Year: 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Brownsville Mother Sentenced to 17 Years in prison for
Fatally Beating her 4-Year-Old Son with a Broomstick

Became Enraged when Boy Dropped Egg on the Floor;
Left Injured Victim inside Large Container Filled with Water

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 28-year-old woman from Brownsville, Brooklyn has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for beating her 4-year-old son, Zamair Coombs, with a broomstick and leaving him to die.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Little Zamair was an innocent boy who did not deserve to die. It is truly disturbing that his mother, the person who was supposed to care for his wellbeing and safety, viciously beat him and left him for dead. The defendant has now accepted responsibility for her brutal actions and today’s sentence ensures that she is punished for this crime.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Zarah Coombs, 28, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. She was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Miriam Cyrulnik to 17 years in state prison and five years’ post-release supervision following her guilty plea last month to first-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on January 25, 2017, Zamair, 4, asked his mother for food. When she refused, the boy went to the refrigerator to get something to eat and accidentally dropped an egg on the floor. The defendant became enraged, grabbed a broomstick and beat her son until he lost consciousness. She then placed the victim inside a large Tupperware container that functioned as a tub and was filled with some water, and left him there while she went to breastfeed her newborn.

The defendant’s boyfriend, who had been out of the home, returned at approximately 8:45 p.m., discovered the child unresponsive and called 911. Zamair was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he died hours later. He was covered by more than 30 blunt impact injuries to his head and more than 30 blunt impact injuries to his limbs and torso, according to the evidence. The cause of death was determined to be these multiple blunt impact injuries as well as a brain injury.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Linda Weinman, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Defendant Who Operated Shadow Utility Company that Illegally Installed Gas Meters Sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 Years in State Prison

Masterminded Scheme, Pleaded Guilty to Enterprise Corruption

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters, today announced that a former National Grid employee, who became the architect of a shadow utility company that illegally installed gas meters in violation of safety protocols by infiltrating the public utility and corrupting some of its employees, has been sentenced to up to seven years in prison.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Today’s sentence holds accountable this defendant who tried to profit from Brooklyn’s booming real estate market by developing this fraudulent scheme to illegally speed up work on properties and violate required safety protocols. Thanks to the hard work of investigators and prosecutors, his potentially dangerous operation was disbanded.”

Commissioner Peters said, “Cutting corners and undermining City construction regulations can result in tragedy. This defendant was the mastermind of a scheme to install illegal gas meters for cash while disregarding safety and the potential for damaging consequences. He is now being punished for his corrupt plan with prison time. DOI thanks the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their prosecution and partnership in this case.”

The District Attorney identified Weldon “Al” Findlay, 48, of Snyder Avenue, Brooklyn, as the mastermind and leader of the enterprise. Findlay, who worked for National Grid until 2010, pleaded guilty to one count of enterprise corruption and one count of falsifying business records last February before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, who, in a plea offered by the Court, promised him a term of 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison, to which he today sentenced the defendant.

The District Attorney said that, according to the guilty plea, the enterprise arranged for the illegal installation of gas meters in exchange for cash at 33 residential properties across Brooklyn, including Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Crown Heights, Midwood, and Borough Park, in addition to homes in parts of Queens. Findlay formed the enterprise and directed its criminal activities throughout the period covered by the indictment, namely January 12, 2016 to June 30, 2016.

The Department of Buildings and National Grid have inspected every property identified in connection with the investigation, and ensured that there is no risk to public safety.

The District Attorney said that existing protocols required National Grid employees opening accounts (for new or renewed gas service) to check the public Building Information System (BIS) database to confirm that the property had been inspected as required by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). A licensed master plumber or a DOB inspector must visit the location and conduct appropriate testing to ensure that gas lines have been properly and safely installed; compliance is indicated by a control number created in the BIS database. A National Grid employee acting properly would check for the BIS number and then include it in the account record before dispatching a technician to install a meter and initiate gas service.

