Press Releases
DA KATZ HOSTS FIRST MISSING PERSONS DAY IN QUEENS WITH NYC OCME AND US REP GRACE MENG
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the first Queens Missing Persons Day, hosted in partnership with the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng on October 24. The free event provided one-on-one assistance for families of loved ones who have been missing for 60 days or more. Attendees…
ELMHURST MAN SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDERING MOTHER AND BROTHER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Roscoe Danielson was sentenced today to 50 years to life in prison for the murder of his mother and brother in July 2023. The defendant was convicted last month of murder and concealing his brother’s body in a garbage bag and dragging it from the family’s East Elmhurst…
QUEENS VILLAGE MAN INDICTED FOR LABOR TRAFFICKING, GRAND LARCENY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Rippon Uddin was indicted by a grand jury on charges of labor trafficking, grand larceny and other crimes for stealing approximately $18,000 from a Bangladeshi man — in the United States on a student visa — by falsely telling him he would hire an immigration attorney on his…
RICHMOND HILL MAN INDICTED FOR UNPROVOKED KNIFE ATTACK ON 7 TRAIN PASSENGER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Luis Pallchisaca was indicted on charges of attempted murder, assault and weapon possession for a violent knife attack against another subway passenger on board the 7 train at the Mets-Willetts Point station in Corona in September. Pallchisaca approached a 25-year-old man as he boarded the subway, slashed the…
GEORGIA MAN ARRESTED FOR RAPING FIVE VICTIMS IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS IN THE 1990s
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Michael Benjamin was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, sexual assault in the first degree, burglary in the first degree and other crimes for allegedly raping five women from 1995 to 1997. The defendant was originally…
FORMER SCHOOL STAFFER CHARGED WITH STEALING MORE THAN $400,000 FROM FLUSHING SCHOOL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Abi Corbin was arraigned on a grand jury indictment charging her with grand larceny and identity theft for stealing $415,000 from the East-West School of International Studies (P.S. 281Q) where she worked as a community associate. Her role included processing work orders and the stolen money was meant…
FLUSHING DOCTOR CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY FOR STEALING STATE MONEY MEANT TO EXPAND ACCESS TO CARE FOR WOMEN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James V. McDonald announced that Dr. QiLi Li was charged with grand larceny and other crimes for misusing nearly $300,000 in state grant money meant to expand access to abortion services at her Flushing practice. She allegedly used the funds to provide cosmetic…
DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSING TWO KILOGRAMS OF DEADLY FENTANYL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dennis Carrol was sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted by a jury in March of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Approximately 2 kilograms of fentanyl, with an estimated street value of $80,000, were recovered in the trunk of Carrol’s car in November 2022 during…
BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, KIDNAPPING AND ARSON FOR KILLING ELDERLY COUPLE IN THEIR BELLEROSE HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jamel McGriff was arraigned on a grand jury indictment charging him with 13 counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, burglary and other crimes for the violent home invasion and murder of Frank and Maureen Olton. The defendant allegedly forced his way into the…
BAYSIDE WOMAN CHARGED WITH RUNNING PIG BUTCHERING SCAM ON VICTIMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Tiffany Yang was arraigned on charges of grand larceny in the first degree, criminal possession of stolen property and related crimes for allegedly stealing approximately $2.1 million from 17 victims across the country through what is known as a “pig butchering scam.” These schemes involve scammers who develop…
16-YEAR-OLD INDICTED FOR MURDER OF 13-YEAR-OLD BOY OUTSIDE CAMBRIA HEIGHTS DUNKIN’ DONUTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that a 16-year-old male was arraigned on an indictment charging him with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon for the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old boy in Cambria Heights. The victim, Sanjay Samuel, was on his way to school when he was shot…
OZONE PARK WOMAN INDICTED ON VEHICULAR ASSAULT, DRUNK DRIVING CHARGES AFTER COLLISION SERIOUSLY INJURED HER YOUNG CHILDREN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Mariam Alli was indicted by a grand jury for aggravated vehicular assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, endangering the welfare of a child and other crimes for speeding through a red light and slamming into another vehicle, seriously injuring her 3-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter and another passenger in her…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER, ARSON IN DOUBLE STABBING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Wei Sheng Chen was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, arson and weapon possession for killing his 50-year-old mother-in-law and stabbing his 17-year-old brother-in-law multiple times in a violent attack at their family home in Flushing on Thursday. DA Katz said: “As alleged,…
UNIONDALE MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER, ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR INTENTIONALLY DRIVING INTO TEEN AND FAMILY ON ROOSEVELT AVENUE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Edwin Cruz Gomez was indicted for murder, attempted murder, assault, driving under the influence and other crimes for intentionally aiming his vehicle at a 16-year-old girl and her family on Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst and killing the teen. The defendant sexually propositioned the girl and her mother just…
SOUTH OZONE PARK MAN SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS FOR CAR THEFT THAT LED TO VICTIM’S DEATH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Mahindra Hansraj was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a February 2023 collision that severely injured and eventually killed Tauree Thompson of Richmond Hill. Thompson jumped onto the roof of his car as Hansraj stole the vehicle, sped off on Lefferts Boulevard then crashed into a fire…
TWO DEFENDANTS INDICTED FOR STEALING MORE THAN $800,000 IN UNEMPLOYMENT AND COVID-19 BENEFITS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Kareem Reeves and Michael Robertson were indicted on charges of grand larceny in the second degree, identity theft and criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly stealing approximately $835,000 in unemployment insurance funds meant to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Robertson was also separately charged in a…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY AND ARSON FOR KILLING DOG
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Isaiah Gurley was indicted for animal cruelty, arson, criminal mischief and other crimes for allegedly killing a male pit bull before burning the body on a public street in South Ozone Park on July 24. The dog, named Square K, was a relative’s service animal. District Attorney Katz…
THREE DEFENDANTS INDICTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM IN FLUSHING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Kwai Ling Chan and Bobby Chen, a married couple, and Tashi Chimchu were indicted on sex trafficking charges for forcing a Colombian woman to engage in sex for money inside an alleged brothel on Union Street in Flushing. The woman was told she had to work off a…
DRIVER INDICTED FOR HIT-AND-RUN DEATH OF HIGHWAY WORKER ON NASSAU EXPRESSWAY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Daveanand Budhai was indicted for the death of Isabel Alvarez, who was the flag person in a construction zone on the Nassau Expressway when she was struck and killed on September 19. DA Katz said: “As alleged, Isabel Alvarez did not stand a chance when the defendant sped…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ APPOINTS 45 NEW ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced the appointment of 45 new Assistant District Attorneys representing 22 different law schools from across the country. DA Katz said: “I am proud to welcome this diverse group of talented professionals into the Queens District Attorney’s Office. I look forward to working with them in support of this…
Meet the DA
