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06
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES AND
NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER RAYMOND W. KELLY ANNOUNCE
TAKEDOWN OF A VIOLENT CROWN HEIGHTS STREET GANG
“BROWER BOYS” TRAVERSED ROOFTOPS TO BURGLARIZE
APARTMENTS AND ASSAULT VICTIMS, EVEN ON CHRISTMAS DAY
Brooklyn, May 30, 2012 –
Kings County District
Attorney Charles J. Hynes and New York City Police
Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today announced a 102-count
indictment against 14 members of a Crown Heights street
gang, the “Brower Boys”, that committed burglaries, assaults
and robberies, in the vicinity of Brower Park.
“These Brower Bums terrorized their neighborhood for
one long year, but now their cycle of crime is over,” said
District Attorney Hynes. “I would like to thank Police
Commissioner Kelly and the NYPD, for their hard work in
bringing this case.”
Commissioner Kelly said, “Although
some were as young as 13, the Brower Boys were old hands at
burglaries and worse – victimizing neighbors, but making the
mistake of fighting over the proceeds on Facebook, which led
keen NYPD Anti-Crime officers in the 77th Precinct to
monitor and arrest them. I commend Police Officer Michael
Rodriquez, the anti-crime officer who was integral to the
DA’s investigation; the 77th and 79th Precinct detective
squads and Brooklyn Special Victims squad for their role in
stopping this group.”
The defendants are charged with climbing fire escapes
and traversing rooftops, to access apartments, in a
year-long burglary spree, from April 2011 to March 2012. The
defendants range from 15 to 19 years old, including two
juvenile offenders. They stole mainly electronic equipment,
like cell phones, laptops, cameras and video games, which
they would later pawn, according to the indictment.
Most of the break-ins occurred when residents were not home,
but in one incident, four defendants, Derrin Dyson, 18;
Dezhaun Samuels, 18; Christopher Scott, 17; and a
13-year-old juvenile, tied up the male and female residents
of an apartment, threatened to kill them if they called the
police, robbed the apartment, and sexually assaulted the
female resident, according to the indictment. On another
occasion, defendant Terry Walley, 18, shot a resident of a
home the defendant was burglarizing and suffered his own
gunshot wound in a struggle with the victim, according to
the indictment. Dyson, Samuels and defendant Andre
Valentino, 18, are also charged with burglarizing an
apartment on Christmas Day 2011, climbing to the roof of
Samuel’s building, 921 St. Marks Ave., and traversing
neighboring rooftops, before climbing down the victim’s fire
escape and entering through a window.
Members of the NYPD Burglary, Larceny And
Surveillance Team (BLAST) made video recordings of several
defendants entering and leaving apartment windows, climbing
up and down fire escape ladders and stairs, and running
across rooftops.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not
proof of a defendant’s guilt.
The case is being prosecuted by Michael Perkins, First
Deputy Bureau Chief in the Gang Bureau and Assistant
District Attorney Lauren Artese in the Gangs Bureau. Deanna
M. Rodriguez is Chief of the Gangs Bureau.
Contact:
Jonah Bruno
(718) 250-2300
05
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES
ANNOUNCES SENTENCING OF GEORGE VILLANUEVA TO 28-AND-A-HALF
YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING POLICE OFFICER ALAIN
SCHABERGER
Brooklyn, May 23, 2012 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes
today announced the sentencing of George Villanueva, 43, to
28-and-a-half
years to life in prison for killing
Police Officer Alain Schaberger.
He received 25
years to life for Manslaughter in the First Degree and
three-and-a-half to seven years for Aggravated Criminal
Contempt, to run consecutively.
Villanueva was convicted of Manslaughter in the
First Degree and Aggravated Criminal Contempt on May 2.
On March 13, 2011, police received a 911 call about a
domestic incident at the Boerum Hill home of Villanueva’s
girlfriend.
Police Officer Alain Schaberger of the 84th
Precinct and his partner responded to the call.
