About Ernest Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 27, 2018

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Up to Six Years in Prison for Deed Fraud in Connection with Six Properties, Including Fort Greene Landmark

Scheme Mostly Targeted Homes of Deceased Owners

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to two to six years in prison for stealing a 19th century mansion in Fort Greene, as well as stealing or attempting to steal five other properties in a brazen scheme in which he transferred title of other people’s properties to himself.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “All too often we are seeing thieves targeting seemingly abandoned properties to try to cash in on Brooklyn’s soaring real estate prices. With today’s sentence, the defendant has been held accountable. Homeowners can protect themselves by registering with the Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) so that they are automatically informed of changes made to documents associated with their property – as happened with one of the victims in this case – to alert them to potential theft and fraud related to their property.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Aderibigbe Ogundiran, 36, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to an indeterminate term of two to six years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud on March 7, 2018.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between February 2015 and December 2016, the defendant engaged in a scheme to steal title to or the economic benefit from six residential properties in Brooklyn, targeting properties whose title holders were deceased or properties that no one seemed to be taking care of.

The defendant took advantage of the apparent inattention to the properties by filing fraudulent deeds or other instruments against the properties in an effort to gain control of them. In fact, he gained control or attempted to gain control of them in a variety of ways that included using aliases, corporate alter-egos, impostors, forged driver’s licenses, misuse of personal identifying information, and forged notarizations.

The defendant targeted the following properties:

• 176 Washington Park in Fort Greene: This property is a landmarked 19^th century five-story, 10-bedroom mansion located on a double-lot directly across from Fort Greene Park and is part of the Fort Greene Historic District. On March 8, 2015, Ogundiran used a Notary Public to notarize and file a deed transferring ownership from the actual owner of the property, a deceased man whose elderly sister lived in the house, to GCU Group, Inc., a corporation controlled by Ogundiran, using an impostor to pose as the deceased owner. The deed was filed with the New York City Department of Finance, Office of the City Register, which recorded the deed on June 26, 2015, transferring ownership to the corporation controlled by Ogundiran.
• 123 Albany Avenue in Crown Heights: This property is a three-story brownstone. On March 13, 2015, the defendant once again hired a Notary Public to notarize signatures and file with the City Register, a deed purporting to transfer title of 123 Albany Avenue from the rightful owner to himself, once again using an impostor to pose as the rightful owner. The identity assumed by the impostor was that of a person who in fact had died in 2011. The fraudulent deed was recorded by the City Register on March 30, 2015.
• 42 Albany Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant: This property was purchased in 2004 by an individual who died in 2010. On November 19, 2015, the City Register recorded a Power of Attorney against this property granting the defendant the right to engage in real estate transactions and other powers on behalf of the property. The deceased owner purportedly signed the Power of Attorney on June 15, 2015. On November 18, 2016, the defendant filed a deed purportedly signed by the deceased owner on July 30, 2015 conveying title to the property to Ogundiran for $500.
• 1024 Hendrix Street in East New York: This property was purchased in 1997 by an individual who died in 2007. On October 6, 2015, the deceased owner purportedly executed a power of attorney benefitting 1024 Hendrix LLC, a corporation controlled by the defendant. On October 9, 2015, the City Register recorded a Power of Attorney against the property.
• 1424 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant: This property, a three-story residential building with commercial space on the ground floor, was purchased by three individuals in 2013. On November 9, 2016, Ogundiran filed a Power of Attorney with the City Register which was purportedly from one of the actual owners to a corporation incorporated and controlled by the defendant. The Power of Attorney contained the forged signatures of another of the owners and a Notary Public.
• 49 Albany Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant: This property, a two-story house, was owned by an individual who died in 2007, leaving an only child who resided outside of the United States. On November 9, 2016, the defendant filed a forged Power of Attorney against 49 Albany Avenue. The Power of Attorney granted rights to a corporation controlled by the defendant and was purportedly signed by the deceased owner and a Notary Public.

The District Attorney said that in at least one instance, involving 42 Albany Avenue, the defendant collected rent from a tenant after leasing out an apartment. In another instance, involving 1424 Fulton Street, he was captured on videotape filing a Power of Attorney at the City Register’s office, after the actual owner of the property received an email alert of a document filed against the property.

