About Ernest Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 10, 2016

 

Brownsville Father Convicted of Shaking 7-Week Old Daughter
Causing Child’s Death

Victim Suffered Severe Head Trauma

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brownsville man has been convicted of manslaughter for violently shaking and throwing his infant daughter causing her to suffer brain swelling, bleeding on the brain and in both eyes.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant was a father responsible for the care and protection of his young daughter, but instead chose to shake her to death in order to stop the child’s crying. He has now been held accountable for this tragic and avoidable death.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Eryk Ford, 24, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was convicted today of second-degree manslaughter following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice. The defendant faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced on October 4, 2016.

The District Attorney said that, according to the defendant’s own admissions, on January 15, 2012 at approximately 5:50 a.m., Aniyah Ford, 7-weeks old, was crying in the living room of the defendant’s apartment when the defendant picked up the child and violently shook her. The defendant, the victim’s father, then threw the child into her car seat that was on the floor nearby. The child’s body went limp and she eventually stopped breathing, according to the investigation.

The defendant waited approximately ten minutes before checking on the child and another 40 minutes before calling 911. The victim suffered from brain swelling, subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhaging and retinal hemorrhaging, according to the New York City Medical Examiner. She died on February 8, 2012.

The case was prosecuted by First Deputy Bureau Chief Frank DeGaetano and Senior Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Ashwal 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
Wednesday, August 3, 2016

 

Twenty-Five Alleged Gang Members Variously Charged
With Murder and Shootings in Connection with Crown Heights Turf War

Many of the Shootings Took Place on Busy Streets in Broad Daylight;
Defendants Planned and Shared Their Exploits on Social Media

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, today announced that 25 alleged members of the rival Lincoln Family and Bergen Family gangs have been variously charged in a 67-count indictment with conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, weapons possession and other charges in connection with eight separate shootings in Crown Heights that left six people injured and a 19-year-old dead.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This indictment underscores the continuing commitment of this office and the NYPD to take back the streets of Brooklyn from mindless gang and gun violence that puts so many people at risk, including in this case an innocent 13-year-old girl.”

Commissioner Bratton said, “This murder and several shootings terrorized Crown Heights. Despite this city being down twenty percent in shootings and in many murders this year alone, there are small areas of violence that still exist. We will continue to focus on those committing violence so those who live there can do so safely.”

The District Attorney said that most of the defendants were arraigned yesterday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joseph P. Sullivan and ordered held without bail and to return to court on September 14, 2016. The others will be arraigned at a later date. Three defendants are still at large. They are variously charged with second-degree murder, first- and second-degree conspiracy, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree criminal use of a firearm, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and related charges. (See defendant addendum).

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the defendants, who now range in age from 16 to 23, are members of rival street gangs operating primarily within the 77^th precinct, and frequently engaged in shootings and other violent acts to protect their turf. Lincoln Family territory is bordered by Classon Avenue, Prospect Place, Bedford Avenue and Eastern Parkway. Bergen Family territory is bordered by Bergen Street, Kingston Avenue, Park Place and Rogers Avenue. There is a one block buffer between the two gang territories.

During the course of the conspiracy, between October 2013 and the present, the defendants allegedly agreed to commit crimes, including murder and assault, in order to maintain their dominance over their geographic area, directing their acts of violence toward rival gang members using social media and then taking credit for violent acts on social media. At other times they taunted each other by taking photos of themselves in rival territory and posting them on Facebook.

In addition to charging all of the defendants with second-degree conspiracy for planning and taking part in acts of violence against each other, defendants Isaiah Douglas, 18, Federico Jaen, 19, Linwood Jones, 22, Javon Young, 18, Ebony Brown, 21 and Russell Forest, 18, are charged with first-degree conspiracy, an A-I felony punishable by up to 25 years to life in prison for allegedly conspiring to commit second-degree murder with Lesean Carson, who was under 16 at the time. A person is guilty of first-degree conspiracy if they are over age 18 and conspire with someone under age 16 to commit a class A felony.

