Press Releases
BROOKLYN MAN SENTENCED FOR SHOOTING DEATH AT CROWDED HOUSE PARTY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Devante Richards was sentenced today to 23 years to life in prison for the shooting death of 25-year-old Jonathan Distant at a crowded Springfield Gardens house party in August 2020. The gunfire erupted after a man with Richards bumped into Distant and a staredown ensued. District Attorney Katz…
MAN SENTENCED FOR ATTACKING BLACK LIVES MATTER DEMONSTRATORS [VIDEO]
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Frank Cavalluzzi was sentenced today to 14 years in prison following his conviction on nine counts of attempted murder for attacking Black Lives Matter demonstrators. The 2020 assault in Whitestone began with Cavalluzzi yelling racial slurs at the BLM supporters and escalated to him charging at the demonstrators…
GUILTY PLEA IN MISTAKEN-IDENTITY SHOOTING DEATH OF 14-YEAR-OLD IN PLAYGROUND
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Sean Brown pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2019 slaying of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin, who was gunned down in a South Jamaica playground when Brown mistook him for a rival gang member. Brown also pleaded guilty to a weapon possession charge…
DRIVER CHARGED IN FATAL COLLISION INVOLVING 8-YEAR-OLD BOY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jose Barcia was arraigned today on charges of criminally negligent homicide and other crimes for speeding across traffic and through a crosswalk while making a left turn, killing an 8-year-old boy and injuring his 10-year-old brother in East Elmhurst. The boys and their mother were crossing the street…
DOCTOR INDICTED ON NEW SEXUAL ABUSE CHARGES AFTER ANOTHER PATIENT COMES FORWARD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with sexually abusing a patient at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital. Cheng was previously indicted in August 2023, accused of sexually abusing three patients in the hospital and drugging and raping three other women in his Queens home,…
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…
EMACIATED DOGS AND CATS FOUND IN HOME OF MAN CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY
Photo credit: ASCPA Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Cory Elder was arraigned on animal cruelty charges after a search of his Edgemere home on Monday revealed he was housing 11 dogs and two cats that were malnourished and kept in undersized cages. Heroin, fentanyl and ammunition for a revolver were also found in…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH SCAMMING MORE THAN $600,000 FROM SENIORS ACROSS U.S.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Fei Liang was charged with possession of stolen property in connection with a scheme that defrauded $628,278 from senior citizens across the country. Liang is alleged to have worked with a co-conspirator who called seniors and claimed to be from the Social Security Administration, their bank, or a…
DRIVER INDICTED IN FATAL HIGHWAY CRASH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Makeda McDonald was arraigned today on an indictment charging her with criminally negligent homicide in connection with a high-speed collision on the Cross Island Parkway that killed her cousin and left her aunt gravely injured. DA Katz said: “Disregarding the rules of the road often has devastating consequences….
QUEENS MAN SENTENCED IN FATAL FAR ROCKAWAY SHOOTING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Tyrell Dennis was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 35-year-old man at point-blank range in a Far Rockaway apartment building in August 2020. District Attorney Katz said: “Senseless gun violence has tragically cut short too many lives including that of this…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED FOR CRIMINALLY NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Umar Khan was arraigned today and charged with criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving and speeding for driving at nearly 100 mph on the outbound JFK Expressway ramp before losing control of the car, which went over a cement retaining wall and landed on the Belt Parkway below, killing…
MAN INDICTED ON SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Hector Galindo Capultitla was arraigned on sex trafficking charges for forcing a Mexican woman to engage in sex for money in Mexico and the United States, including Queens. During her three-year ordeal, whenever the victim failed to produce the amount of money Galindo Capultitla required of her, he…
UNLICENSED DRIVER CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER, DWI IN DEADLY ASTORIA CRASH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Rey Perez was arraigned today on charges of manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving for speeding through a stop sign in Astoria, where he collided with another vehicle, was propelled into parked cars and then drove approximately four miles before seeking help for his gravely injured passenger —…
LONG ISLAND WOMAN SENTENCED FOR KILLING NYPD DETECTIVE IN HIT-AND-RUN ON LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jessica Beauvais was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for speeding through an NYPD roadblock while drunk and killing Detective Anastasios Tsakos, who was diverting traffic around a fatal collision on the Long Island Expressway in Fresh Meadows. Beauvais, whose blood alcohol content was nearly twice…
MAN INDICTED FOR STABBING DEATH FOUR YEARS AGO IN ASTORIA
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Luis Hernandez was arraigned today for murder and gang assault in the fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old man and the attempted murder of two others in Astoria in February 2020. District Attorney Katz said: “A young man’s life was cut short in a brutal act of violence four…
FAR ROCKAWAY MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER IN BRUTAL BEATING DEATH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Gyasi Denis was indicted, charged with murder in the fatal beating of a 64-year-old man inside the victim’s Far Rockaway apartment. After leaving the apartment following the slaying, Denis is accused of returning and taking the victim’s bank card. District Attorney Katz said: “As violent and brutal as…
FATHER AND SON CHARGED WITH POSSESSING LOADED GHOST GUN ASSAULT WEAPONS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Hyung-Suk Woo and his father, Ji-In Woo, were arraigned on charges of criminal possession of a weapon after a search of their Fresh Meadows home uncovered ghost guns, including assault weapons, as well as silencers made with a 3-D printer and other weapons-related paraphernalia. District Attorney Katz said:…
CHARGES FILED IN DEATH OF MAN THROWN FROM HOOD OF CAR TRYING TO THWART ROBBERY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Kenny Panama was arraigned today for the murder of 43-year-old Mauro Chimbay, who was killed after his car window was smashed and he then frantically tried to stop the defendant from getting away in a BMW with property he had allegedly stolen. Chimbay was thrown to his death…
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…
COLLEGE POINT MAN SENTENCED FOR SHOOTING AT NYPD OFFICERS RESPONDING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Rodolfo Montero was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for firing an assault rifle at officers responding to a 911 call from his girlfriend and mother. After assaulting his girlfriend in the presence of their 1-year-old child, Montero pulled out the rifle and threatened to kill her….
