Year: 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 28, 2015

 

JP Morgan Chase Employees Indicted For Allegedly Stealing
$400,000 from Elderly Victims’ Bank Accounts

Personal Bankers and Two Cohorts Allegedly Used Fake Powers of Attorney, ATM Cards

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton and Social Security Administration Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Ryan, today announced that two personal bankers employed by J.P. Morgan Chase and two other defendants have been arraigned on an indictment in which they are charged with conspiracy and other charges for allegedly stealing approximately $400,000 from the bank accounts of 15 senior citizens and deceased account holders, who were Chase customers.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These defendants, including two who served as personal bankers, are charged with pilfering the accounts of elderly customers. They will all now be held accountable for their shameful scheme to defraud.”

Commissioner Bratton said, “As alleged, these individuals preyed upon the elderly and deceased. Not only did they raid their victims’ savings, they also failed to conceal their deceitful tracks. I commend the investigators and prosecutors involved in this case, whose work ended this fraudulent scheme and resulted in these arrests.”

Special Agent in Charge Ryan said, “That these individuals used their position in the banking industry to steal Social Security funds is an offense against all taxpayers who contribute to Social Security and spend a lifetime working to earn these benefits. I commend our partner in this investigation, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, for their hard work. I encourage the public to report suspected Social Security fraud to the Social Security Fraud Hotline at http://oig.ssa.gov/report or (800) 269-0271.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Jonathan Francis, 27, of 75 Martense Street in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Dion Allison, 30, of 146 LaRose Circle, Marietta, Georgia. They were both employed as personal bankers at J.P. Morgan Chase’s Restoration Plaza branch at 1380 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Also charged are Kery Phillips, 40, of 135 Clarkson Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, and Gregory Desrameaux, 24, of 184 Clarkson Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, who were not employed by Chase.

All of the defendants are named in a four-count indictment in which they are charged with fourth-degree conspiracy, second- and third-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records. Allison was arrested today and arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Cassandra Mullen. He was ordered held on bail of $25,000 bond or $15,000 cash and to return to court on February 10, 2016. Francis and Desrameaux were arraigned earlier this month before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. Bail was set at $25,000 bond or $15,000 cash for Francis and Desrameaux was released without bail. They were also ordered to return to court on February 10, 2016. Phillips is still being sought by police. The defendants each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, between August 2012 and October 2013, the defendants Francis and Allison, using their authority as Personal Bankers to access accounts electronically, searched Chase databases for accounts that belonged to elderly Chase clients, had high balances and were dormant, except for regular direct deposits from the Social Security Administration. Some of these account holders were deceased.

Francis and Allison allegedly identified 15 such accounts and without permission or authority from either Chase or the account holders withdrew money from those accounts.

Phillips and Desrameaux allegedly conspired with Francis and Allison to steal money from the accounts. Specifically, Francis and Allison issued Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) cards for the defrauded accounts and the defendants and others used the ATM cards to systematically withdraw money. The defendants allegedly made withdrawals of between $200 and $2,000 (the maximum ATM withdrawal permitted each day) at regular intervals and alternated between several Chase branch ATMs. The defendants used ATM cards for more than one compromised account at the same ATM, and they made withdrawals from each account within seconds.

For example, during April 2013, the defendants allegedly made 42 withdrawals totaling $39,800 from four different victim accounts at four different Chase ATM locations in Brooklyn. The defendants allegedly made a total of 355 ATM withdrawals totaling nearly $298,000 from the 15 compromised accounts during the course of the investigation.

