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06
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF HIT AND
RUN DRIVER WHO SERIOUSLY INJURED TWO PEDESTRIANS
Brooklyn, March 26, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the indictment of Frances Jasmin, 28, for leaving
the scene after she struck two pedestrians with her car.
She is charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident With
Serious Physical Injury, a class E felony, and Speeding. If
convicted, she faces a maximum of four years in prison.
The indictment charges that, on February 21,
Jasmin was driving an Acura Legend, registered to her
sister, when she struck two female pedestrians as they were
crossing Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Place. Jasmin fled
the scene as a witness followed her vehicle to Pacific
Street and Fourth Avenue, where it was parked. The car had
extensive damage including a hole in the windshield caused
by the impact with the victims. The investigation is
continuing.
The victims suffered serious injuries and were
admitted to Kings County Hospital.
An indictment is an
accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
The case is being prosecuted
by Gayle Dampf, Bureau Chief of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Sandy
Silverstein
(718) 250-2300
05
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES THE CONVICTION OF DUDLEY
RAMSAY, FOR BEATING A FIVE-MONTH-OLD PUPPY TO DEATH
Brooklyn, March 12, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the conviction of Dudley Ramsay, 25, for beating
his five-month-old dachshund puppy, Junior, to death in
2006.
Ramsay was convicted of Aggravated Cruelty to
Animals, a Class-E Felony, and Overdriving, Torturing and
Injuring Animals, a Class-A Misdemeanor.
When Ramsay is sentenced May 7, he will face up
to two years in prison.
Ramsay severely beat the puppy in what he said
was an attempt to discipline it. He punched Junior several
times and threw him against a bathtub, waiting several hours
before taking the dog to a veterinary hospital. A necropsy
performed on Junior showed extensive internal injuries,
including six fractured ribs and damage to the lungs and
liver.
The ASPCA investigated the case and provided
expert veterinary testimony at trial.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney
Lisa Berk and Blue Zone First Deputy Bureau Chief Caryn
Teitelman. Executive Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey
Levitt is Chief of the Blue Zone.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
04
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES FOURTH ANNUAL
EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN’S EVENT AS PART OF WOMEN’S HISTORY
MONTH
31 BROOKLYN WOMEN HONORED
FOR THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND SERVICE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES
Brooklyn, March 11, 2010
– Suzelle Charles Augustine, who was born in a small town
in Haiti, was recognized for her commitment to her local
parish as well as the plight of Haiti and its people,
especially in the wake of the recent devastating hurricane.
She was one of 31 Extraordinary Women honored today by Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes as he announced
the recipients of his fourth annual Extraordinary Women’s
event.
Ms. Augustine immigrated to
the United States in 1977, and now works at two jobs to
support her family here and abroad in Haiti. Ms. Augustine
lives in the Old Mill Basin section of Brooklyn and is
devoted to her church, Mary Queen of Heaven, where she
ministers as a lector, translator, religious teacher, and
prayer group leader. She serves on the parish’s
International Planning Committee and coordinates an Annual
Haitian Hospitality Sunday. For many years, she has
coordinated the collection and shipment of supplies to the
island’s neediest.
District Attorney Hynes said,
“These exceptional women serve as role models because of
their selflessness, dedication and compassion. It is an
honor for me to recognize these women for their outstanding
work, which benefits the people of Brooklyn.”
In recognition of Women’s
History Month, the 31 honorees were lauded for their
accomplishments in their careers and their service to the
communities in which they live and serve. District Attorney
Hynes unveiled a huge calendar, in the lobby of 350 Jay
Street, for the month of March with each day dedicated to
one of the extraordinary women nominated by Brooklyn
residents.
The women will be further acknowledged at a
ceremony on March 23 at 6:00 PM in the Ceremonial Court Room
at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Another of this exceptional group of women is
Paula Shirk, who lives in Brooklyn Heights. She is the
driving force behind Brooklyn to Cambodia, a non-profit
organization which she founded to improve the lives of
impoverished people in Cambodia still suffering from the
horrific legacy of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Ms. Shirk
has a strong personal connection to Cambodia because it is
the birthplace of her adopted son, Rudi. After being
informed of the conditions in which Rudi’s birth parents and
siblings live, she helped the family rise out of poverty.
