Notifications

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 22, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Two Former Employees of Brooklyn Nonprofit Indicted for Stealing
Approximately $17,000 from Nonprofit and Immigrant Clients

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson yesterday announced that two former employees of a Sunset Park nonprofit that provides free and low-cost immigration services have been indicted for stealing approximately $17,000 from the nonprofit and at least five clients seeking assistance.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between November 2014 and February 2016, the defendants, Nancy Robayo, 50, and her daughter, Elisa Lascano, 33, allegedly stole at least $7,000 from the Juan Neumann Center, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help, and defrauded its clients of another $10,000. Both defendants were employed by the center – Robayo as a book keeper and Lascano in a clerical position.

Furthermore, according to the investigation, in the alleged $7,000 theft, the defendants stole parts of fees collected from clients for immigration services provided at the center. The defendants also allegedly defrauded at least five clients of approximately $10,000 by taking payments the clients made for services they believed were going to be provided by the center. In some cases, the defendants allegedly didn’t provide the promised service. In other cases, they either overcharged clients and kept some or all of the money, or they charged for services that the center provided for free and kept some or all of the money.

The defendants allegedly concealed their theft by altering receipts, misreporting amounts on receipts, maintaining separate receipt books hidden from the center and warning their clients to speak only with them and to no other employees.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These defendants not only preyed upon and stole from vulnerable people seeking help, they also undermined the valuable work of a local organization trying to provide much-needed services to Brooklyn’s immigrant community.”

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

Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 21, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Former NYPD Officer Indicted for Allegedly Killing Pedestrian and
Injuring Three Others While Driving Drunk and Jumping Curb

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a former New York City Police Department officer has been charged in a 26-count indictment with aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, vehicular assault and other charges for allegedly driving drunk in Williamsburg, jumping a curb and striking pedestrians on a sidewalk, killing one and seriously injuring three others.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, in the early morning hours of July 16, 2016, the defendant, Nicholas Batka, 28, of Greenpoint, was drinking with friends at The Whiskey, a bar in Williamsburg. At about 3 a.m., while driving his Dodge Durango, the defendant jumped the curb near Bedford Avenue and North 8th Street, striking four pedestrians on the sidewalk and crashing through a fence in front of a nearby building. A cell phone video shows passersby preventing the defendant from leaving the scene after the crash.

Andrew Esquivel, 21, suffered blunt force trauma and died hours after the crash. Three other victims suffered serious injuries and continue to receive extensive medical treatment.

The defendant sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he refused to submit to a blood test. But, according to the evidence, blood taken from the defendant about two hours after the crash showed a blood-alcohol level of .23, almost three times the legal limit of .08.

The defendant, who was assigned to the Manhattan Transit Task Force, was fired by the Police Department a few days after the incident. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count with which he is charged.

District Attorney Thompson said, “It’s outrageous that this defendant – a New York City police officer at the time – chose to get behind the wheel while drunk and caused a deadly and horrific car crash. His poor decision took the life of a promising young man and left three others with injuries they’ll suffer from for life. We will now hold this defendant accountable for the immeasurable damages that he caused on the streets of Brooklyn that night.”

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

Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 16, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Flatbush Teen Indicted for Killing a Father
Over a Baseball Cap

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Flatbush teenager has been indicted on murder and related charges stemming from the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old father who attempted to retrieve a baseball cap allegedly stolen from his son days earlier.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on the night of August 3, 2016, near the basketball courts outside of P.S. 6, at Snyder and Bedford Avenues, the defendant, Adonis Barnett, 16, of Flatbush, allegedly shot the victim, Gerald Cummings, once in the back and once in the back of the head. Cummings’ 17-year-old son was present at the time of the shooting.

On the night of the shooting, Cummings’ son and other witnesses saw the defendant with someone who was wearing a distinct ‘Just Don’ Oakland Raiders leather and snakeskin baseball cap, valued at approximately $400, that had recently been stolen from Cummings’ son.

Cummings’ son called his father for help and, when Cummings arrived, he approached the defendant and another teen alleging that the teens assaulted his son and stole his hat days earlier at the same location. Cummings tried to retrieve the hat and the defendant and his friend argued with him. As Cummings went to leave, the defendant took a gun out of his backpack and shot him twice, according to the investigation and the defendant’s own statements.

A second defendant, Romell Baptiste, 16, of Flatbush, has been indicted on charges of second-degree robbery for allegedly stealing the ‘Just Don’ baseball cap on July 29, 2016. He was arraigned earlier this month.

District Attorney Thompson said, “A coveted baseball cap set off a deadly chain of events that ended with a father shot to death in front of his teenage son outside an elementary school playground. This was a cowardly and callous act, for which this defendant will now be held accountable.”

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

Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 14, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Three Defendants Indicted For Allegedly Stealing
$85,000 from Senior Citizen in “Chinese Blessing Scam”

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that two women and a man have been indicted for grand larceny for stealing $65,000 in cash and $20,000 in jewelry from a 62-year-old Chinese woman after convincing her there was a curse on her family that they could help to remove through an elaborate scam.

On July 29, 2016, near Avenue R and East 21st Street in Sheepshead Bay, defendants Yan Chen, 46, and Yuqub Liang, 57, allegedly approached the victim, a 62-year-old Chinese immigrant, several times and engaged her in conversation, gaining her trust and convincing her that she or a member of her family would die because of a curse. Defendant Yacheng Chen, 50, allegedly acted as a lookout.

The defendants allegedly convinced the victim that in order to rid herself of the curse she needed to gather large sums of cash and jewelry and bring them to be blessed in order to remove the evil spirits surrounding her family. The victim did so — gathering $15,000 cash and the key to her safety deposit box. She then walked to her bank and withdrew an additional $50,000 and approximately $20,000 worth of jewelry from her safe deposit box.

