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12
 KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES 10-YEAR
SENTENCE OF DEFENDANT CONVICTED IN THE SEX ABUSE AND ASSAULT
OF 20-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
Brooklyn, April
30, 2008 – Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced
the sentencing of Lavon Grayer, 34, to 10 years in prison
before Justice Abraham Gerges for sexually abusing a
20-year-old woman inside her Bushwick apartment building.
He was convicted on January 16, 2008 of Burglary in the
Second Degree, Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and Assault
in the Second Degree.
On January 27, 2007, Grayer followed the victim into the
vestibule of her apartment building. He then punched and
kicked her and threw her down a flight of stairs. Next, he
got on top of her and sexually abused her over her
clothing. He tried to remove her pants but the victim put
up a struggle before she managed to escape.
The incident was captured on surveillance cameras although
the defendant’s face could not be seen. The victim
described the attacker to Detective Maribel Roman at
Brooklyn Special Victim's Squad, who conducted an
investigation. He was arrested on January 29 and
subsequently identified by the victim in a lineup.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney
Jennifer Ruben from the Sex Crimes Bureau. Rhonnie Jaus is
Chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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11
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES LEADS PANEL
DISCUSSION ON HATE CRIMES
PANEL TARGETS ASSAULTS
AGAINST BROOKLYN’S LESBIAN,GAY,
BI-SEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
Brooklyn, April 29, 2008 –
Kings County District Attorney
Charles J. Hynes on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to
prosecute hate crimes to the full extend of the law,
including those against Brooklyn’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgender community (LGBT).
“The perpetrators of hate crimes against the LGBT community
act in hate and ignorance and they rely on fear,” said DA
Hynes. “Fear instilled in a victim or a witness not to come
forward. And fear of ridicule and being judged for their
lifestyle,” he said.
DA Hynes called for continued
support from the LGBT community. He said the leaders of the
LGBT have and will continue to play an important role in
bringing these matters to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s
Office.
“Your help may be instrumental
in helping victims and witnesses feel comfortable enough to
come forward so that justice may be done,” said DA Hynes.
Speaking in a panel discussion on hate crimes
at Prospect Park YMCA, DA Hynes noted a significant decline
in violence against members of Brooklyn’s LGBT community
since 2006..
A pioneer in hate crimes
prosecution, DA Hynes was appointed special prosecutor by
Gov. Mario Cuomo, in the racially motivated killing of
Michael Griffith, in Howard Beach, Queens in the 1980s. DA
Hynes also launched the first Civil Rights Bureau in a New
York State District Attorney’s Office more than 17 years
ago.
DA Hynes told the panel that
his office has prosecuted a number of other cases where the
victims have been members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and
Transgender community. “These cases have involved incidents
of harassment, assault, and even murder” he added.
He was joined at the panel by
Assistant District Attorney Charles Guria, head of the Civil
Rights Bureau, Assistant District Attorney Anna-Sigga
Nicholazzi, Cristin Mathiez, of the DA’s Office Victim
Services Unit, NYPD Inspector Michael Osgood, of the Hate
Crimes Task Force, Det. Thomas Verni, citywide LGBT
Community Liaison, and Ivana Chapcakova, senior
counselor-advocate, Hate Crimes, NYC Gay and Lesbian
Anti-Violence Project.
Contact:
J. Zamgba Browne
(718) 250-3850
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10
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION IN HUMAN TISSUE THEFT CONSPIRACY
Brooklyn, April 28, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the conviction of Christopher Aldorasi, 35, on 20
of the 22 counts he was charged with, in a multi-million
dollar human tissue theft conspiracy.
“The victims of this conspiracy can finally begin to rest
in peace, since one more of the monsters who defiled their
corpses has been convicted,” said District Attorney Hynes.
“This case has brought to light the need for new laws
criminalizing misconduct in the funeral home industry, as
well as the tissue donation industry. It also highlights the
need for a felony Reckless Endangerment charge that applies
to actions demonstrating a depraved indifference to human
life. In this case such a crime would have been charged
against the defendants, for allowing diseased, or otherwise
tainted, tissue to be cleared for transplant into thousands
of patients.”