Furthermore, it is alleged, the defendants additionally conspired to steal money from Chase accounts by submitting false and fraudulent Durable Power of Attorney documents, which gave them control of the accounts. The defendants allegedly used the documents to withdraw amounts of up to $9,500 from teller stations. They allegedly made a total of 21 withdrawals in this manner, taking approximately $100,000 from four different accounts.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Detective Adrienne Jones of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Dominick Longo and Captain Dawit Fikru and Special Agent Angel Rodriguez, of the Office of the Inspector General, Social Security Administration, under the supervision of Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Grasso.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Adam Zion of the District Attorney’s Cybercrimes Unit, of the Frauds Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Dana Roth, Deputy Bureau Chief and Assistant District Attorney Felice Sontupe, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 21, 2015

 

Nine Defendants Charged With Operating Heroin Trafficking Ring
In Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island

Conducted Transactions at Several Exits along the Long Island Expressway;
Tens of Thousands of Dollars, Over a Pound of Narcotics and Six Guns Recovered

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton and Joseph D’Amico, Superintendent of the New York State Police, today announced that nine defendants have been variously charged in a 281-count indictment with conspiracy, sale and possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a weapon for operating a lucrative heroin distribution ring in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

District Attorney Thompson said, “There’s a growing heroin epidemic spreading throughout our city and country that’s destroying lives and families. This is the second heroin distribution operation that we dismantled in recent months and we intend to continue to do our part to save lives by taking down anyone who deals heroin in Brooklyn.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge James Hunt said, “Chaaibi used legitimate business marketing for illegitimate drug sales. By branding his cut of heroin “Two-Way”, he attracted and retained customers; some who drove far distances in order to purchase his product in bulk for resale on the street. Last week, the CDC released data reporting that in 2014 there were a record number of overdoses, over 47,000 overdose deaths mostly due to opioid pain relievers and heroin. This case is just one of many that exemplify drug law enforcement’s efforts to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations, like the Chaaibi organization, responsible for fueling heroin addiction and overdose deaths.”

New York State Police Superintendent D’Amico said, “I commend the efforts of our members and our law enforcement partners who were able to bring these criminals to justice and keep dangerous drugs off our streets. A drug like heroin destroys communities and puts lives at risk. We will continue to work with our partners to bring these criminals to justice and make sure they get the message that this will not be tolerated in our state.”

The District Attorney said that the investigation was conducted using electronic, video and physical surveillance, and that the indictment charges that between September 2014 and this month the defendants conspired to possess and sell heroin in Brooklyn, Queens and across Long Island. The ring allegedly sold a single “brand” of heroin, called “TWO WAY,” and used custom-made stickers to identify it on the glassines it distributed.

District Attorney Thompson identified the ringleader as Mohamed Chaaibi, 27, of Glendale, Queens. It is alleged that he supplied the heroin and coordinated all the transactions, in Brooklyn and elsewhere, by taking calls from buyers and sending couriers to prearranged locations where sales were conducted.

Miguel Alcaide, 30, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, Dixon Mercado, 42, and Brandon Alvarez, 20, both of Ridgewood, Queens, allegedly acted as runners or couriers who supplied heroin to other named defendants who then re-sold it to their own customers. Kimberly Wong, 32, of Ridgewood, Queens, is a realtor who allegedly helped Chaaibi with proceeds of narcotic sales, assisted him in finding cheap properties for rent and kept a stash of heroin in her residence to use when his runners ran low. Marius Kaczmarczyk, 39, of Maspeth, Queens is allegedly a heroin user who would test the product for Chaaibi and report back his findings.

The defendants were arraigned last week and today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Ruth Shillingford. They are variously charged in a 281-count indictment with second-degree conspiracy, second- and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, third-, fourth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Chaaibi is additionally charged with operating as a major trafficker. The defendants face a maximum sentence of up to life in prison if convicted of the top count with which they are charged. Several additional defendants are being sought.

It is alleged that many of the transactions were conducted in parking lots near exits along the Long Island Expressway. Those included gas stations and a Dunkin’ Donuts shop at Exit 19, gas stations at Exit 25, a Dunkin’ Donuts, CVS pharmacy and gas stations at Exit 37 and a gas station at Exit 56. Other sale locations included street corners in Bushwick, Bay Ridge, Crown Heights and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

Cell phone conversations that were intercepted in the course of the investigation showed that the defendants repeatedly discussed the quality of their product, customers’ assessment of its potency and its effectiveness when consumed by snorting versus shooting with a needle.