The investigation began after the resident of 176 Washington Park received notice that she would have to vacate the premises. She notified her attorney, who then filed a complaint with the New York City Department of Finance.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gavin Miles, Counsel to the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Richard Farrell, Chief of the Real Estate Frauds Unit, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 26, 2018

 

Borough Park Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Coercing Nude Photos from Alleged Teenage Shoplifters at CVS Pharmacies

Defendant Promised not to Report them to Police in Exchange for Photos

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 30-year-old Brooklyn man was sentenced to four years in prison following his guilty plea to using a child in a sexual performance and forcible touching. The defendant, who worked as a security guard, coerced three teenage girls and another person into taking nude photos with his cell phone to avoid being arrested for allegedly shoplifting at two CVS pharmacy stores.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant abused his authority as a security guard to intimidate, terrorize, and violate the young victims physically and emotionally. With today’s sentence, he has been held accountable for his abhorrent and predatory behavior.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jose Ramos, 30, of Borough Park, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to four years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Evelyn LaPorte. The defendant pleaded guilty to use of a child in a sexual performance and forcible touching in April 2018.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on November 23, 2016, at approximately 7 p.m., the defendant detained two 16-year-old girls who were allegedly shoplifting at a CVS pharmacy located at 6817 Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, where he worked as a security guard. He told them he wouldn’t call the police if they agreed to take nude photos of themselves with his cell phone, and they complied. After examining the images, the defendant made the victims sign a non-disclosure agreement stating they would not report him to the police. He then allowed them to leave.

On February 5, 2017, at approximately 4 p.m., the defendant coerced a 15-year-old girl at the same CVS pharmacy after detaining her for allegedly shoplifting. In that incident, the defendant led the victim to the bathroom, took photos of her and groped her. The defendant made the victim to sign a non-disclosure agreement stating she would not report him to police. He then let her leave the store.

According to the investigation, while working at another CVS pharmacy on March 15, 2017, at approximately 7 p.m. at 411 Ditmas Avenue in Kensington, Brooklyn, the defendant detained a 28-year-old woman. As with the prior victims, the defendant told the victim he would not call the police if she let him take nude photos. The defendant took the victim to the bathroom, instructed her to remove her pants, took photos and groped her.

The defendant allowed the victim to leave the store after she signed a non-disclosure agreement not to call the police. The 28-year-old victim reported the defendant to the police and he was arrested on April 24, 2017. The additional victims were identified during the ensuing investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Lauren Silver, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 26, 2018

 

Brownsville Woman Sentenced to 22 Years to Life in Prison for
Fatally Shooting Man in the Back

Fired at Victim During Dice Game

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 28-year-old Brooklyn woman has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 29-year-old man who was playing dice outside the Union-Sutter Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who chooses to settle disputes with guns and bullets, and showing no regard to the danger they pose to innocent bystanders. This type of violence in our streets will not be tolerated, as this defendant learned today.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Tyaisha Key, 28, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. She was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 22 years to life in prison following her conviction earlier this month of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on June 21, 2017, at approximately 12:30 a.m., near 2069 Union Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the victim, Leonard Reddick, 29, and a small group of people were playing dice, drinking and listening to music. Surveillance footage showed the defendant running to her house around the corner and returning with a firearm. The defendant approached the victim and fired the gun three to four times, hitting him once in the back as he tried to run away.

The victim collapsed at the scene and was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The defendant was identified to police as the killer by an eyewitness, who was outside at the time of the shooting. She surrendered to police on July 10, 2017.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Bernarda Villalona, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Marybeth Allen, of the Orange Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Timothy Gough, Homicide Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 25, 2018

 

Former Sunset Park Attorney Indicted for Allegedly Stealing
$150,000 From His Escrow Account

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Sunset Park attorney has been indicted for allegedly stealing funds in his escrow account.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant was entrusted to safeguard these funds, but instead allegedly stole the money and used it for his own purposes. We will now hold him accountable for his alleged criminal actions.”

The District Attorney said that the defendant, Robert Parker, 53, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an indictment in which he is charged with two counts of second- and third-degree grand larceny and two counts of first-degree perjury. He was released without bail and ordered to return to court on September 19, 2018.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, between 2014 and 2018, the defendant, who had a law office in Sunset Park, allegedly stole a down payment of approximately $98,000 in connection with a real estate transaction and a settlement of $55,000 from a client, and rebuffed numerous attempts to contact him.