When he is sentenced, May, 28, Aldorasi could receive up to
60 years in prison. The top charges, Enterprise Corruption,
a Class-B Felony, carries up to 25 years in prison. Other
charges Aldorasi was convicted of include Falsification of
Business Records in the First Degree, Grand Larceny in the
Third Degree and Reckless Endangerment in the Second
Degree.
Aldorasi and four codefendants, Michael Mastromarino, 44;
Joseph Nicelli, 52; and Lee Cruceta, 35, were all charged in
February 2006, in a 122-count indictment, with orchestrating
a large-scale, criminal enterprise, in which tissues were
harvested from people who either never consented before they
died, to be donors, or whose medical conditions or ages
would have prevented them from donating tissue. Those
tissues were then sold to medical companies for use in
surgical transplants, such as bone and skin grafts.
Mastromarino pleaded guilty in March and will be sentenced
May 21, to 18 to 54 years in prison. Cruceta pleaded guilty
and testified against Aldorasi. He will be sentenced at a
later date. Nicelli’s case is still pending.
The cases are being prosecuted
by Rackets Division Bureau Chief Patricia McNeil, Deputy
Bureau Chief Josh Hanshaft, Rackets Division First Deputy
Bureau Chief Michael Perkins and Chief Counsel to the
Rackets Division Monique Ferrell. Michael Vecchione is Chief
of the Rackets Division.
Contact: Jonah Bruno
718-250-2300
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09
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES HOSTS 18TH
ANNUAL TAKE OUR CHILDREN TO WORK DAY
Brooklyn,
April 24, 2008 – Kings County
District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today hosted the agency’s
18th Annual “Take Our Children To Work Day,”
featuring over 80 youngsters between the ages of 6 and 15
whose parents are employed at the Office of the District
Attorney.
The day was filled with diverse activities designed to
introduce the youngsters to possible careers and public
service. A highlight of the occasion included lectures on
gangs, internet safety, computer crime, demonstrations of
the use of bulletproof vests, handcuffs, and fingerprinting,
and the children had their photo taken with the District
Attorney. The DA’s Office also provided entertainment for
the children which included a movie.
DA Hynes said his chief purpose for inviting the children to
his office was for them to see first-hand what their parents
actually do at work, as well as for parents to encourage a
dialogue with their kids about their work life.
Contact:
J. Zamgba Browne
(718) 250-3850
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08
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES
BIDS FARWELL AND HONORS COL. TRACEY NICHOLSON
Brooklyn, April 23, 2008 – Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes invited Col.
Tracey Nicholson, head of the Fort Hamilton Army Base in Bay
Ridge, to his office yesterday to bid her farewell and
personally thank her for hosting a truancy TRACK Center on
the base for the Office of the District Attorney.
Col. Nicholson is leaving her post following a
three-year stint as the first female leader of the
182-year-old base, to accept a position as Secretary of the
Combined and Joint Staff under Gen. David Petraeus, the top
U.S. commander in Iraq.
DA Hynes praised Col. Nicholson for contributing to
TRACK’s success and wished her well in her new undertaking
in Iraq. TRACK (Truancy Reduction Alliance to Contact Kids)
was launched in 1998 by DA Hynes as a collaborative effort
by the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, the New York
City Police Department and the New York City Department of
Education, to combat chronic truancy in Brooklyn schools.
DA Hynes stressed the success of the
truancy center at the Fort Hamilton Army Base and said that
during the 2007-2008 school year, 749 students were brought
to the facility. He said 95 percent of their parents came
and saw first hand how the program operates.
In recognition of Col. Nicholson’s efforts in making space
available at the base for the truancy program, DA Hynes
presented her with a certificate of appreciation, a baseball
cap and a wind breaker jacket showing the DA’s official
emblem.
Contact: J.
Zamgba Browne
(718) 250-3850
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07
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES GUILTY
PLEA BY FORMER BROOKLYN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE MICHAEL GARSON
Brooklyn, April 22, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the guilty plea of former Brooklyn Supreme Court
Justice Michael Garson, for possessing a forged document
giving him unlimited power of attorney over an elderly
aunt’s assets. The document was to be filed in Manhattan
Supreme Court, in a proceeding to determine whether his aunt
was competent to manage her affairs.