When they arrived at
the victim’s building, Villanueva had already fled, so the
officers went to Villanueva’s nearby home to locate him.
Schaberger and other
officers found Villanueva at his residence and brought him
outside the building. When Officer Schaberger attempted to
handcuff Villanueva on the building’s front stoop,
Villanueva pushed the officer over a railing onto a concrete
basement stairwell. Police
Officer Schaberger landed headfirst on the basement landing
and was later pronounced dead at Lutheran Hospital from
massive head injuries sustained in the fall.
The case was prosecuted by Mark Hale, Chief Counsel to the
Homicide Bureau.
Ken Taub is Chief of the Homicide Bureau.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
(718) 250-2300
04
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES HONORS
RECIPIENTS OF 22ND ANNUAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION
AWARDS
HERO COP PETER FIGOSKI WHO WAS SHOT AND
KILLED WHEN RESPONDING TO A ROBBERY WILL BE RECOGNIZED FOR
HIS ACTIONS
OTHER HONOREES INCLUDE POLICE OFFICERS WHO
BRAVED DANGEROUS GUN BATTLES, A FIRE MARSHAL WHO COMPLETED A
COMPLEX ARSON INVESIGATION AND A COURT OFFICER WHO SAVED A
WOMAN’S LIFE BY PERFORMING CPR
Brooklyn, May 23, 2012 – Kings County District Attorney Charles J.
Hynes today announced the recipients of his 22nd
annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Awards at a breakfast
ceremony held at Brooklyn Law School.
21 honorees from the New York Police Department, New
York Fire Department, Kings County District Attorney’s
Office, Brooklyn Criminal Court, and the Bridge and Tunnel
Officers Benevolent Association were recognized for their
bravery, diligence, dedication to the job and involvement in
the community.
The ceremony was emceed by Juliet Papa from 1010 WINS radio.
“The officers that were recognized at today’s ceremony are
exceptional men and women who put their lives on the line
every day,” said District Attorney Hynes.
“I believe that we have some of the best law
enforcement officers in the country and they deserve to be
honored. They
play a significant role in keeping Brooklyn safe.”
This year’s honorees include 22-year veteran Police Officer
Peter Figoski who was shot and killed when responding to a
break-in at an East New York apartment.
They also include police officers who had to dodge
bullets as they chased down dangerous individuals; a court
officer who saved a court reporter’s life by giving her CPR;
a police officer who solved a pattern of train robberies;
and police officers who give back to the community by
educating and working with kids, and participating in the
relief efforts in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in
Haiti.
This year’s award recipients are:
Police Officer Jean Sigue and DA’s Squad Detective Carey Juste –
Both of these men played a huge role in the relief efforts of the 7.0
magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010.
Aside from the hundreds of thousands of people
killed, many Haitians were injured and left homeless and
many buildings were destroyed. Officer Sigue and Detective
Juste, independently, attended to the needs of the citizens
of Haiti from Brooklyn and in Haiti.
Officer Sigue volunteered in Haiti for three months to
assist those in need.
After 10 years of coordinating the Auxiliary Officers
of the 67th Precinct, Officer Sigue was selected
to serve as the Auxiliary Coordinator for Patrol Borough
Brooklyn South.
Officer Sigue serves as the President of the Haitian
American Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization where he has
recruited many members of the West Indian and Haitian
communities to both the Auxiliary program and to sworn
positions in the NYPD.
In 2010, he was assigned to the NYPD’s Haitian
Resource and Relief Center subsequent to the devastating
earthquake. The
center provided comfort to citizens as well as members of
service with family in Haiti and helped community members
contact family affected by the disaster.
It also provided real time news and information which
was otherwise difficult to attain.
Detective Juste started his law enforcement career in 1990
with the NYPD and several years later, he joined the
District Attorney’s Office in the DA’s Squad.
He is currently assigned to the DA’s Personnel
Security Team.
