About Ernest Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 1, 2015

 

Brooklyn Landlord Sentenced to 15 Years to Life in Prison For Shooting Death of One Tenant and Assault of Others

Terrorized Second Tenant and Her Children With Pipe

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 63-year-old East New York landlord was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for gunning down his 51-year-old tenant following a dispute over unpaid rent and then confronting and assaulting a second tenant and her children.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant deserves every day he will spend behind bars for his vicious attack on his tenants, killing one over unpaid rent and then terrorizing and assaulting a woman and her two young children.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Phillip Estevez, 63, of 566 Shepherd Avenue, in East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Albert Tomei following his conviction earlier this month on one count of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on March 10, 2013, at 566 Shepherd Avenue, the defendant, who rented out rooms in his one family house, confronted Luis Martinez, 51, who rented a room in the basement, over unpaid rent. During the confrontation Estevez pulled out a gun and shot Martinez twice in the head and once in the chest, killing him.

The defendant then went up to the second floor of the house, where he rented rooms to tenant Ana Rodriguez and her husband and their two children. Ana Rodriguez was home alone with her two children, an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. They tried to hide from the defendant, but he confronted them, striking the mother and the girl in the head with a pipe, and causing the boy to jump out of a window to seek help. Both the boy, who broke his foot after jumping, and the girl, escaped and ran to the nearby 75^th precinct stationhouse to alert police.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Robert Walsh, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy District Attorney Kenneth Taub, Bureau Chief.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 2, 2015

 

Fake Lawyer Who Falsely Claimed Brooklyn Bar Association as his Office Indicted for Offering Bogus Immigration Services for a Fee

Defendant is the First to be Charged in New York State Under New Law
That Protects Immigrants from Fraudulent Assistance Services

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced today that a Sunset Park man was indicted for allegedly posing as an attorney and charging thousands of dollars for immigration assistance services, but delivering nothing but forged documents in return. Among the counts he was indicted for is immigrant assistance services fraud, a new law that went into effect four months ago and is being used by prosecutors in New York State for the first time.           

District Attorney Thompson said, “We will aggressively investigate and prosecute any and all con artists, especially fake lawyers, who prey on undocumented immigrants to steal their hard-earned money through fraud.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Howard Seidler, 69, of 336 51^st Street, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Between November 2014 and May 2015, the defendant posted advertisements in Sunset Park, identifying himself as an attorney who provides immigration services. The ads and his business card included the titles “Esq.,” PhD” and “J.D.”

According to the indictment, a detective investigator from the District Attorney’s Office, working undercover, met with Seidler in the library of the Brooklyn Bar Association at 123 Remsen Street in Downtown Brooklyn, which he claimed to be his office. On April 8, 2015, the detective paid Seidler $3,085 to act as his attorney and help him obtain a green card and a social security card. The undercover was then provided with a written retainer contract.

The District Attorney said that on April 24, 2015, the undercover had another meeting with Seidler, who gave him a social security card and immigration paperwork purportedly filed on his behalf with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. The investigation found that the social security card was allegedly forged, that the social security number did not belong to the name used by the detective and that no application was filed on his behalf with United States immigration authorities.

The investigation also revealed that the defendant is neither licensed nor registered to practice law in New York and that he is not licensed or accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to provide any services with immigration authorities.

Seidler was charged with one count each of practicing or appearing as an attorney-at-law without being admitted and registered, first-degree forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument, third-degree grand larceny and first-degree immigrant assistance services fraud. The last felony count went into effect in February 2015. He faces up to 15 years in prison for the top forgery count and up to four years on immigrant assistance services fraud.

The defendant was arrested May 26, 2015 and arraigned in front of Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Sharon Clarke who set bail at $20,000 bond or $10,000 cash. An indictment was subsequently voted and filed on Monday, June 1, 2015.

DA Thompson thanked the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Fraud Detection and Nationality Security, a division of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Office of the Inspector General at the Social Security Administration for assisting in the investigation.

The case was investigated by Detective Investigator Rommie Woolcock, under the supervision of Supervising Detective Investigator Thomas Farley and the overall supervision of Richard Bellucci, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau.

