About Ernest Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 7, 2016

East New York Gang Member Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison
For Gun-Point Robbery of a Bodega

Masked Defendant Left Fingerprint when Jumping over a Counter;
Acted with Two Others who Took Part in String of Convenience Store Robberies

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 26-year-old man from East New York, Brooklyn was sentenced to 17 years in prison for participating in a gun-point robbery of a bodega – part of a string of similar robberies of stores.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant tried to hide his identity during an armed robbery, in which he terrorized hard-working employees. But we proved his guilt at trial and today’s sentence ensures that he will be locked up away from society.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Andre Brown, 26, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Miriam Cyrulnik to 17 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision following his conviction on July 19, 2016 on two counts of first-degree robbery, which represent the top counts of the indictment. The defendant, who has prior felony convictions, was facing a minimum of 10 years in prison on each of the counts of which he was convicted.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on April 30, 2013, at about 10:30 p.m., the defendant and two cohorts, Shaequan Monk and Kendell Jones, robbed G & P Grocery on 200 Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn.

The evidence showed that Monk pulled out a firearm and ordered the two store employees to the ground, Jones held the door and Brown, wearing a mask, jumped over the counter and emptied the cash register. The robbers then removed cash from the workers’ pockets and fled with about $800 in cash and a cell phone.

A surveillance video from inside the store captured the incident and a fingerprint lifted from the area of the counter where the masked intruder was seen touching matched the defendant.

The defendant and four others, all members of the Bloods gang, were variously charged for a string of robberies of delis and convenience stores, including G & P Grocery. The four co-defendants have previously pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy counts and sentenced to the following prison terms: Kendell Jones – 10 years, Shaequan Monk – six years, Denzel Simmons – eight years and Kadeem Jones – five years.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Renzo Silva of the 75th Precinct Detective Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant John Tennant, with the assistance of Detective Michael Scoloveno of the Brooklyn North Gang Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Michael Lenihan.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Alfred De Ingeniis, First Deputy Bureau Chief, and Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Former NYPD Officer Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
For Repeatedly Sexually Molesting a Child

Defendant was a Friend of Victim’s Family

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a former New York City Police Officer has been sentenced to three years in prison following his conviction earlier this year on charges of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child for the repeated abuse of a young girl for nearly three years, starting when she was 10.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant’s shameful actions are a shocking betrayal of trust. That he went on to become a police officer makes this case all the more disturbing. He has now been held accountable.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jacob Sabbagh, 34, of Midwood, Brooklyn. The defendant was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alan Marrus to three years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision. He was convicted of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child following a jury trial in June. The judge stayed the execution of the sentence pending appeal.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, the defendant was a family friend of the victim and would sleep over at the victim’s home in Flatbush, Brooklyn, approximately every month. The investigation revealed that on each of these visits, between June 2005 and March 2008, the defendant repeatedly groped and fondled the victim and on occasion forced her to reciprocate. The defendant joined the police force in 2009.

The abuse began when the victim was 10 and continued until she was 13. The victim and her family moved out of the country and, when she was 16, the victim told her mother about the past abuse. The case was reported to law enforcement authorities in the country where the victim resided and later referred to the District Attorney’s Victim Services Unit.

In controlled telephone conversations between the victim and the defendant, the defendant is heard admitting to the sexual abuse and apologizing for his actions, according to evidence presented at trial.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Grace Brainard, formerly of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Kevin O’Donnell, Deputy Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Firearms Trafficker Pleads Guilty To
Purchasing Guns in Georgia and Pennsylvania, Busing Them
To New York to Sell on the Streets of Brooklyn

To Be Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that the leader of a gun trafficking ring pleaded guilty in connection with bringing 112 guns, including 20 assault weapons, to New York to be resold on the streets of Brooklyn. The guns were purchased in Atlanta, Georgia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant knew what he was doing was illegal but had no qualms about putting the lives of Brooklyn residents at risk so that he could turn a hefty profit. These merchants of death willing to exploit lax gun laws outside of New York are now on notice that a prison cell awaits them in New York.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Michael Bassier, 32, of East 96th Street, in Canarsie, Brooklyn. He pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm, two counts of second-degree criminal sale of a firearm and one count of fourth-degree conspiracy before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Martin Murphy and is expected to be sentenced to 17 years in prison on September 16, 2016.

The evidence against Bassier included his boasts on wiretaps that he was essentially taking advantage of lax gun laws down South to bring firearms into the City.

“I’m selling them the right way and the wrong way. When I’m out of state, like in Atlanta and Georgia and all that, it’s all legal, but New York, it’s completely illegal. So when I bring (expletive) up here and sell it up here, that’s illegal,” Bassier said in a phone conversation that was intercepted via electronic surveillance.