According to the investigation, when a landlord with a new or renovated apartment wanted to avoid either the expense of the required tests, or possible delays associated with compliance, the landlord contacted Findlay, who would arrange for illegal service through his criminal enterprise. Landlords could be confident that National Grid employees setting up the account and providing gas service would violate or ignore any rules or regulations that would prevent or delay the supply of gas.

The case was investigated by DOI, specifically, Assistant Inspectors General Michael Antolini and Noah Mohney; Confidential Investigator Dan Taylor, Deputy Inspector General Edward Zinser and Chief Investigator James McElligott, under the supervision of Inspector General Gregory Cho, Associate Commissioner James J. Flaherty, and First Deputy Commissioner Lesley Brovner.

The District Attorney thanked New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters and his staff for their hard work on this case. He also thanked the New York City Department of Buildings and National Grid for their assistance and cooperation in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Adam S. Libove of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit, with the assistance of Senior Assistant District Attorney Sara Walshe, Assistant District Attorney Renee Hassel and Assistant District Attorney Katherine Zdrojeski, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Spanakos, Unit Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division and Mark Feldman, Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Crime Strategies and Investigations.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 27, 2018

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Participates
In Community Outreach During Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Visited Community Events and College Campuses; DA Gonzalez Addressed Students and Faculty at Kingsborough Community College

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that as Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to an end, his office is committed to keeping the public safe from sexual assault, particularly the many college students who attend school in Brooklyn, protecting and supporting assault survivors and fostering cooperation among survivors and law enforcement.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a time to bring awareness to sexual violence in our community. As the DA, and a former Special Victims prosecutor, I know firsthand the challenges facing survivors and am committed year-round to supporting them, offering resources and prosecuting their attackers.”

DA Gonzalez was honored to speak at Kingsborough Community College’s Campaign to End Sexual Violence event yesterday, which focused on a discussion about on and off campus resources and informed students and faculty, through multiple presentations and workshops, of their rights. The leader of the DA’s Campus Sexual Assault Response Initiative, Senior Assistant District Attorney Victoria Nunez, of the DA’s Special Victims Bureau, and Maia Campbell, a social worker in the Office’s Victims Services Unit, were panelists at the event.

The DA’s Campus Sexual Assault Response Initiative, which was implemented by DA Gonzalez in April 2017, has conducted trainings at many campuses across Brooklyn, hosted symposiums, participated in several informational events and met regularly with representatives of the 14 institutions of higher education in Brooklyn and connected them to resources, emphasizing that resources are available whether or not an individual decides to proceed with a criminal prosecution.

Earlier this month, the DA’s office sent representatives to other Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, including a panel hosted by the Greenpoint Sexual Assault Task Force at the Wythe Hotel where KCDA Special Victims Bureau Chief Miss Gregory was among the panelists. Senior ADA Victoria Nunez and Social Worker Maia Campbell represented the office at Boricua College when it hosted a Sexual Violence & Intimate Partner Violence Workshop. Finally, Assistant District Attorney Laura Edidin, Chief of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit, traveled to Albany this month to meet with legislators and advocate for the strengthening of Human Trafficking laws.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Brownsville Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Fatally Stabbing
His Estranged Wife after Following Her Home from Work

Defendant Slit Victim’s Throat, Stabbed Her Multiple Times as She Sat in Her Car

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 48-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing his 45-year-old estranged wife right after she pulled up to her friend’s house after work.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant stalked and then mercilessly killed an innocent woman as she was trying to get away from him. He has now been held accountable for his cowardly actions and will spend many years in prison.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Andrew David Rhoden, a.k.a., Beresford Ashley, 48, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Ruth Shillingford to 25 years to life in prison following his conviction on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial in November 2017.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on September 13, 2016, at approximately 11:37 a.m., the defendant showed up at the workplace of his estranged wife, Karen Bartley, at a nursing home located on Linden Boulevard. She saw him and went back into the building and alerted security. A security officer then walked her to her car and she drove to her friend’s house, located at 1483 Blake Avenue.