Special Agent Matthew Macchiaroli of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York and Neisha Samaroo, a Special Agent with the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, assisted in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jose Interiano, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, Chief of the Immigrant Fraud Unit, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 4, 2015

 

Disbarred Lawyer Pleads Guilty To Stealing Client Escrow Funds

Defendant Will Be Sentenced To One Year in Jail and Make $280,000 Restitution

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a former attorney has pleaded guilty to stealing money from 25 clients whom he had represented in personal injury cases.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Today’s guilty plea ensures justice for the victims in this case who retained the defendant because they suffered injuries in car accidents or falls. Instead, he victimized them again when he violated their trust and stole their much needed settlement money.”

District Attorney Thompson identified the defendant as Kenneth Gellerman, 58, of 2596 Ocean Avenue in Bellmore, L.I.  He pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of third-degree grand larceny and one count of scheme to defraud before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, who indicated he would sentence the defendant to one year in jail if he makes restitution of $280,000.

The defendant made restitution of $100,000 today. He is expected to pay an additional $180,000 in restitution by his next court date of August 12, 2015. If he makes the agreed upon restitution the case will be adjourned to September at which time he will receive one year in jail. If he does not make the agreed upon restitution, he could face the maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to the plea, from December 3, 2008 until September 30, 2013, the defendant engaged in a scheme to embezzle money from more than 25 clients by depositing checks received from negotiated settlements into his escrow account, or into other accounts that he controlled.

The defendant withdrew money from these accounts, according to the indictment, by drafting checks and transferring money into his business account.  He failed to pay his clients some or all of the money to which they were entitled, and in at least one case, he failed to pay money to a third party having a claim secured by the settlement.

After he was suspended from practicing law in January 2013, according to the indictment, the defendant continued to collect settlements without forwarding the money to clients. To conceal these thefts, the defendant often allegedly settled cases without informing clients, and he signed endorsements on the reverse sides of the checks in order to deposit those checks into his accounts. He was disbarred following his arrest last year.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joseph DiBenedetto and John Holmes of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division, under the supervision of Felice Sontupe, Chief of the Frauds Bureau, and William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 8, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Who Shot and Paralyzed 11-Year-Old Girl Sentenced To 17 Years in State Prison

Child Caught in Gunfire As Defendant Fired At Rival Gang Members

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 19-year-old Bedford-Stuyvesant man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a 2013 shooting that left an 11-year-old girl paralyzed. The defendant pleaded guilty last month to one count of first-degree assault.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Today’s sentence spares the child victim in this case the trauma of testifying about the life-altering day when she was shot by this defendant. She can now go on with her life knowing he will spend many years in prison as punishment for what he did. Senseless gun violence between gangs has devastating consequences and will not be tolerated.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Kane Cooper, 19, of 701 Gates Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He appeared today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joseph Gubbay, who sentenced him to 17 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision. Cooper pleaded guilty last month to one count of first-degree assault.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on May 31, 2013, the victim, Tayloni Mazyck, who was 11-years-old at the time, was sitting in front of her building at 600 Gates Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, with her mother and cousins, when she was struck by one of 10 bullets fired by Cooper. The defendant was firing in the direction of several purported members of the ‘Gates Avenue Mafia,’ who were hanging out half-a-block away in front of 590 Gates Avenue.

Tayloni was struck by one bullet that lodged in her spine and left her paralyzed from the waist down.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Edward Carroll, Chief of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies Unit.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 9, 2015

 

East New York Man Sentenced to 60 Years to Life in Prison For Kidnapping and Imprisonment of Girlfriend and Her Baby

Victims Bound, Beaten and Starved Over Five Months

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 36-year-old East New York man was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison. He was convicted last month of kidnapping and beating his girlfriend and her 2-year-old daughter over five months, repeatedly sexually abusing the woman and threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant is unfit to ever again live in a civilized society and today’s sentence ensures that he will not. His former girlfriend showed tremendous courage by coming forward and testifying against him and seeing that justice was done for her and her child.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Yohannes Anglin, 36, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Ingram to 60 years to life in prison. Last month the defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, between January 6, 2012 and May 29, 2012, the defendant, on a daily basis, bound the hands and feet of his 27-year-old girlfriend and her 2-year-old daughter with duct tape to prevent them from leaving their apartment and threatened to kill them if they tried to escape.

Further testimony showed that the defendant repeatedly sexually abused and strangled the woman and burned her with lit cigarettes. The woman and child were also beaten and starved; the child was forced to wear dirty diapers.