The non-profit turned into a supplier of inexpensive,
user-friendly, low-tech pumps to help Cambodian farmers
irrigate their crops, which is their main source of income.
Working from her apartment, she arranged for shipping and
developed a distribution system.
There is also Chaya Lipschutz, from Borough
Park, who has devoted her life to helping find kidney
matches for those in need. In 2005, she even donated one of
her own kidneys to a stranger. Ms. Lipschutz is contacted
about kidney donations from all over the country and abroad,
and provides advice on how to go about finding a match. She
also devotes her time to educating people about the need for
kidney transplants and does many speaking engagements, and
she does all of this for free.
Another honoree, Megan Kerrigan, lives in the
Mapleton section of Brooklyn, but was born and raised in
Marine Park. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was in
high school, Ms. Kerrigan pursued a career in pharmaceutical
sales to help others who struggle with diabetes. She took
her college education in fashion and created Operation Fairy
Dust, a volunteer-based, non-profit organization that
collects thousands of donated formal gowns each year, some
of which are donated by celebrities from their own
wardrobes, and distributes them to high school girls
throughout NYC who are unable to afford a prom dress. The
goal of this organization is to enhance the self-esteem in
NYC high school girls. Ms. Kerrigan was awarded a Jefferson
Medallion Award for Public Service in November 2008.
District Attorney Hynes bestowed the title of
Special Ambassador to each of the 31 women in their
communities. “The women come from neighborhoods all
throughout Brooklyn. The honorees all have one thing in
common,” said District Attorney Hynes. “They make Brooklyn
a better place to live.” This year’s group include
educators, executive directors, fundraisers, community and
church activists, founders of non-profit organizations,
child welfare workers, a Pastor, a human rights activist,
and a woman who helps find kidney matches for people in
need.
The 31 Extraordinary Women are: Oraia Reid (Boerum
Hill), Paula Shirk (Brooklyn Heights), Christine Moore
Vassallo (Boerum Hill), Wai Po Tsang (Sheepshead Bay), Aqila
Norris (Bedford Stuyvesant), Laurie Windsor (Bath Beach),
Chaya Lipschutz (Borough Park), Suzelle Charles Augustin
(Old Mill Basin), Sherif Fraser (East Flatbush), Linda
Sarsour (Bay Ridge), Mary D. Allen (East New York), Kathleen
Snow (Marine Park), Kimberly Maier (Park Slope), Jodie
Reznik (Flatbush), Jeanne B. Lambert (Flatbush), Megan
Kerrigan (Mapleton), E. Colleen Golden (Bay Ridge), Victoria
Aviles (Boerum Hill), Elisabeth Stock (Park Slope), Patricia
Reddock (East Flatbush), Dale Mc Reynolds (Sheepshead Bay),
Candice Anderson (Park Slope), Renee Flowers (Gowanus),
Ismay Griffith (Canarsie), Amy Cohen (Carroll Gardens),
Bazay Roohi (Coney Island), Margarette D. Tropnas (East
Flatbush), Nancy Carbone (Red Hook), Margaret Cusack (Boerum
Hill), Deb Howard (Fort Greene), and Laurel O. Fraser (East
Flatbush).
Contact: Sandy
Silverstein
718-250-2300
03
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES AND METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY INSPECTOR GENERAL BARRY L. KLUGER ANNOUNCE
INDICTMENTS IN $150,000 THEFT FROM NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT
AUTHORITY
DEFENDANTS INCLUDE AN
NYCTA EMPLOYEE
Brooklyn, March 9, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General
Barry L. Kluger today announced two indictments against
three people charged with scamming the New York City Transit
Authority out of more than $150,000 in two separate schemes
carried out over the course of four years.
“Jacqueline Jackson, whose job it was to save
taxpayers money by fighting frivolous lawsuits against the
NYCTA, cost those taxpayers money, by stealing from the very
agency that hired her,” said District Attorney Hynes. “I
would like to thank MTA Inspector General Kluger for his
help in this investigation.”