As she was pulling up to her friend’s house 10 minutes later, according to trial testimony, the defendant blocked her with his car and got into the back seat of her car. Once inside, he stabbed her multiple times about her body and cut her throat from side to side. The victim’s friend came out of her house and the defendant fled. She found the victim slumped over and called 911.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., on September 14, 2016, the defendant walked into the 78th precinct stationhouse with his hand bleeding and told officers he had an argument with his wife and may have committed an offense. The evidence showed that blood found in the victim’s car was a mixture of her DNA and the defendant’s, and the t-shirt the defendant was wearing contained a mixture of both of their DNA.

The District Attorney said that this was the first Brooklyn trial to use STRmix technology. STRmix is an analytical software that helps DNA analysts interpret mixtures and calculate statistics. In this case, there was blood from both the victim and the defendant and the software assisted the analyst in isolating the defendant’s DNA.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sabeeha Madni and Assistant District Attorney Abed Bhuyan, of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michele Kaminsky, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 12, 2018

Sex Offender Sentenced to 50 Years to Life in Prison for
Robbing and Raping Woman as She Walked Home from the Train

Defendant Threatened Her with Knife and Cut her Clothing

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 54-year-old Brooklyn man and registered sex offender has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in 2016 as she walked home from a subway station in Bushwick.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “We are determined to keep dangerous sexual predators like this defendant off our streets. The defendant’s heinous and cowardly crime against a defenseless woman was the ultimate violation of her physical and mental wellbeing, yet she still had the courage to face him in court. Today’s sentence ensures that he will not be able to hurt any other women.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Michael Mann, 54, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dena Douglas to 50 years to life in prison following his conviction last month after a jury trial. The defendant was convicted of two counts of predatory sexual assault and one count each of first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree robbery as a sexually motivated felony and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on August 16, 2016, at approximately 2:45 a.m. the victim exited the J-train Kosciuszko Street subway station in Bushwick and started to walk home. The defendant grabbed the 27-year-old woman from behind, placed a knife to her back, demanded money and threatened to stab her. The victim gave the defendant $5 and offered him the rest of her belongings. The defendant kissed and groped the victim, then cut her clothing with the knife and raped her.

Furthermore, according to testimony, the defendant told the victim that he had seen her before, knew where she lived, and that he would kill her if she called the police. After the defendant left, the victim went home and told a friend about the attack. The victim was taken to Wycoff Hospital where a sexual assault evidence collection kit was performed.

The defendant, a Level 3 sex offender, was arrested on August 17, 2016, after officers responded to a dispute at 11 Stanhope Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The officers recognized the defendant from a description provided in the sexual assault report. He was wearing the same sneakers, jeans and hat that he wore at the time of the assault and his DNA matched semen that was recovered from a bathing suit the victim had on when he attacked her.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Lauren Silver and Assistant District Attorney Andrea Mauro, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 22 Years to Life in Prison
For Killing his Adoptive Mother

Seventy-Year-Old Victim was Bound with Cords and Strangled Inside her Canarsie Home

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison following his guilty plea to murder for killing his 70-year-old adoptive mother, who was found bound and strangled inside her home in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant committed a heinous crime by killing his own mother – a beloved and innocent woman. He has now accepted responsibility for this senseless murder and we will continue to fight for all victims of familial violence.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jayvon Mulzac, 29, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew D’Emic to 22 years to life in prison following his guilty plea last month to second-degree murder.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on July 17, 2017, Noreen Mulzac, 70, was found dead and tied up inside her Foster Avenue home in Canarsie, Brooklyn. The victim’s bedroom was ransacked. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation.

The investigation revealed that the defendant drove to his mother’s home on July 13, 2017, tied her neck and feet with various items, including electric cords, and robbed her. He then drove back to Pittsfield leaving his mother to die in her home. Video footage, witnesses accounts and other evidence connected the defendant to the crime. He was arrested in August 2017 in Pittsfield for misdemeanor assault and was subsequently extradited to Brooklyn.