The victims were rescued by police, according to trial testimony, after they were called by a neighbor who reported a disturbance. The woman was hospitalized and treated for a broken jaw and finger, as well as cuts and cigarette burns all over her body. The child was treated for malnourishment, infections to the buttocks, and old and new bruises all over her body. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Brooke Cohen of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Audra Beerman, Deputy  Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaminsky, Bureau Chief.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 9, 2015

 

Brooklyn Contractor Sentenced for Stealing Employees’ Wages

Defendant Agreed to Pay Back $67,220 He Owed to 11 Workers
Who Performed Construction Work on Townhouses and Other Properties

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced today that the owner of a construction company who stole wages from 11 employees was sentenced as part of a plea agreement under which he paid back in full all the owed money.

District Attorney Thompson said, “We will not allow workers in Brooklyn to be cheated out of their hard-earned money and will make sure that every victimized employee is made whole. This defendant has accepted responsibility and paid the laborers every penny they were due.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as William Dorvillier, 51, of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Dorvillier was sentenced today to a conditional discharge by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Sciarrino. Dorvillier and his company pleaded guilty on April 16, 2015. Dorvillier pleaded guilty to one count of petit larceny and has since paid back all the $67,220 he owed. The District Attorney’s Office will distribute the money to the employees.

The corporation, W.M. Dorvillier & Company, Inc., of 332 Van Brunt Street, in Red Hook, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree scheme to defraud. Now closed, it was a full-service general contractor which worked on a variety of projects, including construction of residential properties in Brooklyn.

An investigation by the District Attorney’s Office revealed that Dorvillier owed money to 11 employees who worked as carpenters, painters, welders, masons, cleaners and helpers. They variously worked for him from as early as 2007 through July 2014 for day rates that ranged from $70 to $200. He started missing certain wage payments for some of them in 2010. Each employee was owed between $3,000 and $9,000 in total.

The investigation further showed that when workers complained about the unpaid salaries, Dorvillier responded with numerous excuses, telling one employee he is waiting for a check to clear and promising another employee that he will get paid soon, after a big job comes through. He also told some employees to ask the homeowner of a townhouse they were building in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, for the balance in pay even though the homeowner had paid the defendant in full.

The District Attorney’s Labor Frauds Unit initiated an investigation after the case was referred for prosecution by an attorney who represented the victims. If you believe you have been a victim of Labor Fraud, such as wage theft or retaliation, please call our Labor Frauds Unit at 718-250-3770.

The case was investigated by Detective Investigators Jennifer Burgos and Kevin McAleese of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, under the supervision of Supervising Detective Investigator Robert Addonizio and Richard Bellucci, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ugoeze Ukomadu and Meredith McGowan, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Labor Frauds Unit, under the supervision of Felice Sontupe, Chief of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 19, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Who Stabbed 75-Year-Old Woman and
Left Her for Dead Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison

Defendant, a Friend of the Victim’s Grandson, Forced His Way into Apartment

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brownsville man has been sentenced to 75 years in prison following his conviction on second-degree attempted murder and other charges for stabbing an elderly woman repeatedly and leaving her seriously injured on her apartment floor.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant savagely stabbed a defenseless 75-year-old woman all over her body, robbed her of what little money she had and then left her to die. He deserves every day of his 75-year prison sentence.”

The District Attorney said that the defendant, Shytuan Breazil, 23, of Bristol Street, in Brownsville, Brooklyn, was today sentenced to 75 years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent M. Del Guidice. The defendant was convicted of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on September 18, 2013, at about 2 p.m., the victim, Alvita Morales, 75, was in her apartment on Warren Street in the Warren Gardens/Wycoff Housing Development, when she heard a knock on the door and looked through the peephole. She saw the defendant, whom she recognized as a friend of her grandson, and opened the door to tell him her grandson was not staying with her. The defendant then placed his book bag on the floor and said he had something for her grandson. When the victim tried to shut the door, he shoved her to the floor and forced his way into the apartment.

Once inside the apartment, according to trial testimony, the defendant demanded money and the victim told him she had $40 in her purse. He then took a large knife from her kitchen and put it in his pocket. The victim began to scream and the defendant placed his hand over her mouth and proceeded to stab her repeatedly. He then rifled through her belongings, stopping to check on her before leaving the apartment. The victim testified that she played dead, but after he left the apartment she managed to drag herself out into the hallway. A neighbor called 911. The defendant was soon identified and arrested the next day.