Two of Bassier’s co-defendants have also pleaded guilty: Tanisha Minor, 27, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a firearm and fourth-degree conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing; Anthony Jackson, 30, of Kingsborough 4th Walk, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to one year in jail. Charges are still pending against Willie Ware, 27, of East 96th Street, in Canarsie, Brooklyn; Jonathan Destin, 27, of Snyder Avenue, in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn; Lance Millien, 28, of Norcross, Georgia; Nicole Taylor, 25, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania; and Terrah Moore, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The defendants have been variously charged in a 541-count indictment with fourth-degree conspiracy; first-, second- and third-degree criminal sale of a firearm; first-degree criminal possession of a weapon and other related charges.

The indictment was the result of a long-term investigation conducted by the New York City Police Department’s Firearms Investigations Unit and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Between September 2014 and September 2015 the defendants allegedly conspired to sell guns purchased in Georgia and Pennsylvania, which were bought by an NYPD undercover detective in Brooklyn. The investigation included the use of intercepted electronic communications as well as physical and video surveillance. The weapons recovered during the course of the investigation include 9mm Ruger and Glock pistols, .22 caliber Walther pistols, .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistols, .45 caliber Taurus pistols, and a variety of assault weapons including multiple .22 long rifle caliber semi-automatic Walther Model MP Uzis, .39 mm caliber semi-automatic Norinco Model SKS, 9mm Luger semi-automatic Jimenez Arms Model JA25 and others.

During the course of the investigation Bassier made 12 trips to Atlanta, Georgia, using Chinatown buses for transportation, including the Bus2NYC and other Chinatown bus lines. He brought up to six guns to New York from Atlanta on each trip, which were later brought to Brooklyn and sold to the undercover.

Furthermore, Bassier made at least six trips by automobile to Pittsburgh to purchase guns which were later brought to Brooklyn and sold to the undercover.

According to the investigation, Bassier allegedly enlisted several individuals, referred to as “straw purchasers,” in the Atlanta, Georgia area to purchase firearms on his behalf from gun stores, pawn shops and street dealers. Specifically, it is alleged that Jonathan Destin of Brooklyn introduced Bassier to the Atlanta, Georgia area. Destin, Lance Millien and Tanisha Minor, both of Georgia, acted as Bassier’s primary accomplices there. Minor, Millien and Destin are alleged to have purchased firearms and to have recruited other women to purchase firearms for Bassier.

It is further alleged, that, in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Bassier relied on Nicole Taylor and Terrah Moore, both of Pennsylvania, to purchase firearms from gun stores, pawn shops, websites and street dealers, as well as to recruit other buyers.

Furthermore, according to the investigation, once he returned to Brooklyn with the guns, Bassier arranged to sell them to the undercover. Almost all of the sales took place at a Walgreens parking lot located at Rockaway Parkway and Avenue M in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Bassier paid between $150 and $300 per gun, and paid the straw purchasers a fee of $50 per gun. The undercover paid on average between $800 and $1,200 per gun, although the assault weapons purchased by the undercover cost approximately $2,000 to $2,500. The undercover spent a total of $130,050 on the firearms purchased during the course of the investigation.

Finally, it is alleged, Bassier was aided in Brooklyn by Willie Ware, who personally sold firearms to the undercover on two occasions and by Anthony Jackson, who worked as a lookout for Bassier during firearms transactions.

The investigation was conducted by New York City Police Department Detective Charles Lennon and Detective Scott Martin of the NYPD’s Firearm’s Investigations Unit, under the supervision of Sergeant Donald Morgan, Lieutenant Michael Jennings, Captain Robert Van Houten, and Deputy Inspector Brian Gill and the overall supervision of Chief Thomas Purtell.

The District Attorney thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for their assistance in this matter.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Kathleen Murphy, 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 Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 22, 2016

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Announces Gun Buyback

Operable Handguns and Assault Rifles can be Turned Over for $200, No Questions Asked;
Saturday, August 27, at Clarendon Road Church in Flatbush

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that his office, together with the New York City Police Department, is hosting a Gun Buyback event this coming Saturday to help people dispose of unwanted guns that they possess in exchange for cash. No questions will be asked and no ID required from those who turn in their guns.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Saturday’s Gun Buyback is one component of our efforts to rid Brooklyn’s streets of illegal firearms. With law enforcement and community working together, we make our communities safer. I encourage anyone with an unwanted gun to take advantage of this important initiative.”

NYPD Commissioner William J. Bratton said, “Gun violence and gun accidents adversely affect far too many lives in our communities. Gun buyback programs provide the opportunity and incentive to keep dangerous weapons off the streets of our city. I urge everyone to participate in this important program.”

The District Attorney said that the Gun Buyback event will take place on Saturday, August 27, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Clarendon Road Church, located at 3304 Clarendon Road in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

The District Attorney’s office, along with the New York City Police Department, will offer money in the form of $200 bank cards for each operable gun turned in. The bank cards will be issued after each unloaded gun is received and screened by officers on-site. Guns should be unloaded and packaged in a paper or plastic bag or box when brought to the event. Both working and inoperable weapons will be accepted. Active and/or retired law enforcement officers and licensed gun dealers are not eligible for this event.

