About Ernest Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 20, 2016

Woman Indicted For Hate Crime for Allegedly Stealing
$160,000 Cash and Gold Jewelry from Two Women in Separate Incidents

Defendant Pledged to Remove Curses in Elaborate “Chinese Blessing Scam”

Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 44-year-old woman has been indicted on charges of grand larceny as a hate crime and other charges for allegedly stealing approximately $160,000 in cash and numerous pieces of jewelry from two Chinese women in separate incidents after convincing them there was a curse on their families that needed to be removed through an elaborate scam.

Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This is the second blessing scam we’ve indicted in as many months, in which brazen con men and women walk off with the life savings of their victims. I urge those in the Chinese community to warn their vulnerable family members to be aware of these scams to avoid falling prey to them.”

The Acting District Attorney identified the defendant as Xuekun Su, 44, of China. Su was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an eight-count indictment in which she is charged with second-degree grand larceny as a hate crime, second-degree grand larceny, third-degree grand larceny as a hate crime, third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree grand larceny as a hate crime and fourth-degree grand larceny. Bail was set at $150,000 cash or $250,000 bond. The defendant was ordered to return to court on December 21, 2016. If convicted of the top count she faces up to 25 years in prison.

The Acting District Attorney said that on April 27, 2016, in the vicinity of Bay 22nd Street and 86th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the defendant and unapprehended other individuals allegedly approached the victim, a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant, and engaged her in conversation, gaining her trust. The defendant and the other individuals allegedly posed as clairvoyants and convinced the victim that she or a member of her family would die because of a curse.

They allegedly convinced her that in order to rid herself of the curse she needed to gather large sums of cash and jewels to be blessed in order to remove the evil spirits surrounding her family. After the blessing, the victim was promised that the money and jewelry would be returned. The victim gathered approximately $140,000 cash and numerous pieces of 24-karat gold jewelry.

The victim then met with the defendant and others who, according to the investigation, instructed the victim to place the cash and jewels into a bag so that a “blessing” could be performed over them to remove the curse. The victim was told not to open the bag for many days in order to break the curse. She opened the bag that evening and found that all of her cash and jewelry was gone. She then contacted the police.

On June 22, 2016, in the vicinity of 48th Street in Sunset Park, the defendant and unapprehended others allegedly perpetrated this scheme again, targeting a 54-year-old Chinese immigrant. As in the earlier incident, the victim was told that a member of her family would die due to a curse. The victim was convinced that in order to have the curse removed, she had to have her valuables “blessed.” Again, the victim was promised that her money and jewelry would be returned after the blessing. The victim gathered approximately $19,000 in cash and numerous pieces of 24-karat gold jewelry, at which point the items in the bag were “blessed” and, the victim later realized, her cash and jewels were gone.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Dimitrij Prokopez and Sergeant Sean O’Hara, of the NYPD’s Grand Larceny Division, under the supervision of Sergeant Gregory Marotta, Lieutenant Robert Rattigan, Inspector John M. Denesopolis and Assistant Chief Brian McCarthy of the Criminal Enterprise Investigations.

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

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 6, 2016

Queens Man Sentenced For Trafficking Firearms and Narcotics

To Serve 10 Years in Prison; Sold 17 Handguns Over Two Months

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a gun trafficker who sold firearms and crack cocaine to undercover police officers over two months during an operation in Brooklyn and Queens was sentenced to 10 years in prison following a guilty plea earlier this year.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This investigation highlights our continued effort to stop the influx of drugs and firearms into Brooklyn. This defendant put public safety at risk by selling guns and his conviction and sentence is another step toward ending gun violence in our communities.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Everton Gonzalez, 24, of Ozone Park, Queens. He was sentenced yesterday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 10 years in prison following his guilty plea on April 27, 2016 to one count of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and one count of second-degree criminal sale of a firearm. His two co-defendants were previously convicted and sentenced. Omar Cobb, 21, of Arverne, Queens, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm and was sentenced to seven years in prison and Zameer Khan, 21, of Arverne, Queens, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm and was sentenced to five years in prison.

