Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 18, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Convicted of Assault as a Hate Crime For Vicious Attack on Transgendered Woman in Bushwick

Victim Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury, Underwent Surgery on Her Skull

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 26-year-old man was convicted of first-degree assault as a hate crime for striking a 29-year-old transgendered woman in the head with a two by four piece of plexiglass, causing severe injuries.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant viciously attacked an innocent woman purely out of hate and left her on the ground for dead.  This was a cowardly, unprovoked and brutal attack on a person who was targeted merely because of her appearance.  Hate crimes are an attack against all of us no matter who we are, and hopefully today’s conviction makes clear to anyone who commits bias-motivated violence in Brooklyn that they will pay a steep price.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Mashawn Sonds, 26, of 36 Hegeman Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was convicted today of first-degree assault as a hate crime, following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. He will be sentenced on January 13, 2016, at which time he faces up to 25 years in prison. This was the first trial conviction secured by the newly-created Hate Crime Unit, which is a part of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on October 12, 2014, at approximately 11:20 p.m., on Bushwick Avenue, near Halsey Street, a 29-year-old transgendered woman was walking with a gay male friend when she was approached by the defendant and others, with one of them yelling, “We don’t want faggots on our block,” among other anti-gay slurs.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, Sonds then picked up a piece of plexiglass and swung it at the victim, Kimball Hartman. As she tried to get away he threw the plexiglass and struck her in the head. The victim was knocked unconscious, began seizing and suffered profuse bleeding from the back of her head. She sustained a traumatic brain injury, underwent surgery to her skull, and will likely suffer permanent injuries.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Michael Diaz of the Hate Crimes Task Force, under the supervision of Deputy Inspector Mark Magrone, Chief of the Task Force. NYPD Detective James Menton, of the Bronx Special Victims Squad, assisted in the apprehension of the defendant.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Marc Fliedner, Chief of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Carlos Santiago, of the District Attorney’s Civil Rights Bureau, and under 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, December 17, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for
Kidnapping and Torturing Ex-Girlfriend

Victim Held Captive for a Month; Beaten, Burned with Iron and
Heated Screwdriver, Nearly Died

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 34-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for a month-long torture he inflicted on his former girlfriend while she was held captive inside his Brooklyn apartment in 2012. The defendant tied up the victim with cords and wires, beat her with a piece of wood and burned her all over her body, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

District Attorney Thompson said, “The defendant deserves this harsh punishment for his inhumane and barbaric torture of an innocent woman. May this sentence bring some solace to the victim for the unimaginable horror that she endured.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Anthony Matthews, 34, of 263A Bainbridge Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alan Marrus, following his conviction on November 18, 2015 of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault after a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, the defendant and the 29-year-old victim maintained an on-again, off-again relationship that was abusive at times. On June 29, 2012, the defendant picked up the victim from her father’s home in Peekskill, NY and brought her to his Brooklyn apartment.

Once in the apartment, the defendant tied her up with extension cords and telephone wires, repeatedly beat her with a 2×4 piece of wood and continuously threatened to kill her, according to testimony. About two weeks into the ordeal, the victim attempted to escape. In response, the defendant beat her up, broke her teeth by shoving a gun into her mouth, burned her inner thighs with a hot iron and mutilated her body, including her genitalia, with a screwdriver that he heated with a lighter, the evidence showed. Throughout the month of captivity, the victim’s family did not know where she was.

On July 30, 2012, Matthews left the victim by the threshold of his mother’s apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, rang the bell and fled. He instructed the victim to lie and say she prostituted herself and was attacked by a man she met on Craigslist.

The District Attorney said that the victim was taken to Woodhull Hospital in septic shock due to a serious infection, according to the evidence at trial. She also suffered fractured ribs, spinal damage, lacerated liver, fractured nose, burns all over her body and open wounds that exposed bones.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Sabeeha Madni and Assistant District Attorney Michael Liben of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaminsky, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Robbery Defendant Who Pointed Gun at Child’s Head
Sentenced To 24 Years to Life in Prison

Defendant Threatened 4-Year-Old Girl While Robbing Her Father of Jewelry

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Brooklyn man who was convicted last month of first-degree robbery and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial has been sentenced to 24 years to life in prison.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Pointing a gun at an innocent child’s head was an outrageous and cowardly act.  This defendant, who has a long criminal history, including for violent crimes, must remain in prison for the rest of his life to protect the public.  There’s no question about that.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as William Hogue, 46, of Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Cassandra Mullen to 24 years to life in prison. He was convicted of one count of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon on October 27, 2015, following a jury trial. The defendant has a criminal history dating back to 1988 and is therefore deemed by law to be a mandatory persistent violent felony offender.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on May 13, 2014, at approximately 8 p.m., in the vicinity of East 35^th Street and Avenue I, in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the defendant approached Raymond Muscat, who was with his two daughters, ages 3 and 4, near his home and demanded his jewelry, including a Rolex watch. When the victim hesitated, the defendant pointed a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol at the older child’s head and threatened to shoot her.

