Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 17, 2016

 

Two Gang Members Convicted for Fatal Shooting of
Rival in Coney Island Street

Lured Victim from Store and Shot Him Repeatedly

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that two gang members have been convicted in connection with the death of a rival whom they lured out of a store and then ran up from behind him and shot him multiple times to death.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These violent defendants conspired to shoot and kill a man in the middle of the street. We will simply not allow gang members to fire guns in our communities, but will investigate each and every shooting and hold all perpetrators accountable.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as, Gregory (“Douggie”) Ammonds, 25, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, and Kevin (“Cheese”) Perry, 39, of Rockaway Beach, Queens. They were convicted yesterday of one count of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Michael Gary. The defendants face a maximum sentence of 55 years to life when they are sentenced on July 20, 2016.

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 Henry Dankwah on West 36^th 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 36^th 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 36^th Street.  Torres and Ammonds, who were waiting across the street from the store, then crept up behind the victim and Torres shot him with a .45-caliber firearm and Ammonds with a .9-mm firearm a total of thirteen 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 and 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, as assisted by Assistant District Attorney Ian Massar of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, 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, June 16, 2016

 

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to Hold
2nd Annual Brooklyn Immigration Forum

Panel Discussion and Workshops Offered on Immigration and Real Estate Fraud

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that the District Attorney’s Office will be holding its 2^nd Annual Brooklyn Immigration Forum, in recognition of Caribbean American Heritage Month, to help immigrants protect themselves against common practices of immigration and real estate fraud. The event will be held on Saturday, June 18, in Crown Heights.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Without proper knowledge of their rights, many in Brooklyn’s immigrant communities may be preyed upon by those who would exploit this vulnerable population for monetary gain. My office is partnering with agencies from across the city to provide immigrants – both documented and undocumented – with the tools and resources they need to protect themselves.”

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office will be joined by nonprofits and city agencies for panel discussions on issues regarding immigration fraud and real estate fraud, as well as breakout workshops and community resource tables.

The forum will be held on Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at St. Matthews Church, 1345 Lincoln Place, in Crown Heights.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 16, 2016

 

Fugitive Who Fled During Trial Deliberations and Sentenced in Absentia
Captured and Returned to Court

Defendant Remanded to Serve 40 Year Sentence Imposed Last Month
For Shooting Five Members of One Family

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 25-year-old Bushwick man who was sentenced in absentia to 40 years in prison last month was captured yesterday afternoon and brought before the court where he was remanded to begin serving his sentence.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant brazenly shot and injured five members of the same family in broad daylight. Like a coward, he fled when it became clear that the evidence against him was overwhelming. He will now serve the 40 year sentence he so justly deserves.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Curtis Peterson, 25, of Bushwick, Brooklyn. He was sentenced in absentia to 40 years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Michael Gary on May 23, 2016. The defendant was convicted on April 6, 2016 of three counts of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree attempted assault, one count of second-degree assault, one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of first-degree harassment last month following a jury trial. The defendant, who was free on $100,000 bail, absconded following summations.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on July 20, 2013, at approximately 2 p.m., the defendant, who was with a group of young men, approached the victims, who were on Menahan Street. He opened fire, striking Ronaldo Pizarro, 45, in the stomach, striking Pizarro’s wife Melody Amill, 37, in the knee, and striking his son, Ronaldo Jr., 22, in the leg. Pizarro’s aunt, Wanda Espinoza, 45, was hit in the stomach and another relative, Manuel Rivera, 62, was hit in the ankle.

Furthermore, according to trial testimony, Peterson had an ongoing dispute with Pizarro’s 18-year-old daughter whom he harassed on July 18, 2013, by showing up at her job in a McDonald’s and throwing a milkshake at her. Pizarro’s daughter, at the behest of her parents, reported the harassment to the police, according to testimony, leading Peterson to seek retaliation by confronting and shooting at her family members.

Finally, according to trial testimony, a 9mm Taurus semiautomatic handgun was found at the scene and the defendant’s DNA was present on the firearm. The defendant fled to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was arrested several days later.

Following summations the defendant stopped showing up for court and fled the jurisdiction. Detectives from the New York City Police Department’s 83^rd Precinct Detective Squad and the Warrants Squad apprehended the defendant yesterday afternoon after receiving credible information that he was staying in an apartment located at 731 Lexington Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

When the detectives arrived at the location the defendant fled, climbing out of a rear first-floor window and into a backyard and then jumping two fences. He was found hiding beneath a fire escape in a neighboring backyard. He was then taken into custody by members of the NYPD Warrants Squad.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Chief of the District Attorney’s Grey Zone Trial Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Ross Yaggy, also of the Grey Zone.

