Press Release

QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ NAMES VETERAN PROSECUTOR TO RUN NEW FRAUDS BUREAU

District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that veteran prosecutor Joseph T. Conley III has been named to head the Frauds Bureau of the Queens District Attorney’s Office, which was created earlier this fall.

District Attorney Katz said, “Joseph Conley’s distinguished career in law enforcement, including 16 years with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, made it easy for me to choose him to lead this new bureau. The Frauds Bureau’s goal is to focus on catching criminals who prey on the vulnerable, line their pockets with tax revenue collected on behalf of the City and State and anyone else who uses complicated financial schemes to victimize the innocent.”

The Frauds Bureau investigates and prosecutes a wide variety of complex financial crimes affecting Queens residents and businesses. The Bureau’s cases range from investigating organized criminal groups defrauding corporate businesses to trusted employees stealing from smaller family businesses to those exploiting the elderly for financial gain.  Prosecutors in the Frauds Bureau are specially trained to aid residents of Queens who are victims of embezzlement, organized theft schemes, pattern commercial burglaries, confidence schemes, trademark counterfeiting, financial and investment scams, cybercrimes and environmental crimes. Frauds Bureau prosecutors also regularly engage in public speaking events to educate the public on how to avoid being victimized by trending fraud schemes.

The Frauds Bureau contains three specialized units that partner with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to proactively spot developing patterns and identify criminals who target Queens residents:

Elder Fraud Unit

The Elder Fraud Unit investigates and prosecutes financial crimes and schemes involving identity theft and theft of property or savings from senior citizens. The Unit has been instrumental in returning deeds to exploited homeowners and securing restitution. Additionally, the Unit focuses on prevention through community outreach with events aimed at educating seniors and the entire community on how to avoid being victimized by scammers.

Computer Crimes Unit

This Unit investigates and prosecutes cases that involve technology-facilitated crimes against children as well as adults. These crimes could include the possession of child sexual abuse material and attempts to lure children online for sex offline, revenge porn, unlawful surveillance, email scams, ransomware and other offenses committed using technology.

Crimes Against Revenue Unit (CARU)

The CARU team investigates, prosecutes and deters crime adversely affecting government revenue. When possible, the team recoups revenue siphoned from City and State coffers. The Unit works to hold accountable those who deliberately fail to pay tax obligations and to crack down on illegal, untaxed cigarette trafficking.

At times, the Frauds Bureau partners with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to make those victimized by crooks whole again.

 

Prior to his tenure with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Conley was the Deputy Attorney-in-Charge of the Manhattan Special Investigations Unit for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Chief Conley serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the New York Army National Guard serving in the Judge Advocate General’s Corp. and is currently assigned to the 69th Infantry Battalion.

Assisting Chief Conley is another career prosecutor, Deputy Bureau Chief Herman Wun. Deputy Chief Wun previously worked in both Miami and the District of Columbia, as well as serving as the Deputy Chief of Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit with the NYS Attorney General’s Office.

The Frauds Bureau operates under the District Attorney’s Investigations Division, led by Executive Assistant District Attorney Gerard A. Brave.