Garson, 63, pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a
Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a Class-A
Misdemeanor. As part of the plea deal, he was ordered to pay
full restitution, plus interest, to the estate of his
now-deceased aunt, Sarah Gershenoff. The estate had been
looted of more than $160,000. Additionally, he waived his
right to any inheritance from the estate and resigned from
the New York State Bar. Garson made his final restitution
payment, of $48,000, today, bringing the total paid to
$219,000.
The guilty plea followed Garson’s cooperation with the
District Attorney in a confidential investigation.
Garson will be sentenced July 1.
Rackets Division Bureau Chief Gavin Miles, Deputy Bureau
Chief Joseph DiBenedetto and Executive District Attorney
Anne Gutmann prosecuted the case. Michael Vecchione is Chief
of the Rackets Division.
Contact: Jonah Bruno
718-250-2300
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06
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES AND NEW YORK CITY
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION COMMISSIONER ROBERT DOAR
ANNOUNCE INDICTMENT IN WELFARE FRAUD
Brooklyn, April 17, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and New
York City Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert
Doar today announced the arrest and indictment of Clarissa
Harley, on charges of Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree and
Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.
The indictment charges Harley illegally received
$10,412 in welfare benefits between 2003 and 2007. Though
Harley’s 11-year-old daughter had lived with her
grandparents in South Carolina for most of the girls’ life,
Harley is charged with claiming she cared for her daughter
and needed public assistance, even after the girl had been
legally adopted by her grandparents, in 2003.
If convicted of the top count, Welfare Fraud in
the Third Degree, Harley could face a maximum sentence of
two-and-a-third to seven years in prison.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and
not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
The case is being prosecuted by Lauren Mack,
Chief of the Public Assistance Crimes Unit.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
718-250-2300
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05
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION IN SCOOTER ATTACK ON
POLICE OFFICERS
Brooklyn, April 16, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the conviction of Robert Ramirez, who attacked two
police officers in July 2006, to prevent the officers from
arresting his stepfather, Jose Morales, who was convicted of
Resisting Arrest, in the same trial.
Ramirez, 29, was convicted of Assault in the
Second Degree. Both defendants will be sentenced May 6.
Ramirez faces up to seven years in prison. Morales, 51,
faces a maximum one-year sentence.
Police Officers Dominick Desiervi and Jason
Jeremiah were responding to a noise complaint at an outdoor
party at the Glenwood Houses development on East 56 Street,
on July 24, 2006. Morales began arguing with, and shoving,
Officer Jeremiah when they tried to speak to the DJ, about
turning down the music. As the officers attempted to
handcuff Morales and arrest him, Ramirez hit the officers in
the head and neck with a folded metal “Razor” scooter. In
response to the attack, Officer Jeremiah shot Ramirez once,
wounding him in the chest.
Lewis Lieberman, Deputy Chief of the
Investigations Bureau, prosecuted the case.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
718-250-2300
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04
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES 80-YEAR
SENTENCE FOR SERIAL RAPIST
Brooklyn, April 10, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the 80-year sentence of Kingsley Ewing, convicted
in March of raping four women between 2002 and 2006.
Ewing, 36, was convicted of four counts of Rape
in the First Degree. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison
for each rape count, to be served consecutively.
The four victims were all strangers, who Ewing
approached on the street and engaged in conversation, before
attacking them. The first two rapes occurred in April 2002.
On two separate occasions he led different women to a
building under construction on 52nd Street in
Sunset Park. Ewing was able to gain access to the building
because he was a member of a construction crew working on
it. The two other rapes occurred in vacant lots in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, one on Skillman Street, in June 2006,
and the other on Herkimer Street, in August 2003.
DNA matching the defendant’s was found on all
four victims.
Sex Crimes Deputy Bureau Chief Rachel Schmidt
and Senior Trial Attorney Elizabeth Doerfler prosecuted the
case. Rhonnie Jaus is Chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
718-250-2300
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KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES AND NEW YORK STATE
DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE COMMISSIONER ROBERT L.