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Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

June 15, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Owner of Three-Quarter Houses and his Employee Indicted for
Fraud and Illegal Eviction

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that the owner of a company that operated three-quarter houses in Brooklyn and his employee have been indicted on two counts of first-degree scheme to defraud, six counts of unlawful eviction and related charges.

One defendant, Yury Baumblit, 65, of Brighton Beach, operated Back on Track Inc., a company that rented out three-quarter houses (also known as transitional houses or sober houses). Most tenants in his houses received shelter allowance from the New York City Human Resources Administration and others paid the landlord in cash. The second defendant, Edwin Elie, 42, of Canarsie, acted as Baumblit’s right-hand man and enforced his orders at the houses he operated.

It is alleged that between April 2014 and March 16, 2016, the defendants unlawfully evicted at least 10 tenants who occupied rooms for over 30 days – even though landlords cannot evict a tenant who occupied a room or a bed for 30 consecutive days without a court order. The defendants allegedly repeatedly engaged in tactics to unlawfully evict tenants at multiple residences, including removing tenants’ mattresses and belongings, destroying a stove, and locking buildings during the daytime to prevent residents form returning.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These defendants are charged with taking advantage of vulnerable New Yorkers who were in need of assistance. They provided them with the opposite – allegedly evicting these tenants unlawfully. They have now been indicted and we intend to hold them accountable for their actions.”

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

Read the full press release here.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 15, 2016

 

Owner of Three-Quarter Houses and his Employee Indicted for
Fraud and Illegal Eviction for Removing Tenants from Homes

Charged with Evicting at least 10 Tenants in Systemic Scheme to Defraud;
Allegedly Put Belongings on the Street, Broke Stoves and Locked Doors

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that the owner of a company that operated three-quarter houses in Brooklyn and his employee have been arraigned on an indictment that charges them with unlawfully evicting tenants in a systemic scheme to defraud. The defendant allegedly used various tactics to evict the residents without a court order, including putting their belongings on the street, removing their mattresses, preventing them from cooking by breaking stoves and locking the doors to the residences to prevent entry.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These defendants are charged with taking advantage of vulnerable New Yorkers who were in need of assistance. They provided them with the opposite – allegedly evicting these tenants unlawfully. They have now been indicted and we intend to hold them accountable for their actions.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Yury Baumblit, 65, of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and Edwin Elie, 42, of Canarsie, Brooklyn. They were arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a nine-count indictment charging them with two counts of first-degree scheme to defraud, six counts of unlawful eviction and one count of second-degree criminal contempt. The defendants face up to four years in prison if convicted of the top count with which they are charged.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, Baumblit operated Back on Track Inc., a company that rented out three-quarter houses (also known as transitional houses or sober houses). Most tenants in his houses received shelter allowance from the New York City Human Resources Administration and others paid the landlord in cash. Elie acted as Baumblit’s right-hand man and enforced his orders at the houses he operated.

It is alleged that between April 2014 and March 16, 2016, the defendants unlawfully evicted at least 10 tenants who occupied rooms for over 30 days – even though landlords cannot evict a tenant who occupied a room or a bed for 30 consecutive days without a court order. That constituted an ongoing scheme to defraud these tenants of their property. All the tenants were directed by Baumblit to attend a substance abuse program, even when they did not have a substance abuse problem.

One victim moved to 456 Glenmore Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn in May 2014 and resided there for over a year. During that period, Baumblit or his employee locked the residence during the day, according to the investigation. In addition, the victim had allegedly observed the defendant or his employees remove mattresses belonging to tenants and destroy the stove so tenants could not cook.

Another tenant in the residence, who paid Baumblit in cash from his disability payments, was allegedly evicted after six months in the home when the defendant removed his belongings and placed another tenant in his bed. The victim sued in Tenant-Landlord Court and obtained an order directing Baumblit to return the bed to him. The defendant refused and the victim slept on the floor for more than four months.

At that same residence, yet another victim, who moved there in July 2014, had surgery in early 2015 and, subsequently, was told by Baumblit he could not stay in the home during the day and had to attend his assigned program. The victim went to the program, collapsed in the street and was hospitalized for five days, according to the indictment. That victim allegedly observed employees, including Elie, evict at least six different tenants from the residence.

Tenants at two other locations – 345 Schenck Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn, and 579 Ralph Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn – also alleged that tenants’ property was removed and left in the street or that the doors of the residence were locked during the day, effectively leading to an eviction during daytime hours.

The case was investigated by Detecitve Investigator Marvin Chalmers under the supervision of Supervising Detective Investigator Robert Addonizio and Deputy Chief Edwin Murphy. NYPD Police Officer Courney Vishawadia, of the 73^rd Precinct, initially investigated the case and arrested the defendants.

Two attorneys from the New York City Law Department, William Vidal, Senior Attorney and Rachel Moston, Assistant Corporation Counsel, were prosecuting the initial summons issued to Baumblit and were cross-designated as Special Assistant District Attorneys to assist in the prosecution.

