Press Releases
BRONX RESIDENT INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES IN SHOOTING DEATH OF ST. ALBANS MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Richard Swygert, 19, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for murder, assault and other charges. The Bronx resident is accused of shooting to death a 22-year-old Queens man and injuring one other person when both were struck by gunfire…
QUEENS MAN HIT WITH ASSAULT, FORGERY, GUN CHARGES AND MORE AFTER RAMMING POLICE CAR AT ROADBLOCK IN AUGUST
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that David Griffiths, 24, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on gun charges, criminal possession of stolen property, possession of a forged instrument and other crimes. The defendant was allegedly in a stolen car when police pursued him in early August…
DEFENDANT IN JFK CARGO HEIST PLEADS GUILTY TO CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, with the Port Authority Chief Security Officer John Bilich, announced today that David Lacarriere, 34, has pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree for his involvement in the May 17, 2020 Kennedy Airport cargo heist of more than $4 million worth of designer goods. The…
QUEENS GRAND JURY DECLINES TO INDICT IN CHOKEHOLD CASE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said today that a grand jury considering charges against former police officer David Afanador has found a no true bill and declined to indict. The District Attorney had charged Afanador with using a chokehold on a man he arrested in Far Rockaway on June 21, 2020. “While the law prohibits…
QUEENS WOMAN CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME FOR DESTROYING STATUES AT FOREST HILLS CATHOLIC CHURCH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jacqueline Nikiena, 23, has been charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime for destroying two statues in front of a church in Forest Hills, Queens. The defendant allegedly pulled down the statues and bashed them to pieces early Tuesday morning in July 2021. District Attorney Katz…
CONNECTICUT RESIDENT CHARGED WITH VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER AND DRUNK DRIVING IN DEATH OF DIRT BIKE RIDER ON LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jorge Serrano, 30, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving for allegedly striking a dirt bike on the Long Island Expressway and killing its rider. Serrano also allegedly struck a moped, the rider of which has been hospitalized with a broken leg. District Attorney Katz…
QUEENS MAN WHO FILED 13 PHONY UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS TO COLLECT COVID RELIEF FUNDS THROUGH “CARES” ACT CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by N.Y. State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, New York Region Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone, announced today that Keijohn Graham, 21, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on a 68-count…
INDICTMENT ANNOUNCED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF 14-YEAR-OLD AAMIR GRIFFIN; INNOCENT VICTIM ON BASKETBALL COURT WAS GUNNED DOWN IN MISTAKEN IDENTITY GANG HIT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison, announced today that Sean Brown, 18, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder and weapon charges for the October 26, 2019 killing of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin. The reputed gang member allegedly sought to…
DISGRUNTLED CLIENT INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES IN STABBING DEATH OF QUEENS LAWYER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Nando Perez, 64, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for murder in the August 2021 stabbing death of a 65-year-old Queens attorney. District Attorney Katz said, “This was a brutal killing that stunned the community. The victim was found dead…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER FOR KILLING ALLEGED RIVAL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Chaz Reyes, 31, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the July 2017 shooting death of a 26-year-old man near a 21st Street bus stop in the vicinity of the Ravenswood Houses in Astoria, Queens. District Attorney Katz said, “In pleading guilty, the defendant has…
BRONX MAN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON HATE CRIME CHARGES FOR SLASHING MAN AFTER HURLING HOMOPHOBIC AND RACIAL SLURS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ramon Castro, 55, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on hate crime charges for allegedly slashing a man in the face after using racial and homophobic slurs near a subway station in Flushing, Queens on July 6, 2021. District Attorney…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH TRANSPORTING GUNS AND AMMO INTO NEW YORK AFTER BUYING WEAPONS AT GUN SHOW IN PENNSYLVANIA
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Richard McCormick, 42, is charged in a 117-count criminal complaint with criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes. The defendant allegedly purchased a cache of high-capacity magazines, firearm components and ammunition at a gun show in Pennsylvania and drove to New York – where all are…
QUEENS HOUSEKEEPER INDICTED ON GRAND LARCENY CHARGES FOR ALLEGEDLY EMBEZZLING OVER $72,000 FROM ELDERLY EMPLOYER’S BANK ACCOUNT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that Ondina Flores, a trusted housekeeper for an elderly couple, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on grand larceny and other charges. The defendant allegedly embezzled over $72,000 from her employers’ bank accounts over a period of four years. District Attorney…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH CRUELTY TO ANIMALS; MORE THAN TWO DOZEN SICK AND INJURED PIT BULLS HOUSED IN DUNGEON-LIKE CONDITIONS IN RICHMOND HILL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that Andrew Cato, 59, has been charged in a 92-count criminal complaint with aggravated animal cruelty, prohibition of animal fighting and other crimes. The defendant allegedly bred dogs for fighting, as evidenced by numerous dog bite scars and wounds on some of the 27 dogs and the retrieval…
QUEENS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO AGGRAVATED VEHICULAR HOMICIDE FOR DRUNK DRIVING SPREE OF CRASHES THAT KILLED A PEDESTRIAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jorge Samaniego, 51, has pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide for causing the death of a pedestrian in a December 2019 string of crashes in Woodside. District Attorney Katz said, “The defendant made the selfish decision to get behind the wheel of a car while drunk. His…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED ON VEHICULAR HOMICIDE, DWI AND OTHER CHARGES FOR CRASH THAT KILLED MOTHER AND DAUGHTER AND INJURED DEFENDANT’S PASSENGERS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Tyrone Absolam, 42, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and other charges. The defendant is accused of being under the influence of alcohol when he slammed into another vehicle, killing…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR DEADLY SHOOTING OF ELMONT MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Edson Giron Figueroa, 19, has been charged with murder, attempted robbery and other crimes in the July 24th shooting death of a 25-year-old Elmont man in Jamaica, Queens. District Attorney Katz said, “What allegedly began as a robbery attempt quickly accelerated to a craven act of gun…
QUEENS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ROBBERY SPREE FOR SERIES OF CAR-JACKINGS, BOGUS TEST DRIVES AND HOLD-UPS AT GUNPOINT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Rayon Gounga, 22, has pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and will go to prison after going on a crime spree between September 2019 and January 2020. The defendant committed car-jackings, arranged test drives of cars using social media then took off with the vehicles, and…
QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR HIT AND RUN CRASH THAT KILLED TEENAGER ON SCOOTER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Charles Fleming, 55, has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide. The defendant struck two teenagers on a motorized scooter on October 2019, in Jamaica, Queens, and then fled the scene. District Attorney Katz said, “Every driver who…
BRONX MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR DEADLY STABBING OF QUEENS DIVORCE ATTORNEY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Nando Perez, 64, has been charged with murder and other crimes in the stabbing death of a 65-year-old Queens attorney. The victim was found dead in his Jackson Heights law office, last Wednesday. District Attorney Katz said, “This is a brutal crime that has stunned our community….