The District Attorney said that, according to information presented at sentencing, the defendant is a mandatory persistent violent felony offender who has spent 20 of the last 26 years in prison. During his six years out of prison, the defendant continued his life of crime, earning nine convictions, four of which were for violent felonies.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Joseph Alexis, Chief of the District Attorney’s Red Zone Trial Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Katherine Fernandez, also of the Red Zone.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Former Employee Sentenced for Hacking Into
Non-Profit’s Computer Network

Defendant Installed Keylogging Software to Obtain Passwords and Other Information,
Was Caught Before Successfully Stealing Data

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced today that a former computer network administrator at Housing Works was sentenced community service and to conditional discharge for hacking into his former employer’s computer network.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Computer hacking invades privacy and can cause substantial damage to people’s finances and reputations. That’s why we’re determined to investigate and fully prosecute anyone who hacks into a computer network here in Brooklyn – whether they successfully steal information or not.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as J. Anthony Ilustrisimo, 28, of 15 Carol Place in Bloomfield, NJ. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Craig Walker to 150 hours of community service and conditional discharge following his guilty plea on September 8, 2015 to one count of unauthorized use of a computer, an A misdemeanor. If the defendant fails to complete his community service, he faces up to one year in jail.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the defendant worked as lead administrator at the Information Technology Department of Housing Works between December 2009 and September 2013. On January 9, 2014, an IT employee in the organization’s offices at 57 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn noticed that his computer had been logged into under a local administrator account, not under his log in name, and that it was running slowly.

Upon investigation, the employee learned that keylogging software, which tracks all key strokes typed on a compromised computer, had been installed on his PC. The employee called his supervisor, who inspected the overnight logs and found that someone using a computer named J0K3RR (pronounced “joker”) had made attempts to access the network. The supervisor, who knew the defendant for many years and had played computer games with him, immediately recognized the computer name J0K3RR as belonging to the defendant. He subsequently reported the case.

An investigation by the NYPD and the District Attorney’s Office revealed that in the early morning hours of January 9, 2014, a computer identified as the defendant’s through an IP address and an email address made a succession of failed attempts to log into the Housing Works system by using a Remote Access Server. When that did not work, the defendant used a LogMeIn account he had left open during his time at Housing Works. (LogMeIn is a subscription VPN service that allows remote access to a computer through a third party website). That allowed him to log in only as a local administrator, which permits limited use without full network access.

District Attorney Thompson said that at about 3:30 a.m., the defendant installed a program called Actual Keylogger onto the compromised PC, which recorded data entered by the employee, according to the complaint. At least two passwords and other business-related data were later recorded by the software.

The case was investigated by Detective Andrew Jackson and Forensic Examiner Detective Richard MacNamara, of the NYPD’s Computers Crimes Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant Felix Rivera.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Zion of the District Attorney’s Cybercrimes Unit, under the supervision of Felice Sontupe, Chief of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the Investigations Division.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Convicted Of Fatal Shooting in Canarsie

Shot Victim Numerous Times During Altercation

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 25-year-old Canarsie man has been convicted of murder for the 2013 shooting death of another man, who was shot numerous times in the lobby of an apartment building following an altercation with the defendant.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This murder is just another example of the senseless gun violence that happens all too often. This defendant killed a young man over nothing and now will have many years in prison to think about the life he took.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Allen Ross, 25, of Canarsie, Brooklyn.  He was convicted yesterday afternoon of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog. The defendant will be sentenced on January 7, 2016 at which time he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on October 4, 2013, at approximately 5:46 p.m., at 5706 Farragut Road, the defendant aimed a handgun at Lamar Blackwood and fired, striking the victim multiple times and killing him.

Video surveillance captured a physical altercation between the defendant and the victim just moments before the shooting, after the defendant opened the lobby door for the victim. The video also depicts the defendant holding a gun and shooting the victim before fleeing the scene and taking the gun with him.