“It is important to note that this investigation
began as a result of honest and hardworking MTA New York
City Transit employees reporting their suspicions to our
office. However, I am concerned that proper failsafe
mechanisms were not in place to first deter and then detect
this fraud. We are continuing our efforts to ensure going
forward that MTA Transit has these mechanisms in place. I
wish to thank District Attorney Hynes for committing the
full resources of his office to bring these indictments,”
said Inspector General Kluger.
An NYCTA employee for more
than 20 years, defendant Jacqueline Jackson, 51, headed the
NYCTA Law Department’s Legal Support Unit, within the Torts
Division, from 1999 through January 2009, overseeing a staff
of 10. Her duties included setting up independent medical
examinations for people suing the NYCTA. She also acquired
relevant documents, such as insurance, medical, or
employment records relating to those plaintiffs and their
claims.
Defendant Joyce Ilarraza, 63,
owned a record retrieval company – AJI Records Retrieval.
Defendant John E. Headley, 45, owned a company – Advance IME
Co. – which provided the Torts Division of the NYCTA Law
Department with independent medical examinations, medical
records and expert witnesses, to testify at trials. Headley
operated Advance IME under the false name, James Douglas,
because, as an outside counsel for the NYCTA working on
matters requiring independent medical examinations, it was
necessary for him to conceal his involvement in the company,
according to the indictment.
In one indictment, Headley, a
former prosecutor at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office
(from 1991 to 1995), is charged with working with Jackson to
steal more than $98,000 from the NYCTA in 2007 and 2008. The
indictment charges that Jackson instructed her staff to
direct business to Advance IME and to approve invoices the
company submitted. In exchange for these services, Headley
paid for Jackson’s personal expenses, such as the gas and
electric bills at her Brooklyn home, according to the
indictment.
In the other indictment, Jackson, Headley and
Ilarraza, a former City Corrections Officer, who retired in
1993 after 17 years on the job, are charged with stealing
more than $50,000 from the NYCTA. From 2005 to 2009, Jackson
approved inflated invoices submitted to the NYCTA by AJI
Records Retrieval. Headley and Ilarraza worked together with
Jackson in furthering the criminal conspiracy to steal from
the NYCTA, which included Jackson receiving up to half of
AJI’s ill-gotten proceeds, according to the indictment.
Charges against the defendants include Grand
Larceny in the Second Degree, Falsifying Business Records in
the First Degree and Offering a False Instrument for Filing
in the First Degree. The top count, Grand Larceny in the
Second Degree, a Class-C Felony, carries a maximum sentence
of up to 15 years in prison.
Rackets Division Unit Chief Eileen K. Ayvazian
and Chief Counsel Monique Ferrell are prosecuting the cases.
Michael Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets Division.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
02
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES THE CONVICTION OF
BOROUGH PARK RABBI FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING A
16-YEAR-OLD BOY
Brooklyn, March 8, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the conviction of Baruch Lebovits, for sexually
abusing a 16 -year-old boy on eight occasions in 2004 and
2005.
Lebovits was convicted on eight counts of
Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree. When he is
sentenced on March 29, he will face up to four years in
prison on each count.
The victim knew Lebovits as a rabbi and
prominent businessman in the Borough Park community, where
they both lived.
Lebovits is also charged in two other cases of
sexual assaults on minors. Those cases are pending.
The case was prosecuted by Miss Gregory, First
Deputy Bureau Chief in the Sex Crimes Bureau. Rhonnie Jaus
is Chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
01
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES MAKES STATEMENT REGARDING
INVESTIGATION INTO ACORN
Brooklyn, March 1, 2010
- Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
released the following statement:
“On September 15, 2009, my
office began an investigation into possible criminality on
the part of three ACORN employees. The three had been
secretly videotaped by two people posing as a pimp and
prostitute, who came to ACORN’S Brooklyn office, seeking
advice about how to purchase a house with money generated by
their ‘business.’ The ‘couple’ later made the recording
public. That investigation is now concluded and no
criminality has been found.”
Contact: Jerry Schmetterer
(718) 250-2300
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