Court Cases
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MOVES TO DISMISS 60 CASES THAT RELIED ON CONVICTED NYPD DETECTIVES
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz will ask the Court today to vacate the cases of 60 defendants which were based on the police work of three former New York City Police Department detectives who were later convicted of various crimes. This motion is being filed jointly with defense attorneys who earlier this year raised…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES IN KILLING OF WWI VETERAN MISSING SINCE 1976
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced today that Martin Motta, 74, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court, charging him with murder in the second degree for the 1976 killing of an 81-year-old World War I Veteran. District Attorney Katz said, “After 45…
QUEENS COUPLE CHARGED WITH STEALING COVID RENTAL RELIEF FUNDS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Simon Holder and Shellon Gill, both of Jamaica, Queens, have been charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and other crimes. The pair, who are tenants, allegedly filed for and received Covid-19 Residential Rent Relief funds that are earmarked to help those negatively impacted by…
BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR FIRST NYC MURDER OF 2021 OUTSIDE UMBRELLA HOTEL IN KEW GARDENS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Richard Swygert, 19, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder and related charges. The defendant is accused of fatally shooting a 20-year-old Rosedale man and injuring two other individuals outside a Kew Gardens hotel in the early morning hours…
QUEENS RESIDENT SENTENCED TO PRISON AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO 2019 SHOOTING DEATH OF MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Keanu Suckoo, 21, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Following a verbal dispute in March 2019 in Jamaica, Queens, the defendant shot and killed the victim, who was running away from him. District Attorney Katz said, “This defendant shot down…
QUEENS GRAND JURY INDICTS MAN FOR RANDOM ATTACKS ON MUSLIMS; DEFENDANT CHARGED WITH ROBBERY AND ASSAULT AS A HATE CRIME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Naved Durrni, 30, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on robbery, assault as a hate crime and other charges. In three separate incidents, the defendant allegedly pursued people on the street he believed were Muslim, struck them and yelled…
BUFFALO RESIDENT INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES FOR GUNNING DOWN QUEENS MAN IN SEPTEMBER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Dwayne Scott, 22, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder charges. The defendant is accused of gunning down a 20-year-old Queens man in Ozone Park on September 24th. District Attorney Katz said, “The murder of this young man has…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING ARSENAL OF ILLEGAL “GHOST” GUNS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by NYPD Chief of Intelligence Thomas Galati, announced today that Jonathan Santos, 36, has been charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal sale of a firearm and numerous other charges for allegedly having a stockpile of illegal weapons, including “ghost” guns, magazines and ammo, in…
TWO QUEENS RESIDENTS CHARGED WITH STEALING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTENDED FOR NYC’S SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett, today announced that Rahmello Poole and Mariah Moore, have been charged with grand larceny, defrauding the government and other crimes for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars intended for youth summer employees. The pair – who worked at the Central…
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…
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…
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