Finally, a search warrant that was executed at Chaaibi’s residence recovered a loaded .380 firearm and drug paraphernalia with heroin residue. Another search warrant executed at a stash house used by the trafficking ring recovered approximately 13 ounces of uncut heroin, about 2,000 glassines of heroin marked with the “TWO WAY” brand, drug paraphernalia and over 20 cell phones. A total of six guns were recovered during the course of the investigation.

The case was investigated by the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF), which is comprised of DEA Special Agents, NYPD Detectives and New York State Police Investigators.

Assistant District Attorneys Maria Schiavone, Gillian DiPietro and Maria Park of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Jonathan R. Sennett and Tara Lenich, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

DEFENDANT ADDENDUM:

1. Mohamed Chaaibi (Mo), 27, of 79-62 68th Avenue, Queens.
2. Miguel Alcaide (Chippy), 30, of 251 Osborn Street, Brooklyn.
3. Dixon Mercado (Dickie), 42, of 1864 Stockholm Street, Queens.
4. Kimberly Wong, 32, of 2026 Harmon Street, Queens.
5. Brandon Alvarez, 20, of 2026 Harman Street, Queens.
6. Carlos Rodriguez (DJ Cel), 33, of 99 Jamaica Avenue, Medford, Suffolk County.
7. Mariusz Kaczmarczyk (Mashud), 39, of 60-04 56th Drive, Queens.
8. Christina Picciano, 34, of 106 Webster Avenue, Lake Ronkonkoma, Suffolk County.
9. Andres Fernandez (Dre), 29, of 92-01 Jamaica Avenue, Queens.

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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 18, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Convicted of Assault as a Hate Crime For Vicious Attack on Transgendered Woman in Bushwick

Victim Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury, Underwent Surgery on Her Skull

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 26-year-old man was convicted of first-degree assault as a hate crime for striking a 29-year-old transgendered woman in the head with a two by four piece of plexiglass, causing severe injuries.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant viciously attacked an innocent woman purely out of hate and left her on the ground for dead.  This was a cowardly, unprovoked and brutal attack on a person who was targeted merely because of her appearance.  Hate crimes are an attack against all of us no matter who we are, and hopefully today’s conviction makes clear to anyone who commits bias-motivated violence in Brooklyn that they will pay a steep price.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Mashawn Sonds, 26, of 36 Hegeman Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was convicted today of first-degree assault as a hate crime, following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. He will be sentenced on January 13, 2016, at which time he faces up to 25 years in prison. This was the first trial conviction secured by the newly-created Hate Crime Unit, which is a part of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on October 12, 2014, at approximately 11:20 p.m., on Bushwick Avenue, near Halsey Street, a 29-year-old transgendered woman was walking with a gay male friend when she was approached by the defendant and others, with one of them yelling, “We don’t want faggots on our block,” among other anti-gay slurs.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, Sonds then picked up a piece of plexiglass and swung it at the victim, Kimball Hartman. As she tried to get away he threw the plexiglass and struck her in the head. The victim was knocked unconscious, began seizing and suffered profuse bleeding from the back of her head. She sustained a traumatic brain injury, underwent surgery to her skull, and will likely suffer permanent injuries.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Michael Diaz of the Hate Crimes Task Force, under the supervision of Deputy Inspector Mark Magrone, Chief of the Task Force. NYPD Detective James Menton, of the Bronx Special Victims Squad, assisted in the apprehension of the defendant.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Marc Fliedner, Chief of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Carlos Santiago, of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 17, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for
Kidnapping and Torturing Ex-Girlfriend

Victim Held Captive for a Month; Beaten, Burned with Iron and
Heated Screwdriver, Nearly Died

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 34-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for a month-long torture he inflicted on his former girlfriend while she was held captive inside his Brooklyn apartment in 2012. The defendant tied up the victim with cords and wires, beat her with a piece of wood and burned her all over her body, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

District Attorney Thompson said, “The defendant deserves this harsh punishment for his inhumane and barbaric torture of an innocent woman. May this sentence bring some solace to the victim for the unimaginable horror that she endured.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Anthony Matthews, 34, of 263A Bainbridge Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alan Marrus, following his conviction on November 18, 2015 of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault after a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, the defendant and the 29-year-old victim maintained an on-again, off-again relationship that was abusive at times. On June 29, 2012, the defendant picked up the victim from her father’s home in Peekskill, NY and brought her to his Brooklyn apartment.

