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07
06
 DA
HYNES HOSTS ANNUAL CHANUKAH CELEBRATION AT HIS DOWNTOWN
BROOKLYN OFFICE, SPEAKS ABOUT VITAL SUPPORT FROM THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY
Brooklyn, December 29, 2008
- Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes used a
standing room only Chanukah celebration he hosted at his
office recently to formally thank members of Brooklyn’s
Jewish community for their support over the years as he
fought to prevent and reduce crime.
“For
the 19 years that I have had the privilege of being your
District Attorney, we have built a solid foundation to
deliver, insofar as it is humanely possible, true justice to
all the people of Kings County,” said DA Hynes.
He
also said the menorah which is rekindled each year at the
Office of the District Attorney in celebration of Chanukah,
brings a message of the triumph of freedom over oppression
and the triumph of light over darkness.
The
District Attorney noted that the programs and services offer
at his office are built on a foundation of prevention and
intervention. “We understood from the beginning that
incarcerating sick drug addicts was both fiscally unsound
and morally unsupportable,” he said.
“We
also knew that residential drug treatment beds were cheaper
and more effective in reducing recidivism than a costly jail
building policy which only contributed to the revolving door
of a justice system that provided very little justice,” said
DA Hynes.
Said DA Hynes, “our office’s commitment to children through
prevention education and intervention with those who fall
afoul of the criminal justice system because of substance
abuse, and the re-entry, a successful rehabilitation design,
have worked toward recidivism reduction and an increase in
public safety.”
“Metaphorically, it is a timely and reassuring message that
the forces of darkness can never conquer any one of us
whether here in the United States of America or in Israel,”
said DA Hynes.
DA Hynes later invited the guests to visit the 15th
floor Family Justice Center at his office. “For all of the
things I have been blessed to accomplish, no program makes
me more proud than the one that is dedicated to eliminating
violence in the home,” he said.
The
Center, which was dedicated to DA Hynes’ mother, Regina
Katherine Drew, offers a full range of preventive and
protective services for victims of domestic violence and
their children.
Contact:
J. Zamgba Browne
(718) 250-3850
05
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CONVICTION
Brooklyn, December 22, 2008
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the murder conviction of Ricky Simmons, 42, for
killing his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend in his Greene Avenue
home. He was convicted of Murder in the First Degree,
Burglary in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a
Weapon in the Second Degree. He will be sentenced before
Justice Matthew D’Emic on January 15, when he could face
life in prison without parole.
On August 27, 2005, Simmons’ girlfriend Nicole
Evans, 33, took him to her ex-boyfriend Luc Saintine’s
building at 897 Greene Avenue. Simmons broke open the
ground-level door to the building. Evans then led the way
to the victim’s apartment where Simmons proceeded to break
open that door as well. Simmons fired four shots at
Saintine, hitting him in the head, shoulder, back and
clavicle, killing him. After an investigation, Simmons and
Evans were both arrested on October 28, 2005.
Evans pled guilty to Burglary in the Second
Degree on March 7, 2008 and is awaiting sentencing.
The case was prosecuted by Cynthia Lynch,
Counsel to the Domestic Violence Bureau. Wanda Lucibello is
Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau.
Contact: Sandy
Silverstein
718-250-2300
04
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
INDICTMENT OF THREE POLICE OFFICERS IN SUBWAY PLATFORM
SEXUAL ASSAULT
ONE CHARGED WITH SEXUAL
ABUSE, TWO CHARGED IN COVER-UP
Brooklyn,
December 9, 2008 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced a 32-count indictment against three police
officers charged with participating in a sexual assault on a
man, on a subway platform in October, and later attempting
to conceal the incident.
The top charge against Police
Officer Richard Kern, 25, is Aggravated Sexual Abuse in the
First Degree, a Class-B Felony, punishable by up to 25 years
in prison. Police Officers Andrew Morales and Alex Cruz,
both 26, are charged with several Class-E felonies,
including Hindering Prosecution and Official Misconduct, for
their participation in the attempted cover-up, and face up
to four years in prison. Kern and Morales are both charged
with Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, for
their roles in the attempted cover-up.
The indictment charges that
on October 15, Michael Mineo, 24, was walking to the
Prospect Park subway station, when police officers observed
him smoking what they believed was marijuana. When the
officers approached Mineo, he fled. The officers caught him
on the subway platform. There, according to the indictment,
several officers held Mineo down and rear handcuffed him,
and Kern anally assaulted him with a retractable baton,
called an “asp.” Mineo was later treated at Brookdale
University Hospital and Medical Center for an anal/rectal
tear.
The case is being prosecuted
by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Moehle, Rackets
Division Deputy Bureau Chief Jeffrey Ferguson and Charles
Guria, Chief of Civil Rights and Police Integrity. Michael
Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets Division.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
718-250-2300
03
DA
HYNES PAYS TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN’S RUSSIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY,
SALUTES EIGHT INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Brooklyn, December 4, 2008
- Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes rolled out
the red carpet yesterday for Brooklyn’s Russian community,
honoring eight of its members and organizations that have
dedicated themselves to helping people in the Borough.
“Their contributions are as
varied as they are unique,” said DA Hynes. “The common
thread is their sensitivity, decency and often, courage.
They are shining examples of the Russian-American
community.”
An estimated 150 people
including New York State Assemblyman, Alec Brook-Krasny
attended the ceremony which was held in Brooklyn Supreme
Court Ceremonial Court II, at 320 Jay Street.