When the Haiti earthquake struck in January 2010, he
volunteered with the NYPD’s Office of Management Analysis &
Planning under “The Haitian Stability Initiative Program”,
where he joined other Haitian NYPD officers in Haiti and
assisted in the training of Haiti’s Law Enforcement
Officers. He
also attended to the humanitarian needs of the people of
Haiti.
Lieutenant Jordan Brofsky and Police Officers Sean Feliciano and
Richard Vargas –
The officers from the 60th
Precinct’s Anti-Crime Team, were on patrol on April 1, 2011,
traveling Eastbound on Mermaid Avenue and West 31st
Street when they spotted a vehicle with a missing front
license plate and a defective headlight traveling in the
opposite direction.
The officers realized that the vehicle matched the
description of a vehicle linked to two previous shootings.
They
tried to catch up to the vehicle and stop it, but the driver
sped up to try to escape the officers.
The officers gave chase.
Lt. Brofsky radioed for additional units to respond
to the location.
Eventually, the vehicle stopped and three men exited and
fled on foot as the officers pursued them.
Officers Feliciano and Vargas apprehended the driver,
Michael Santana, and then Officer Feliciano went to assist
Lieutenant Brofsky who was chasing one of the other
suspects. Lt.
Brosfksy chased suspect Lance Layne toward the rear of 3030
Surf Avenue when Layne turned, pointed a gun at the officer,
and fired several times in Lt. Brofsky’s direction.
Dodging bullets, Lt. Brofsky fired back while
continuing to pursue the suspect.
Lt. Brofsky lost sight of Layne, but he called for
assistance. Emergency
Service and Aviation responded, and Lt. Brofsky began
directing officers into locations around the building’s
perimeter. This
led to the arrest of four individuals who have been
identified in numerous shooting and robberies and closed a
local pattern of robberies.
The suspects have since been indicted and are
awaiting trial.
Court Officer Robert Keane –
Court Officer Keane does an exceptional job in Kings County
Criminal Court.
But it was his actions on October 19, 2011 that demonstrated
quick-thinking and heroism.
Officer Keane was on routine security patrol on the
10th floor of the Criminal Court building at 120
Schermerhorn Street when a court reporter ran to find help
because another court reporter had collapsed, was not
breathing and appeared to be having a seizure.
She found Officer
Keane. Officer
Keane rushed to the victim, assessed the situation and
immediately performed CPR.
Several minutes later, FDNY paramedics arrived.
The court reporter was eventually revived and made a
full recovery.
According to the hospital, Officer Keane’s quick assessment
and response was responsible for the court reporter’s full
recovery.
Fire Marshal Mark Thompson –
Fire Marshal Thompson served as a police officer for five
years before joining the NYC Fire Department.
He became Fire Marshal in 2004 and is assigned to the
Bureau of Fire Investigation’s Brooklyn Command, where he
has been recognized 12 times in the past for his commendable
acts. In
September 2009, Fire Marshal Thompson responded to a
reported fire and explosion at 77 Van Buren Street, inside a
beauty salon, which had at least 10 customers inside.
Fire Marshal Thompson concluded that the fire was an
intentional act and that an accelerant was used.
During his extensive investigation, he learned that
an individual went into the salon’s restroom where he poured
gasoline and ignited it, causing the fire.
This individual was unknown to anyone in the beauty
salon.
Fire Marshal Thompson looked at video of the incident and
noticed that the individual on the video entered the salon
with a Yankees cap and left the scene without it.
He located the cap and sent it to the Chief Medical
Examiner’s Office for DNA analysis.
Several months later, there was a confirmed DNA hit,
linking it to Tyrone Oliver, a convicted violent felon who
was on probation for a serious assault.
Fire Marshal Thompson set up an apprehension plan and
took the suspect into custody and interrogated him.
Fire Marshal Thompson was able to get a written
statement from Oliver and he was arrested.
Oliver pled guilty to Arson in the Third Degree and
is currently serving a sentence of up to six years in
prison.
Sergeant Michael Miller –
On October 8, 2011, Sgt. Michael Miller from the 81st
Precinct and his driver stopped a livery cab that had two
suspicious passengers in the back seat.
