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001
 KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES BROOKLYN
PRISONER REENTRY CONFERENCE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 18.
COMALERT PROGRAM AND ABA COMMISSION TO CO-SPONSOR EVENT
CONFERENCE TITLE: “WHERE ARE WE AND WHERE ARE WE GOING”
Brooklyn, September 5,
2007 – Kings County District
Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the second annual
Prisoner Reentry Conference co-sponsored by the DA’s
ComALERT program,
and the American Bar Association’s Commission on Effective
Sanctions and its Criminal Justice Section’s Reentry
Committee.
The conference will be held at the Klitgord
Auditorium of the New York City College of Technology, 285
Jay Street, from 8 AM to 4 PM
on Tuesday, September 18.
The Brooklyn DA’s ComALERT (Community and Law
Enforcement Resources Together) program acts as a bridge
between prison and the community for returning parolees.
ComALERT assists formerly incarcerated individuals to make a
successful transition from prison to a home by providing
mental health treatment and counseling, drug treatment and
counseling and help with earning a GED as well as
transitional housing and employment.
The subject of this year’s conference is
“Where are We and Where are We Going” and the keynote
speaker is Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson. The first
session is, “Moving Beyond the Label,” and will be moderated
by Anne Swern, First Assistant District Attorney. The
workshop will discuss how a criminal record affects access
to housing, employment and other civil liberties. The
practicalities of record expungement and effective
individual and programmatic modalities for neutralizing
reentry barriers will be explored.
Other workshops include: “Conceptualizing
Reentry Through Research”, “Harnessing Spirituality to
Enhance Reentry” and “Managing the Transition of High
Risk/Special Needs Individuals”.
Click here to
register:
http://www.brooklynda.org/newsroom/flyers/Prisoner_Reentry_Conf.pdf
Contact:
Maira Kraljevic
718-250-2300
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002
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES 35-YEAR
SENTENCE OF BEAUTY SALON RAPIST
FINGERPRINTS AND MULTIPLE DNA SAMPLES CONNECTED DEFENDANT TO CRIME
Brooklyn,
September 5, 2007 – Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes
today announced the sentencing of Marvin Winkfield, 24, on charges
of Rape in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree and
Burglary in the Second Degree.
He was
sentenced to 35 years in prison before Brooklyn Supreme Court
Justice Cassandra Mullen after a week-long trial.
The
34-year-old victim was working at a beauty salon, on 52nd Street in
Sunset Park, June 7, 2006, when Winkfield came to the locked door
asking to be let in, to make an appointment to have his wife’s hair
done. After being let in, Winkfield asked to use the restroom, and
when he was about to leave, he told the victim he had left his
umbrella there. When she walked back to get it, he followed her and
forced her into the bathroom. He then struck her repeatedly in head
with a hammer, tied her hands and raped her.
Winkfield
fled the scene, and a week later, June 16, 2006, was arrested at an
Orlando, Florida bus terminal.
He was
identified by a palm print he left at the scene and then later by
DNA evidence, including semen and samples taken from the hammer he
used, which had both his and the victim’s DNA.
The case was
prosecuted by Sex Crimes Deputy Bureau Chief Rachel Schmidt and
Senior Trial Attorney Elizabeth Doerfler. Rhonnie Jaus is Chief of
the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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003
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES 18-YEAR
SENTENCE OF MAN WHO BLUDGEONED HIS WIFE TO DEATH
DEFENDANT HAD TRIED TO KILL HIMSELF AFTER THE MURDER BY DRIVING INTO
GAS TRUCK
Brooklyn,
September 5, 2007 – Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes
today announced the sentencing of Remington Watson, 42, for killing
his wife in January, 2005. He pled guilty on August 23 to
Manslaughter in the First Degree and was sentenced today to 18 years
in prison before Justice Matthew D’Emic.
On January 21, 2005, Watson struck his wife Jocelyn in the head with
a brick. Then, he stabbed her in the head and torso with a knife.
Afterward, Watson called their live-in nanny and told her to go
downstairs and look in the bathroom where she found Jocelyn’s body.
Watson also called his wife’s sister and told her that he killed
Jocelyn. She was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.
A
short while later, Watson was arrested after he drove into a gas
truck on the Belt Parkway.
The case was prosecuted by Edward Purce, Counsel in the Domestic
Violence Bureau. Wanda Lucibello is Chief of the Domestic Violence
Bureau.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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004
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
SENTENCING IN WELFARE FRAUD CASE
DEFENDANT OWNED THREE PROPERTIES WHILE COLLECTING BENEFITS FROM NYC
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION
Brooklyn, September 6, 2007 – Kings County District Attorney Charles
J. Hynes today announced the sentencing of Orna Baruch, 38, for
concealing from the New York City Human Resources Administration
that she owned several properties while collecting benefits. She
pled guilty to Welfare Fraud in the Fourth Degree on May 31. She
was sentenced today before Justice Vincent Del Giudice to five years
probation during which she must pay $121,000 in restitution.