MEGNA ANNOUNCE RECORD SEIZURE OF $6.1 MILLION IN COUNTERFEIT
CIGARETTE TAX STAMPS
LARGEST
SEIZURE IN NEW YORK STATE HISTORY
Brooklyn, April 9, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and New
York State Department of Taxation and Finance Commissioner
Robert L. Megna today announced the largest seizure of
counterfeit tax stamps in New York State history and the
indictment of accused smuggler Rafea Al-Nablisi. The
counterfeit stamps, valued at $6.1 million, were intended to
be applied to packs of untaxed cigarettes. Investigators
also seized more than 100 cartons of counterfeit
cigarettes.
Typically, when cigarettes are brought to New York, they are
delivered to large distribution centers. The distributors
pay New York State taxes and apply a tax stamp to the bottom
of each pack of cigarettes, to prove that it has been taxed
properly. In this case, the counterfeit tax stamps would
have been applied to cigarettes which had been illegally
diverted away from those distribution centers. Untaxed
cigarettes Al-Nablisi purchased from undercover
investigators would have required counterfeit tax stamps,
before they could be sold in stores.
“Taxes on cigarettes contribute essential revenue to the
budgets of the City and State of New York,” said DA Hynes.
“This type of fraud could cost taxpayers in New York up to
hundreds of millions of dollars each year, in lost revenue,
and we will not tolerate it. I want to thank Commissioner
Megna for his cooperation in this investigation.”
Commissioner Megna said, "During the past year the
Department has stepped-up its campaign against tax fraud,
targeting in particular those who traffic in untaxed and
counterfeit cigarettes. Criminals such as Al-Nablisi deprive
the public of millions of dollars in tax revenue that helps
support vital public health initiatives, as well as
fostering other criminal activity related to these crimes.
This indictment continues the Tax Department's commitment to
undermine cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting in the New
York metropolitan area. We're thrilled to be working with DA
Hynes and his team to help protect the people of New York
State."
Al-Nablisi, a 40-year-old Jordanian national living in
Woodhaven, Queens, paid undercover investigators more than
$500,000 for 37,500 cartons of untaxed cigarettes. He made
the purchases on four occasions, between February 4, and
February 29. On one of those occasions, Al-Nablisi told
investigators that he could obtain counterfeit, name-brand
cigarettes, from China. He gave them a carton of Newports
and a carton of Marlboros, as samples. On another occasion
he told the investigators he had access to high-quality,
counterfeit tax stamps, necessary to sell untaxed cigarettes
on the open market.
In the last transaction, Al-Nablisi sold undercover
investigators 516,000 NYS/NYC tax stamps and 645,000 New
Jersey state tax stamps. Though the New York stamps cost
legitimate business owners $3 and the New Jersey stamps
$2.57, Al-Nablisi planned to sell the stamps for $.045 a
piece.
After Al-Nablisi’s arrest, investigators executed a search
warrant on his two storage facilities in Queens. There they
discovered additional tax stamps, from New York, New Jersey,
Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and they found more
than 100 cartons of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes from
China.
All told, 2,178,306 tax stamps, worth $6,079,112.56, were
seized.
Al-Nablisi is charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged
Instrument in the First Degree, a Class-C Felony, and
numerous Tax Law violations. He faces up to 15 years in
prison.
The counterfeit cigarettes are currently being tested for
the presence of heavy metals, industrial pollutants.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a
defendant’s guilt.
The case was investigated by the Tax Department's Petroleum,
Alcohol & Tobacco Bureau's Excise Tax Investigators Marybeth
Cherubino and Robert Meccariello and supervised by Thomas
Stanton.
Supervising Investigator Robert Intartaglio, Detective
Investigator Radmila Aliyev, and Detective Investigator
Stephanie Green-Jones investigated the case for the Kings
County District Attorney’s Office.
Money Laundering and Revenue Crimes Deputy Bureau Chief
Robert Renzulli is prosecuting the case. Joe McCarthy is
Chief of Money Laundering and Revenue Crimes. Michael
Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets Division.
Contact:
Jonah Bruno
718-250-2300
02
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION OF ASSEMBLYWOMAN DIANE GORDON FOR SOLICITING A
$500,000 BRIBE
GORDON CAUGHT ON VIDEO
REQUESTING A HOME FROM DEVELOPER IN EXCHANGE FOR INFLUENCE
RESULT OF JOINT
INVESTIGATION BETWEEN KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S
OFFICE AND DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION
Brooklyn, April 8, 2008 –
Kings County District
Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the conviction of
Brooklyn Democratic Assemblywoman Diane Gordon on charges of
Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree, Receiving Bribes by
Members of Legislature, two counts of Official Misconduct,
two counts of Receiving Reward for Official Misconduct in
the Second Degree and two counts of Unlawful Fees and
Payments. She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is
sentenced on May 20.
