear trespassers assembled for an illegal car meetup near their property, Aguilera, along with others, punched, kicked, and stomped the husband to the ground outside his home then punched his wife…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 21, 2026
This week we announced that a 16-year-old was charged in connection with three incidents of …(continued)
Read MoreTEEN DEFENDANT CHARGED IN MULTIPLE CHAIN SNATCHINGS TARGETING FEMALE PEDESTRIANS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that a 16-year-old has been charged with robbery, grand larceny and assault for forcibly snatching jewelry from women in three separate incidents in June and July, two on Merrick Boulevard and another on Roosevelt Avenue. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, this defendant approached unsuspecting pedestrians in broad…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 14, 2026
This week my office announced that an East Hampton resident was indicted for a horrific New Year’s Day hit-and-run that killed a 27-year-old man and seriously injured…(continue).
Read MoreFLUSHING MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR 2022 SHOOTING NEAR JAMAICA BODEGA
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Damion Howell was convicted of murder and other crimes for the August 2022 shooting death of Julian Askew, 29, on Waltham Street in Jamaica. The defendant fled the United States after the victim died and was apprehended nine months later. District Attorney Katz said: “Damion Howell propositioned a…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 7, 2026
This week we joined our neighbors throughout Queens to celebrate National Night Out, an annual event dedicated to enhancing community…(continue).
Read MoreEAST HAMPTON MAN INDICTED FOR FATAL NEW YEAR’S DAY HIT-AND-RUN COLLISION IN CORONA
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jonnathan Barbecho has been arraigned on indictment charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, assault and other offenses for a deadly hit-and-run collision in Corona that killed 27-year-old Darwin Adrian Malan Cargua and seriously injured another young man on New Year’s Day. The defendant fled to Ecuador after the…
Read MoreBROOKLYN MAN CHARGED FOR FATAL STABBING IN LONG ISLAND CITY APARTMENT BUILDING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Bretford Brewer has been arraigned on murder and weapon possession charges for the stabbing death of Carlos Penzo, who was found in the bathtub of his Long Island City apartment with multiple stab wounds to his face, neck and torso. A large kitchen knife was found with the…
Read MoreTWO FAR ROCKAWAY DEFENDANTS SENTENCED FOR KILLING LONG ISLAND MAN IN 2022
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Michael Williams has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison and Kevon Johnson has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for killing 24-year-old Jabeon Bivins in August 2022. Johnson and Williams fired multiple shots in an open walkway at the Redfern Houses as…
Read MoreQUEENS VILLAGE MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR RAPING DAUGHTER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that a 60-year-old Queens Village man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a pattern of persistent and escalating sexual abuse against his daughter including intercourse. The man initiated the sexual abuse with his then 10-year-old child during school break visits then increased the assaults once he…
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