Posts by ASokol@queensda.org
QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 34 YEARS IN PRISON FOR RAPING TWO GIRLS – AGES 12 AND 16 – IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Viando Ricketts was sentenced to 34 years in prison on multiple counts of rape of two young girls, ages 12 and 16. The defendant took both girls to a Queens motel and raped them in 2022 in separate incidents. District Attorney Katz said: “This sexual predator targeted…
Read MoreNASSAU COUNTY DRIVER INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOR DRAGGING PEDESTRIAN UNDER VEHICLE WHILE FLEEING COLLISION SCENE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Warren Rollins was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident and related crimes for allegedly driving over a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle moments earlier. According to eyewitnesses, Rollins allegedly came to a complete stop and…
Read MoreBROOKLYN TEENAGER CHARGED WITH MURDER IN SHOOTING DEATH OF 19-YEAR-OLD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that a 16-year-old male was indicted for murder in the second degree and other crimes in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kevin Hernandez in Ridgewood on April 22. The shooting took place on the same street as Joseph F. Quinn Intermediate School 77. District Attorney Katz said: “As…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – May 30, 2025
The summer months, particularly the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, are the most dangerous of the year for teen drivers. Traffic fatalities increase at this time every year, and it is particularly tragic because so many of those killed are young drivers and their passengers… (continued)
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – May 23, 2025
A defendant was convicted at trial of murder in the second degree and weapon possession this week for the vicious knife attack that claimed the life of Lieutenant Alison Russo, a 24-year veteran of the FDNY EMS… (continued)
Read MoreBERNARDO RAUL CASTRO MATA PLEADS GUILTY TO ATTEMPTED MURDER AND ASSAULT FOR SHOOTING TWO POLICE OFFICERS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Bernardo Raul Castro Mata pleaded guilty to attempted murder for shooting Police Officer Richard Yarusso in the lower chest area and assault for shooting Police Officer Christopher Abreu in the leg. The officers attempted to stop the defendant on June 3, 2024, for driving the wrong way on…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – May 16, 2025
I announced criminal charges this week against nine individuals for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in government relief funds intended to help small business owners suffering hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic… (continued)
Read MoreBROTHERS PLEAD GUILTY TO POSSESSING BOMBS, ASSAULT WEAPONS AND 3D-PRINTED GUNS IN THEIR ASTORIA APARTMENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Andrew and Angelo Hatziagelis pleaded guilty to possession of explosive substances, assault weapons and other charges after an arsenal of improvised explosive devices, ghost guns and 3D-printed weapons was found inside an Astoria apartment they shared with their mother and another brother. Instructions for making a variety of…
Read MoreBROOKLYN MAN INDICTED FOR STABBING DEATH OF FLUSHING WOMAN IN 2022
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Shao Tong Lian was indicted by a grand jury and charged with murder in the second degree for the August 2022 death of 55-year-old Fang Chen, who was discovered fatally stabbed after the defendant visited her Flushing apartment for sex. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, this…
Read MoreNINE DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING DISASTER RELIEF PROGRAMS: ALLEGEDLY STOLE MORE THAN $2.2 MILLION WITH BOGUS CLAIMS OF ECONOMIC HARM DUE TO COVID-19
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced that nine individuals have been charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and other crimes for allegedly separately stealing thousands of dollars in pandemic relief funds intended to help small business owners suffering hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – May 9, 2025
My office secured grand jury indictments against 20 defendants charged in a sprawling auto-theft enterprise operation in New York City and its suburbs. The indictments are the result of a long-term investigation by my office, the NYPD and New York State Police. The defendants are variously charged with enterprise corruption, grand larceny and criminal possession of 126…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – May 2, 2025
My office secured a grand jury indictment against a fake plastic surgeon on charges of manslaughter, assault and unauthorized practice of a profession for allegedly performing cosmetic surgery without a license in his Astoria home… (continued)
Read MoreALLEGED VANDAL INDICTED ON CRIMINAL CHARGES AFTER DESTROYING RELIGIOUS STATUE IN ASTORIA CATHOLIC CHURCH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jose Rodriguez has been indicted on charges of burglary, attempted assault, hate crime of aggravated harassment and other related crimes for allegedly striking a statue of the baby Jesus in front of the altar at Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria on April 6. The statue fell to the…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – April 25, 2025
I joined members of the NYPD at the 116th Precinct in Rosedale this week for a plaque dedication in honor of Detective First Grade Jonathan Diller… (continued)
Read MoreDA KATZ SHUTTERS ILLEGAL MOBILE CANNABIS DISPENSARY IN REGO PARK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the closure of an unlicensed mobile cannabis dispensary that operated at Woodhaven Boulevard underneath the Long Island Expressway in Rego Park, near a school and park. In response to community complaints, the Queens District Attorney detective investigators conducted a series of undercover purchases at the van, which had…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – April 18, 2025
I announced an indictment this week against a defendant for allegedly driving while impaired under the influence of alcohol and drugs and speeding down Northern Boulevard at more than three times the posted limit, killing another motorist… (continued)
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – April 11, 2025
Every April, we commemorate Crime Victims Rights Week. It is a time to acknowledge the struggles of crime victims and their families, and to acknowledge that survivors need both justice and support as they rebuild their lives after a traumatic incident… (continued)
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – April 4, 2025
A Queens squatter was sentenced to two years in prison recently for illegally occupying a single-family home in Flushing and renting out rooms to others in February 2024. The defendant forced himself into the house after the homeowner attempted to regain access, then falsely claimed that he was a legal tenant facing eviction and harassment. The incident…
Read MoreQUEENS MAN FOUND GUILTY IN 2022 TRIPLE HOMICIDE STABBING DEATHS OF HIS GIRLFRIEND, HER SON AND A COUSIN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Travis Blake was convicted at trial of murder in the first degree and other crimes for the vicious deaths of his girlfriend and two of her family members. The victims were found with an array of puncture and blunt force wounds and in a state of decomposition when…
Read MoreQUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ SWEARS IN SIX NEW ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
From left to right Maria Simonova, Jessica Laguerre, Laurane Fumex, the DA, Emily Jilson, Naomi-Beth Carter, and Elizabeth Mullin. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today the appointment of six new Assistant District Attorneys to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. The new ADAs received their degrees from Columbia Law School, Cornell Law School, Emory University…
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