The case was referred to the District Attorney’s Office by the Grievance Committee.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sara Walshe, of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Spanakos, Unit Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

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

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 21, 2018

 

Man Sentenced to State Prison for Promoting Prostitution
Of Three Teenage Girls in East New York

Victims Were Ages 13, 15 and 17

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that an East New York man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for promoting three underage girls as prostitutes following his guilty plea last month.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant targeted vulnerable young girls so that he could profit by exploiting them. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his cruel disregard for the wellbeing of these victims.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Whetsel Wade, 46, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to an indeterminate term of five to 10 years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree promoting prostitution last month. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between August 2016 and November 2016, Wade promoted the 13-, 15- and 17-year-old girls as prostitutes, posting photos of them on Backpage.com, alongside advertisements for escorts. The defendant would then drive the minors to hotels or private apartments to meet men who paid to have sex with them. The investigation also revealed that in addition to the minor victims, Wade promoted the prostitution of approximately five other women.

On November 14, 2016, police responded to an incident at Wade’s house and found the 17-year-old victim inside the defendant’s basement. The defendant had fled the scene and was arrested two days later.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective David Mills from the Vice Major Case Team, under the supervision of Captain Thomas Milano and the overall supervision of Inspector James Klein.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney David Weiss of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Laura Edidin, Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the Special Victims Bureau.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 21, 2018

 

Eighteen Alleged Gang Members and Associates Variously
Charged with Conspiring to Commit Murder and Possess Weapons in
East Flatbush Rivalries

Defendants Allegedly Opened Fire on Public Streets, in Kings Plaza Shopping Center;
Responsible for Eight Separate Shootings, Including two Murders

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill, today announced that 18 alleged members and associates of the East Flatbush- based street gang Martense Beverly Bosses are variously charged in a 41-count indictment with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to possess weapons, and other charges in connection with eight separate shootings, including two murders.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “These defendants are dangerously obsessed with committing acts of violence. In this case, we allege, they cavalierly discuss shooting at rivals as if they were keeping score at a basketball game. But this is not a game. There is a trail of dead and injured victims. I remain vigilant in protecting our communities from this type of violence and terror which have no place on the streets of Brooklyn.”

Commissioner O’Neill said, “This case perfectly demonstrates the NYPD’s effectiveness in precisely targeting the real drivers of violence in New York City. These gang members walked the streets of Brooklyn, guns in their hands, acting as though life and death is some kind of game. New Yorkers are safer today because these criminals have been arrested and charged. And, with the help of law enforcement partners like the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, we will continue to relentlessly pursue anyone, anywhere in our city – and dismantle criminal organizations along the way – whenever public safety is threatened.”

The District Attorney said that the defendants were arraigned this week before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justices Dineen Riviezzo and Miriam Cyrulnik and variously held on bail. All of the defendants are charged with second- and fourth-degree conspiracy. They are variously charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree criminal use of a firearm, first- and second-degree attempted assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree assault, and first-degree reckless endangerment. If convicted, the defendants face up to 25 years in prison on the top conspiracy count. (See defendant addendum).

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, the defendants are alleged to be members of Martense Beverly Bosses (“MBB”). MBB is alleged to be a subset of a larger criminal street organization known as the “Five-Nine Brims,” which in turn is a subset of the Bloods gang. MBB operated primarily in and around the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

It is alleged that, between June 1, 2016 and June 14, 2018, during the course of the conspiracy, the gang had multiple rivals, including, most notably, an East Flatbush gang known as “Collect Your Guap,” (CYG) which is a subset of Folk Nation, and operated out of the Flatbush Gardens apartment complex, formerly known as the Vandeveer Estates. That feud was escalated by the belief by MBB members that CYG members shot and killed MBB member Tyreke “Trini” Borel on September 5, 2016.

It is alleged that numerous other shootings, including two fatal shootings, occurred during the course of the conspiracy and in recorded conversations MBB members regularly discuss who is “up on the scoreboard,” referring to shootings between the rival gangs. The defendants referred to guns as “ball kicks” and gunshots that missed their targets as “air balls.” Jailed gang members were referred to as “bench warmers.”

It was further part of the conspiracy to keep incarcerated MBB members and associates informed of the activities and events related to the gang, including but not limited to, arrests of members and associates, acts of violence committed by and against MBB members and associates, including beatings and shootings against rivals.