DA Hynes said Brooklyn has always thrived as a county of
immigrants and is home to more than 200 different ethnic
groups and there are some 115 languages spoken.
“From Brooklyn’s diversity comes strength,” said DA Hynes.
“Tonight we recognize and celebrate the achievements of
Russian-Americans in our community – one of the newest
cultures to enter the melting pot of New York City.”
The District Attorney underscored that the honorees
have deep roots in the former Soviet Union and came to
America hoping to make better lives for themselves, for
their children, and ultimately, for the generations that
will follow them.
For these individuals, DA Hynes said the task was
not easy. “They had to overcome poverty and a new language,
as well as new laws, but they brought with them a strong set
of values, a sense of family and a desire to succeed, and
they have,” he said.
DA Hynes noted that Brooklyn’s Russian-American
community has successfully established itself in the worlds
of business, media, medicine, law, education, and social
work in the Borough of Brooklyn and beyond.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to recognize and
honor their hard-earned accomplishments,” said DA Hynes. “In
establishing their lives here, they have enriched our
community. We are a much more vibrant community because of
their talents, faith and values.”
Those receiving awards were Yelena Makhnin,
executive director, Brighton Beach Business Improvement
District; Michael Nemirovsky, director of the
Russian-Speaking Community Outreach Jewish Relations
Council; Marina Belotserkovsky, director of the Russian
Communication at HIAS Host of the National TV Show: HIASD
ANSWERS; Alexander Grant, of Division Radio; Boris Talis of
Davidzon Radio (Odessa Na Gudzone); Victor Lushin, LMSW
Russian Radio of New York, and Efim Karlik of WKRB Radio
Contact:
J. Zamgba Browne
(718) 250-3850
02
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION IN GANG-RELATED MURDER
Brooklyn,
December 3, 2008 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the murder conviction of Stephen Scott, 19, for
shooting a man on a subway, who Scott believed was in a
rival gang.
When he is sentenced,
December 17, Scott will face a maximum of 25 years to life
in prison.
A member of the Crips street
gang, Scott was riding on the subway’s Q Train, approaching
Avenue U and East 16th Street, when he saw the
victim, Trevelle Belton, 19, wearing a red bandana around
his neck. Scott believed that was a symbol for the Bloods, a
rival street gang, and that Belton was a member. Scott told
Belton to remove the bandana, and when Belton refused, Scott
shot him in the chest.
Scott was arrested the
following day, in front of his home on Coney Island Avenue.
When he was arrested, he had possession of the red bandana,
which he had removed from Belton’s neck, after shooting
him.
The case was prosecuted by
Janet Gleeson, Deputy Bureau Chief in the Gang Bureau, and
Assistant District Attorney McCarthy Hawkins. Deanna
Rodriguez is Chief of the Gang Bureau.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
718-250-2300
01
ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY
CHARLES GURIA IS RECIPIENT OF THE PRESTIGIOUS THOMAS E.
DEWEY AWARD FOR HIS
OUTSTANDING WORK
Brooklyn, December 3, 2008
- Charles Guria, Chief of the Civil Rights and Police
Integrity Unit at the Office of the Kings County District
Attorney is the recipient of the prestigious Thomas E. Dewey
Medal of Honor presented to him yesterday by the New York
City Bar Association.
.
“Charles Guria’s excellent work and dedication to public
service make him an ideal recipient for this award,” said
District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. “I have been honored to
work with him and am pleased to see that the rest of the
legal community also recognizes his abilities,” he added.
The honor, which recognizes the outstanding work of a
prosecutor in each of New York City’s five boroughs, was
bestowed upon Guria at an annual presentation ceremony held
Tuesday at the Association’s Manhattan headquarters at 42
West 44th St.
Guria,
who was presented the Medal of Honor by U.S. District Court
Judge Sterling Johnson, said he was humbled and honored to
have been selected to receive the Medal.
Guria also said he would share the Medal of Honor with his
colleagues and staff at the Kings County District Attorney’s
Office with whom he works everyday
“Their hard work and professionalism reflect the highest
tradition of what Thomas Dewey stood for and you have made
it a pleasure to show up each day and serve the people New
York State,” he said.
Guria has worked in the DA’s Office for over 17
years and has spent most of his time, probing and
prosecuting cases involving police corruption, corrupt
public officials, and hate crimes.
Following graduation from New York Law School, Guria
began his career at the Legal Aid Society, where he
represented indigent clients in criminal cases. He later
moved to the Appellate Division’s Departmental Disciplinary
Committee and was engaged in probing attorneys charged in
ethical violations.
Guria
joined the Brooklyn DA’s Office in April, 1990, but left
after two years, to serve on Mayor David N. Dinkins’
Commission to Combat Police Corruption, also called the
Mullen Commission.
There Guria worked on the infamous “Dirty Thirty”
corruption probe and helped write the Commission’s report
recommending changes to the NYPD’s anti-corruption
procedures.
Guria
returned to the DA’s Office in 1994 and was promoted to
Executive Assistant District Attorney.
Guria
has also been a member of numerous community and
professional groups, including serving two terms as the
first President of the Sterling Johnson, Jr. New York
Chapter of the National Black Prosecutor’s Association, and
helped train attorneys as Brooklyn Law School’s Moot Court
Coach.
This year’s other Thomas E. Dewey Award recipients include
Terry A. Gottlieb, of Bronx County; Joel Seideman, New York
County; James Clark Quinn, Queens County; Paul A. Capofari,
Richmond County, and Special Prosecutor, Lisa DePasquale.
Contact: J. Zamgba Browne
(718) 250-3800
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