For approximately seven years starting in February 1999, Baruch
collected over $170,000 in welfare benefits from the NYCHRA. She
was receiving Medicaid benefits and food stamps. During this time,
she and her husband Chaim owned three properties, all in the Mill
Basin section of Brooklyn. When Baruch applied for the benefits in
1999, she claimed that she had no assets. In fact, she claimed that
she was a housecleaner in her own million-dollar home. If it was
known that she owned property, she would not have qualified for the
benefits.
The scam was uncovered after a joint investigation by the Brooklyn
DA’s Office’s Public Assistance Crimes Unit and the NYCHRA. She was
arrested on January 4, 2007 and charged with Welfare Fraud, Grand
Larceny and Offering a False Instrument for Filing.
Baruch will begin paying restitution in October, starting at $3,000
each month. Next October, she will start paying $4,000 per month
for the remainder of her five year probationary sentence. If she
fails to pay the restitution, she could face incarceration.
The case was prosecuted by Frank Dudis, Counsel in the Public
Assistance Crimes (PAC) Unit. Lauren Mack is Chief of the PAC
Unit.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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005
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
INDICTMENT OF FOXY BROWN FOR ASSAULT
Brooklyn, September 7, 2007 – Kings County District Attorney Charles
J. Hynes today announced the indictment of rapper Ingrid Marchand
aka Foxy Brown for the July 31th assault of a neighbor. She was
indicted on charges including Assault in the Second Degree, Assault
in the Third Degree, Attempted Assault in the Second Degree,
Menacing in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in
the Fourth Degree. She faces a maximum of seven years in prison if
convicted of the top charge.
The indictment alleges that Marchand, 28, struck a neighbor, Arlene
Raymond, in the face with her Blackberry as the victim was walking
back to work at a pharmacy after taking a break. This followed
several verbal altercations that they have had in the past over
Marchand playing loud music from her car in front of Raymond’s home
Raymond
suffered an abrasion above her right eye, a loose tooth and a
swollen lip. She was taken by ambulance to Brooklyn hospital.
Marchand surrendered to the 77th Precinct on August 14.
An indictment
is merely an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s
guilt.
The case is
being prosecuted by Robert Isdith, Deputy Bureau Chief in the Trial
Bureau Orange Zone.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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006
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES GUILTY
PLEA IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITIES FRAUD
Brooklyn, September 11, 2007 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the conviction of two formerly licensed stockbrokers,
Damascus Lee and Ian Bynoe, who created a fake real estate
investment firm to launch a million-dollar securities fraud.
Bynoe and Lee both pleaded guilty to all
the charges facing them, including Grand Larceny in the Second
Degree, Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Scheme to Defraud in the
First Degree, and Money Laundering in the Second Degree. They will
be sentenced December 3, to two-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half years
in prison.
As a condition of their plea, Bynoe and
Lee will each be required to pay $200,000 in restitution. Should
they fail to make payments, their sentences will be increased to
four to 12 years.
Lee, 35, and Bynoe, 34, created a fake
real estate development company called Vanguard Development and
Management and then sold stock in it. The company was based in
Wyoming but did no actual business. However, from the J.P. Turner &
Company branch office they operated at 469 Clinton Ave., in Clinton
Hill, Lee and Bynoe had other stock brokers working for them contact
potential investors around the world. The brokers Lee and Bynoe
supervised told potential clients that investments in Vanguard
Development were officially approved by J.P. Turner, when no such
approval existed. They were also told to say the company had
incredible growth potential and would go public within a year to a
year and a half.
J.P. Turner & Company cooperated fully
in the investigation and is not facing any charges.
Assistant District Attorney Bryan Wallace and Michael Vaccaro
prosecuted the case. Michael Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets
Division.
Contact:
Jonah Bruno
718-250-2300
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007
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES ARREST
AND INDICTMENT OF HUSBAND AND WIFE WHO STOLE WELFARE
BENEFITS FOR WHICH THEY WERE INELIGIBLE
WIFE FALSELY LISTED HER HUSBAND AS HER TENANT
Brooklyn, September 17, 2007
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced
the arrest and indictment of Robert and Theresa Serrano for
fraudulently collecting welfare benefits from the New York City
Human Resources Administration. They were charged with Grand Larceny
in the Third Degree, Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree and Welfare
Fraud in the Fourth Degree. They both face a maximum of seven years
in prison if convicted. They were arraigned today and released on
their own recognizance.
Robert
Serrano, 43, was collecting full welfare benefits prior to his
marriage. When he got married, he became ineligible for the benefits
because his wife was earning a sufficient income. He did not report
his new marital status to the NYCHRA. He continued to collect
welfare which included Medicaid and food stamps after he was married
in November, 2004. The indictment charges that he illegally
collected $38,866 in benefits from November 12, 2004 to December 31,
2006.
Theresa
Serrano, 47, is a former HRA caseworker. She currently works for the
Administration of Child Services where she has been employed for
several years. Several months after her marriage to Robert Serrano,
he put in a claim with HRA to receive benefits to help pay his rent,
claiming his wife was his landlord. They used her maiden name,
Theresa Barriteau, and listed Robert Serrano as her tenant. They
claimed that he rented a room from her at 160 Parkside Avenue. She
requested $215 per month. Unaware that they were married, HRA sent
checks to Theresa Barriteau as landlord for $107 to aid Robert
Serrano in paying his rent. From May 26, 2005 to October 24, 2006,
the indictment charges that Theresa and Robert Serrano, acting in
concert, fraudulently collected an additional $3,762 from HRA in
welfare benefits for rent.