As he was frisking one of the passengers, Sgt. Miller
felt a weapon in his waistband.
The man put up a struggle and Sgt. Miller and his
partner were only able to get one handcuff on the suspect.
When the suspect managed to get to his weapon, Sgt.
Miller wedged his ring finger between the hammer and the
cylinder of the gun, preventing the suspect from firing his
weapon. When
backup arrived, the suspect was restrained and apprehended.
The suspect, Eugene Graves has since been indicted for
Attempted Murder and is awaiting trial.
Graves has a lengthy
criminal record which included arrests for murder and
robbery. Sgt.
Miller’s finger was broken during the incident.
Just one week prior to this incident, Sgt. Miller was
involved in the arrest of another armed man, which also
involved a struggle.
Since Sgt. Miller has taken over the 81st
Precinct’s Anti-Crime Unit in January 2006, his squad has
been among the most productive Anti-Crime Units in the city.
He has been personally responsible for the removal of
over 200 illegal firearms from the streets of
Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Deputy Chief Gerald Dieckmann –
Police Deputy
Chief Dieckmann has been the Commanding Officer of Housing
Borough Brooklyn from 2005 to 2012.
During his tenure, Deputy Chief Dieckmann oversaw all
police operations in all three Police Service Areas in Kings
County, including approximately 80 public housing
developments with over 134,000 residents.
During his time as Brooklyn Housing Commander, major
crime has dropped nearly 15%.
Robberies fell nearly 32% and Grand Larceny Auto was
reduced by over 70%.
Deputy Chief Dieckmann and his unit have accomplished
their mission of reducing crime and improving the quality of
life for public housing residents, guests and employees.
District Attorney’s Community Aide Juan Vallejo –
Juan Vallejo has been working in the Kings County District Attorney’s
Office for the past seven years as a Community Aide in the
Appeals Bureau.
He consistently does an excellent job filing briefs,
motions, and overseeing the felony and misdemeanor records.
Meanwhile, Juan has been training to become an NYPD
Officer.
On May 24, 2011, Juan was returning to Brooklyn after filing
court documents in Manhattan.
As he was waiting on the platform for the “5” train
at the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall Station, he saw a
suspicious looking man across the platform wearing a hoodie
on a hot day.
Then he saw this individual snatch an item from a woman and
take off with it.
The woman started screaming for help.
Without hesitation,
Juan chased him.
Juan apprehended the man and the transit police was notified
and arrested the man.
The victim’s Ipod was recovered.
Juan’s citizen’s arrest took a criminal off the
streets. The
defendant, Clifton Thomas, has since been indicted for Grand
Larceny.
Bridge and Tunnel Authority Officer Anthony Presley –
Officer Presley has been patrolling bridges and tunnels for the past 11
years. On April
17, 2011, he was waiting for his car to be fixed at ARJ Auto
Repair in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn when
four armed men entered the garage, announced a robbery, and
ordered everyone to get on the ground.
The men started taking property from the people
inside the body shop.
They then turned to Officer Presley when they saw
that he was armed, and realized he was a police officer.
They began hitting him and struck him in the head
with a handgun.
Officer Presley announced that he was a cop, took out his
revolver and ordered the four men to drop their weapons.
The robbers fired their guns at Officer Presley,
striking him in the shoulder. Officer Presley returned fire,
shooting two of the suspects while the other two men fled
the scene.
Officer Presley saved the lives of the people inside the
garage. The two
suspects who were shot were arrested and charged with
Attempted Murder.
Police Officers Julius Hudson, William Cooper, Donnell
Graves, Anthony Isaac, Francis Ainoo and Jeremy Catania –
These six
officers from the 84th Precinct are exceptional
in their jobs.
They are also very active in the community as they
participate in Cops
and Kids athletic events throughout the year.
Cops and Kids is a program that seeks to keep kids active and
engaged in the community in a positive way.
They educate the kids and help them develop skills in
hobbies, interests or possible careers.