Once in the apartment, the defendant tied her up with extension cords and telephone wires, repeatedly beat her with a 2×4 piece of wood and continuously threatened to kill her, according to testimony. About two weeks into the ordeal, the victim attempted to escape. In response, the defendant beat her up, broke her teeth by shoving a gun into her mouth, burned her inner thighs with a hot iron and mutilated her body, including her genitalia, with a screwdriver that he heated with a lighter, the evidence showed. Throughout the month of captivity, the victim’s family did not know where she was.

On July 30, 2012, Matthews left the victim by the threshold of his mother’s apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, rang the bell and fled. He instructed the victim to lie and say she prostituted herself and was attacked by a man she met on Craigslist.

The District Attorney said that the victim was taken to Woodhull Hospital in septic shock due to a serious infection, according to the evidence at trial. She also suffered fractured ribs, spinal damage, lacerated liver, fractured nose, burns all over her body and open wounds that exposed bones.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Sabeeha Madni and Assistant District Attorney Michael Liben of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaminsky, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Robbery Defendant Who Pointed Gun at Child’s Head
Sentenced To 24 Years to Life in Prison

Defendant Threatened 4-Year-Old Girl While Robbing Her Father of Jewelry

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brooklyn man who was convicted last month of first-degree robbery and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial has been sentenced to 24 years to life in prison.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Pointing a gun at an innocent child’s head was an outrageous and cowardly act.  This defendant, who has a long criminal history, including for violent crimes, must remain in prison for the rest of his life to protect the public.  There’s no question about that.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as William Hogue, 46, of Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Cassandra Mullen to 24 years to life in prison. He was convicted of one count of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon on October 27, 2015, following a jury trial. The defendant has a criminal history dating back to 1988 and is therefore deemed by law to be a mandatory persistent violent felony offender.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on May 13, 2014, at approximately 8 p.m., in the vicinity of East 35^th Street and Avenue I, in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the defendant approached Raymond Muscat, who was with his two daughters, ages 3 and 4, near his home and demanded his jewelry, including a Rolex watch. When the victim hesitated, the defendant pointed a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol at the older child’s head and threatened to shoot her.

The District Attorney said that, according to information presented at sentencing, the defendant is a mandatory persistent violent felony offender who has spent 20 of the last 26 years in prison. During his six years out of prison, the defendant continued his life of crime, earning nine convictions, four of which were for violent felonies.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Joseph Alexis, Chief of the District Attorney’s Red Zone Trial Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Katherine Fernandez, also of the Red Zone.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Former Employee Sentenced for Hacking Into
Non-Profit’s Computer Network

Defendant Installed Keylogging Software to Obtain Passwords and Other Information,
Was Caught Before Successfully Stealing Data

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced today that a former computer network administrator at Housing Works was sentenced community service and to conditional discharge for hacking into his former employer’s computer network.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Computer hacking invades privacy and can cause substantial damage to people’s finances and reputations. That’s why we’re determined to investigate and fully prosecute anyone who hacks into a computer network here in Brooklyn – whether they successfully steal information or not.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as J. Anthony Ilustrisimo, 28, of 15 Carol Place in Bloomfield, NJ. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Craig Walker to 150 hours of community service and conditional discharge following his guilty plea on September 8, 2015 to one count of unauthorized use of a computer, an A misdemeanor. If the defendant fails to complete his community service, he faces up to one year in jail.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the defendant worked as lead administrator at the Information Technology Department of Housing Works between December 2009 and September 2013. On January 9, 2014, an IT employee in the organization’s offices at 57 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn noticed that his computer had been logged into under a local administrator account, not under his log in name, and that it was running slowly.