Among the acts of violence charged in the conspiracy are the following:

• On July 8, 2017, at approximately 5:40 p.m., Quentin Raymond, Jeremy Denaud and Stephon Daly were walking in the Kings Plaza Mall when they spotted rival gang members. They allegedly tried to coax the rivals outside, but were unsuccessful. Minutes later Daly allegedly handed off a gun to Raymond, who aimed and fired but was only able to get off a single round when his gun jammed.
• On September 16, 2017, at approximately 4:25 a.m., Donaven Frazier was shot and killed, allegedly by Gymanni Carrington as he was exiting Franklin’s Finest Deli in Crown Heights. Frazier was allegedly a Lincoln Fam member and MBB rival.
• On October 20, 2017, Javed Duncan and several other individuals were walking on Linden Boulevard when Duncan allegedly fired six shots from a .380 caliber pistol at a rival, striking him once in the foot.
• On April 1, 2018, Kobe Franklyn, Harold Phillips and two others left Phillips’ house and walked into rival gang territory. Franklyn allegedly carried the gun to and from the shooting, while Phillips allegedly shot and killed Jerome Spence, a 26-year-old construction worker.

The investigation was conducted by New York City Police Department Detective Sean Feliciano and Detective Veerana Ramayya, of the Gun Violence Suppression Division, under the supervision of Sergeant Richard Young and Lieutenant Richard Zacarese, and the overall supervision of GVSD Commanding Officer, Assistant Chief James Essig.

The case was additionally investigated by Assistant District Attorney Peter Towsky, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, with the assistance of Senior Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Teplitsky, Iris Das, Luis Segura and Laurie Baio.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Peter Towsky, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Jonathan R. Sennett, Deputy Bureau Chief of VCE and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

An indictment is merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

DEFENDANT ADDENDUM:

1. Romel Baptiste, 18, Vandeveer Place, Brooklyn.
2. Gymanni Carrington, 17, Pacific Street, Brooklyn.
3. Stephon Daly, 19, Avenue D, Brooklyn.
4. Jeremy Denaud, 17, Brooklyn.
5. Javed Duncan, 17, Lenox Road, Brooklyn.
6. Asa Francis, 18, East 58^th Street, Brooklyn.
7. Kobe Franklyn, 16, East 26^th Street, Brooklyn.
8. Kahrone Hyde, 18, Pacific Street, Brooklyn.
9. Aysia Perez, 19, Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn.
10. Demitrius Philemon, 20, Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn.
11. Harold Phillips, 19, New York Avenue, Brooklyn.
12. Jahmel Phillips, 20, New York Avenue, Brooklyn.
13. Quentin Raymond, 17, Hart Street, Brooklyn.
14. John Rodriguez, 21, Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn.
15. Elijah Roy, 18, East 52^nd Street, Brooklyn.
16. Tyrique Royal, 19, Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn.
17. Chyanne Tait, 19, Hancock Street, Brooklyn.
18. Name withheld pending arraignment.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 20, 2018

 

East New York Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for
Fatally Stabbing His Girlfriend

Victim Was Stabbed 12 Times

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 45-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for fatally stabbing his on-again off-again girlfriend multiple times during an argument in 2015.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “The defendant’s callous behavior brought a violent death to a woman for whom he allegedly cared. This senseless act of violence robbed a family of a loving mother and grandmother. The defendant has now been held accountable for his actions.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Gregory White, 45, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent DelGiudice to 23 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in March.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on January 24, 2015, at approximately 9:45 p.m. a neighbor found Victoria Hammond, 58, partially naked in the living room of her basement apartment on W. 37th Street, near Neptune Avenue in Coney Island. The grandmother of four had been stabbed 12 times in the neck, head and torso.

Traces of the defendant’s blood were recovered from a light switch in the apartment after he cut himself during the stabbing. According to the investigation, the victim and the defendant were romantically involved.

The defendant was arrested nine months later, on October 28, 2015, when two New York City police officers attempted to write him a summons for lying across multiple seats on a South-bound A train at the Columbus Circle subway station in Manhattan. The defendant later confessed that he stabbed the victim, but claimed it was self-defense after she lunged at him with a knife.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Ernest Chin, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 20, 2018

 

Two Brooklyn Men Charged with Assault as a Hate Crime for
Alleged Unprovoked Attack on Rabbinical Student