District Attorney
Hynes said, “I want to congratulate Department of
Investigations Commissioner Rose Gil Hearn. This conviction
is a result of a joint investigation aimed at rooting out
corruption in Brooklyn’s government. It continues our
commitment to rooting out official corruption of any kind.
Over the past four years two Supreme Court Judges and the
County Democratic Party leader have gone to prison for their
greed and arrogant flouting of the public trust. Disgraced
Judge Gerald Garson is serving more jail time than any New
York State Supreme Court Judge has ever been sentenced to.
It is especially appalling in Diane Gordon’s case that she
was seeking to have a house built for her in return for
helping a developer get a valuable parcel of city land but
she did not want her house built in her own assembly
district. She did not even want the house built in Brooklyn.
She had her eye on a new, gated development in the borough
of Queens. Diane Gordon not only violated her oath as a
member of the New York State Assembly she flagrantly
violated the trust given to her by her constituents. “
Department of
Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said, “Today's
felony conviction of New York State Assemblywoman Diane
Gordon, which resulted from a DOI undercover investigation,
is gratifying news. As an elected official, Gordon was
supposed to work for the best interests of her Brooklyn
community. Instead, Gordon marketed herself as a corrupt
legislator ready to use her position to help a private
builder unlawfully acquire City-owned land in her district
if he, in exchange, would build her a half-million-dollar
house in a gated community in Queens for practically no
money. We know this because Gordon said so in nine meetings
with the builder while DOI investigators secretly recorded
their conversations. For example, Gordon told the builder,
who was cooperating with DOI, "I want to deliver these
properties to you so I can get this house for little to
nothing. I don't want to pay a mortgage." DOI's
investigation further showed that Gordon sought to conceal
her crimes by arranging for her mother to act as the
purchaser of the house and for the builder to deposit
approximately $7,500 in a checking account opened in her
mother's name, which her mother then returned to the builder
as a purported "down payment." Today, the jury in Brooklyn
found that the evidence painstakingly gathered by DOI
investigators proved Assemblywoman Gordon guilty of crimes
involving abuse of her public office.
That Gordon, a State legislator, seized on a City program to
build affordable housing on City-owned land in her district
as her opportunity to sell her office and to obtain her own
luxury housing elsewhere adds a layer of outrageousness to
her misconduct. It's fortunate that DOI was right there to
witness and record Gordon's criminal scheme as it unfolded,
ensure that it failed, and expose it publicly by referring
the evidence for criminal prosecution.
I thank and congratulate Kings County District Attorney
Charles J. Hynes and his staff, particularly Assistant
District Attorney Michael Spanakos, for their
professionalism in prosecuting this case to its successful
conclusion and all the DOI investigators whose skill and
professionalism made this prosecution possible, particularly
Deputy Commissioner Vincent E. Green, Assistant Commissioner
Alberta Ancrum, and Assistant Inspector General Joseph H.
Medina.”
Gordon was found guilty of
seeking a $500,000 single-family home as a bribe from a
Brooklyn contractor for just one dollar. In exchange for the
home and the free installation of doors in her Assembly
offices, Gordon told the contractor she would use her
influence to have a $2 million city-owned vacant lot turned
over to him for development.
On the video recordings made by investigators
from the Brooklyn DA’s Office and the Department of
Investigation, Gordon explained to the contractor how he
could win favor with other elected and government officials
who would ultimately decide whether he would get the
property. She also wrote a letter recommending the
contractor for the project, in addition to obtaining
recommendations from other local elected officials.