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

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 9, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Stabbing Death of Wife Following Argument in Bay Ridge Apartment

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 54-year-old Bay Ridge man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison following his guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter last month for the 2014 stabbing death of his 46-year-old wife following an argument inside of their apartment.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Today’s sentence guarantees that this defendant is held accountable for the senseless slaying of his wife, the mother of his four children, who, by this guilty plea and sentence, were spared the trauma of a trial and ensured a measure of justice for their mother.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Hasan Rugova, 54, of 101 Marine Avenue, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The defendant was sentenced today to a determinate term of 18 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Ingram.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on May 20, 2014, at approximately 2 a.m., at 101 Marine Avenue, the defendant’s 14-year-old son observed the defendant, his father, repeatedly stabbing his wife, Gyltene Rugova (who was the child’s mother), in the chest and neck with a knife and intervened, pulling the defendant off of his wife. The defendant then stabbed himself in the stomach. The teen sustained a slash to his arm and was treated at the hospital with stitches and released.

Furthermore, according to the investigation, the stabbing occurred after Gyltene Rugova indicated she wanted a divorce from the defendant. Gyltene Rugova died as a result of multiple stab wounds to her chest and neck, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Cynthia A. Lynch and Joan Erskine, of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Michelle L. Kaminsky, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 9, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Convicted Of Killing Neighbor Inside Gravesend Building

Fired at Victim Multiple Times, Wounded Another

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 33-year-old man has been convicted of murder and attempted murder for the 2013 fatal shooting of a man inside a building in Gravesend, Brooklyn, which left another man with a gunshot wound to the arm.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant chose to settle a score with a gun and senselessly took a life. He will now have many years to spend in a prison cell and think about the foolishness of his choice.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Tremaine Holmes, 33, of 30 Avenue V in Gravesend, Brooklyn. He was convicted yesterday afternoon of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice. The defendant will be sentenced on January 4, 2016 at which time he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, at about 11:55 p.m. on August 15, 2013, the defendant fired multiple shots at point blank range, hitting Perice Brown and also striking another man inside 30 Avenue V. He then chased Darryl Brown, firing multiple shots outside the building. Perice died from his injuries and the other victim suffered a gunshot wound to his arm.

The defendant and Perice lived in the same building and were known to each other. The defendant was apprehended in Binghamton, NY on October 15, 2013.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Bernarda Villalona, formerly of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of 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
Monday, December 7, 2015

 

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Citizens’ Safety Day Took Guns off the Streets
And Allowed Residents to Begin Again by Clearing Summons Warrants

Gun Buyback Nets 60 Weapons, Nearly 600 People Attend Warrants Adjudication Event

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that two important community-based initiatives this past Saturday were successful in helping residents dispose of unwanted guns and get rid of outstanding warrants stemming from summonses for minor offenses. Held in two Brooklyn churches, Citizens’ Safety Day resulted in 60 guns being turned in and 336 warrants cleared from residents’ records.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Saturday was a tremendously successful day in Brooklyn. Dozens of guns that had the potential to cause harm by falling into the hands of criminals are out of circulation and hundreds of our neighbors had the fear of getting arrested for an unpaid summons lifted off their shoulders. We will continue to partner with other agencies, organizations and the community to enhance safety and fairness across our borough.”

The District Attorney said that a total of 60 firearms were turned in at the Gun Buyback event that took place on Saturday, December 5, 2015, at the Lenox Road Baptist Church in East Flatbush, in partnership with the NYPD. Nearly all of them were “street guns” – mostly revolvers and semi-automatic pistols that are often used to commit crimes. They also included two rifles and three “zip guns” or homemade weapons that are sometimes used by gang members.

No ID was required and no questions were asked of those who chose to turn in the firearms in exchange for a $200 bank card for each gun. But some residents who came to the event said that recent shootings, in their neighborhood and nationally, prompted them to get rid of guns they had at home, which could have been stolen or used by a child. Others, like a construction worker who said he found a loaded gun inside a dumpster, brought weapons that could have easily ended up with criminals.

The Gun Buyback program is one piece of the District Attorney’s comprehensive approach to combat gun violence, which includes investigations of gun traffickers, targeting of individuals who are responsible for the majority of shootings through initiatives by the newly-created Crime Strategies Unit and securing convictions and lengthy prison sentences in drug- and gang-related cases prosecuted by the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau.

Also on Saturday, some 575 people attended the District Attorney’s third Begin Again – a program designed to offer a solution to thousands of individuals who have an outstanding warrant because they failed to answer a summons for a low-level offense, like walking a dog without a leash or being in a park after closing. There are over one million open warrants citywide and they carry a number of negative consequences including subjecting the warrant holder to arrest at any time.