The District Attorney thanked the Pittsfield Police Department and the New York State Troopers for their assistance in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michelle Weber, Chief of the District Attorney’s Elder Abuse Unit, and Assistant District Attorney Mark Pagliuco, Deputy Unit Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaminsky, Chief of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 11, 2018

High School Teacher Arraigned on Indictment Charging Him
With Sexual Abuse of Teenage Student

Abuse Allegedly Occurred in Classroom and in Defendant’s Home

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 66-year-old business teacher at Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush has been arraigned on a 25-count indictment in which he is charged with sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy on multiple occasions.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s alleged actions are an incredible betrayal of trust. Teachers should protect their students and schools should be safe havens. There is no place in our society for this type of predatory behavior and unacceptable abuse of authority.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Mervyn Affoon, 66, of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice William Miller on an indictment in which he is charged with forcible touching, third-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree criminal sexual act, sexual misconduct, and promoting a sexual performance by a child. Bail was set at $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond and the defendant was ordered to return to court on May 15, 2018.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on three occasions in February 2017, in Erasmus Hall High School, located on Flatbush Avenue, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, the defendant, who was 65 years old, allegedly groped a 16-year-old student, once in a classroom and twice in an elevator.

It is further alleged that between March 2017 and June 2017 the defendant and the victim engaged in sex acts on multiple occasions at the defendant’s apartment in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The investigation began after the victim disclosed the abuse to his mother in October 2017.

The investigation was conducted by New York City Police Detectives assigned to the Brooklyn Special Victims Squad.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Linda Weinman and Assistant District Attorney Albert Suh, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Miss Gregory, Chief.

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An indictment is merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant’s guilt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Crown Heights Man Sentenced to 20 Years to Life in Prison for Shooting Worker in Alleged Illegal Brooklyn Gambling Parlor

Victim Chased the Defendant into the Street After Being Shot

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 35-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for shooting a worker inside an alleged illegal gambling parlor in East Flatbush in November 2015.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s lawless behavior cost a man his life and inflicted great emotional pain on the victim’s family. He has now been held accountable for his crimes.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Euzebelin Abellard, 35, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced yesterday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jane Tully to 20 years to life in prison following his conviction last month on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on November 20, 2015, at approximately 5:35 p.m., the defendant made his way into the basement of 1051 New York Avenue, in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, by walking behind a regular customer. Once inside, the victim, 51-year-old Jean Claude Bernagene, who was working at the alleged illegal parlor, stepped from behind a partition to stop the defendant. The defendant then pulled a weapon and told the victim in Creole that he would shoot him. Bernagene was shot in the torso and hand, but managed to chase the defendant up the stairs and into the street.

Responding New York City police officers found the victim outside the parlor, and a New York Yankees baseball hat on the ground near the location. The victim was taken to Kings County Hospital where he died two days later from complications of a gunshot wound to his torso.

The evidence showed that DNA recovered from the hat matched the defendant, who said he had never made it entirely into the parlor, and lost his hat while running away after hearing the gun shots. The defendant was also identified by two witnesses.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jamie Begley, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Melissa Carvajal, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Man Convicted of Fatally Stabbing 6-Year-Old Boy and
Seriously Wounding 7-year-Old Girl Inside Elevator

Stabbed Innocent Children 27 Times; Identified by Witnesses and
Via DNA Analysis of Steak Knife Used in the Attack

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 31-year-old man was convicted of murder and attempted murder for the brutal 2014 attack inside an elevator in East New York, Brooklyn. The unprovoked stabbing claimed the life of 6-year-old Prince Joshua (PJ) Avitto, and seriously wounded his best friend, 7-year-old Mikayla Capers.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “It is impossible to fathom that someone would brutally stab small, innocent children who were going to get some icees after playing in a playground. But the evidence established beyond any doubt that the defendant committed this heinous crime and he has now been held responsible. I know that nothing will bring solace to the family of little PJ and that Mikayla, who bravely took the stand at trial, will carry the scars of that day forever. It is my hope, however, that today’s verdict will still afford them a small measure of closure by knowing that this defendant has been brought to justice.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Daniel St. Hubert, 31, of Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. He was convicted today 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 May 15, 2018, at which time he faces up to 50 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on June 1, 2014, a sunny Sunday afternoon, PJ, 6, and Mikayla, 7, were playing tag in a playground outside the housing development where they both lived. At about 5:40 p.m., the children asked for permission to go up to PJ’s home, at 845 Schenck Avenue, in East New York, Brooklyn, to get some Italian icees.