According to the investigation, Yan Chen, who had posed as a clairvoyant, told the victim to place the cash and jewels into a bag for Chen to perform a “blessing” to remove the curse. The defendants then allegedly stole the cash and jewels, and placed the bag on the victim’s shoulder and told her not to open it for at least several days in order to break the curse. The victim opened the bag that evening and found bottles of water. All of her valuables were missing. She then contacted the police.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This so-called “blessing scam” is unfortunately common in Asian communities and its targets are usually elderly immigrant women. People should be aware of these con men and women trying to swindle them out of their hard-earned money. I urge those in the Chinese community to warn their vulnerable family members to avoid falling prey to such schemes.”

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

Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 14, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Fourth Alleged Gunmen Indicted for the Murder of
Carey Gabay during J’ouvert Celebration

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a fourth man, Kenny Bazile, 30, of Canarsie, has been charged with the murder of Carey Gabay outside the Ebbets Field Houses in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Labor Day 2015. Like the other defendants, who were indicted in June, Bazile allegedly engaged in mutual combat during the early morning shootout and is being held equally responsible.

According to the investigation, in the early morning on September 7, 2015, the victim, Carey Gabay, 43, a first deputy counsel for the Empire State Development Corporation and a former assistant counsel to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, was walking on Bedford Avenue with his brother and a couple of friends after attending the J’ouvert procession, a traditional predawn festival that precedes the annual West Indian American Day Parade. As the group passed In front of the patio of 1680 Bedford Avenue, crowded with hundreds of celebrants, a firefight broke out between members of warring gangs, including the defendant. A bullet struck Gabay in the head and he was taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where he died a week later.

The building’s large patio was known to be controlled by the Folk Nation street gang, which has been engaged in a years-long war with the 8-Trey faction of the Crips gang, among others. The defendant is an alleged member of Folk Nation.

District Attorney Thompson said, “As I have said before, we are determined to get justice for Carey Gabay and his family and to hold accountable everyone who was involved in the shootout that took his life by creating a killing field in the middle of a crowd. This indictment is another step in fulfilling this promise and we will continue to pursue this case until everyone involved in this senseless death is brought to justice.”

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

Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 8, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

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

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson yesterday announced that a 26-year-old East New York man 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.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on the night of April 30, 2013, the defendant, Andre Brown, and two cohorts, Shaequan Monk and Kendell Jones, robbed G & P Grocery at 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.

The defendant and four others, all members of the Bloods gang, were charged for a string of robberies of delis and convenience stores, including G & P Grocery. The four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy counts and were sentenced to prison terms.

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.”

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Read the full press release here

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

September 7, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Former NYPD Officer Sentenced for Sexually Molesting a Child

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 for the repeated abuse of a young girl for nearly three years, starting when she was 10.

According to trial testimony, the defendant, Jacob Sabbagh, 34, of Midwood, Brooklyn, was a family friend of the victim and would sleep over at the victim’s home in Flatbush approximately every month. The investigation revealed that on each of these visits, between June 2005, when the victim was 10, and March 2008, when the victim was 13, the defendant repeatedly groped and fondled her and, on occasion, forced her to reciprocate. The defendant went on to join the police force in 2009. He was fired from the force after his conviction this past June.

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 authorities in the country where the victim lived and later referred to the District Attorney’s Victim Services Unit.

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 Victim Services Unit of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office can be reached at (718) 250-3820. Learn more about available services.

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Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

August 31, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Firearms Trafficker Pleads Guilty To Busing Guns Into Brooklyn

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that the leader of a gun trafficking ring pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a firearm and conspiracy in connection with bringing 112 guns, including 20 assault weapons, to New York and then reselling them on the streets of Brooklyn.

A long-term investigation found that, between September 2014 and September 2015, the defendant, Michael Bassier, 32, of Canarsie, made multiple bus and car trips to Atlanta, Georgia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, obtained legally purchased guns and transported them to Brooklyn, where they were sold illegally to an undercover NYPD detective.

The evidence showed that Bassier boasted on wiretaps that he was 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 intercepted via electronic surveillance.

Seven co-defendants, whom Bassier enlisted to help purchase and resell the guns, have also been charged. Bassier is expected to be sentenced to 17 years in prison.

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.”

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Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

August 22, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

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

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 24-year-old former high school basketball player from East New York was sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting his former roommate multiple times during a confrontation in broad daylight in a Sheepshead Bay courtyard.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on the afternoon of January 23, 2015, the defendant, Davontay Grace, and the victim, Dexter Hopkins, then 23, were having a short conversation outside of 2263 Batchelder Street in Sheepshead Bay. Grace then pulled out a .45-caliber pistol and shot Hopkins in the chest. With Hopkins on the ground, Grace fired five more shots, striking him in the leg and body.

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. Hopkins managed to call 911 despite his injuries, positively identifying Grace as the shooter.

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.”

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Read the full press release here.

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

August 15, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

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

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Georgia man, 49-year-old Rodney Brewer, 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.

Between September 2013 and April 2014, Quick, who was sometimes accompanied by Brewer, made 13 car trips from Georgia to Canarsie, transporting as many as 25 guns 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. A total of 151 weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle, were trafficked during the course of the investigation.

Brewer pleaded guilty in June to criminal sale of a firearm, weapon possession and conspiracy. The five other members of the ring had previously pleaded guilty, with Quick getting sentenced to 18 years in prison and the rest receiving lesser punishments.

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.”

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Read the full press release here.