Victim was Walking Home from the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that two Brooklyn men have been indicted for assault as a hate crime and other charges in connection with an alleged attack against a Jewish rabbinical student who was walking home at night in Crown Heights. The defendants did not take any property or cash, including a charity box the victim was holding, and allegedly stated that they were irritated because he was speaking in Hebrew on the phone – leading to the hate crime charges.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “We allege that these defendants decided to assault a man for the sole reason that he looked different than them and spoke a different language. I will never tolerate bias-motivated crimes in Brooklyn, and will investigate and prosecute them vigorously. Our strength is in our diversity.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Darren Morgan, 20, of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, and Justin George, 19, of Brownsville. They were arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Martin Murphy on an indictment in which they are charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree menacing as a hate crime, third-degree assault and other related offenses. They were ordered to return to court on August 14, 2018. The defendants face up to four years in prison if convicted of the top count.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, just past midnight on May 1, 2018, the victim, a 22-year-old Lubavitch rabbinical student, was walking home from his studies at 770 Eastern Parkway, which is the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters. He felt that he was being followed and turned the corner at Albany Avenue and President Street, where the two defendants caught up to him, the evidence showed.

The defendants then allegedly punched him and, as he tried to get away, grabbed him, threw him against a car and repeatedly punched him in the face and body. The victim dropped a charity box containing over $200 that he was carrying, but it was left untouched, and the defendants did not demand any money or property, including a cell phone the victim was carrying, according to the evidence. The victim suffered bruising and swelling to his face.

As the assault continued, a police car drove by, prompting the defendants to flee. They were apprehended a short time later after the police were notified. In interviews with the authorities, the defendants allegedly stated they were irritated at the victim because he was talking on a cellphone in another language. Surveillance videos capture the initial interaction between the defendants and victim as well as the assault.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Boykin, of the District Attorney’s Green Zone Trial Bureau, with the assistance of Paralegal Angelika Rostkowska, also of the Green Zone, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Klestzick, Bureau Chief.

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

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 19, 2018

 

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez Announces
New Members of His Executive Team

NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Former Federal Prosecutor and Law Professor, Criminal Justice Reform Advocate and Former Deputy Director at the ACLU Join Veterans of the DA’s Office

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced the hiring of four new members of his executive team. Nancy Hoppock, an Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the NYPD, will serve as Chief Assistant District Attorney. Tali Farhadian Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor and law professor, was appointed General Counsel. Meg Reiss, Executive Director at the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, will be the Director of Social Justice. Jill Harris, formerly of the ACLU, the Drug Policy Alliance and the Legal Aid Society, will continue her role as Policy and Strategy Counsel. They join newly-appointed Chief of Staff Maritza Ming, and Joseph Alexis and Renee Gregory – who assume new positions – as the District Attorney’s Executive Team. Together with the entire staff, they will help the DA implement his vision of criminal justice reform.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “I am committed to keeping Brooklyn safe and strengthening community trust in the criminal justice system – and these new members of my team will help in achieving these goals. They bring a wealth of diverse experience and fresh perspectives from the court room, law enforcement, academia and the advocacy community so I have no doubt that they will serve as great assets for the DA’s Office and for the people of Brooklyn.”

Nancy Hoppock will be joining the Office as Chief Assistant and will be supervising its operations, investigations and case resolutions. She has spent the last several years developing policy and implementing reforms as General Counsel and Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the NYPD’s Risk Management Bureau. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the NYU Center on the Administration of Criminal Law where, in addition to directing research and technical support on best practices in the criminal justice system, she established and ran a federal clemency project.

Hoppock started her career in 1994 at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted a range of offenses, and later led the criminal divisions at the United States Attorney’s Office for the district of New Jersey and at the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

Tali Farhadian Weinstein, most recently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at NYU Law School’s Center on the Administration of Criminal Law and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the law school, joined the Office as General Counsel. In this role, she will advise the District Attorney on ethics and professional responsibility, best practices, appeals, conviction review, police accountability and a host of other issues. A graduate of Yale College and Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar, Farhadian Weinstein obtained her J.D. from Yale Law School and then served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (2003-04) and for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor at the Supreme Court of the United States (2004-06).

In 2009, she joined the United States Department of Justice. As Counsel to the Attorney General of the United States, she advised former Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. on a range of issues, and worked closely with senior officials at the White House and executive agencies. She later became an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where she investigated and prosecuted federal crimes, including violent crimes, narcotics trafficking, national security matters, and public corruption. In addition to teaching a course on Criminal Justice Innovation at NYU Law School, Farhadian Weinstein has also taught immigration law and policy at Columbia Law School and worked in private practice.

