Court Cases
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILES JOINT MOTION TO VACATE CONVICTION CITING IMPROPER DISCRIMINATION DURING JURY SELECTION
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz and defense counsel at the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP today filed a joint motion to vacate the conviction of Lawrence Scott based on evidence of improper discrimination during jury selection. A jury found Mr. Scott guilty of robbery at a 1995 trial, but today the Honorable Michelle…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES FOR DEADLY SHOOTING OF ELMONT MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Edson Giron-Figueroa, 19, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder, criminal possession of a weapon charges in the shooting death of a 25-year-old man from Elmont, Queens, on July 24, 2021. District Attorney Katz said, “This defendant first attempted to…
CACHE OF GHOST GUNS SEIZED FOLLOWING INVESTIGATION; QUEENS COUPLE CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL POSSESSION AND SALE OF FIREARMS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Lissette Espinal and Ricardi Kiem, both of Rosedale, Queens, have been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal sale of a weapon and numerous other charges for allegedly having a stockpile of illegal weapons in their home. Defendant Kiem was allegedly assembling the untraceable “ghost” guns…
LONG ISLAND MAN INDICTED FOR COLD CASE MURDER IN SHOOTING DEATH OF 34-YEAR-OLD FATHER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Michael Brown, 37, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury, charging him with murder and other crimes in the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old man. The defendant allegedly shot the victim from a passing vehicle in St. Albans in September 2018. District Attorney Katz said, “Securing…
TWENTY-YEAR-OLD MAN INDICTED IN DEATH OF GOLF COURSE WORKER; DEFENDANT ALLEGEDLY THREW ELDERLY VICTIM TO THE GROUND
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that David Mangaran, 20, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on assault and criminally negligent homicide charges. The defendant allegedly threw an elderly golf course employee to the ground at the Forest Park Golf Course in September 2020. The 79-year-old…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED FOR TRANSPORTING GUNS AND AMMO INTO NEW YORK AFTER PENNSYLVANIA GUN SHOW PURCHASE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Richard McCormick, 42, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on a 120-count indictment charging him with attempted criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes. The defendant allegedly purchased a cache of high-capacity magazines, firearm components and ammunition at a…
GRAND JURY INDICTS BROOKLYN RESIDENT IN HIT AND RUN CRASH THAT KILLED WOMAN ON CHRISTMAS EVE LAST YEAR
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jason Liriano, 23, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on criminally negligent homicide charges and other crimes for allegedly crashing into a vehicle and running away on foot. The crash killed the female passenger in a ride-share car and the…
BROOKLYN MAN INDICTED FOR DEADLY SHOOTING OF CORONA TEEN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Dennis Vassilenko, 18, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder charges. A female co-defendant is charged in the indictment with hindering prosecution. On July 7, 2021, Vassilenko allegedly shot a 17-year-old across the street from a Corona restaurant…
CO-DEFENDANT INDICTED BY GRAND JURY AND CHARGED WITH HINDERING PROSECUTION IN FATAL SHOOTING OF 14-YEAR-OLD AAMIR GRIFFIN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Tymirh Bey-Foster, 18, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on hindering prosecution charges for his role in the mistaken-identity killing of Aamir Griffin. The 14-year-old victim was gunned down on October 26, 2019. This defendant allegedly helped the accused…
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…
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…
