The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office – KEEPING BROOKLYN SAFE AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY TRUST

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez Announces Dedicated Post-Conviction Justice Bureau that Will Include Parole and Clemency Unit, Sealing Unit and Nationally Recognized Conviction Review Unit

Initiatives Will Include Significant Changes to the Office’s Parole Policies and Robust Participation in Parole Proceedings, Including Recommending Release After Defendants Serve the Minimum Sentence as Default Starting Position for Cases That Ended in Guilty Plea

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced the creation of the first dedicated Post-Conviction Justice Bureau in the country. It will be anchored by the nationally recognized Conviction Review Unit and include two new Units: A Parole and Clemency Unit charged with implementing new policies governing the Office’s participation in parole and clemency proceedings for incarcerated individuals, and a Sealing Unit to encourage and facilitate applications to seal criminal convictions.

The City: Brooklyn DA Vows – I Won’t Fight Parole in Most Cases

Three Luna Park Housing Corp. Officials Indicted for Conspiring to Receive Bribes, Forge Documents to Corrupt the Process by Which Mitchell-Lama Apartments are Acquired

Defendants Include President and Treasurer of Board of Directors and Office Manager

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “These defendants allegedly conspired to corrupt the process by which eligible prospective tenants could have access to affordable housing in Brooklyn, and then used their illegal proceeds to fund lavish lifestyles. Their alleged greed cheated people who were entitled to apartments that instead went to those willing to pay bribes. My office, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to root out fraud and corruption to ensure that New York’s scarce affordable housing opportunities are not corrupted by fraudsters trying to make a profit, but distributed fairly and honestly.”

CBS New York: 3 Arrested In Coney Island Affordable Housing Complex Bribery Scandal

Three Men, Including South Carolina Resident, Indicted for Trafficking Guns Purchased in the South to Sell on Brooklyn Streets

Thirty-Six Handguns Purchased During 10-Month-Long Undercover Police Operation; Second Indictment Charges Three Individuals with Narcotics Sales

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, “The guns that were recovered as part of this investigation are exactly the types of weapons used to commit violence in our communities. These indictments reflect our continued commitment to focusing on drivers of crime, maintaining public safety and stopping the influx of guns into Brooklyn from Southern states with lax gun laws. I thank the police and my prosecutors for their joint efforts in this case.”

AM New York: Automatic Weapons Seized in Brooklyn Undercover Sting

Virginia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison in Connection with Trafficking 217 Firearms Purchased in Virginia to be Sold on the Streets of Brooklyn

Defendant, a Leader of the Conspiracy, is 24th Individual to be Sentenced for His Role

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “I hope today’s substantial prison sentence – and the additional sentences given to each codefendant – sends an unambiguous message: out-of-state gun runners who threaten our communities with deadly weapons will be found, will be prosecuted and will be brought to justice for their crimes. My Office will continue to focus resources on those responsible for driving violent crime as part of my commitment to keeping Brooklyn safe and strengthening community trust.”

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Partners with CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance on Data and Transparency Initiative

Revamping Agency’s Data and Analytical Capacity Will Improve its Practice and Allow for Better Decision-Making, Greater Accountability and Transparency; Program Fulfills one of Justice 2020’s Recommendations

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG), today announced a Data and Transparency Initiative that will improve the DA’s Office’s ability to track and analyze its data, allowing for better evaluation of prosecutors’ decision-making, enhanced transparency and an increased ability to assess the effectiveness of its policies. The partnership represents an important step in fulfilling the recommendation of DA Gonzalez’s Justice 2020 Committee to “establish a data/analytics team to drive metrics, best practices and reform.”

More Information on the Partnership

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez Unveils Sweeping Reforms His Office is Implementing as Part of the Justice 2020 Initiative

Treating Incarceration as Last Resort and Partnering with Communities, Justice 2020 Signals Unprecedented Effort to Drastically Reshape Prosecutorial Agency

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, “Justice 2020 will reshape the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office into a model of progressive prosecution that keeps the public safe and strengthens community trust by ensuring fairness and equal justice for all. We will move away from over-reliance on incarceration, engage all stakeholders as partners in justice, focus resources on those who do the most harm and make my Office more strategic and mission-driven. I am deeply grateful to all of the people, many of whom have personal experience within the system – who helped develop this comprehensive blueprint, which we have already begun implementing. As we continue to reap the benefits of historic decreases in crime here in Brooklyn and across the country, now is the time to focus on reforming injustices in the system that have led to over-reliance on incarceration and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. In many cases, incarceration does not keep us safer, and I am committed to shifting to ways of holding people accountable and increasing public safety that don’t rely on incarceration as the default option.”

