Court Cases
DA KATZ BRINGS ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES AFTER 45 DOGS RESCUED FROM DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Fred Thomson has been charged with failure to provide proper care to animals for allegedly keeping more than 45 dogs and puppies in unsanitary conditions in his Broad Channel home. District Attorney Katz said: “Animals are voiceless members of our community who deserve proper care and sustenance. In…
DA KATZ SECURES GUILTY PLEA AND RESTITUTION IN UNION MEMBERSHIP CASH CON
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jofre Ortega pleaded guilty today to grand larceny and other crimes for conning people eager to join the Mason Tenders Local 79 Union by offering memberships for cash. As part of the plea, the defendant is required to pay restitution in the amount of $18,000 to the 14…
QUEENS DA’S OFFICE SECURES GUILTY PLEA FOR TWO TRAFFICKERS; DEFENDANTS FORCED TEENAGE GIRLS INTO SEX INDUSTRY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Lawrence Winslow and Alan Velvett each pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a child and rape for forcing three underage victims into the sex industry in February 2021. One of the victims was also coerced into having intercourse with both defendants. District Attorney Katz said: “I created the…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR THREATENING TO SHOOT MOTORIST OVER PARKING SPOT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jaquan Adams was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for criminal possession of a weapon. Adams used a gun to threaten a motorist to surrender an open street parking spot in Bayside that he wanted for himself. District Attorney Katz said: “An argument over nothing more than…
QUEENS FATHER CHARGED WITH MURDER IN DEATH OF 3-YEAR-OLD SON
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Shaquan Butler was arraigned yesterday on murder charges in the death of his 3-year-old son. District Attorney Katz said: “A defenseless young child’s life was brutally snatched from him before it even began in most ways; a case that is equal parts heartbreaking and disturbing. As alleged, the…
AFTER EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATIONS, DA KATZ CONSENTS TO VACATING WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz today filed motions with defense attorneys to vacate two wrongful convictions. In both cases, new evidence came to light: In Capers, the physical evidence indicated one gun was fired and eyewitness testimony singles out Kevin McClinton as the lone shooter. McClinton, who is solely culpable for the crime, is…
NETWORK OF DRUG DEALERS DISMANTLED FOLLOWING LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, announced that three individuals have been arrested and charged for allegedly operating as a network of dealers who supplied a variety of drugs to buyers in Far Rockaway, Queens, and other boroughs over the last year. An additional crew member…
BUS HIJACKER INDICTED ON KIDNAPPING AND OTHER CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dwayne Gaddy was indicted and arraigned today on charges of kidnapping, robbery and other crimes for the hijacking of a crowded MTA bus in Cambria Heights last month using what appeared to be a handgun. The approximately 30 passengers on board the bus were able to escape. The…
CO-DEFENDANTS PLEAD GUILTY IN SHOOTING DEATHS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Richard Davenport and Neville Brown each pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for the shooting deaths of two men in South Richmond Hill in late 2017 and early 2018. The judge in the case said he would sentence Davenport to 29 years in prison and Brown to…
DA KATZ SECURES MANSLAUGHTER INDICTMENT IN SUBWAY SYSTEM DEATH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Carlos Garcia was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned today in Supreme Court on manslaughter and other charges for the death of a fellow commuter last month at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway station as a result of a physical altercation. District Attorney Katz said: “Our subway…
ALLEGED DRUG DEALER INDICTED ON NARCOTICS, WEAPONS CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Alejandro Rodriguez was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes. Rodriguez is accused of supplying a large quantity of narcotics to an undercover officer over the course of…
EMT INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING BANK CARD FROM PATIENT’S WALLET FOR LIQUOR AND FOOD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that FDNY emergency medical service responder Robert Marshall was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for allegedly taking a debit card from the purse of a 79-year-old Springfield Gardens woman when he was working as an EMT on an August 8th ambulance call. The…
DEFENDANT CHARGED WITH POSSESSING AND PROMOTING CHILD SEX ABUSE MATERIAL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, announced today that Andre Hyman has been charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and other crimes for allegedly purchasing, downloading, and possessing child sex abuse materials on his computer inside his Jamaica residence between May 2021 and November 2022. District…
FAR ROCKAWAY RESIDENT CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN SHOOTING DEATH OF A MAN FOLLOWING A STREET FIGHT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Joaquin Bullock has been convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and other crimes in the death of a fellow Far Rockaway resident. The defendant argued with the victim before fatally shooting him in the chest in 2018. District Attorney Katz said, “Gun violence has taken too many lives in…
QUEENS MAN CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER IN STABBING DEATH OF FRIEND
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Marcos Anzurez has been convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of an acquaintance in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 11, 2018. District Attorney Katz said, “Following a jury trial, this defendant was found guilty of causing the senseless death of his acquaintance during a night…
DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER IN KILLING OF WOMAN WHOSE BODY WAS DISCOVERED IN DUFFEL BAG
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that David Bonola today pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the brutal slaying of Orsolya Gaal, whose body was discovered in a sports duffel bag near Forest Park. District Attorney Katz said, “This heinous killing devastated an entire family, left two boys without a mother, and horrified the surrounding community….
ACCUSED BUS HIJACKER CHARGED FOR UNLAWFULLY SEIZING MTA BUS IN CAMBRIA HEIGHTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Dwayne Gaddy has been charged with grand larceny, robbery, reckless endangerment and other crimes for allegedly commandeering a crowded MTA bus in Cambria Heights on Thursday morning with what appeared to be a handgun. All of the approximate 30 passengers were able to escape from the bus…
QUEENS BOWLING LEAGUE TREASURER INDICTED FOR STEALING DUES AND PRIZE MONEY DURING COVID
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Robert Vickers has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on charges of grand larceny and other crimes for allegedly stealing dues and prize money from members of a Queens County bowling league in 2020. District Attorney Katz said, “As alleged,…
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ SECURES INDICTMENT OF UNLICENSED DRIVER IN DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN OF 5-YEAR-OLD BOY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Xavier Carchipulla has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on charges of criminally negligent homicide and other crimes. The defendant, who is not licensed to drive, is alleged to have been the driver of a 2018 Dodge RAM that fatally…
DA KATZ SECURES INDICTMENT OF ALLEGED DRUG DEALER FOR SELLING DEADLY NARCOTICS IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, announced today that Emendjer Mathurin has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance for allegedly supplying a large amount of narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl,…
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