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

• On June 2, 2014 Lincoln Family member Ivan Fuentes rode up on a bicycle and opened fire on several Bergen Family members standing in front of 1120 Bergen Street. One member was struck in the groin.
• On October 25, 2014 Bergen Family members Federico Jaen and Lesean Carson rode up on bicycles and shot at a Lincoln Family member and a 13-year-old Lincoln Family associate, striking him in the ankle.
• On January 8, 2015 Lincoln Family member Laquan Battle shot and killed Bergen Family member Jaquay (Queezy) Bennett, 19, in front of 769 St. Marks Avenue in retaliation for a January 5, 2015 shooting in which a Bergen Family member, Lesean Carson, shot and injured a Lincoln Family member in front of 797 Franklin Avenue.
• On March 10, 2016 Lincoln Family member Ivan Fuentes, accompanied by Lincoln Family members Jhalanie Jones, Ray Hernandez, Scott Hunter and Donovan Frazier, fired multiple shots at rival gang members at Franklin Avenue and President Street as school was letting out at Clara Barton High School and the International High School at Prospect Heights, striking and injuring a Bergen Family member and an innocent 13-year-old girl.

The investigation was conducted by New York City Police Department Detective Christopher Carbone, Detective Robert Nelson and Detective Michael Rodrigues of the Gun Violence Suppression Division, under the supervision of Lieutenant Richard Zacares.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jonathan R. Sennett, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, Assistant District Attorneys Michael Leigh and James Slattery and Senior Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, also of VCE, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Alfred Deingeniis, First Deputy Chief and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division and Patricia McNeill, Deputy Chief.

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

DEFENDANT ADDENDUM:

1. Ivan Fuentes, dob: 10-18-97, Lincoln Place, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
2. Michael Turner, dob: 3-23-96, Lincoln Place, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
3. Scott Hunter, dob: 6-12-97, of Brooklyn. Still at large.
4. Darnell Mincy, dob: 10-24-97, Lincoln Place, Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.
5. Laquan Battle, dob: 6-13-98, Hegeman Avenue, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
6. Sequarie Chambers, dob: 5-27-93, St. Johns Place, Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.
7. Carlos Arzu, dob: 6-29-97, Batchelder Street, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
8. Donovan Frazier, dob: 4-16-97, Sterling Place, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
9. Ray Hernandez, dob: 11-27-97, Lincoln Place, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
10. Jhalanie Jones, dob: 11-3-96, Prospect Place, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
11. Jahshyim Whitfield, dob: 10-6-98, Amboy Street, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
12. Elyejah Orr, dob: 3-13-97, Kane Place, Brooklyn. Still at large.
13. Shaheim Stuckey, dob: 3-14-97, Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
14. Sharic Payne, dob: 3-14-97, Jerome Street, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
15. Isaiah Douglas, dob: 3-6-98, St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
16. Isaiah Locke, dob: 4-17-98, St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
17. Trevor Sandiford, dob: 5-19-99, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.
18. Lesean Carson, dob: 3-28-00, Chauncey Street, Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.
19. Federico Jaen, dob: 3-24-97, Bergen Street, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
20. Ahnias Williams, dob: 6-21-99, Crown Street, Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.
21. Linwood Jones, dob: 3-11-94, Park Place, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
22. Javon Young, dob: 12-8-97, East 92^nd Street, Brooklyn. Arraigned and remanded.
23. Zhanya Mayers, dob: 7-13-99, of Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.
24. Ebony Brown, dob: 7-3-95, North Elliott Walk, Brooklyn. Still at large.
25. Russell Forrest, dob: 10-18-97, Prospect Place, Brooklyn. Awaiting arraignment.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 28, 2016

 

Flatbush Landlord Indicted for Manslaughter in Connection
With Fatal Fire That Left One Dead and Nine Injured

Defendant Illegally Subdivided Apartments Leading to Unsafe Conditions

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro, New York City Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler and New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters, today announced that the owner of a Flatbush apartment building that was illegally subdivided has been indicted on manslaughter and other charges stemming from a fatal fire that left one tenant dead and nine others, including four children, injured.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant was well aware of the danger of running an illegal SRO, but chose to ignore numerous violations and vacate orders issued over many years resulting in this devastating fire that killed a young man and injured many others.”