The victim sustained 15 stab wounds throughout her body including one to her neck and chest, as well as a fractured orbital bone in her right eye and two fractured ribs.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kori A. Medow, of the District Attorney’s Trial Bureau V, Orange Zone, under the supervision of Thomas C. Ridges, Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 12, 2015

Brooklyn Man Convicted of New Year’s Day Shooting Outside Flatbush Nightclub; Nine Shots Fired, Injuring Two Men

Shooting Captured on Videotape Surveillance Camera

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 31-year-old Brownsville man was convicted of one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault for opening fire outside a Flatbush nightclub on January 1, 2014, firing nine shots and striking two victims. He faces up to 25 years in prison for each victim when he is sentenced later this month.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant shot up the street outside a night club and put many people who were out celebrating the New Year at risk. He has now been held accountable and will face many years in prison when he is sentenced later this month.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Donald Munnerlyn, 31, of Marconi Place in Brownsville. He was convicted of one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault yesterday following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Guidice. He will be sentenced on June 25, 2015, at which time he faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 25 years for each of the top two counts.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on January 1, 2014, at approximately 4:45 a.m., the defendant and one of the victims, Richard Cannon, engaged in a fist fight inside a nightclub called Temptations, located at 2210 Church Avenue in Flatbush. They were separated by security. At approximately 5 a.m., the victim was outside of the club with his friends when the defendant walked up to him and fired nine times. He was shot once in the abdomen and once in the back. An innocent bystander, Yves Edouard, who was waiting in line to enter the club, was shot twice in the right leg.

Furthermore, according to trial testimony, the head of security from the club identified the defendant as the shooter in a surveillance video recovered from the club.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joshua Lee and Dovid Wolosow, of the District Attorney’s Trial Bureau IV, Green Zone, under the supervision of David Klestzick, Chief.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 12, 2015

Brooklyn Man Who Videotaped Alleged Accomplice Setting Fire To Sleeping Homeless Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

Defendant Caught on Cell Phone Video Inciting Attack

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Cypress Hills man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a 2012 attack against a mentally-ill homeless man who was doused with lighter fluid and set on fire as he slept in the doorway of an East New York deli.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant took part in a horrific and inhumane crime against a defenseless victim. With his abhorrent behavior, he relinquished the right to be out in the streets of Brooklyn and today’s sentence ensures that outcome.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Lorenzo Fonerin, 23, of 246 Ridgewood Avenue, in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. He appeared today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Deborah Dowling, who sentenced him to 15 years in prison following his conviction of first-degree assault on March 13, 2015 after a jury trial. He is expected to be deported after finishing serving his sentence.

District Attorney Thompson said that, according to evidence at trial, Fonerin and alleged accomplice Suliman Ahmed were working in a deli on the corner of Pennsylvania and Cozine Avenues in East New York just past midnight on September 23, 2012. The two targeted a homeless man named Tasheen Hand, who was sleeping by the entrance of the store.

A cell phone video taken by Fonerin shows Ahmed allegedly dousing lighter fluid on the unsuspecting victim as the defendant eggs him on, saying “Do that.” A subsequent cell phone video depicts how Ahmed allegedly lights a book of matches and drops it on the victim, starting a fire. Hand can then be seen, according to evidence presented in court, waking up and running around aflame for more than a minute. The defendant eventually threw water on him to help put out the fire.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 19, 2015

 

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson Announces Initiative to Address Backlog of Summons Warrants by Helping to Resolve Them in a Fair and Efficient Manner

Begin Again, in Partnership with Local Churches, the NYPD, the Defense Bar and the Courts,
Aims to Unburden Thousands of Residents Who Have an Open Warrant

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced an initiative aimed at helping Brooklyn residents make a fresh start and have the weight of an open summons warrant lifted from their shoulders. Titled Begin Again, the program is designed to offer a solution to thousands of individuals who have an outstanding warrant because they failed to answer a citation for low-level offenses. Those estimated 1.2 million open warrants citywide carry a host of negative consequences.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Many of our Brooklyn neighbors are in danger of being placed in handcuffs and put through the system for failing to respond to a ticket for drinking alcohol in public, riding a bike on the sidewalk, walking a dog without a leash or being in a park after dark.  The summons itself might have been for a minor offense, but the warrant can have – and may have already had – a major negative impact and can put our police officers at risk unnecessarily.  During Begin Again events across Brooklyn, law-enforcement agencies and the communities we serve will work together to resolve this burden in a fair, efficient and supportive way.”