Participants will receive $200 for operable handguns and assault rifles and $25 for operable shotguns and rifles. Participants may turn in an unlimited number of guns, but will receive a limit of $600 in bank cards. No identification is required and the firearms will be accepted with no questions asked.

The NYPD, pairing with local DA’s offices, has taken about 10,000 guns off the street via gun buyback events since 2008.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 22, 2016

Former High School Basketball Player Sentenced to 15 Years
In Prison for Shooting Ex-Roommate

Fired at Victim Six Times in Sheepshead Bay Courtyard

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 24-year-old man from East New York, Brooklyn was sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting another man in the chest and body during a confrontation in broad daylight in a courtyard in Sheepshead Bay.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant chose to repeatedly shoot a former friend, even as the victim lay helpless on the ground, for no reason, leaving him with permanent injuries. The sentence imposed today reflects the seriousness of the crime.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Davontay Grace, 24, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Deborah Dowling to 15 years in prison following his conviction on August 2, 2016 of first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on January 23, 2015, at 12:26 p.m., outside of 2263 Batchelder Street in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, the defendant had a short conversation with Dexter Hopkins, who was 23-years-old at the time. The defendant then pulled out a .45-caliber pistol and shot the victim in the chest. With the victim on the ground, he fired five additional shots, striking him in the leg and body.

The victim was taken to Lutheran Medical Center. He suffered injuries to his lungs, bowels and leg, underwent multiple surgeries, lost one of his kidneys and still has one bullet lodged in his leg, according to testimony.

The evidence showed that Grace and Hopkins knew each other for years: they once played on opposing Brooklyn high school teams and later were roommates in a Georgia prep school. The victim, who managed to call 911 despite his injuries, positively identified the defendant as the shooter.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Charles Guria and Assistant District Attorney Garey Pierce of the District Attorney’s Trial Bureau, Green Zone, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Klestzick, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 15, 2016

Final Defendant in Georgia Gun Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 10 Years
In Prison for Buying and Selling Guns Destined for the Streets of Brooklyn

Total of 151 Weapons, Including Rifle and Semi-Automatic Pistols,
Purchased During Undercover Operation

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Georgia man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking firearms from Georgia to Brooklyn up Interstate 95, commonly referred to as the “Iron Pipeline.” His five co-defendants, including his nephew, Michael Quick, the ring’s mastermind, were previously convicted and sentenced.
District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant and his cohorts tried to make some easy money by flooding our streets with weapons of death and putting lives at risk. They have now been brought to justice here in Brooklyn. This case should serve as a warning to out-of-state gun traffickers that we will continue to go after them and hold them accountable no matter where they live.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Rodney Brewer, 49, of LaGrange, Georgia. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 10 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision, following his guilty plea on June 10, 2016 to one count of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm, one count of first-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of fourth-degree conspiracy.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between September 2013 and April 2014, Quick, who was sometimes accompanied by Brewer, made 13 car trips from Georgia to Canarsie, Brooklyn, up the I-95 corridor, transporting as many as 25 firearms at a time, and sold them to an undercover NYPD officer at the corner of Foster Avenue and East 96th Street. Brewer was also responsible for purchasing guns in Georgia for transport to New York, where they were sold at a huge profit margin, e.g., a .9 mm gun bought in Georgia for $200 sold in Brooklyn for $1,000.

During the course of the investigation 151 weapons were trafficked from Georgia to New York, including an AR-15 assault rifle, MAC-11 subcompact machine pistol, two TEC-9 semiautomatic pistols and a variety of pistols and revolvers, many of which were loaded. Some of the firearms were purchased in stores and others were stolen, the investigation found. Wiretaps revealed that the defendants communicated about purchasing guns that are easily concealed; the logistics of transporting them; price negotiations with Georgia suppliers; and wiring money from New York to Georgia to facilitate the initial gun purchases.

Following are the dispositions of Brewer’s five co-defendants:

1. Michael Quick, 34, of LaGrange, Georgia. Pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sale of a firearm and first-degree criminal possession of a weapon and was sentenced to 18 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision.
2. Aliya Dowell, 34, of LaGrange, Georgia. Pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years’ probation. She is the wife of defendant Quick.
3. Emmanuel Caswell, 38, of Decatur, Georgia. Pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to one-year in jail.
4. Marcus White, 32, of Decatur, Georgia. Pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to one-year in jail.
5. Albert Pless, 59, of Franklin, Georgia. Pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to one-year in jail.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective John Edgar of the NYPD’s Firearms Investigations Unit, under the supervision of Captain Robert Van Houten, Lieutenant Michael Jennings and Sergeant Donald Morgan.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bennett of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Tara Lenich, Deputy Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

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