Upon investigation, the employee learned that keylogging software, which tracks all key strokes typed on a compromised computer, had been installed on his PC. The employee called his supervisor, who inspected the overnight logs and found that someone using a computer named J0K3RR (pronounced “joker”) had made attempts to access the network. The supervisor, who knew the defendant for many years and had played computer games with him, immediately recognized the computer name J0K3RR as belonging to the defendant. He subsequently reported the case.

An investigation by the NYPD and the District Attorney’s Office revealed that in the early morning hours of January 9, 2014, a computer identified as the defendant’s through an IP address and an email address made a succession of failed attempts to log into the Housing Works system by using a Remote Access Server. When that did not work, the defendant used a LogMeIn account he had left open during his time at Housing Works. (LogMeIn is a subscription VPN service that allows remote access to a computer through a third party website). That allowed him to log in only as a local administrator, which permits limited use without full network access.

District Attorney Thompson said that at about 3:30 a.m., the defendant installed a program called Actual Keylogger onto the compromised PC, which recorded data entered by the employee, according to the complaint. At least two passwords and other business-related data were later recorded by the software.

The case was investigated by Detective Andrew Jackson and Forensic Examiner Detective Richard MacNamara, of the NYPD’s Computers Crimes Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant Felix Rivera.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Zion of the District Attorney’s Cybercrimes Unit, under the supervision of Felice Sontupe, Chief of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Convicted Of Fatal Shooting in Canarsie

Shot Victim Numerous Times During Altercation

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 25-year-old Canarsie man has been convicted of murder for the 2013 shooting death of another man, who was shot numerous times in the lobby of an apartment building following an altercation with the defendant.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This murder is just another example of the senseless gun violence that happens all too often. This defendant killed a young man over nothing and now will have many years in prison to think about the life he took.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Allen Ross, 25, of Canarsie, Brooklyn.  He was convicted yesterday afternoon of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog. The defendant will be sentenced on January 7, 2016 at which time he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on October 4, 2013, at approximately 5:46 p.m., at 5706 Farragut Road, the defendant aimed a handgun at Lamar Blackwood and fired, striking the victim multiple times and killing him.

Video surveillance captured a physical altercation between the defendant and the victim just moments before the shooting, after the defendant opened the lobby door for the victim. The video also depicts the defendant holding a gun and shooting the victim before fleeing the scene and taking the gun with him.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Stewart, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Taub, Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 9, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Stabbing Death of Wife Following Argument in Bay Ridge Apartment

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 54-year-old Bay Ridge man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison following his guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter last month for the 2014 stabbing death of his 46-year-old wife following an argument inside of their apartment.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Today’s sentence guarantees that this defendant is held accountable for the senseless slaying of his wife, the mother of his four children, who, by this guilty plea and sentence, were spared the trauma of a trial and ensured a measure of justice for their mother.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Hasan Rugova, 54, of 101 Marine Avenue, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The defendant was sentenced today to a determinate term of 18 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Ingram.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on May 20, 2014, at approximately 2 a.m., at 101 Marine Avenue, the defendant’s 14-year-old son observed the defendant, his father, repeatedly stabbing his wife, Gyltene Rugova (who was the child’s mother), in the chest and neck with a knife and intervened, pulling the defendant off of his wife. The defendant then stabbed himself in the stomach. The teen sustained a slash to his arm and was treated at the hospital with stitches and released.