The two children entered the elevator, followed by the defendant. The evidence showed that the defendant then repeatedly stabbed and slashed the victims with a steak knife. PJ was stabbed 11 times and died at the scene from wounds to his chest. Mikayla was stabbed 16 times, but miraculously survived, and managed to crawl to the building’s entrance.

One witness saw the defendant enter the elevator and then leave the building a short time later. Two other witnesses saw him fleeing the location and stumbling in a grassy area outside the building, according to testimony. A steak knife was later recovered from the area where he stumbled. DNA recovered from the handle of the knife matched the defendant and blood from the blade was a match to the two victims, the evidence showed.

Furthermore, the defendant was seen in a surveillance video, wearing the same clothes described by the witnesses, about two blocks from the crime scene approximately 10 minutes after the incident. A search warrant that was later executed at his residence recovered packaging from a four-piece knife set that contained one knife with the same make and model of the knife that was used in the attack.

On June 4, 2014, after the defendant’s identity was revealed via the DNA match, he was located by tracking his cell phone. Just before he was apprehended, the evidence showed, the defendant was seen making graffiti with a black marker on a stop sign. That inscription read: “$Kills I will BK.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Patrick O’Connor, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Gillian DiPietro, also of VCE, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, VCE Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Mark Feldman, Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Crime Strategies and Investigations.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Brooklyn Man Indicted for Posing as U.S. Immigration Agent,
Stealing $7,000 from Two Women Seeking Services

Promised He Could Help Get Green Cards and Work Authorization for Relatives

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been charged with scheme to defraud, grand larceny and immigrant assistance services fraud for claiming to be an agent with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and stealing $7,000 from two women for immigration-related services he promised but never delivered.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant allegedly defrauded individuals who were desperate for help in obtaining legal status, an urgent concern these days among immigrants. We will not allow scammers to exploit the circumstances of vulnerable people in Brooklyn, regardless of their immigration status, and will seek to hold the defendant accountable for his alleged scheme.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Leroy Quammie, 48, of Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an indictment in which he is charged with first-degree scheme to defraud and third- and fourth-degree grand larceny. He was ordered held on $25,000 bond or $15,000 bail and to return to court on June 15, 2018. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on the top count.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, in May 2016, a 49-year-old Brooklyn woman was referred to Quammie by a mutual acquaintance for immigration services. The defendant told the woman he was a USCIS agent and showed her a USCIS identification card with his name and photo. She then met with him on two separate occasions, giving him a total of $3,000, and met with an associate of his to whom she gave an additional $1,000, for the purpose of getting immigration papers.

Furthermore, it is alleged, the second victim, a 50-year-old woman, gave the defendant $3,000 after the defendant said he could procure Green Cards and working papers for her relatives. After all of the money transfers were completed the defendant became less available and ultimately stopped all communication with both women, according to the investigation.

The victims did not receive Green Cards or working papers for their relatives nor was their money returned. The investigation revealed that no Green Card application, citizenship application or related paperwork was filed with USCIS by the defendant on behalf of any of the victims or their family members, nor was the defendant ever employed by USCIS.

The defendant was arrested in Philadelphia last month and extradited to Brooklyn today.

The District Attorney thanked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, New York City Field Office, for its assistance in the investigation.

The case was investigated by Detective Investigator Roger Archer, of the District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau, under the supervision of Supervising Detective Investigator Robert Addonizio, and the overall supervision of Detective Investigator Edwin Murphy, Deputy Chief.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Fayola Charlet of the District Attorney’s Immigrant Affairs Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney José Interiano, Deputy Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy 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.