Press Releases
QUEENS MAN CONVICTED FOR A SECOND TIME IN 1993 MURDER OF PREGNANT ESTRANGED WIFE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Michael Robinson was convicted of murder after being retried for the 1993 stabbing death of his estranged wife, 29-year-old Gwendolyn Samuels. Samuels was killed a year after she and Robinson separated. At the time she was two months pregnant with her new boyfriend’s child and was working…
19-YEAR-OLD INDICTED ON ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES FOR UNPROVOKED STABBING OF 29-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF THREE IN EAST ELMHURST
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Luis Emmanuel Valencia Ponce was indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempted murder, assault and other crimes for the unprovoked stabbing of a woman on her way to an East Elmhurst bus stop in March. Ponce allegedly followed the 29-year-old victim, grabbed her from behind…
ST. ALBANS MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR STABBING DEATHS OF HIS GIRLFRIEND AND TWO TENANTS IN 2023
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that David Daniel was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was convicted by a jury of three counts of murder in the first degree. Daniel stabbed to death his girlfriend and two tenants living inside his St. Albans home in November 2023….
FAR ROCKAWAY MAN SENTENCED TO 43 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF STEPSON
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that a 43-year-old defendant was sentenced to 43 years in prison after being convicted at trial of sexually abusing his stepson. The abuse occurred over a period of seven years beginning when the youngster was 9 years old until he was 15 years old. District Attorney Katz said: “Instead…
LONG ISLAND TEEN EXTRADITED FROM VIRGINIA TO FACE ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES FOR SHOOTING 15-YEAR-OLD BOY INSIDE A TRAIN IN APRIL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Matthew Rodriguez was arraigned and remanded today on indictment charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon for shooting a 15-year-old victim aboard a Manhattan-bound A train on April 27. The victim was in a physical fight with Rodriguez’ co-defendant stemming from an earlier shooting…
SUSPENDED ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY FOR STEALING MORE THAN $1 MILLION FROM BORROWERS, DIME COMMUNITY BANK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jose Polanco was indicted for grand larceny and other crimes for collectively stealing more than $1 million from two borrowers at mortgage refinancings and from Dime Community Bank by writing bad checks. During this fraudulent scheme, Polanco, a former attorney who has been suspended since 2018, allegedly…
FLUSHING MAN SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS TO LIFE FOR STABBING MAN MORE THAN 100 TIMES WITH SCISSORS AND KILLING HIM DURING BOTCHED BURGLARY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Yang Zhang was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of Yat Ming Wong, who was killed in his apartment in May 2022. Zhang entered the man’s home and woke up the victim and his wife. A physical altercation ensued between the…
$28,000 IN RESTITUTION RETURNED TO WORKERS CHEATED OUT OF WAGES BY CLEANING COMPANY OWNER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that the office has returned $28,000 in stolen wages to 30 former employees of a cleaning company owner who was convicted earlier this year of failing to pay workers. Christian Perez, who owned cleaning companies that he ran with his wife, Ines Perez Miranda, was ordered to pay restitution…
BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 75 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR UMBRELLA HOTEL SHOOTING IN KEW GARDENS THAT KILLED ONE AND INJURED TWO
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Richard Swygert was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison on murder, two counts of attempted murder and related charges for killing one man and seriously injuring two others in a New Years’ Day shooting in 2021. Swygert and one of his companions got into an…
TEENAGER ARRAIGNED ON INDICTMENT FOR MURDER OF 15-YEAR-OLD JADEN PIERRE IN ROY WILKINS PARK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Zahir Davis was arraigned on an indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, gang assault and weapon possession for the shooting death of 15-year-old Jaden Pierre in Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans on April 16. District Attorney Katz said: “Jaden Pierre was beaten by other…
MORE THAN 1,000 POUNDS OF ILLICIT CANNABIS PRODUCT SEIZED IN BAYSIDE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the closure of an unlicensed storefront cannabis dispensary operating on Bell Boulevard in Bayside. A court-authorized search of the premises on May 14 resulted in the seizure of thousands of pounds of illicit cannabis and tobacco products and two arrests on felony-level charges. The enforcement efforts were in response…
QUEENS DA, NYPD & NY ATTORNEY GENERAL REMOVE MORE THAN 100 GUNS, INCLUDING ASSAULT WEAPONS, AS PART OF GUN BUYBACK EVENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that 108 guns were collected Saturday at the Southern Baptist Church in East Elmhurst during a gun buyback event. The weapons were exchanged for bank cards pre-loaded with cash. The event was completely anonymous, with no identification required and no questions asked. The buyback served as the 13th such…
ST. ALBANS MAN CONVICTED OF THREE COUNTS OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER FOR THE STABBING DEATHS OF HIS GIRLFRIEND AND TWO TENANTS IN 2023
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that David Daniel was convicted by a jury of three counts of murder in the first degree for the stabbing deaths of two tenants and his girlfriend inside his St. Albans home in November 2023. The defendant told investigators the attacks were prompted by the tenants’ failure to pay…
QUEENS RESIDENT CONVICTED OF MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR TWO-WEEK STABBING SPREE IN 2021 THAT KILLED ONE AND INJURED THREE OTHERS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Mark Albano was convicted yesterday by a jury of murder, attempted murder and other crimes for stabbing four men in 2021, killing one on the Grand Avenue-Newton subway platform and seriously injuring three others. These attacks took place on four separate days over two-week period. District Attorney Katz…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO MORE THAN TWO DECADES IN PRISON FOR 2021 SHOOTING IN OZONE PARK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dwayne Scott was sentenced to 21-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for gunning down a 20-year-old man in September 2021. The victim, father of a toddler and the defendant’s former friend, was fatally shot over an apparent money dispute. District Attorney…
DEFENDANT CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR SHOOTING DEATH OF ACCOMPLICE ON CROSS BAY BOULEVARD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Richard Dixon was convicted of murder and other crimes for a June 2022 shooting in Ozone Park that led to the death of his accomplice, Raymond Francis, instead of the individual he was pursuing. The incident also resulted in multiple gun injuries to the two intended victims. The…
WOMAN INDICTED FOR FIRST-DEGREE ARSON AFTER SETTING FIRES AT THREE LOCATIONS IN MASPETH THAT INJURED TWO
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Shaniqua Fort was indicted on charges of first-degree arson, reckless endangerment and other crimes for allegedly setting fires at several storefront locations along Flushing and Grand Avenues in Maspeth on April 13. The defendant allegedly started a blaze that destroyed a Chinese restaurant and the apartments above the…
MASPETH MAN INDICTED ON UPGRADED CHARGES OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER FOR SETTING FIRE AT FLUSHING BUILDING THAT KILLED FOUR AND INJURED OTHERS, INCLUDING TWO FDNY MEMBERS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Roman Amatitla was indicted on upgraded charges of murder in the first degree along with murder in the second degree, arson in the first degree and related charges for setting a fire that killed four occupants of a Flushing building in March and injured seven others, including two…
HOLLIS MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE FOR KILLING PAWN SHOP OWNER DURING 2022 ROBBERY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Rodolfo Lopez-Portillo was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for fatally beating Arasb Shoughi during a pawn store robbery in March 2022. The defendant sold two watches to the 60-year-old store owner and then violently attacked the victim with what appeared to be a metal pipe,…
QUEENS MAN INDICTED FOR FATAL BAR SHOOTING
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Paublo Torres was indicted on charges of murder in the second degree, assault and other crimes for fatally shooting 34-year-old Denis Enrique Reyes-Nunez, his half-brother, at a crowded Hollis sports bar in February. The bar manager was also injured in the shooting. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged,…