Deputy Bureau Chief Michel Spanakos and Senior
Investigative Attorney Patrick Cappock from the Rackets
Division prosecuted the case. Michael Vecchione is Chief of
the Rackets Division.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
01
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES AND THE NEW YORK
FOUNDLING FONTANA CENTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION TO CO-SPONSOR
BROOKLYN CHILD WATCH
CHILD ABUSE PROTECTION
PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO KEEPING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SAFE
BY MAKING NEIGHBORHOOD VOLUNTEERS MORE AWARE OF ABUSE AND
NEGLECT AND PROACTIVE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
Brooklyn, April
3, 2008 – Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and the New York
Foundling Fontana Center for Child Protection are
co-sponsoring Brooklyn Child Watch, a new child abuse
prevention program designed to get volunteers in the
community involved by providing them with the necessary
information and skills to help protect children in their
neighborhoods. Other sponsors include Darkness to Light™,
First AME Zion Church and Morning Star Highway Church of
Christ.
Brooklyn Child Watch was created to build strong communities
that keep children and families safe from child abuse and
neglect. The pilot program’s goal is to raise awareness of
child abuse issues by encouraging neighborhood volunteer
participation. The program is beginning with a
collaboration which includes two places of worship in the
Borough.
District Attorney Hynes said, “I
would like to thank The New York Foundling, Darkness to
Light, First AME Zion Church and Morning Star Highway Church
of Christ for their involvement in this important
initiative. This program will improve the quality of life
in Brooklyn communities by fostering participation in
violence prevention programs and workshops. My office does
an excellent job when it comes to prosecuting child abusers
and protecting the victims in criminal cases. But many
cases of child abuse do not get reported. This is where the
community comes in. With the neighborhood involved, we can
become aware of many more cases of child abuse and ensure
the safety of our children.”
Bill Baccaglini, Executive Director of The New York
Foundling added, “The Foundling is honored to collaborate
with The Kings County District Attorney and these fine
organizations and be a part of this simple, yet powerful
initiative. We believe that every child is everyone’s
concern, and The Foundling and The D.A.’s office are
uniquely equipped to empower the good people of this borough
to help and support each other in protecting the children in
their communities. The New York Foundling Fontana Center
for Child Protection is devoted to safeguarding the most
vulnerable among us, and we are eager to support the
residents of Brooklyn so that our children grow and thrive
in safe, loving homes.”
Ama Dwimoh, Chief of the DA’s Crimes Against
Children Bureau, said “Every child in our county needs to be
everyone’s concern and our community must strive to
accomplish the goal that every child is afforded the basic
human right to live in homes free of abuse and neglect.
Children have no other choice but to depend on the adults
that make up their families and community. Brooklyn
Child Watch will help to safeguard the children who are
our most vulnerable victims and our most precious resource.”
The issue of child abuse was
heightened in the public over following the death of
7-year-old girl Nixzmary Brown at the hands of her mother
and stepfather. Her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, was
convicted of Manslaughter and will be sentenced today. Her
mother, Nixzaliz Santiago, is awaiting trial. This
high-profile case initiated changes within the
Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).
The Program will be launched
through a series of three workshops taught by staff of The
New York Foundling Fontana Center, Kings County District
Attorney’s Office Crimes Against Children Bureau, Darkness
to Light, First AME Zion Church and Morning Star Highway
Church of Christ. The first workshop will cover types of
child maltreatment and teach participants how to identify
and report child abuse and neglect. The second workshop
will reinforce the adult’s responsibility to safeguard our
children and teach seven steps to prevent child sexual
abuse. The third workshop gives participants the tools to
develop neighborhood partnerships, organize informational
events and identify resources to engage the entire community
in the work of preventing child abuse and neglect.
First AME Zion Church at 54 MacDonough Street in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, is hosting the workshops, which will be
held from 7:00 – 9:00 PM on April 3, April 10 and April 17.
There are no fees for the workshops. To recognize the
dedication of community volunteers who successfully complete
the 6-hour training, the sponsors of Brooklyn Child Watch
will award the participants certificates and badges, and
honor them at a formal graduation ceremony. Once the
training ends, the continued participation of these
volunteers will be vital in keeping the community mobilized
and our children safe, and Program sponsors are grateful for
their extraordinary commitment.
With a successful launch, the Program will expand to other
neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn, enabling us to keep our
children’s safety a top priority in the minds of our
borough’s residents. By preventing abuse and neglect, we
will help children avoid lifelong adverse medical and
emotional effects, and give them the chance to thrive, while
assuring them they are growing up in a safe, caring
community.
Contact: Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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