An indictment is merely an accusatory
instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
The case is being prosecuted by Lauren
Mack, Bureau Chief of the Public Assistance Crimes Unit.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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008
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
CONVICTION OF POLICE OFFICER FOR SEXUAL ABUSE
DEFENDANT AND HIS PARTNER PULLED OVER MOTORIST AND FOLLOWED HER HOME
Brooklyn, September 17, 2007 – Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the
conviction of Fernando Clerge, 40, for sexually abusing a female
motorist after he and his partner pulled her over in 2005. Clerge
was convicted of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, Attempted
Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree and Official Misconduct. He
was ordered held without bail by Justice Cheryl Chambers. Clerge
faces a maximum of seven years in prison when he is sentenced on
October 18.
On November 20, 2005, Clerge
and his partner, Charles McGeean, 39, were on duty when they pulled
over a female motorist. McGeean sexually abused her in her car and
then the officers followed her to her home in Bushwick. Once they
arrived at the victim’s home, McGeean touched the victim’s buttocks
and then left the apartment, leaving Clerge alone with the victim.
Clerge then kissed the victim, groped her breasts attempted to force
her to perform oral sex on him, and masturbated in front of her.
The officers were arrested
later that day. Clerge’s DNA was identified in forensics samples
found in the apartment and on the woman’s clothing. McGeean pled
guilty to Official Misconduct and Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree
on March 19, 2007. He was sentenced to three years probation.
Clerge went to trial.
Clerge was acquitted on the
charge of Attempted Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree.
The case was prosecuted by
Kevin O’Donnell, Unit Chief in the Sex Crimes Bureau. Rhonnie Jaus
is Chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Sandy Silverstein
718-250-2300
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009
KINGS COUNTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES
CALLS FOR PASSING OF THE SECOND CHANCE ACT
AT BROOKLYN PRISONER REENTRY CONFERENCE
COMALERT PROGRAM
SHOWS LOW RECIDIVISM AMONG GRADUATES FROM 2006
Brooklyn, September
18, 2007
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today called for
Congress to pass the Second Chance Act in a keynote address at the
second annual Prisoner Reentry Conference.
District Attorney
Hynes said, “With bipartisan support in the new Congress, there is a
real possibility that as early as this fall, the Second Chance Act
may finally be enacted into law. If so, it would be the first piece
of comprehensive legislation specifically designed to reduce
recidivism.”
“The bill authorizes
up to $65 million in grants to state and local governments to
develop prisoner re-entry initiatives and a $15 million re-entry
program for community and faith-based organizations to deliver
mentoring and transitional services for people returning from prison
or jail,” said DA Hynes.
The Brooklyn DA’s ComALERT (Community and Law
Enforcement Resources Together) program acts as a bridge between
prison and the community for returning parolees. ComALERT assists
formerly incarcerated individuals to make a successful transition
from prison to a home by providing mental health treatment and
counseling, drug treatment and counseling and help with earning a
GED as well as transitional housing and employment.
District Attorney Hynes said, “A recent DCJS
(Division of Criminal Justice Services)-funded study of our program
shows that of ComALERT 2006 graduates who have been released for at
least 1 year, less than 12% have been re-arrested with less than 5%
being convicted for a new crime, as opposed to 44.1% rearrests and
10.4% new convictions nationally.”
“Our plans are to service 1200 of the nearly 3500
parolees expected to return from prison to Brooklyn this year,” said
DA Hynes.
The subject of this year’s conference was “Where are
We and Where are We Going” and the keynote speakers included DA
Hynes and Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson.
“Important programs
like ComAlert deserve everyone's support and I salute District
Attorney Hynes and all of those involved from the Brooklyn Community
for its success. These initiatives benefit society by helping
parolees become productive members of the community,” said
Lieutenant Governor Paterson.
The first session named, “Moving Beyond the Label,”
was moderated by Debbie A. Mukamal, John Jay College of Criminal
Justice, Prisoner Reentry Institute. The workshop addressed how a
criminal record affects access to housing, employment and other
civil liberties. The practicalities of record expungement and
effective individual and programmatic modalities for neutralizing
reentry barriers were explored.
Other workshops included: “Conceptualizing Reentry Through
Research”, “Harnessing Spirituality to Enhance Reentry” and
“Managing the Transition of High Risk/Special Needs Individuals”.
The
conference was co-sponsored by the DA’s ComALERT program,
and the American Bar Association’s Commission on Effective Sanctions
and its Criminal Justice Section’s Reentry Committee.
The conference took place today at the Klitgord Auditorium of the
New York City College of Technology, 285 Jay Street, from 8 AM to 4
PM.
For
details about the workshops:
http://www.brooklynda.org/newsroom/flyers/Prisoner_Reentry_Conf.pdf
Contact:
Maira
Kraljevic
718-250-2300
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