Furthermore, according to the investigation, the stabbing occurred after Gyltene Rugova indicated she wanted a divorce from the defendant. Gyltene Rugova died as a result of multiple stab wounds to her chest and neck, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Cynthia A. Lynch and Joan Erskine, of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Michelle L. Kaminsky, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 9, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Convicted Of Killing Neighbor Inside Gravesend Building

Fired at Victim Multiple Times, Wounded Another

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 33-year-old man has been convicted of murder and attempted murder for the 2013 fatal shooting of a man inside a building in Gravesend, Brooklyn, which left another man with a gunshot wound to the arm.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant chose to settle a score with a gun and senselessly took a life. He will now have many years to spend in a prison cell and think about the foolishness of his choice.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Tremaine Holmes, 33, of 30 Avenue V in Gravesend, Brooklyn. He was convicted yesterday afternoon of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice. The defendant will be sentenced on January 4, 2016 at which time he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, at about 11:55 p.m. on August 15, 2013, the defendant fired multiple shots at point blank range, hitting Perice Brown and also striking another man inside 30 Avenue V. He then chased Darryl Brown, firing multiple shots outside the building. Perice died from his injuries and the other victim suffered a gunshot wound to his arm.

The defendant and Perice lived in the same building and were known to each other. The defendant was apprehended in Binghamton, NY on October 15, 2013.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Bernarda Villalona, formerly of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Nicole Chavis, Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 7, 2015

 

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Citizens’ Safety Day Took Guns off the Streets
And Allowed Residents to Begin Again by Clearing Summons Warrants

Gun Buyback Nets 60 Weapons, Nearly 600 People Attend Warrants Adjudication Event

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that two important community-based initiatives this past Saturday were successful in helping residents dispose of unwanted guns and get rid of outstanding warrants stemming from summonses for minor offenses. Held in two Brooklyn churches, Citizens’ Safety Day resulted in 60 guns being turned in and 336 warrants cleared from residents’ records.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Saturday was a tremendously successful day in Brooklyn. Dozens of guns that had the potential to cause harm by falling into the hands of criminals are out of circulation and hundreds of our neighbors had the fear of getting arrested for an unpaid summons lifted off their shoulders. We will continue to partner with other agencies, organizations and the community to enhance safety and fairness across our borough.”

The District Attorney said that a total of 60 firearms were turned in at the Gun Buyback event that took place on Saturday, December 5, 2015, at the Lenox Road Baptist Church in East Flatbush, in partnership with the NYPD. Nearly all of them were “street guns” – mostly revolvers and semi-automatic pistols that are often used to commit crimes. They also included two rifles and three “zip guns” or homemade weapons that are sometimes used by gang members.

No ID was required and no questions were asked of those who chose to turn in the firearms in exchange for a $200 bank card for each gun. But some residents who came to the event said that recent shootings, in their neighborhood and nationally, prompted them to get rid of guns they had at home, which could have been stolen or used by a child. Others, like a construction worker who said he found a loaded gun inside a dumpster, brought weapons that could have easily ended up with criminals.

The Gun Buyback program is one piece of the District Attorney’s comprehensive approach to combat gun violence, which includes investigations of gun traffickers, targeting of individuals who are responsible for the majority of shootings through initiatives by the newly-created Crime Strategies Unit and securing convictions and lengthy prison sentences in drug- and gang-related cases prosecuted by the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau.

Also on Saturday, some 575 people attended the District Attorney’s third Begin Again – a program designed to offer a solution to thousands of individuals who have an outstanding warrant because they failed to answer a summons for a low-level offense, like walking a dog without a leash or being in a park after closing. There are over one million open warrants citywide and they carry a number of negative consequences including subjecting the warrant holder to arrest at any time.

In all, 336 warrants were cleared at Mount Lebanon Baptist church in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Saturday. Participants who did not have summons warrants were given the opportunity to receive advice on a host of other issues and to take advantage of a resource fair inside the church. The District Attorney’s Office again partnered with the NYPD, the Office of Court Administration and the Legal Aid Society in holding the event. In three Begin Again events this year, nearly 2,400 people from all five boroughs received assistance and over 1,600 warrants were vacated.  

The District Attorney  said that this program helps foster trust between law-enforcement and the community and allows different agencies and the people they serve to come together and achieve a common good. Additional Begin Again events are planned for 2016.

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