Year: 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 9, 2019

New Jersey Man Sentenced to 20 Years to Life in Prison for
Shooting at New York City Police Officers After Car Chase

One Officer Was Shot in the Chest, Another Was Struck in the Hip

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 37-year-old New Jersey man was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for aiming a gun at a bystander and multiple New York City Police Officers ¬before wounding two police officers. The shooting happened after a car chase through Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2016.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant tried to kill multiple police officers and endangered many other innocent people while on a rampage on the streets of Brooklyn. This case again underscores the dangers our police officers face every day to keep us all safe.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Frederick Funes, 37, of Egg Harbor, New Jersey. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 20 years to life in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder last November.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on February 20, 2016, at approximately 3:20 a.m., the defendant fired a shot from inside his vehicle while driving recklessly near the intersection of Quincy Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The defendant then drove past a marked police car that was stationed around the corner and pointed his silver Magnum .357 revolver at Police Officers Jorge Zorrilla and Ayanna Shine who were seated inside the car. The defendant then led police on a chase through the neighborhood.

During the pursuit, the defendant pointed his gun at a uniformed MTA employee and then at Detective Christopher Kelley, Detective William Reddin, Detective Andrew Yurkiw and Lieutenant Barbara Fisher who were inside of an unmarked police vehicle with lights and sirens on. The defendant then drove the wrong way on Lexington Avenue and intentionally crashed his car into a marked police vehicle with Detective Scot Pedrick, Officer Abigale Ramsundar and Officer Thomas Whalen inside, according to the investigation.

Furthermore, after the crash, the defendant fired his weapon at the police officers and they returned fire, striking him multiple times. Police Officer Yurkiw was shot in the chest, but was saved by his bullet proof vest, while Police Officer Reddin was shot in the hip. Police recovered the defendant’s weapon at the scene.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Krystyn Tendy, of the District Attorney’s Grey Zone Trial Bureau.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Driver who Crashed Car on Brooklyn Expressway and
Left Young Woman for Dead Sentenced to State Prison

Vehicle Exploded, Defendant Fled Scene in a Cab without Calling 911

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 24-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to up to 12 years in state prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter for causing a car crash on the Gowanus Expressway and fleeing the scene with his passenger stranded inside the burning car, leaving her to die.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s senseless and reckless actions caused the death of a young woman who had her entire life ahead of her. He showed complete disregard for human life and for the safety of everyone using our roadways. Hopefully, the victim’s heartbroken family will find some solace with today’s sentencing.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Saeed Ahmad, 24, of Marine Park, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice to an indeterminate term of four to 12 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on November 27, 2018.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on October 13, 2017 at approximately 4 a.m., the defendant was driving an Infinity sedan, returning from a night out in Manhattan with a friend, 25-year-old Harleen Grewal.

The defendant was driving at an excessive rate of speed, attempted to pass other vehicles and crashed his car into a side barrier between the Hamilton Avenue and the Prospect Expressway exits, causing it to explode and burst into flames, the evidence showed. He got out of the burning car, got into a cab and left without calling 911 or alerting anyone that the victim was still in the vehicle. She subsequently died and her remains were recovered from the scene after the fire was put out.

The defendant was arrested later that morning and tests determined that his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was above the legal limit of .08.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Theresa Shanahan, Deputy Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Joseph Mancino, also of the Blue Zone, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Robert Walsh, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Long Island Man Sentenced to 4 ½ to Nine Years in Prison in Connection with Stealing Nine Homes from Owners by
Illegally Transferring Titles, Filing False Documents

Investigation Began After Canarsie Homeowner Reported His House Stolen

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Nassau County man has been sentenced to 4 ½ to nine years in prison in connection with illegally transferring the titles of seven houses in Brooklyn and two in Queens from their true owners to himself or a corporation – then renting out some of the properties and selling others.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “In Brooklyn, we take real estate scams very seriously. The houses targeted in this fraud are worth millions of dollars. My prosecutors and investigators worked diligently to expose this fraudulent scheme and bring this defendant to justice.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Danny Noble, 49, of Baldwin, New York. Noble pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of stolen property and fourth-degree conspiracy before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on April 27, 2016 and was sentenced today to an indeterminate term of 4 ½ to nine years in prison. His co-defendant, Romelo Grey, 41, of Freeport, New York, pleaded guilty to falsifying business records on August 16, 2016, and was sentenced to 1½ to 3 years in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, between June 29, 2010 and March 31, 2015, the defendants falsely transferred title to seven Brooklyn properties: 71 Carlton Avenue, 104 Vanderbilt Avenue, 45 North Oxford Street and 70 Clermont Avenue, in Fort Greene; 1391 East 95th Street in Canarsie; 357 Jefferson Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant; 729 Essex Street in East New York and two properties in Queens: 94-05 108th Street in Jamaica and 187-05 Liberty Avenue in Hollis.

Five of the properties were transferred from the actual homeowners to Noble, according to the indictment, three were transferred to 69 Adelphi Street, LLC, and one to a third party. The defendants allegedly targeted the properties because the owners did not live in the houses and rarely visited them.