Meg Reiss, most recently the Executive Director at the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, will serve as Director of Social Justice. In this position, she will make sure the Brooklyn DA’s Office is pursuing non-jail dispositions in as many cases as possible, and will be designing and driving a ground-breaking Community Justice Initiative, in which the Office will team up with communities to see that cases are resolved in ways to meet these communities’ needs. She will also lead other implementations of the DA’s Justice 2020 initiatives.

Reiss started her career as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA’s Office and later served as Chief Assistant in the Nassau County DA’s Office, where she worked to broaden that office’s role to include crime prevention and criminal justice reform. She also served as a deputy monitor on a team that supervised the Los Angeles Police Department’s compliance with a federal consent decree and was later part of a panel that oversaw London’s Metropolitan Police Service.

Jill Harris joined the Brooklyn DA’s Office last November as Policy and Strategy Counsel and has been serving as the Director of the Justice 2020 Initiative to create an action plan to make the Brooklyn DA’s Office a national model of prosecutorial reform. She has also been advising the District Attorney on drug policy, bail reform and other issues. She brings to her critical assignment over 30 years’ experience in the criminal justice field.

Harris was the Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Campaign for Smart Justice, where she concentrated on state-level reforms and on strategies to elect and support progressive prosecutors around the country. Prior to that, she worked for six years at the Drug Policy Alliance as the Managing Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives. A graduate of Harvard University and New York University School of Law, she began her legal career in 1985 as a trial attorney at the Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Division. She spent 13 years working in its Manhattan, Brooklyn and Eastern District Federal Defender offices, including two years as the Attorney-in-Charge of the Manhattan office.

The District Attorney additionally announced that Maritza Ming, formerly Counsel to the District Attorney who has been part of the Office for over 20 years, has been promoted to Chief of Staff. She is replacing Leroy Frazer Jr., who is retiring after 37 years in public service, the last four in the Brooklyn DA’s Office. Ming will supervise the day-to-day operations of the Office. Renee Gregory will be taking up a new role as Chief Diversity Officer to design, coordinate and implement a number of diversity initiatives to keep the Office’s policies in line with best practices and maintain a diverse work force. Joseph Alexis has been named Executive Assistant District Attorney in charge of the Trial Division. He will supervise the Trial Zones, Homicide and Cold Case Bureaus, as well court operations, and will ensure that the Justice 2020 reforms are communicated to the entire staff and drive all decisions.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 19, 2018

 

NYPD Officer Indicted for Perjury and Forgery for Allegedly
Claiming He Earned Less Than He Did to Lower Child Support Payments

Allegedly Filed False Payroll Statement to Family Court; Defrauded Child Out of Over $15,000

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a New York City Police Department officer has been indicted for perjury, criminal possession of a forged instrument and related charges for allegedly misrepresenting his salary during Family Court proceedings in 2013. By doing so, the defendant kept over $15,000 in earnings, to which his child was legally entitled.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Perjury and fraud are always wrong, but this case is particularly disturbing because these offenses were allegedly committed by a police officer to deprive his child of needed financial support. I will not tolerate such willful and deliberate deceit of our courts, especially from those who have taken an oath to serve the public.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Police Officer Michael Martinez, 40, an 11-year veteran of the NYPD who is currently assigned, in modified duty, to the Housing Bureau in Manhattan. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 20-count indictment in which he is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree perjury, third-degree grand larceny and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. The defendant was released without bail and ordered to return to court on September 12, 2018. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of the top count.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on July 8, 2013 and November 21, 2013, during hearings before a Support Magistrate in Brooklyn Family Court, the defendant allegedly filed numerous false payroll statements that indicated he earned less money than he actually earned. During the July hearing, when pointedly asked by the magistrate about the apparent change in his income, the defendant allegedly lied under oath by claiming he was working days instead of nights. In fact, he was still working nights at that time and received additional income for doing so, the investigation found.

It is alleged that the defendant made these false representations to reduce his child support payments. In the period of the magistrate’s order, which relied on these alleged false representations and was in force until the child turned 21 in February 2017, the defendant defrauded the Support Collection Unit and his child out of a total of $15,332.14, according to the investigation.

In July 2017, the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau started investigating other, unrelated allegations against Officer Martinez and became aware of the alleged false filings in Family Court.

The case was investigated by Lieutenant Tony Wong and Sergeant Jermaine Taylor of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Katherine Zdrojeski and Senior Assistant District Attorney Adam Libove of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, Unit Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and Mark Feldman, Senior Executive Assistant for Crime Strategies and Investigations.

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