Press Releases
FIREFIGHTER INDICTED ON AGGRAVATED VEHICULAR HOMICIDE CHARGES IN THE DEATH OF MOTORIST KILLED IN DRUNK DRIVING CRASH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that FDNY firefighter John DaSilva, 31, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter and other crimes. The defendant is accused of being drunk when he drove and slammed into a vehicle, killing the…
ACTOR INDICTED BY QUEENS GRAND JURY FOR MURDER IN JAMAICA SHOOTING DEATH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Isaiah Stokes, 41, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for murder and other crimes for the fatal shooting of a Queens Village man who sat in a parked vehicle in Jamaica, Queens this past February 2021. 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…
BRONX MAN CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME FOR ASSAULT AFTER USING HOMOPHOBIC AND RACIAL SLURS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ramon Castro, 55, has been charged with assault as a hate crime and other charges for slashing a man in the face after using homophobic and racial slurs. The incident took place on July 6, 2021 near a subway train station in Flushing, Queens. District Attorney Katz…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON MURDER CHARGES IN SHOOTING DEATH OF 10-YEAR-OLD FAR ROCKAWAY BOY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jovan Young, 29, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury on murder and other charges for the shooting death of a 10-year-old boy and the non-fatal shooting of another man. The shootings took place on June 5, 2021, in Far Rockaway, Queens. District Attorney Katz said,…
SECOND DEFENDANT INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON MURDER CHARGES IN SHOOTING DEATH OF MAN IN LONG ISLAND CITY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Khalik Berry has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for murder and other crimes in the shooting death of a 33-year-old Queens man near the Queensbridge Houses on May 10, 2021. A co-defendant was arraigned last week. District Attorney Katz said,…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED FOR STASH OF FIREARMS FOUND IN FAR ROCKAWAY HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ashram Lochan has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on weapon charges. As alleged, after the execution of a search warrant, police found several illegal firearms in his Edgemere, Queens, home. District Attorney Katz said, “This defendant is alleged to…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ JOINS NYPD COMMISSIONER SHEA TO ANNOUNCE EXPANSION OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS PROGRAM IN QUEENS [PHOTO]
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today joined NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Bill Chong to announce the expansion of 17 new Saturday Night Lights (SNL) program sites in Queens County, an important step in increasing access to this public initiative that is focused on youth development and violence…
BROOKLYN RESIDENT INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES FOR SHOOTING AND KILLING MAN AFTER FOOT CHASE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Rayshawn Cherry, 27, has been indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on murder charges. The defendant allegedly shot a man to death in St. Albans, Queens, on June 11, 2021. District Attorney Katz said, “As alleged, this defendant used a firearm to…
QUEENS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER IN STABBING DEATH OF HALF-BROTHER IN 2020
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that Wkorasky Voltaire, 30, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the May 2020 stabbing death of his half-brother in Queens Village, Queens. District Attorney Katz said, “This was a senseless act of violence. The defendant chased down his younger sibling and brutally stabbed him to death. The defendant…
BRONX RESIDENT INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON MURDER CHARGES IN SHOOTING DEATH OF QUEENS MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Darrius Saunders, 28, has been indicted by a Queens grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for murder and other crimes for the shooting death of a 33-year-old Queens man on May 10, 2021, in Long Island City, Queens, near the Queensbridge Houses. District Attorney Katz said,…
SUSPENDED LAWYER CHARGED WITH BILKING HOME BUYERS OUT OF MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN DOWN PAYMENTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that suspended lawyer Freddie Berg, of the Berg Law Firm LLC, has been charged with grand larceny, conspiracy and other crimes for allegedly conning nearly two dozen would-be home buyers out of their down payments between September 2016 and December 2018. District Attorney Katz said, “This defendant is…
QUEENS RESIDENT SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR BRUTAL ASSAULT OF QUEENS MOTHER IN KEW GARDENS HILLS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ronald Williams, 24, has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to assault and attempted sexual abuse for attacking a 52-year-old woman on April 30, 2018 in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. District Attorney Katz said, “This was a vicious attack on a woman just moments after she…
COUPLE INDICTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING TEENAGE GIRL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jamael “Tiny Biz” Whittingham and Shaneya “China” James have been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on sex trafficking of a child, promoting prostitution and other crimes. The couple allegedly arranged for strangers to have sex with the minor in Queens,…
MAN EXTRADITED FROM CALIFORNIA CHARGED WITH MURDER IN 2018 SHOOTING DEATH OF QUEENS MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Charles Williams, 35, has been indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on murder and other charges for the 2018 shooting death of a 27-year-old Jamaica, Queens father. District Attorney Katz said, “What began as a night of bowling turned to deadly crime…
NETWORK OF DRUG DEALERS AND GUN TRAFFICKERS DISMANTLED IN QUEENS FOLLOWING LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION (PHOTOS)
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by the New York City Police Department, announced today that a group of 21 defendants have been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and were arrested early this morning. The defendants are variously charged in five separate indictments with allegedly running and/or possessing guns and dealing drugs in…
QUEENS RESIDENT INDICTED BY GRAND JURY FOR TWO SEPARATE HOMICIDES; DEFENDANT CHARGED WITH FATAL SHOOTING IN JANUARY 2020 AND A SECOND MURDER IN APRIL 2021
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ashik Zaman, 20, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder, weapons charges and other crimes for two fatal shootings – one earlier this year and one last year – and a third shooting that seriously injured a man….
QUEENS RESIDENT INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES FOR STABBING MAN WITH KITCHEN KNIFE OVER PARKING SPOT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Anthony Thomas, 58, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on attempted murder and assault charges. The defendant allegedly stabbed a motorist who moved orange cones that were used to reserve a public space in front of the defendant’s home…
QUEENS MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER IN FATAL SHOOTING OF FAR ROCKAWAY MAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Tyrell Dennis, 31, has been indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on murder and other charges. District Attorney Katz said, “The victim, a young father of two, was having a conversation in the hallway of his apartment building when the defendant allegedly…
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…