Once the titles were transferred, according to the indictment, the defendants carried out various scams in order to cash in on them. For example, Noble maintained control of 45 North Oxford Street, a recently renovated brownstone in Fort Greene, whose owner lived outside of the United States. Noble rented out two apartments in the brownstone, collecting $1,500 a month in rent for each of them. He also maintained control of the two houses in Queens, renting them out for various amounts.

In another facet of the scheme, concerning 1247 Putnam Avenue in Brooklyn, Noble filed a fraudulent satisfaction of mortgage.

Furthermore, for example, with respect to 71 Carlton Avenue, 104 Vanderbilt Avenue, 70 Clermont Avenue, and 1391 East 95th Street, the defendants transferred the properties’ titles into the names of other, third parties.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the scheme was discovered after Grey and Noble transferred the title to the Canarsie house at 1391 East 95th Street to a third party. Grey visited the house with the buyer to inspect it, and told the tenants living there that they had to move out. The buyer then began renovating the house and those workers caught the eye of an employee of a business across the street, which was actually owned by the true owner of 1391 East 95th Street. That employee called the owner of the property, who called police. Further investigation led to the defendants’ connections to the other properties.

As part of the scheme, Noble, the leader, filed false documents with the New York City Department of Finance, Office of the City Register, which maintains land records and other real property filings in New York City, including records relating to ownership and encumbrances, such as liens and mortgages.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Richard Farrell, Chief of the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit, under the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Brooklyn Man Who Shot and Killed Young Father in Gravesend Park at Event to Deter Gun Violence Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison

Victim, Who Had Just Celebrated His Son’s Birthday, Was Struck 17 Times

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Gravesend man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 30-year-old father who had been celebrating his son’s third birthday at a Brooklyn park where a community event to combat gun violence was taking place.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This was a completely brazen and senseless murder of an innocent man. That it took place during an event meant to honor victims of gun violence and deter further fatalities is heartbreaking. In Brooklyn, we are committed to ending the cycle of gun violence that is destroying too many young lives and leaving families devastated.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Raheem Dunaway, 36, of Gravesend, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jill Konvisor. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon last month following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on August 21, 2016, at approximately 1:30 a.m., the defendant shot Daquan Spencer, 30, who was inside Scarangella Park on Stillwell Avenue, near the New York City Housing Authority’s Marlboro Houses, in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

The community was hosting an inaugural event in the park to combat gun violence and memorialize the lives of six young men who died of gun violence. The victim was at the park after celebrating his son’s birthday.

The evidence showed that the defendant was picking arguments and confronting people for no apparent reason prior to approaching the victim, and without any reason or provocation, firing at him 20 times, striking him 17 times in the head, neck, back, chest, stomach, legs and buttocks. The defendant continued shooting as the victim fell on his knees and attempted to crawl away.

Following the shooting, the defendant walked to a waiting vehicle parked in the street and left the scene, according to trial testimony. The defendant was arrested approximately two and a half months later in Loris, South Carolina, on November 10, 2016. After his extradition to New York, he was identified as the shooter at a police lineup and from witness statements, according to trial testimony.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Chow Yun Xie, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Aaron Fishkin, of the District Attorney’s Green Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Homicide Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Brownsville Man Indicted for 2012 Cold Case
Murder of His Girlfriend

Defendant’s DNA Found on Victim’s Fingernails and on
Laundry Bag in Which Body was Discovered

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 59-year-old man has been indicted for murder, with DNA evidence connecting him to the 2012 death of his 50-year-old girlfriend whose body was discovered inside a laundry bag that was left on a street in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “A thorough examination of the forensic evidence in this cold case and additional recent investigatory steps allowed us to bring murder charges in order to hold the alleged killer responsible. My Cold Case Unit continues to work diligently with the NYPD to identify and investigate past crimes, including those that lie dormant, in an attempt to bring all offenders to justice.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Clayton Wilkins, 59, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was arraigned yesterday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice on one charge of second-degree murder and one charge of first degree strangulation and was ordered held without bail and to return to court on March 22, 2019. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on February 15, 2012, at about 12:30 p.m., the body of Renee Staton, 50, of Manhattan, was discovered inside a black laundry bag outside of 101 Lott Avenue in Brownsville. The victim was last seen the previous afternoon leaving the Bridge’s lyana House in East Harlem, which provides housing for homeless women.

A forensic analysis of the evidence recovered from the victim’s left and right hands’ fingernails, from a scarf the victim was wearing and from the drawstrings of the laundry bag matched a DNA sample that was provided by the defendant. In a recent interview with detectives, the defendant, who was dating the victim at the time, denied ever seeing the laundry bag or getting scratched by the victim.

The case was investigated by Detective Jason Palamara of the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant Dennis Klein.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Emily Dean, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Rachel Singer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Forensic Science and Cold Case Unit, and Timothy Gough, Homicide Bureau Chief.

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