Commissioner Nigro said, “Once again, we see the tragedy that unfolds when profit is put before safety. This fire claimed the life of one New Yorker, left nine others with serious injuries, and put more than 100 FDNY members’ lives in danger. I commend the great work of our Fire Marshals and every agency that worked together to bring this case forward and sought justice for the innocent life lost.”

Commissioner Chandler said, “This case shows how illegally-divided apartments can cost lives. The building owner’s reckless disregard for both the law and his responsibility to protect his tenants cost a young man his life. The Department of Buildings is proud to work with District Attorney Thompson and our partner agencies, and to provide critical technical expertise to hold accountable bad actors who put profit ahead of safety.”

Commissioner Peters said, “This charged case demonstrates the disastrous and tragic consequences of skirting the rules and disregarding building safety regulations. DOI reviewed the history of the property and case specifics, uncovering multiple violations issued by the Department of Buildings and false documentation the defendant is charged with using to cover up his neglect and unlawful behavior. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to expose those who endanger the lives of others for their own enrichment.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Luckner Lorient, 78, of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Guy J. Mangano, Jr., on a 14-count indictment in which he is charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The defendant was ordered held on bail of $1 million cash or $2 million bond and ordered to return to court on August 10, 2016. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, Lorient was the owner of 1434 Flatbush Avenue, a three-story, wood-frame building with a commercial space on the first floor, residential apartments on the second and third floors, and a cellar. The second and third floor apartments were designed to be one-family railroad apartments, but had allegedly been illegally converted by Lorient into SROs (single-room occupancy), with six separate rooms on the second floor and five separate rooms on the first floor. A total of 23 tenants occupied those 11 rooms.

On November 19, 2014, at approximately 12:39 a.m., a fire enveloped 1434 Flatbush Avenue, according to the indictment, after a water cooler on the second floor ignited as a result of being connected to an overloaded electrical circuit. The fire spread quickly to the floor, walls and ceiling of a living room and simultaneously spread through the second floor hallway and up the stairs to the third floor. Twenty of the 23 tenants were home at the time, most of them sleeping.

The tenants on the second floor escaped on their own or with the assistance of firefighters. The tenants on the third floor were either trapped or overcome by smoke and lost consciousness. Firefighters rescued six unconscious tenants from rooms and hallways on the third floor. Many of the tenants suffered moderate to severe smoke inhalation and three were seriously burned. A 24-year-old man, Jeff Frederic, died of smoke inhalation.

Lorient, who was the pastor of a church located on the ground floor, is alleged to have recklessly disregarded safety issues, despite numerous violations and vacate orders variously issued by the New York City Department of Buildings, Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York City Fire Department dating back more than 10 years. It is alleged that Lorient filed false documents asserting he was no longer operating the building as an illegal SRO, but after inspections confirming his assertions he quickly converted the building back to the illegal SRO.

Furthermore, it is alleged, because of the conversion there were power strips and multiple extension cords in every room, and stretched into hallways, and electrical outages due to overloads were a common occurrence – which Lorient knew because of notices of violations received from HPD. In fact, according to the investigation, nearly every room had a television and refrigerator and many had air conditioners, space heaters, microwaves, cell phone chargers, laptops and hot plates – seriously comprising the electrical system. A tenant on the second floor had an electric water cooler. The overloaded system caused a wire to the water cooler to overheat and erupt.

In addition, the building failed to offer two means of egress, as required by law, and the single fire escape for the building was inoperable.

The case was investigated by Fire Marshal John Orlando of the New York City Fire Department, Barry Romm, Chief of Investigations of the New York City Department of Investigation, Executive Engineer Yegal Shamash, Prinicipal Engineer Marco Frias and Electrical Engineer Mathher Abbassi of the Department of Buildings and Detective William Simon of the New York City Police Department Cold Case Squad.