These Officers are role models to the kids and the
community as a whole.
They have volunteered hours of their own time to
serve the community.
Police Officer Ydreesah Bey –
Officer Bey has been with the NYPD since July 2006.
She is currently assigned to Anti-Crime in Transit
District 32. She
has made 204 arrests for her career and 58 arrests in 2011.
Two of those arrests in 2011 solved a couple of
patterns of Grand Larceny.
One of them involved a pattern in which two females
were snatching cell phones along the “3” subway line.
Officer Bey stopped two females on a Stop, Question
and Frisk for Criminal Possession of a Weapon.
Upon further investigation, and after conferring with
the Transit Brooklyn Robbery Squad, a positive
identification was made, the two girls were arrested, and
the pattern was closed.
The other pattern involved a male who was snatching
cell phones along the “2” line.
Officer Bey identified the male by the wanted poster
that was distributed by the Transit Brooklyn Robbery Squad,
and made the arrest, closing that pattern.
Detective Investigator Robert Addonizio –
Detective
Investigator Addonizio was handpicked by the DA’s Chief
Investigator to represent the office on the prestigious
Joint Terrorism Task Force in April 2003, eventually being
designated a team leader.
In 2006, he became the case officer on a complex
investigation known as “Shining Light”.
The case involved a conspiracy by a terrorist cell
operating from Guyana, Trinidad and the United States to use
explosives to rupture and ignite a fuel pipeline located at
JFK Airport which carries eight million gallons of jet fuel
into the city every day.
Detective Investigator Addonizio led the
investigative team that successfully introduced a source
into the terrorist cell, making it possible for critical
evidence to be collected and real time intelligence to be
monitored. One
of the suspects boasted to a source that “he had a vision
that would make the World Trade Center attack seem small.”
The suspects were under surveillance and were quickly
arrested here and overseas before they could consummate
their plan.
Detective Investigator Addonizio provided key testimony as
the main witness for the government, and all five defendants
were convicted at trial and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Supervising Probation Officer Arlene Smith –
Supervising Probation
Officer Arlene
Smith has been with
the NYC Department of Probation since 1989.
She is
currently a Supervising Probation Officer assigned as the
Special Assistant to the Branch Chief of Kings County High
Risk. She has
been an excellent coach to the junior Officers.
On many occasions,
Officer Smith has stepped in and helped,
taking on additional cases if the office was short-staffed.
She utilized her other Officers very effectively to ensure the
clients received the services they needed and office reports
were covered, often taking on a substantial amount of the
work herself. In
January 2009 SPO Smith participated in and supervised an
initiative with the 77 precinct whereby Probation and NYPD
Officers made joint home visits due to a spike in certain
crimes. She
volunteered to participate in the "DOP Gives Back-
Brownsville" cleanup of Callahan/Kelly park during Probation
Week 2011.
Officer Smith also volunteered her services at the
Project Safe Surrender
resource fair held at the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.
Safe Surrender
is an initiative where
people could go to
the church on the selected dates and have their outstanding
warrants and summons lifted and their cases adjudicated.
She
is actively involved in the preparation and coordination of
a weekly Young Men’s Group that is sponsered by the Kings
County Probation Office and a weekly Artist Therapy Group
that is attended by clients that are assigned to Kings
County Probation Office.
In addition, Supervising Probation Officer Smith is
actively involved in the coordination of a fatherhood
group that is held weekly in the Brooklyn Probation
Office.
Detective Peter Figoski –
Detective Figoski was a highly decorated police officer for
22 years with the NYPD, working his entire career for the 75th
Precinct in East New York.
He had been awarded 12 medals, including eight for
exceptional police duty.
He made more than 200 arrests in his career.
Detective Figoski
could have retired with a full pension, but he was dedicated
to his job, helping to keep the streets of East New York
safe.
On December 12, 2011, Officer Figoski was responding to a
burglary in progress in a basement apartment at 25 Pine
Street in Cypress Hills with a team of officers.
Two suspects were hiding inside the apartment when
the cops arrived.