Read the Justice 2020 Action Plan

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez Moves to Erase Past Convictions And Outstanding Warrants for Low-Level Marijuana Possession

Erased Dozens of Old Marijuana Possession Convictions for First Time in State History; Vacated Over 1,400 Open Warrants for Offenses His Office No Longer Prosecutes

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today moved to vacate 1,422 outstanding misdemeanor warrants stemming from failure to appear in court on misdemeanor marijuana possession cases, and also consented to defense motions to erase 28 past convictions for misdemeanor marijuana possession. Vacating those convictions – which is part of the District Attorney’s Justice 2020 action plan – represents the first time in New York State history that a criminal record for marijuana possession was erased under a DA’s initiative.

Watch DA Gonzalez Explain the Initiative

Eyewitness News: Brooklyn DA Moves to Vacate Pot Warrants,
Overturn Convictions

Brooklyn Records the Lowest Number of Homicides in 2018 as
Detentions on Bail and Prosecutions of Drug Offenses Decline Dramatically

Murders Dropped Below 100 for the First Time Since Record-Keeping Began;
Admissions to Rikers Island on Misdemeanor Cases Declined by Over 43%

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “In Brooklyn, we are leading the way in implementing initiatives that strengthen trust in the criminal justice system while keeping communities safe. Working with the NYPD, we are continuing to see declines in most crimes, with another historic low in homicides. And we are showing our commitment to enhancing fairness and equity by reducing reliance on incarceration and offering more opportunities for diversion. I look forward to achieving additional meaningful reforms in the coming year as we execute my Justice 2020 action plan and build a truly progressive and modern District Attorney’s Office.”

Brooklyn DA Moves to Vacate Murder Conviction In Connection With 2001 Killing Outside Sunset Park Strip Club

Defendant’s Confession Was Used at Trial Even Though It Contained a False Fact – That Victim Was Stabbed, not Shot; Detective Notes That Could Have Helped Defense Were Not Disclosed

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that following a thorough investigation by his Conviction Review Unit (CRU), he will move to vacate the murder conviction against Bladimil Arroyo, 39, who has been incarcerated since 2001. The investigation found that the defendant was deprived of a fair trial because the only direct evidence against him consisted of a confession that included a false fact likely transmitted to him by police – that the victim was stabbed rather than shot – and certain detective notes were not disclosed to the defense. Arroyo is the 25th individual whose conviction has been vacated by Brooklyn’s CRU since it was established in 2014.

Read the Full Report of the CRU’s Investigation and Recommendations On Lessons Learned

Brooklyn District Attorney Announces Project Brooklyn CLEAR to
Offer Treatment for Individuals Arrested with Small Amount of Narcotics

In Effort to Stem Opioid Dependency, Pre-Arraignment Diversion Will Provide Services from Time of Arrest; Those who Participate Will Have Their Misdemeanor Charges Dismissed

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the launch of a pre-arraignment diversion program to assist individuals who suffer from drug dependency and misuse. Under Project CLEAR (Collaborative Legal Engagement Assistance Response), individuals arrested for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance will be offered the opportunity to receive treatment and other community-based services before their initial court appearance. If they meaningfully participate, the DA’s Office will decline prosecution of their cases before they ever appear in court and their arrest record will be sealed.

CBS-NY: Brooklyn DA Announces New Approach To Fight Opioid Epidemic

DA Eric Gonzalez Announces Justice 2020 Initiative

Committee of Criminal Justice Experts, Reformers and Community Leaders Will Advise on Reforms and Innovative Approaches to Keep Brooklyn Safe and Strengthening Community Trust in the Criminal Justice System

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced a groundbreaking initiative aimed at keeping Brooklyn safe and strengthening community trust in the criminal justice system by ensuring fairness and equal justice for all. Justice 2020 will rely initially on a Launch Committee consisting of criminal justice reform experts, defense groups, service providers, law enforcement, formerly incarcerated individuals, clergy and community leaders.