The District Attorney thanked the New York City Fire Department, the New York City Department of Buildings, the New York City Department of Investigation, the New York City Police Department and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development for its thorough investigation of this case.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Samantha Magnani and Assistant District Attorney Xiao Chen, of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Felice Sontupe, Bureau 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 merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant’s guilt

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 26, 2016

 

Two Gang Members Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for
Fatal Shooting of Rival on Coney Island Street

Lured Victim from Store and Shot Him Repeatedly

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that two gang members were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following their murder conviction in connection with the death of a rival. They lured the victim out of a store then ran up behind him and shot multiple times.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These defendants committed a cold-blooded murder by luring a rival and ambushing him from behind. They received a just punishment today for this outrageous act of violence.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Gregory (“Douggie”) Ammonds, 25, of Brownsville, Brooklyn and Kevin (“Cheese”) Perry, 40, of Rockaway Beach, Queens. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Michael Gary sentenced Ammonds on July 20, 2016 to the maximum term of 25 years to life in prison and today imposed the same sentence on Perry following their conviction on June 16, 2016 on one count of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on December 19, 2012 at about 6:15 p.m., after Perry lured Henry Dankwah out of a grocery store Ammonds and an accomplice, Michael (“Mikey”) Torres, 24, both shot and killed the victim on West 36th Street between Neptune and Mermaid Avenues in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The evidence showed that earlier in the day Dankwah was heard making threats against Ammonds after which Dankwah went to a store in the vicinity of West 36th Street and Neptune Avenue. Perry started a conversation with him inside the store and then exited the store with him and the two of them proceeded to walk on West 36th Street. Torres and Ammonds, who were waiting across the street from the store, then crept up behind the victim. Torres, armed with a .45-caliber firearm, and Ammonds, armed with a .9-mm firearm, opened fire, striking the victim a total of 13 times.

The three perpetrators, all of whom were members of the “Sex Money Murder” street gang, were arrested in March and April of 2014, following an investigation.

Torres, of Castle Hill in the Bronx, pleaded guilty on February 17, 2016 to second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was sentenced on April 1, 2016 by Justice Gary to 15 years to life in prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Patrick O’Connor, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Ian Massar, also of VCE, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, 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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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 21, 2016

 

Ditmas Park Man Convicted of Impersonating a Police Officer and
Brutally Raping a Woman inside Sunset Park Hotel

Showed a Fake Badge, Went with Victim to Hotel Room and Attacked Her;
Faces up to 86 years to Life in Prison at Sentencing

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 39-year-old Brooklyn man has been convicted of predatory sexual assault, robbery, impersonation and other charges for violently raping a woman at a hotel room after showing her a fake badge and claiming to be a police officer.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This violent sexual predator preyed upon a woman by claiming to be a cop, then raped and robbed her. He’s been held accountable and we will ask for the longest sentence possible so that he will not be able to victimize any other woman ever again.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jason Forgetta, 39, of Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. He was convicted today of three counts of predatory sexual assault, second-degree strangulation as a sexually motivated felony, third-degree robbery and first-degree criminal impersonation following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Sciarrino. The defendant faces up to 86 years to life in prison when sentenced on September 12, 2016.

The District Attorney said that, according to evidence at trial, on July 30, 2014, at about 2:00 a.m., the victim was walking in the street outside 517 39th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn when the defendant stopped his car, presented a police badge and initiated a conversation. The 26-year-old victim, who was a sex worker, agreed to accompany the defendant to a room she had rented in the Sunny 39 Hotel that was in that location at the time.

Once inside the room, the defendant told the victim she was under arrest, shoved her against the wall, put a pillow over her head and repeatedly raped her, according to testimony. He then instructed her to take a shower to “wash all the DNA” off, stole her wallet, cell phone and undergarments and left.

The victim ran after him and was able to observe the license plate number of the vehicle the defendant was driving, leading to his arrest. A fake police badge was recovered from the vehicle. The defendant was deemed a level-3 sex offender following a prior rape conviction.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lisa Nugent and Lauren Branchini of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.

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