Announcements
DA KATZ ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS CHIEF COLLEEN BABB AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS THOMAS E. DEWEY MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING WORK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Colleen Babb, Executive Assistant District Attorney of the Community Partnerships Division, is the Queens County recipient of the seventeenth annual Thomas E. Dewey Medal. The Thomas E. Dewey Medal is awarded each year by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York to an outstanding…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ ANNOUNCES GRANTS AWARDED TO 28 RECIPIENTS FOR THE QUEENS COMMUNITY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAM
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced grant funding to 28 community-based organizations for the implementation of her Office’s Community Youth Development and Crime Prevention Project (CYDCPP). The District Attorney’s initiative aims to provide youth activities and wrap around services to help prevent crime and keep young people out of the criminal justice system. District…
DOZENS OF GUNS TAKEN OFF STREETS IN LATEST GUN BUY BACK EVENT CO-HOSTED BY QUEENS DA MELINDA KATZ WITH LOCAL OFFICIALS AND THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and the New York City Police Department announced that 40 guns were collected today at First Baptist Church in East Elmhurst, Queens. The gun buy-back event was co-sponsored by The New York City Police Foundation, The New York City Police Department, First Baptist Church of East Elmhurst, New York State…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ APPOINTS 48 NEW ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced the appointment of 48 new Assistant District Attorneys – which is the largest class ever – to join the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Of the 48 new prosecutors, 27 are women and 21 are men. “I am proud to welcome this diverse group of talented, dedicated professionals and…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ ANNOUNCES GRANTS TO SIX GROUPS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUEENS COMMUNITY VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROJECT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced grants have been awarded to six community organizations for the implementation of her office’s Queens Community Violence Prevention Project (QCVPP). The District Attorney’s initiative aims to improve public safety and promote the fair administration of justice through the implementation of community-based violence prevention strategies. District Attorney Katz said,…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ: BORO-WIDE OVERDOSE DEATHS SURGED DURING PANDEMIC
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today said drug overdose deaths in Queens County surged during the Covid pandemic, echoing recently-released national data. DA Katz said, “In 2020, there were 391 overdose deaths, a 45.5 percent increase over 2019, when there were 268 overdose deaths. There is no question that the pandemic, which fueled a national…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ ASKS COURT TO DISMISS THOUSANDS OF MARIJUANA CASES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz appeared virtually today in Queens Criminal Court to request that thousands of marijuana cases be dismissed and sealed. District Attorney Katz said, “For many years, I have advocated for the decriminalization of recreational marijuana use and other low-level, marijuana-related offenses. Since taking office, I have declined to prosecute these cases…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ ANNOUNCES CREATION OF CRIME STRATEGIES AND INTELLIGENCE UNIT
District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced the creation of a new Crime Strategies and Intelligence Unit to improve public safety in Queens County by focusing prosecutorial resources on proactively reducing and preventing criminal activity, particularly violent criminal offenses and gun trafficking. DA Katz also announced the appointment of Shanon LaCorte as the Unit’s Director. District…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY CO-HOSTS GUN BUY BACK EVENT WITH NYS ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES AND NYPD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James and the New York City Police Department will sponsor a Gun Buy Back event this Saturday, June 12th, at St. Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Church in Springfield Gardens, Queens. District Attorney Katz said, “In these difficult days, it is important that we…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ AND THE NYPD ANNOUNCE THE CREATION OF NEW PROGRAM TO HELP JAMAICA BUSINESSES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Police Department officials, members of the Jamaica business community and elected officials, today announced a new initiative to discourage disruptive, unwanted activity inside, and in front of, local shops and stores. District Attorney Katz said, “This program, conceived in partnership with my Office, the police…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ PRESENTS SPECIAL PROGRAM IN HONOR OF NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS WEEK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz presents a special program in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This virtual event takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. The District Attorney has invited several guest speakers from the Queens community and this livestreamed event will also feature live performances. The…
STATEMENT OF DA MELINDA KATZ ON OUTCOME OF INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS OF UNLAWFUL USE OF FORCE DURING THE ARREST OF SIRCARLYLE ARNOLD
After a thorough investigation that included consultation with two medical experts and an NYPD expert in Physical Training and Tactics, interviews with multiple officers and Sircarlyle Arnold, and extensive review of NYPD Body Worn Camera footage, my office’s Public Corruption Bureau has determined there were no violations of Administrative Code 10-181 during Mr. Arnold’s arrest…
MEDIA ADVISORY: DA MELINDA KATZ REQUEST DISMISSAL OF HUNDREDS OF CASES
NEWS ADVISORY Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz will personally request the Court dismiss hundreds of cases for defendants currently charged with loitering for the purpose of prostitution and related charges tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. before Queens Acting Supreme Court Justice Toko Serita. Even before becoming the District Attorney for Queens…
SCAM AWARENESS AND FRAUD PROTECTION WEBINAR MEDIA ADVISORY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is sponsoring a Scam Awareness and Fraud Protection virtual event tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. The event will include several legal experts from the District Attorney’s Office and partner tax advocates and specialists. The program will also be available in Spanish and Mandarin. The Queens…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ HOSTS LUNAR NEW YEAR VIRTUAL EVENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is sponsoring a Lunar New Year virtual event this Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. The District Attorney will honor several community leaders and the livestreamed event will also feature live cultural performances. Lunar New Year 2021- the Year of the Ox -will be celebrated around the…
QUEENS DA MELINDA KATZ HOLDS VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSION ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING: RESOURCES AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz sponsored a Human Trafficking Awareness virtual event via Zoom and livestreamed on Facebook with legal experts and several community service providers to explain the warning signs of sex and labor trafficking. The participants also discussed the unique approaches and resources available to trafficking survivors who reach out for support. District…
QUEENS DA MELINDA KATZ CREATES NEW BUREAU TO ENHANCE AND EXPAND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAMS
District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced the creation of a new Bureau to enhance and expand restorative justice programs and units within the Queens DA’s Office and the appointment of Aisha Greene as its Bureau Chief. District Attorney Katz said, “The Rehabilitation Programs and Restorative Services Bureau is a fulfillment of my promise to ensure…
CITING EVIDENCE OF IMPROPER DISCRIMINATION IN JURY SELECTION BY AN ADA IN THE 1990S, QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILES JOINT MOTION WITH DEFENSE TO REVERSE TWO CONVICTIONS
Citing decades-old evidence of improper discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and ethnicity in jury selection, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that she has filed a joint motion with the defense counsel at the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP, to vacate the convictions of Santiago Valdez and Paul Morant. Both men were…
DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER IN STABBING DEATH OF LONG ISLAND MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that John Daves, 34, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the September 2018 stabbing death of a 25-year-old Long Island man, who was patronizing a food cart in Jackson Heights, Queens when he was attacked. District Attorney Katz said, “A minor dispute while ordering at a food cart escalated…
D.A. KATZ ANNOUNCES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHIEF KELLY SESSOMS-NEWTON AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS THOMAS E. DEWEY MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING WORK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Kelly E. Sessoms-Newton, Bureau Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau is the Queens County recipient of the sixteenth annual Thomas E. Dewey Medal. The Thomas E. Dewey Medal is awarded each year by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York to an outstanding assistant…
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