Archive for June 2025
ASTORIA MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER OF FDNY EMS CAPTAIN ALISON RUSSO
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Peter Zisopoulos was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for killing Captain Alison Russo of the FDNY EMS, in an unprovoked knife attack steps away from her Astoria stationhouse in September 2022. Last month, a jury convicted Zisopoulos of murder in the second degree and…
Read MoreASTORIA MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT FOR PEPPER SPRAY ATTACK ON MOTHER AND BABY ON SUBWAY TRAIN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Edward Vargas was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly pepper spraying a mother and her 11-month-old daughter on an M train in Long Island City. District Attorney Katz said: “It is particularly outrageous when our children are attacked. As…
Read MoreTEENAGER CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR MARCH SHOOTING DEATH OF 16-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO HAD JUST EXITED BUS ON LIBERTY AVENUE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that a 16-year-old male has been charged with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon for the broad daylight shooting of another teen after both children exited the Q83 MTA bus in Jamaica on March 26. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, a 16-year-old…
Read MoreFORMER QUEENS HUSBAND AND WIFE INDICTED FOR WAGE THEFT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that married couple Christian Perez and Ines Miranda Perez were indicted on charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and other crimes as part of a wage theft scheme to allegedly steal money from employees of two cleaning companies. The two companies associated with the couple are…
Read MoreDRIVER INDICTED FOR MURDER IN FATAL HIT-AND-RUN OF ASTORIA BICYCLIST
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Bekim Fiseku was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, manslaughter, unlawful fleeing a police officer, leaving the scene of an incident and related crimes for allegedly running a solid red light at a high rate of speed and fatally striking 36-year-old Amanda Servedio in October…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – June 20, 2025
I joined United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr. and members of the FBI in announcing the indictment of eight alleged members and associates of the transnational 18th Street gang… (continued)
Read MoreSEVEN TEENS INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER AND GANG ASSAULT IN ATTACK ON TWO OTHER TEENS IN KISSENA PARK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that seven teenagers were indicted for attempted murder, gang assault, robbery and other crimes for an attack on two younger teens on May 2 in Kissena Park in Flushing. The defendants are alleged to have beaten the victims with a metal baseball bat, kicked and punched them and…
Read MoreJAMAICA MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT AS A HATE CRIME FOR VIOLENT ATTACK OF MUSLIM SUBWAY RIDER
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Naved Durrni was charged with assault in the first degree as a hate crime and other charges for allegedly repeatedly punching and kicking a Muslim woman aboard an E train during the early morning hours on Wednesday. The defendant asked a woman, who was wearing a head covering,…
Read MoreJAMAICA MAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HATE CRIME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Gilbert Augustin was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to assault as hate crime earlier this month. After a Kew Gardens fender bender in October 2023, Augustin derided 66-year-old Jasmer Singh as “turban man” and repeatedly punched him, knocking him to the ground. Singh…
Read MoreDA KATZ AND NYPD TAKE 74 GUNS OFF THE STREETS AT BUYBACK EVENT WITH GREATER ALLEN A.M.E. CATHEDRAL IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that 74 guns were collected Saturday at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Southeast Queens 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 is…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – June 13, 2025
A defendant was sentenced this week to 28 years in prison for shooting Police Officer Richard Yarusso in the lower chest and Police Officer Christopher Abreu in the leg at close range… (continued)
Read MoreQUEENS MAN INDICTED ON KIDNAPPING AND SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES FOR ATTACKING 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL INSIDE FOREST PARK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that defendant Teddy Moussignac was arraigned on grand jury indictment charges of kidnapping and other crimes for allegedly grabbing an 11-year-old child, dragging her into the woods and sexually assaulting her on May 19 in Forest Park. District Attorney Katz said: “This is every parent’s nightmare. A father…
Read MoreTWO TEENS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED GANG ASSAULT FOR BEATING 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL AT ASTORIA SUBWAY STATION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that two 16-year-old girls were charged with attempted gang assault, assault and attempted robbery and other crimes in connection with the beating of a 15-year-old girl in the 46th Street subway station in Astoria on June 2. The defendants and victims are students at William Cullen Bryant High…
Read MoreQUEENS MAN AND MOTHER INDICTED FOR TARGETING EX- GIRLFRIEND FOR ATTACK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Brayahan Agudelo was indicted for burglary, strangulation, stalking and menacing and other crimes for attacking his ex-girlfriend and then enlisting an undercover police officer to harm her. Agudelo is accused of asking the officer, who was investigating the defendant on another case, to make his ex-girlfriend “a paraplegic.”…
Read MoreBERNARDO RAUL CASTRO MATA SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING TWO POLICE OFFICERS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Bernardo Raul Castro Mata was sentenced today to 28 years in prison for shooting Police Officer Richard Yarusso in the lower chest area and Police Officer Christopher Abreu in the leg. The officers attempted to stop the defendant on June 3, 2024, for driving the wrong way on…
Read MoreYour Weekly Update – June 6, 2025
We filed criminal charges against a defendant accused of animal neglect and abuse for allegedly hoarding 48 Belgian Malinois in a cramped and filthy apartment filled with the animals’ excrement… (continued)
Read MoreQUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 34 YEARS IN PRISON FOR RAPING TWO GIRLS – AGES 12 AND 16 – IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Viando Ricketts was sentenced to 34 years in prison on multiple counts of rape of two young girls, ages 12 and 16. The defendant took both girls to a Queens motel and raped them in 2022 in separate incidents. District Attorney Katz said: “This sexual predator targeted…
Read MoreNASSAU COUNTY DRIVER INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOR DRAGGING PEDESTRIAN UNDER VEHICLE WHILE FLEEING COLLISION SCENE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Warren Rollins was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident and related crimes for allegedly driving over a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle moments earlier. According to eyewitnesses, Rollins allegedly came to a complete stop and…
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