Lamont Pride tried to escape when he encountered
Officer Figoski.
Pride, a career criminal, shot the Officer at close range in
the face, killing him.
Officer Figoski’s partner, Glenn Estrade, was
struggling with the second suspect.
When Officer Estrada heard the gunshot, he pursued
Lamont Pride, who was trying to flee, and chased him several
blocks before capturing him.
Five defendants have been indicted in this case
including Lamont Pride, who is charged with Murder in the
First Degree.
The other four defendants have been indicted for Murder in
the Second Degree.
Officer Figoski was
promoted posthumously by Police Commissioner Kelly to the
rank of Detective.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
(718) 250-2300
03
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
SENTENCING OF THOMAS PARKIN TO 13 2/3 TO 41 YEARS FOR POSING
AS HIS DECEASED MOTHER TO COMMIT REAL ESTATE AND
SOCIAL
SECURITY FRAUD
Brooklyn, May 21, 2012 – Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the
sentencing of Thomas Parkin, 51, to 13 2/3 to 41 years in
prison for committing real estate and social security fraud.
He was convicted on May 3 on charges including two
counts of Grand
Larceny in the Second Degree, one count of Grand Larceny in
the Third Degree, one count of Residential Mortgage Fraud in
the Second Degree, four counts of Criminal Possession of a
Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, and one count each
of Forgery in the Second Degree, Perjury in the First Degree
and Perjury in the Second Degree.
Parkin was convicted after an elaborate fraud in which he
dressed up as his deceased mother, Irene Prusik, to commit
real estate and social security fraud.
In the 1990s, Irene Prusik deeded her home, 492 6th
Avenue in Park Slope, to her son, Thomas Parkin. At the
time, Prusik, Parkin and Prusik’s other son lived in the
building. Parkin was unable to maintain ownership, and in
January 2003, the building was sold at foreclosure auction.
After Prusik died in September 2003, Parkin and his
co-defendant, Mhilton Rimolo, 49, filed lawsuits against the
new owner, Samir Chopra, in the now deceased Prusik’s name,
alleging real estate fraud. They claimed that the auction
was invalid and that the real owner was Irene Prusik.
The defendants received Prusik’s Social Security benefits
every month for six years, totaling approximately $44,000.
To initiate the crime, Parkin doctored his mother’s death
certificate, providing a false Social Security Number and
date of birth, which made it appear as though she were still
alive. To perpetuate
the ruse, the defendants went as far as to dress Parkin up
as his deceased mother, and visit the Department of Motor
Vehicles to renew her driver’s license, where they were
captured on surveillance video.
Unaware prosecutors had already begun an investigation into
his actions, Parkin walked into the Brooklyn District
Attorney’s Office in March 2009, to report to the Real
Estate Fraud Unit that he and his mother were victims. He
claimed his mother was the rightful owner of the property
and that the new owner had been using illegal forms of
coercion and filing false documents in court filings against
them. Prosecutors
also met with Rimolo, who identified himself as Prusik’s
nephew.
Rimolo and Parkin agreed to arrange a meeting with Prusik at
the home on 6th Avenue. When investigators
arrived, they found Parkin dressed as his 77-year-old
mother, wearing a red cardigan, lipstick, manicured nails
and breathing through an oxygen tank.
Rimolo pled guilty on September 30, 2010 to Grand
Larceny in the Second Degree.
He was sentenced on October 14, 2010 to a maximum of
three years in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Joseph Alexis, Bureau
Chief in the Rackets Division and Richard Farrell, Unit
Chief of the Rackets Division’s Real Estate Fraud Unit.
Michael Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets Division.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
(718) 250-2300
02
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION OF CON ARTIST WHO POSED AS HIS DECEASED MOTHER TO
COMMIT REAL ESTATE AND SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD
Brooklyn, May 3, 2012 – Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the
conviction of Thomas Parkin, 51, on charges including two
counts of Grand
Larceny in the Second Degree, one count of Grand Larceny in
the Third Degree, one count of Residential Mortgage Fraud in
the Second Degree, four counts of Criminal Possession of a
Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, and one count each
of Forgery in the Second Degree, Perjury in the First Degree
and Perjury in the Second Degree. He faces up to 83 years in
prison when is sentenced on May 21.