The case is being prosecuted by Felice Sontupe, Chief of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division, and 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
Wednesday, June 15, 2016

 

Long-Sought Suspect Indicted for
2006 Murder of Chanel Petro-Nixon

Case Unsolved for 10 Years
Overseas Extradition to be Requested for Defendant’s Return

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, today announced the unsealing of a murder indictment charging Veron Primus with the June 2006 murder of Brooklyn high school student Chanel Petro-Nixon. An extradition request will be submitted to the Caribbean country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where the defendant is currently detained on another matter.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Ten years ago a promising young woman’s life was tragically taken, leaving her family and the community searching for answers. My office remained steadfast in our search for justice and with this indictment, we will ensure that the defendant is brought back to Brooklyn and held accountable for the death of Chanel Petro-Nixon.”

Commissioner Bratton said, “This indictment is a testament to the fact that neither time nor distance will stop our investigators and prosecutors from the pursuit of justice. I applaud the commitment and tenacity of all who worked on this case and thank our law enforcement partners overseas for their cooperation”.

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Veron Primus, 29, formerly of 849 Lincoln Place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He has been indicted on one count of second-degree murder and will be arraigned following his extradition from St. Vincent. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, Chanel Petro-Nixon, 16, was last seen alive on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18, 2006 when she left her parents’ Bedford-Stuyvesant home to visit with a friend. Chanel stated that she would be meeting the defendant, Veron Primus, the investigation revealed. Chanel was reported missing on Monday, June 19, 2006 when she still had not returned home.

On June 22, 2006, the victim’s body was found in a trash bag on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights. She had been strangled. A local resident discovered the body after Department of Sanitation workers declined to remove the bag because the trash was oversized, according to the investigation.

The defendant was deported to the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2015.

The District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, working with the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, will seek extradition for the defendant’s return to Brooklyn.  At present, the defendant is detained at a St. Vincent correctional facility.

The case is being investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Jason Palmiera of the NYPD’s Cold Case Unit. Over the years, the case has been investigated by numerous law enforcement personnel from the 81^st Precinct, the 77^th Precinct and the Cold Case Unit.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Singer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Forensic Science Unit, Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, Chief of Trials at the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau and Melissa Carvajal, Deputy Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Kenneth Taub, Chief, and Mark Feldman, Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Crime Strategies and Investigations.

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

 

Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

June 14, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Brooklyn District Attorney Announces New Hate Crimes Hotline

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced the launch of the new Hate Crimes Hotline—a direct phone number dedicated to individuals who suspect or are the victim of a bias-related crime. The new hotline was created in response to the rise in hate crimes within Brooklyn and will work in conjunction with the Hate Crimes Unit that DA Thompson created to protect the people of Brooklyn.

 

The Hate Crimes Hotline is: 718-250-4949 

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 14, 2016

 

Coney Island Teenager Sentenced to 19 Years to Life for Arson Murder of
New York City Police Officer Dennis Guerra

Officer Killed Responding to Deadly Mattress Fire in Housing Development Hallway;
Officer Rosa Rodriguez, His Partner, Was Critically Injured

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Coney Island teenager was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for his felony murder and arson conviction. The defendant set fire to a mattress in the hallway of a New York City Housing Authority building. Officer Dennis Guerra and his partner, Officer Rosa Rodriguez, responded to the scene and were immediately overcome by smoke and carbon monoxide. Officer Guerra later died of his injuries.

District Attorney Thompson said, “When Police Officers Guerra and Rodriguez responded to that fire inside that building, they did so to save lives. However, a senseless act of arson cost a very courageous police officer his life and destroyed the health and career of another heroic officer. The sentence imposed by the court today reflects the severity of the crime committed by the defendant.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Marcell Dockery, 18, of 2007 Surf Avenue in Coney Island.  Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sentenced the defendant to 19 years to life in prison following his conviction on May 5, 2016 on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree assault and fourth-degree arson after a jury trial.

On April 6, 2014, at approximately 12:30 p.m., according to trial testimony, Officers Guerra and Rodriguez responded to a 911 call of a fire at the defendant’s apartment building located at 2007 Surf Avenue. When the officers arrived on the 13^th floor, the location of the fire, they were overcome by toxic smoke. Responding firefighters found both officers unconscious and rescued them from the building.

The District Attorney said that, according to testimony, the defendant, who lived on the 12^th floor, found a discarded mattress in a 13^th floor hallway and used a lighter to set it on fire.

The defendant admitted to setting the deadly fire and told investigators, according to evidence submitted at trial, “I decided to take a lighter and light the top of the mattress because I was bored.” He was convicted of causing a death while committing a felony, namely, arson.