The District Attorney said the investigation included undercover police officers making multiple purchases of weapons and crack cocaine in the vicinity of Liberty Avenue and Drew Street in East New York, Brooklyn, and later, in the vicinity of Beach 59th Street and Larkin Avenue, in Far Rockaway, Queens.

The investigation began in November 2014, when an undercover police officer made multiple gun and narcotics purchases from Gonzalez, who later sent his cousin, Cobb, to deliver the guns. The sales were later made in Queens after Cobb complained that he didn’t have a car and couldn’t get to Brooklyn, instead asking that the undercover travel to Queens to purchase the weapons. Khan also acted in concert with Cobb in selling weapons and drugs, including selling 60 grams of what was purported to be crack cocaine for $3,500 to an undercover. The alleged drugs later tested negative for narcotics.

The defendants sold a wide variety of firearms to the undercover, including: a .9 mm Mac-11 assault weapon, .22 caliber Walther pistol, a .44 caliber Ruger revolver, a .9 mm Hi-Point pistol, a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, a .357 caliber Ruger revolver, a .40 point caliber Hi-Point pistol, a .38 caliber Taurus revolver, a .38 caliber Armi Fabri pistol, a .9 mm Bryco Arms pistol, a .38 caliber Argentina revolver, and others. The defendants also sold four ounces of crack cocaine and two ounces of purported crack cocaine to the undercover over the course of multiple purchases.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael K. Leigh, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Tara Lenich, Deputy Chief for Special Investigations and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, VCE Bureau Chief and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of Investigations and Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison
For Killing a Man, Wounding Two Others

Opened Fire at Group of People Playing Dice in Brownsville

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 24-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for shooting up a dice game in Brownsville in 2012, killing a 20-year-old man and wounding two others.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant’s senseless act of gun violence makes him unfit to remain part of our society. He deserves to be in prison for many years to pay for the life he took and the injuries he caused.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Lawrence Harris, 24, of Kingsborough 7 Walk in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 25 years to life in prison. He was convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree attempted assault, reckless endangerment and related counts after a jury trial following a jury trial earlier this year.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on June 28, 2012, at 11:30 p.m., the defendant opened fire on a group of men who were playing dice by the corner of Sutter Avenue and Union Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Trendon Franklin, 20, was struck three times in the chest, abdomen and arm, and died of his injuries. Another victim was grazed by a bullet in the chest and struck in the index finger. A third victim was shot in the back. The defendant was arrested in April 2013.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Patrick L. O’Connor and Assistant District Attorney Ashlyn Miranda of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 30, 2016

Man Convicted of Stealing $500,000 Bedford-Stuyvesant
Building by Forging Judge’s Signature

Filed Fraudulent Judicial Order to Claim Ownership of House before Completing Sale

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 54-year-old man has been convicted of grand larceny, forgery and related charges for stealing a building in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn by forging a judge’s signature on a judicial order and using it to claim possession of the house, which he then sold. The defendant, who had filed numerous court motions for over a decade, falsely asserting ownership despite orders barring him from doing so, promptly cashed two checks totaling nearly $250,000 which he obtained from the unlawful sale.

District Attorney Thompson said, “After spending years trying to game the court system, this defendant brazenly forged a judge’s signature in an attempt to steal the home of a long-standing Bedford-Stuyvesant resident. This case illustrates the commitment of my Real Estate Fraud Unit to protect Brooklyn homeowners and my continued determination to hold fraudsters accountable.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Joseph McCray, 54, of Niagara Falls, New York. He was convicted yesterday of two counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count each of offering a false instrument for filing, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree falsifying business records after a jury trial in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dany Chun. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison when sentenced on October 19, 2016.

The District Attorney said that, according trial testimony, on January 6, 2015, the defendant filed with the City Register a fraudulent court order purportedly signed by Brooklyn Civil Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Lewis, which effectively granted him ownership of 119 McDonough Street. Four months later, using the forged order, the defendant entered into a contract to sell the building for $500,000. At the closing on May 21, 2015, he received two checks for $249,713 (the rest of the funds were used to pay for outstanding liens on the property), which he cashed the next day at a check cashing place.