In all, 336 warrants were cleared at Mount Lebanon Baptist church in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Saturday. Participants who did not have summons warrants were given the opportunity to receive advice on a host of other issues and to take advantage of a resource fair inside the church. The District Attorney’s Office again partnered with the NYPD, the Office of Court Administration and the Legal Aid Society in holding the event. In three Begin Again events this year, nearly 2,400 people from all five boroughs received assistance and over 1,600 warrants were vacated.  

The District Attorney  said that this program helps foster trust between law-enforcement and the community and allows different agencies and the people they serve to come together and achieve a common good. Additional Begin Again events are planned for 2016.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 3, 2015

 

Flatlands Man Sentenced to 20 years to Life in Fatal Stabbing

Defendant Stabbed Acquaintance 29 Times During Altercation

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 25-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for stabbing an acquaintance 29 times following a dispute and causing his death while they were socializing in the defendant’s rented room in Flatlands last year.

District Attorney Ken Thompson said, “This defendant brutally stabbed the victim 29 times, and took his life in the process. He will now have many years to think about how he let a simple dispute lead him to commit a senseless murder.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Joshua Simser, 25, of Flatlands, Brooklyn. He was convicted of second-degree murder on October 28, 2015 following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alan Marrus, who today sentenced the defendant to 20 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on April 15, 2014, the defendant and an acquaintance, Rufino Sanchez, 41, were socializing in the defendant’s rented room when the defendant stabbed Sanchez 29 times following a dispute, killing him. It is unclear what the dispute was about, though when his body was discovered the victim had multiple stab wounds to the face and neck.

Following the murder, the defendant hid the body in a storage container and left it in his room for four days, according to testimony, before eventually confessing to his employer. The employer notified police, who discovered the body.

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

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 3, 2015

 

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Announces Citizens’ Safety Day

Upcoming Event this Saturday to Feature Gun Buyback Program with NYPD
And DA’s Third “Begin Again” Warrant Adjudication Program

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that his office is hosting two important events this coming Saturday to help people dispose of unwanted guns that they possess and to get rid of outstanding arrest warrants stemming from failing to answer a summons received for a low-level offense. Citizens’ Safety Day is an effort to keep Brooklyn safe and build a relationship between law enforcement and the community.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Saturday is going to be a great day for Brooklyn. We are giving residents with firearms and outstanding warrants a chance to free themselves of those burdens. Come out and clear your name and keep your family safe by getting rid of those firearms and warrants.”

New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said, “The NYPD is proud to participate in events such as the Gun Buyback and Begin Again, which empower community members to work closely with law enforcement toward a common goal of making our city safe and fair for everyone.”

Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush) said, “Virtually every week, people lose their lives because of gun violence in our city. My district has been the backdrop of too many shootings and so I am proud to partner with the NYPD, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, to sponsor the 2015 Gun Buyback Program in an effort to make the streets safer for all residents. No one should have to be afraid to walk down the street. By offering cash for guns with no questions asked, we are removing these dangerous weapons from our neighborhoods and taking another step towards making New York City a safer city for everyone.”

The District Attorney said that the Gun Buyback event will take place on Saturday, December 5, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Lenox Road Baptist Church, located at 1356 Nostrand Avenue, in East Flatbush. The NYPD, pairing with local DA’s offices, has taken close to 10,000 guns off the street via gun buyback events since 2008.

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.

Also on Saturday, as part of Citizens’ Safety Day, the District Attorney’s office will host its third Begin Again event. Begin Again is a program designed to offer a solution to thousands of individuals who have an outstanding warrant because they failed to answer a summons for a low-level offense. There are approximately 1.1 million open warrants citywide and they carry a number of negative consequences including subjecting the warrant holder to arrest at any time. 

The Begin Again event is scheduled for Saturday, December 5, 2015, from 9 a.m.to 3 p.m.,  at the Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, located at 228 Decatur Street, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The District Attorney’s office is partnering with the Legal Aid Society, the Office of Court Administration and the NYPD to once again provide on-site legal counsel and give New Yorkers a chance to clear their old warrants.

District Attorney Thompson said that over 1,800 people from all five boroughs attended the two Begin Again events held in June and September and more than 1,300 outstanding warrants were cleared.

Individuals who appear for Begin Again will first consult with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society to make sure only summons warrants are heard. All participants will then enter a makeshift courtroom, where a judge will be on hand to vacate warrants that resulted from the failure to respond to summonses for a multitude of low-level or “quality of life” offenses, such as walking a dog without a leash or being in a park after closing.

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