Both officers were hospitalized for severe smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. Officer Guerra, a second-generation police officer, succumbed to his injuries three days later. He is survived by his wife and four children. Officer Rodriguez recovered and is currently assigned to the New York City Police Department’s Medical Division and placed on limited duty due to her injuries.

Officer Guerra, an eight-year NYPD veteran, and Officer Rodriguez, a four-year veteran, were assigned to Police Service Area 1 of the Housing Bureau.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Howard L. Jackson, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Lauren Silver, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Taub, Bureau Chief.

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Kenneth P. Thompson

District Attorney
Kings County

June 13, 2016

COMMUNITY PARTNER IN JUSTICE NOTIFICATION

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to up to 18 Years for Stealing Properties in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Fort Greene

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brooklyn man was sentenced to 9 to 18 years in prison for stealing three Brooklyn properties by forging deeds, pretending to be an attorney and selling, or attempting to sell, them to buyers. He sold one empty lot twice and received bids on another home in excess of $1 million.

According to trial testimony, in early 2011, the defendant, Carl Smith, 50, of Lafayette Avenue, stole two properties by filing backdated deeds containing the forged signatures of the owners. One was a lot in Bedford-Stuyvesant, which the defendant proceeded to sell twice: in March 2011 for $12,000 and in April 2011 for $11,000. The other property was a three-story brownstone in Fort Greene, which had been owned by a woman who died in 2001, and which now belonged to her family members. The defendant filed a deed backdated to before the woman’s death and tried to sell the property for more than $1 million, but he was not able to produce a valid title to complete the sale.

The Court nullified the fraudulent deeds, returning the properties to their lawful owners.

The defendant also, according to trial testimony, negotiated a deal in October 2012 to sell a multi-family home in Bedford-Stuyvesant for more than $20,000 by falsely representing himself to be the owner’s attorney and creating a fraudulent deed.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant shamefully stole houses and other property from their rightful owners by using forged documents, engaging in deceit and committing outright fraud.  He did so solely to exploit the lucrative real estate market in Brooklyn.  And now he will spend many years in prison where scammers like him belong.”

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Read the full press release here.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 13, 2016

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to up to 18 Years in Prison for
Stealing Three Properties in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Fort Greene

Forged Deeds, Acted as an Attorney and Took in over $43,000;
Tried Selling another Brownstone for over $1 Million

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brooklyn man was sentenced to nine to 18 years in prison for stealing three Brooklyn properties by forging deeds, pretending to be an attorney and selling, or attempting to sell, them to buyers. He sold one empty lot twice and received bids on another home in excess of $1 million.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant shamefully stole houses and other property from their rightful owners by using forged documents, engaging in deceit and committing outright fraud.  He did so solely to exploit the lucrative real estate market in Brooklyn.  And now he will spend many years in prison where scammers like him belong.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Carl Smith, 50, of Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alexander Jeong to an indeterminate term of nine to 18 years in prison following his conviction on May 23, 2016 after a jury trial of two counts of second-degree grand larceny, two counts of third-degree grand larceny, two counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and unlawful practice of law. The defendant, who has numerous prior felony convictions, was facing mandatory prison time for the conviction.

The District Attorney said that, according to testimony at trial, in February 2011, the defendant stole 45 Lewis Avenue, a lot in Bedford-Stuyvesant, by filing a backdated deed containing the forged signature of a man who bought the lot in 1999. Having been granted ownership of the property, the defendant sold it twice: in March 2011 to the owner of an adjacent laundromat for $12,000 and in April 2011 to another man for $11,000.

The evidence further showed that the defendant stole 139 Vanderbilt Avenue, a three-story brownstone in Fort Greene. The house was purchased in 1982 by Dolores Teel, who died in 2001, with the home passing on to her family members. Around April 2011, the defendant filed a deed, backdated prior to Teel’s death and bearing her forged signature, to gain ownership of the house. He received several bids from potential buyers, some exceeding $1 million, but was not able to produce a valid title to complete the sale.

Around October 2012, according to testimony, the defendant negotiated a deal to sell 64 Hart Street, a multi-family home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, by falsely representing himself to be the owner’s attorney and presenting documents containing her forged signature. The property was purchased in 1975 by Mary Brown and was inherited by her daughter when she died in 1994. An investor the defendant was negotiating with paid him over $20,000 for the deed and related fees after the investor was provided with fraudulent contract of sale and deed.

The jury additionally heard evidence about an uncharged larceny in which the defendant stole 543 Lexington Avenue, a two-story home in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He did that around May 2003 by, again, forging and backdating a deed. The defendant then sold that home to an associate, bringing eviction proceedings against the rightful owner, Jerome Farrell, who lived there until his death in February 2015.

The defendant was indicted and arrested in 2013 and was later charged in a separate 2014 indictment in relation to the Lewis Avenue property.

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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