The evidence showed that 119 McDonough Street, a four-family building in the Historic District of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, was purchased by a woman in March 2000 from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. McCray was a holdover tenant, but never paid rent. He was evicted in September 2002, but continued to reside in the building.

Starting in 2001, the defendant commenced a series of legal actions in Civil Court, asserting ownership of the building. In 2003 and 2004 he also presented himself as the landlord and illegally collected rent – criminal actions that led to a conviction in 2006. On June 4, 2004, according to the evidence, he filed a fraudulent deed with the City Register, transferring ownership of 119 McDonough Street to his name.

In August 2007, HSBC Bank commenced an action to foreclose the mortgage on the property, naming McCray, along with the rightful owner and her daughter (who was added to the deed in 2006) as defendants. During the pendency of the foreclosure action, McCray filed numerous letters, motions and Orders to Show Cause, asserting his ownership of the building. Two different judges had barred him from filing any additional motions or to claim any interest in the property, but he continued to do so. On April 20, 2015 the Administrative Judge of Civil Matters directed the County Clerk to reject further applications from the defendant relating to the building without prior permission.

The forged court order McCray had filed in January 2015 nullified the 2006 deed of the rightful owner and her daughter and ended the foreclosure action, purportedly giving the defendant sole ownership of the building. He then completed the contract of sale with a lawyer. On July 27, 2015, the defendant returned to that lawyer’s office to pick up an additional $16,000 check from the seller’s escrow account and was arrested by officers of the Sheriff’s Department, according to testimony.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Frank Dudis and Assistant District Attorney Cooper Gorrie of the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit, under the supervision of Richard Farrell, Unit Chief, and Felice Sontupe, Chief of the Frauds Bureau, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division and Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 29, 2016

Brooklyn Man Convicted of Killing a Florida Businessman who
Was Set to Marry the Defendant’s Former Lover

Defendant Sent Phony Text Messages from the Victim’s Cell Phone and Dumped Body in Desolate Wooden Area in an Effort to Cover up his Crime

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brighton Beach man was convicted of murder after admitting to killing the new boyfriend of his ex-common law wife in 2012. The defendant stabbed, suffocated and strangled the victim, then went to great lengths in a failed attempt to cover his tracks. He now faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

District Attorney Thompson said, “A man senselessly lost his life out of sheer jealousy, leaving behind two grieving daughters and a young son. I would like to commend the dedicated prosecutors, police officers and forensic experts who solved this complicated case and helped hold a calculated killer accountable.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Mikhail Chernyaev, 49, of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. He was convicted today of second-degree murder following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog, who set sentencing for October 28, 2016. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, the victim, Charles Butler, 56, was a successful businessman from Florida who, in 2012, traveled frequently to his native New York City to spend time with his daughter, who lived on the Upper East Side at the time. He met Anna Lioznov; they started dating and were making plans to get married. Lioznov used to have a romantic relationship with the defendant and the two were raising a son together.

On September 18, 2012, Butler made his first visit to his girlfriend’s apartment at 2919 Brighton 8th Street. Surveillance cameras captured Lioznov leaving her home at about 7:40 a.m. the next morning and the defendant’s Chevrolet Astro van pulling into her building’s garage four minutes later. The vehicle was seen leaving the garage an hour and a half after that and cell tower data tracked both Chernyaev’s and Butler’s phones to Port Jervis, NY before the signals returned to Brooklyn.

Also on September 19, 2012, the victim’s daughters received suspicious text messages in broken English from their father’s phone and Lioznov received a text message, purportedly from Butler, that said in sum and substance, “Forget about me. I’m going back to Florida.”

