Announcements
DA KATZ AND NYPD TAKE 76 GUNS OFF THE STREETS AT JAMAICA BUYBACK EVENT
Photo courtesy of the NYPD Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that 76 guns were collected Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica during a gun buyback event. The weapons were exchanged for bank cards and Food Bazaar gift cards, no questions asked. The buyback is the 10th of DA Katz’s administration and a…
DA KATZ SWEARS IN 52 NEW ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the appointment of 52 new assistant district attorneys to join the Queens District Attorney’s Office. The members of this new class represent 20 different law schools from New York state and across the country. District Attorney Katz said: “I am proud to welcome this group of talented professionals into…
DA KATZ AWARDS GRANTS TO 34 RECIPIENTS FOR THE QUEENS COMMUNITY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAM
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced $2.75 million in grant funding to 34 community-based organizations for the second phase of her office’s Community Youth Development and Crime Prevention Project (CYDCPP). The District Attorney’s initiative, originally launched in July 2021, aims to provide youth activities and wraparound services to help prevent crime and keep young people…
NEARLY 100 ILLEGALLY PARKED SCOOTERS SEIZED BY DA’S OFFICE AND NYPD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the seizure of 99 scooters parked illegally on the sidewalk and in the street in South Jamaica, South Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill, Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. One unregistered motorcycle and one unregistered dirt bike parked on a sidewalk were also confiscated. The vast majority of the parked…
MORE THAN 90 ILLEGAL SCOOTERS SEIZED BY DA’S OFFICE AND NYPD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the seizure of 95 scooters from the streets of Corona, Elmhurst and Long Island City. The crackdown is part of an ongoing joint operation involving the District Attorney’s office and local police precincts to address the persistent use of scooters in crimes such as drive-by shootings and robberies. A…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ HOSTS ANNUAL MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION
Photo (from left to right): Stetson winners Juliana McCabe, Carmela Brazzale, Kristen Ballard, Marjorie Kammerlohr, Judge Michael Yavinsky, Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Naiburg, Assistant District Attorney Courtney Finnerty (Director of Litigation Training), Executive Assistant District Attorneys Pishoy Yacoub (Supreme Trial Division), Shawn Clark (Major Crimes Division), Theresa Shanahan (Criminal Practice & Policy Division) The Queens…
ADDITIONAL ILLEGAL SCOOTERS SEIZED BY DA’S OFFICE AND NYPD
Over the past week, in three separate operations, the Queens District Attorney’s office and the NYPD seized a total of 176 scooters as part of an ongoing joint operation between her office and local police precincts to address the vehicles’ persistent involvement in crimes such as drive-by shootings and robberies. The scooters were confiscated for…
ARVERNE MAN SENTENCED FOR BLOODY ATTACK ON FRIEND AND CONTRACTING TO KILL HIM BEFORE HE TESTIFIED
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Mark Douglas was sentenced today to nine years in prison for brutally assaulting a longtime friend with whom he argued at a birthday party and then agreeing to pay $5,000 to have him killed before testifying to the attack, which left the victim needing more than 100 stitches…
MILLIONS IN DRUGS AND GUNS SEIZED FROM ABANDONED HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Victor Rodriguez was indicted on drug and gun charges after a search of an abandoned home in Bellerose uncovered millions of dollars worth of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine and a stockpile of firearms. A contractor hired after the recent sale of the property stumbled upon the stash. The…
WOMAN SENTENCED ON SEX TRAFFICKING, KIDNAPPING, ASSAULT AND ROBBERY CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Destiny Lebron was sentenced to 13 years in prison on sex trafficking, kidnapping, assault and robbery charges for three incidents in which she lured victims to a location for sex, then detained, assaulted and robbed them with the help of a male co-defendant. District Attorney Katz said: “Destiny…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ ANNOUNCES PILOT INITIATIVE TO FIGHT RETAIL THEFT WILL EXPAND ACROSS QUEENS
Program’s Success in Jamaica, Flushing and Astoria Leads to Expansion Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and the NYPD announced the borough-wide expansion of the Merchants Business Improvement Program, an initiative to combat repeat shoplifting and the harassment and threatening of customers and store staff by the handful of individuals responsible for many of the disruptions…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ, NYPD ANNOUNCE EXPANSION OF BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO ASTORIA
Rollout Follows Successful Program Launches in Jamaica and Flushing Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, together with NYPD officials and members of the western Queens business community, today announced the launch of the Astoria Merchants Business Improvement Program, designed to enhance safety in and around local shops. The program focuses on the small number of individuals…
QUEENS DA MELINDA KATZ AND THE NYPD ANNOUNCE PROGRAM TO HELP FLUSHING MERCHANTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz joined by NYPD officials, members of the Flushing business community and elected officials today announced the Flushing Merchants Business Improvement Program to enhance safety for retailers and shoppers by discouraging unwanted activity in and around local stores. The initiative is based on a successful launch of the Jamaica Merchants Business…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ APPOINTS 5 NEW ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced the appointment of five new assistant district attorneys to join the Queens District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Katz said: “I am proud to welcome this group of talented professionals into the Queens District Attorney’s office. I look forward to working with them in support of this office’s mission…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ APPOINTS NEW CHIEF OF STAFF WENDY ERDLY
District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the appointment of Wendy Erdly as Chief of Staff. Erdly joins the office after nearly a decade of public service experience, most recently at the New York State Department of Financial Services as Deputy Superintendent for Cybersecurity. District Attorney Katz said: “I am pleased to welcome Ms. Erdly to the…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ LAUNCHES STATE’S FIRST PROSECUTION OF INTERNATIONAL GHOST GUN TRAFFICKING OPERATION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the indictment of a Queens man and his associate in Texas, charging them with assembling ghost guns and selling the untraceable firearms in New York City and Trinidad. The case is the first prosecution in New York State of an international ghost gun trafficking operation. The investigation was conducted…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR FATAL SHOOTING OF GROCERY EMPLOYEE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dewayne Henry was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 65-year-old grocery clerk during a botched robbery in Jamaica in 2011. The defendant has been incarcerated on unrelated charges for much of the time since the murder. District Attorney Katz said: “Today’s…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS FOR DEADLY SHOOTING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Edson Giron Figueroa was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2021 shooting death of a 25-year-old. District Attorney Katz said: “This is a case of yet another young person’s life cut short by gun violence. We will continue to fight against illegal guns with everything we…
33 REPUTED GANG MEMBERS INDICTED ON MURDER, GUN VIOLENCE CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, announced one of the largest gang takedowns in the history of the office, a 151-count indictment brought against 33 alleged gang members, five of whom are charged with murder. The murder charges are for the shooting death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin, gunned down in…
NEW JERSEY MAN INDICTED FOR EXECUTION-STYLE MURDER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ron Reeder was indicted for an execution-style murder in broad daylight in September 2021. Wearing a mask and garments typically worn by Hasidic Jewish men, Reeder ran up behind the victim, who was entering a car parked on a South Ozone Park street, and shot him in the…
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