Posts by ASokol@queensda.org
Your Weekly Update – September 12, 2025
A Queens woman was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned this week on charges of sex trafficking, grand larceny, and other crimes for allegedly forcing a woman to engage in prostitution on Roosevelt Avenue and to pay the defendant a daily sum of money… (continued)
Read MoreTWO ALLEGED GUN TRAFFICKERS INDICTED ON WEAPONS AND DRUGS CHARGES; GUNS TRANSPORTED FROM GEORGIA TO SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel announced the arraignment of Teddy Gaston “JD Yikes” and Jezerel Huston on a 194-count grand jury indictment charging them with possession and sale of illegal firearms and narcotics. A six-month joint…
Read MoreTEEN CHARGED WITH KILLING 17-YEAR-OLD, INJURING OTHERS IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH ON CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Mohammad Sk was indicted on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, driving under the influence, assault and other crimes for an October 2024 crash that killed 17-year-old Mohammad Rafid and injured four other teenagers, all passengers in the car he was operating. Sk allegedly drank alcohol and smoked…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – September 4, 2025
I was joined this week by Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch in announcing the indictment of 12 reputed members of the Floss Money Ballers gang following a year-long investigation… (continued)
Read MoreQUEENS WOMAN INDICTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING WOMAN, EXTORTING ANOTHER ON ROOSEVELT AVENUE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Valezka Echeverrias was indicted by a grand jury on charges of sex trafficking, grand larceny, and other charges for allegedly forcing a woman to engage in prostitution on Roosevelt Avenue and to pay the defendant a daily sum of money. The defendant is additionally indicted on charges of…
Read MoreTWELVE REPUTED GANG MEMBERS INDICTED ON ATTEMPTED MURDER AND CONSPIRACY CHARGES FOR YEAR-LONG SHOOTING SPREE IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced today the indictment of 12 reputed members of the Floss Money Ballers gang following a year-long investigation into multiple shootings in Southeast Queens. As alleged, violence between Floss Money Ballers and rival Blitz Gang…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 22, 2025
We took sweeping enforcement action against six illegal cannabis storefronts in the borough in close collaboration with the NYPD/New York City Sheriff’s cannabis task force… (continued)
Read MoreFORMER ADMINISTRATOR AT QUEENS CHARITY CHARGED WITH STEALING $872,000 MEANT TO FEED THE NEEDY FROM THE ORGANIZATION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Otto Starzmann was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property for stealing $872,440 from River Fund, the Queens nonprofit where he worked as an administrator. The money was supposed to provide fresh produce to needy families. Starzmann allegedly spent $429,508 of the money to buy…
Read MoreDA KATZ ANNOUNCES PADLOCKING OF SIX ILLEGAL CANNABIS STOREFRONTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced a sweeping enforcement action against six illegal cannabis storefronts in the borough. Dubbed Operation Weed Whacker, the months-long investigation included undercover buys and resulted in the padlocking of each location, four arrests and the seizure of hundreds of pounds of illicit cannabis and tobacco products. District Attorney Katz…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 15, 2025
A squatter who unlawfully occupied a vacant single-family home in St. Albans has been sentenced to two to four years in prison this week, following a successful investigation and prosecution by my office’s Housing and Worker Protection Bureau… (continued)
Read MoreSQUATTER SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR ILLEGALLY OCCUPYING ST. ALBANS HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that True Jackson was sentenced to two to four years in prison for illegally occupying a vacant single-family home in St. Albans in 2024. Jackson claimed the home was his lawful permanent residence and kept pit bulls on the property. District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant thought he could…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 8, 2025
I recently announced the interception of an unlicensed interstate cannabis operation that transported thousands of pounds of illegal cannabis product from California into Queens… (continued)
Read MoreTEEN DRIVER SENTENCED ON MANSLAUGHTER AND ASSAULT CHARGES FOR KILLING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN GRUESOME COLLISION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that an 18-year-old was sentenced to 1 1/3 to four years in prison for causing the death of Fortune Williams, a 14-year-old passenger in the BMW he was driving in 2023 when he was 16 years old. The teen’s parents were previously sentenced on endangering the welfare of a…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – August 1, 2025
Two men were charged this week with staging a motor vehicle accident, reckless endangerment, conspiracy, insurance fraud and other crimes. They stand accused of deliberately orchestrating three car crashes and then seeking insurance payouts for damages and purported injuries… (continued)
Read MoreTWO MEN CHARGED WITH STAGING CAR CRASHES ON NEW YORK CITY HIGHWAYS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jaime Huiracocha and Victor Murillo are charged with staging a motor vehicle accident, reckless endangerment, conspiracy, insurance fraud and other crimes for deliberately causing three car crashes and then seeking insurance payouts for damages and purported injuries. Huiracocha allegedly planned the collisions by luring participants with promises…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – July 25, 2025
My office filed criminal charges this week against a former Amazon employee for allegedly stealing close to 2,000 pairs of work boots and sneakers through a program meant to provide free safety footwear to new employees… (continued)
Read MoreQUEENS MAN INDICTED IN STABBING DEATH OF WIFE AND TODDLER IN FAMILY’S RIDGEWOOD HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ernesto Cruz was arraigned on an indictment charging him with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and weapon possession for the stabbing deaths of his wife, Ana Alexandra Pilatagsi Moposita, and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter. The victim and her daughter were each stabbed numerous times in the torso inside…
Read MoreMANHATTAN MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED RAPE OF WOMAN EXITING ELMHURST SUBWAY STATION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Drew Musa was indicted by a grand jury for attempted rape, sexual abuse and forcible touching for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman who had just exited a subway station on Woodhaven Boulevard in Elmhurst on June 27. Approximately 48 hours later, Musa was arrested in Manhattan where…
Read MoreBRONX MAN CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTED ASSAULT FOR SHOOTING AT OFF-DUTY POLICE DETECTIVE IN FIT OF ROAD RAGE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Alexis Morillo was convicted by a jury of attempted assault, weapon possession and other crimes for shooting at another motorist, an off-duty NYPD detective, in an apparent fit of road rage while driving on the Long Island Expressway in September 2023. District Attorney Katz said: “Gun violence will…
Read MoreMASSACHUSETTS MAN SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS IN PRISON AFTER SHOOTING WOMAN OVER FAMILY DEBT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Minliang Zheng was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of assault and criminal possession of a weapon. In March 2023, Zheng approached a 45-year-old woman outside her home and shot her in the upper thigh over her relative’s alleged unpaid financial debt. The victim had…
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