The evidence further showed that on October 15, 2012, a fisherman who got lost in Hawk’s Nest, a remote area outside Port Jervis, NY, discovered decomposed human remains. Using a sketch constructed from the skeleton, a single useable fingertip print and DNA analysis, the body was positively identified as Butler in May 2013. The defendant, who was back together with Lioznov by then, was taken for questioning on May 22, 2013 and, after first giving a false alibi, said the death was caused by an accidental fall and later conceded to killing the victim, but claimed it was in self-defense.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Carvajal of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Taub, Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 29, 2016

Brownsville Woman Convicted of
Stabbing Boyfriend Following Argument

Victim Died of Stab Wound to Heart

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brownsville woman has been convicted of first-degree manslaughter for fatally stabbing her live-in boyfriend.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant made a terrible decision when she answered the door for her boyfriend armed with a knife, escalating a volatile situation and killing a man for whom she once cared. I thank the hardworking prosecutors in my Domestic Violence Bureau for their commitment to taking seriously all forms of intimate partner violence and holding offenders accountable.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Latrina Crocker, 48, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. She was convicted today of first-degree manslaughter following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Ruth Shillingford. The defendant faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced on October 21, 2016.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on February 23, 2014 at approximately 1:50 a.m., the defendant and the victim, Michael Artist, 52, were engaged in a verbal argument inside their shared apartment. As the dispute ended, the victim left the apartment returning a short while later requesting that the defendant open the apartment door. The defendant opened the door with a knife in her hand, continued to argue, and then stabbed the victim in the arm and chest. Afterwards, the defendant dragged the victim’s body into the hallway before calling 911.

The victim died as a result of a stab wound to the heart, according the Office of the Medical Examiner.

During the investigation, the defendant admitted to stabbing the victim and informed police officers that she threw the murder weapon out of her apartment window. The knife was recovered from that location and DNA analysis confirmed evidence of the victim’s blood on the recovered knife.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Joan Erskine and Assistant District Attorney Jorge Sastoque, of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaminsky, Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to up to 10 Years in State Prison
For Sex Trafficking a Young Woman in East New York

Defendant Refused to Let Victim and Her 4-Year-Old Son Leave His Apartment;
Forced Her to Work as a Prostitute, Earn $1,000 Over Two Days

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 30-year-old man who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking for refusing to let a female acquaintance leave his apartment and forcing her to work as a prostitute has been sentenced to an indeterminate term of five to 10 years in state prison.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant treated a young mother in need of a place to stay as an object to be sold to others in exchange for sex. Abhorrent crimes of this nature will not be tolerated in Brooklyn.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Donneil Foskey, 30, of East New York, Brooklyn. The defendant was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to an indeterminate term of five to 10 years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release. He pleaded guilty to sex trafficking before Justice Chun on September 8, 2016.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on April 19, 2014, the victim, a 23-year-old woman, and her 4-year-old son visited the defendant’s apartment on Milford Street in East New York because she needed a place to stay. When she attempted to leave the apartment on April 21, 2014, however, the defendant refused to let her leave and ordered her to work as a prostitute and make $1,000 over two days.

Furthermore, according to the investigation, from April 21 to May 1, 2014, Foskey forced the woman to place an advertisement on backpage.com and to work as a prostitute. Over that week and a half she was forced to have sex with men who contacted her through the ad. Foskey kept all of the money. Foskey or one of the girls working for him drove the victim to meet the men who paid to have sex with her.

On April 29, 2014, Foskey wrongly accused the victim of helping another female steal money and jewelry from his bedroom. He then tied up the victim and pistol-whipped her in the head, causing bruising.

The next day, the victim was taken by Foskey to a house in Queens to have sex with a man and while there managed to call her aunt and tell her she was being trafficked and held against her will. When she returned to Brooklyn and was back with her son she texted her aunt. Her aunt called 911. Officers from the 75th precinct rescued her in the early morning hours of May 1, 2014. A search warrant was executed on Foskey’s car and apartment and a loaded handgun and a pillow covered in the victim’s blood were recovered.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective David Mills of the Vice Major Case Human Trafficking Team and Police Officer Richard Galvez, formerly of the 75th Precinct.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney David Weiss and Assistant District Attorney Sarah Cohen, of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit, with the assistance of KCDA Human Trafficking Social Worker Haley Feldman, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Laura Edidin, Unit Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the Special Victims Bureau.

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