Parkin was convicted after an elaborate fraud in which he
dressed up as his deceased mother to commit real estate and
social security fraud.
In the 1990s, Irene
Prusik deeded her home, 492 6th Avenue in Park
Slope, to her son, Thomas Parkin. At the time, Prusik,
Parkin and Prusik’s other son lived in the building. Parkin
was unable to maintain ownership, and in January 2003, the
building was sold at foreclosure auction. After Prusik died
in September 2003, Parkin and his co-defendant, Mhilton
Rimolo, 49, filed lawsuits against the new owner, Samir
Chopra, in the now deceased Prusik’s name, alleging real
estate fraud. They claimed that the auction was invalid and
that the real owner was Irene Prusik.
The defendants received Prusik’s Social Security benefits
every month for six years, totaling approximately $44,000.
To initiate the crime, Parkin doctored Prusik’s death
certificate, providing a false Social Security Number and
date of birth, which made it appear as though she were still
alive. In order to
perpetuate the ruse, the defendants went as far as to dress
Parkin up as his deceased mother, and visit the Department
of Motor Vehicles to renew her driver’s license, where,
incidentally, they were captured on surveillance video.
Coincidentally, unaware prosecutors had already begun an
investigation into his actions, Parkin walked into the
Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office in March 2009, to report
to the Real Estate Fraud Unit that he and his mother were
victims. He claimed his mother was the rightful owner of the
property and that the new owner had been using illegal forms
of coercion and filing false documents in court filings
against them. Prosecutors
also met with Rimolo, who identified himself as Prusik’s
nephew.
To the investigators’ surprise, Rimolo and Parkin agreed to
arrange a meeting with Prusik at the home on 6th
Avenue. When investigators arrived, they found Parkin
dressed as his 77-year-old mother, wearing a red cardigan,
lipstick, manicured nails and breathing through an oxygen
tank.
Rimolo pled guilty on September 30, 2010 to Grand
Larceny in the Second Degree.
He was sentenced on October 14, 2010 to a maximum of
three years in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Joseph Alexis, Bureau
Chief in the Rackets Division and Richard Farrell, Unit
Chief of the Rackets Division’s Real Estate Fraud Unit.
Michael Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets Division.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
(718) 250-2300
01
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION OF GEORGE VILLANUEVA, FOR KILLING POLICE OFFICE
ALAIN SHABERGER
VILLANUEVA FACES 30 YEARS IN PRISON
Brooklyn, May 2, 2012 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the conviction of George Villanueva, of Aggravated
Manslaughter in the First Degree, for killing
Police Officer Alain Schaberger, who was responding to a
call about a domestic incident at Villanueva’s girlfriend’s
home.
When he is sentenced on May 23, Villanueva, 43, faces
up to 30 years in prison. He was also convicted of
Aggravated Criminal Contempt, which carries a maximum of
seven years, for violating an order of protection requiring
him to stay away from his girlfriend. The sentences may be
enhanced because of Villanueva’s criminal history.
On March 13, 2011, police received a call about a
domestic incident at Villanueva’s girlfriend’s Boerum Hill
apartment. When police arrived at the victim’s building,
Villanueva had already left, so they went to his home. The
officers brought Villanueva outside, and at the top of the
stoop, when Officer Schaberger attempted to handcuff
Villanueva, Villanueva pushed Officer Schaberger over a
railing. Officer Schaberger fell head first onto the
basement stairwell landing. Villanueva was subdued and
arrested. Officer Schaberger was pronounced dead at Lutheran
Hospital.
The case was prosecuted by Mark Hale, Chief Counsel to the
Homicide Bureau.
Ken Taub is Chief of the Homicide Bureau.
Contact:
Jonah Bruno
(718) 250-2300
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