U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries said, “Over 200,000 Brooklynites have outstanding warrants as a result of low-level, non-violent offenses. We must be proactive in cleaning up this issue so that our justice system can be free to prosecute violent crime and keep hardened criminals off the streets. This initiative is a win-win for all involved and a good first step toward our goal of preventing nuisance offenses from ruining the lives of our young people across New York City. District Attorney Thompson should be commended for his commitment in bringing this essential program to life.”

New York City Criminal Court Administrative Judge Melissa Jackson said, “The Court is pleased to collaborate with the Brooklyn District Attorney, the Legal Aid Society, members of the clergy, NYPD and volunteer members of the community to bring about the two-day Begin Again event. We encourage individuals with outstanding summons warrants to take full advantage of this opportunity to vacate their warrants and dispose of their cases in this accessible and supportive environment.”

Public Advocate Letitia James said, “Over one million New Yorkers have open arrest warrants because they did not to respond to citations for low-level offenses, such as riding their bicycle on the sidewalk or being in parks after sundown. Begin Again is a means for individuals to resolve their warrants in a supportive way, without having to be arrested and spend a night in jail for minor offenses. Our criminal justice system should be a foundation that stabilizes our community, not an anchor that weighs us down. The cooperative, non-confrontational process of Begin Again will foster trust in the New York City legal system and help numerous individuals who have been victimized by the crackdown on low-level offenses.”

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said, “The fundamental futures for tens of thousands of Brooklynites are at risk due to over a quarter of a million open warrants for low-level summonsable offenses in our borough. After patrolling our streets for 22 years as an NYPD officer, I know first-hand that we cannot tolerate quality-of-life disturbances. Still, we can all agree that the punishment must fit the offense. A young person that is arrested for failing to pay a summons at the age of 18 should not become unemployable at 21 due to an arrest based on a summons warrant. District Attorney Thompson is advancing justice and public safety alike through the Begin Again initiative, and I urge affected Brooklynites to avail themselves of this important program.”

District Attorney Thompson said that the first Begin Again event is being held on Father’s Day Weekend in partnership with clergy and other community leaders, elected officials, the New York City Police Department, the Legal Aid Society and the Office of Court Administration. It is taking place Friday, June 19^th and Saturday, June 20^th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Emmanuel Baptist Church, located at 279 Lafayette Avenue, corner of St. James Place, in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

Similar opportunities, all funded by the District Attorney’s Office, are planned for additional neighborhoods over the coming year.

More than 2,400 letters have been sent to people with outstanding warrants from the seven precincts surrounding Emanuel Baptist Church and walk-ins will also be processed. Individuals who did not receive a letter will first consult with attorneys from The Legal Aid Society to make sure only summons warrants are heard. All participants will then enter a makeshift courtroom, where a judge will be on hand to vacate warrants that resulted from the failure to respond to summonses for a multitude of low-level or “quality of life” offenses.

The District Attorney noted that, according to court records, there are approximately 1.2 million open warrants across the city – most of them issued over a year ago and some older than a decade – which were ordered after recipients failed to answer their summonses. About one quarter, or over 260,000, stem from summonses issued in Brooklyn.

These summons warrants, when left unresolved, can impede one’s ability to get a job, apply for citizenship or obtain public housing. They mean that any future contact with law-enforcement, even for a minor violation, will result in handcuffs, a trip to the precinct and possibly a night in jail. Moreover, the city’s already-overburdened courts must deal with an additional strain whenever those arrested for summons warrants are brought in front of a judge, delaying other proceedings. And warrants can put officers in unnecessary peril when they approach a person on the street or make a traffic stop as that person may resist or attempt to flee simply because of an old outstanding warrant.

Begin Again was created to address this problem. Participants will be taking an affirmative step by clearing up their warrants in a non-traditional, non-confrontational manner within a safe environment so they can move on with their lives. In addition, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office will host a neighborhood resource fair outside Emmanuel Baptist Church during the hours of the initiative. Over 30 local community-based organizations will offer vital information related to job training, legal advice, health services and more.

All outstanding summons warrants are eligible for Begin Again. Applicable offenses include, but are not limited to the following: unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of alcohol under the age of 21, consumption of alcohol in public, unlawful possession of handcuffs, littering, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, making unreasonable noise, animal nuisance, failure to have a dog license, unleashed dog, spitting, trespass, disorderly conduct, loitering, being in the park after closing, failure to comply with a posted sign in the park and transit fare evasion.

 

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