Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 13, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for Fatal Crash That Left Newlywed Couple and Their Premature Infant Dead

Defendant Convicted of Manslaughter for Slamming Into Livery Cab
While Speeding Through Streets of Williamsburg

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 46-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following his conviction earlier this year on second-degree manslaughter and other charges in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Williamsburg in 2013 that left a young couple and their premature infant dead.

The District Attorney said, “Today’s sentence shows our determination to get justice for Nathan and Raizy Glauber, and their son, Tanchem, whom the defendant killed by driving recklessly and then just walked away. Hopefully, it will help in some way to bring solace to their families.”

The District Attorney said that the defendant, Julio Acevedo, 46, of Brooklyn, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog. The defendant was convicted of two counts of second-degree manslaughter, one count of criminally negligent homicide and two counts of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting in February, following a jury trial. The defendant faced up to 15 years in prison on the top count, but because he was deemed to be a persistent felony offender, in the Court’s discretion, based on his criminal history he received an enhanced sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, at approximately 12:15 a.m., on March 3, 2013, Acevedo, who was driving a BMW, was traveling northbound on Kent Avenue at approximately 70 miles per hour, passing cars and switching lanes on Kent Avenue when he crashed into a livery cab traveling westbound on Wilson Avenue, being driven by Pedro Nunez-Delacruz. The livery cab was easing into the intersection to make a left turn when it was struck. Backseat passengers Nathan Glauber, 21, and his wife, Raizy, also 21, who was seven-months pregnant, were killed. Their son, Tanchem, was delivered alive, but died the next day. The cab driver suffered minor injuries.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, Acevedo jumped out of his car after crashing into the livery cab, observed the carnage and then fled the scene. He was arrested by the New York City Police Department’s Warrant Squad in Pennsylvania on March 7, 2013.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gayle M. Dampf, Chief of the District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Chief of the District Attorney’s Trial Bureau III – Grey Zone.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 11, 2015

 

Three Queens Men Indicted For Trafficking Firearms and Narcotics

Seventeen Handguns Purchased During Course of Two-Month Operation

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, today announced that three men have been arraigned on an indictment for allegedly selling firearms and crack cocaine to undercover officers over two months during an operation in Brooklyn and Queens.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This investigation highlights our continued effort to stop the influx of drugs and firearms into Brooklyn. I commend all of the undercover officers and prosecutors who worked on this case for their dedication to ending gun violence.”

Commissioner Bratton said, “I want to thank the NYPD’s Brooklyn North Narcotics Division and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for working closely together to remove these illegal firearms and narcotics from our streets. We will continue to focus our efforts on public safety and improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Everton Gonzalez, 23, of Ozone Park, Queens, and Omar Cobb, 20, of Arverne, Queens. The defendants have been variously charged with second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, first-degree criminal sale of a firearm, second-degree conspiracy and other related charges. They were arraigned this morning before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. Gonzalez is being held on $500,000 bail and Cobb is being held on $250,000 bail. A third defendant, Zameer Khan, of Arverne, Queens, was arraigned on the indictment last month and is being held on $300,000 bail.

The District Attorney said the investigation included undercover police officers making multiple purchases of weapons and crack cocaine in the vicinity of Liberty Avenue and Drew Street in East New York, Brooklyn, and later, in the vicinity of Beach 59^th Street and Larkin Avenue, in Far Rockaway, Queens.

The District Attorney said the investigation began in November 2014, when an undercover police officer allegedly made multiple gun and narcotics purchases from Gonzalez, who later allegedly sent his cousin, Cobb, to deliver the guns. The sales were later made in Queens after Cobb complained that he didn’t have a car and couldn’t get to Brooklyn, instead asking that the undercover travel to Queens to purchase the weapons. It is further alleged that Khan also acted in concert with Cobb in selling weapons and drugs, including selling 60 grams of what was purported to be crack cocaine for $3,500 to an undercover. The alleged drugs later tested negative for narcotics.

The District Attorney said that the defendants allegedly sold a wide variety of firearms to the undercover, including: a .9 mm Mac-11 assault weapon, .22 caliber Walther pistol, a .44 caliber Ruger revolver, a .9 mm Hi-Point pistol, a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, a .357 caliber Ruger revolver, a .40 point caliber Hi-Point pistol, a .38 caliber Taurus revolver, a .38 caliber Armi Fabri pistol, a .9 mm Bryco Arms pistol, a .38 caliber Argentina revolver, and others. The defendants also allegedly sold four ounces of crack cocaine and two ounces of purported crack cocaine to the undercover over the course of multiple purchases.

In addition, in executing multiple search warrants the police recovered a quantity of ammunition, a magazine for a .40 caliber firearm, a holster, forged check, books and records and marijuana.

The investigation was conducted by New York City Police Department Detective William Warren, Narcotics Borough Brooklyn North, under the supervision of Lieutenant William Buchanan, and the overall supervision of Inspector Joseph Kenny.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Hanna Karsevar, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Tara Lenich, Deputy Chief for Special Investigations and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, VCE Bureau Chief and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of Investigations.

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

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 8, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 22 Years to Life in Prison for Raping 13-Year-Old Girl In Basement Laundry Room in Gravesend

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced that a 42-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for first-degree rape and other charges for the 2013 attack of a 13-year-old girl in the basement laundry room of her Gravesend apartment building after threatening her with scissors.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This young girl’s innocence has been lost and her life forever changed as a result of this vicious attack. This defendant will now likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, where he belongs.”

The District Attorney said that the defendant, Bennett Castello, 42, of East 29th Street, in Midwood, Brooklyn, was sentenced yesterday to 22 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. The defendant was convicted in February of two counts of predatory sexual assault, two counts of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of first-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony, following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on April 29, 2013, at approximately 3:30 p.m., in the vicinity of West 2^nd Street in Gravesend, Brooklyn, the victim, a 13-year-old girl, entered her apartment building and was followed inside by the defendant. He then followed her into the elevator, pressed the button for the basement and forced her out while threatening her with scissors.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, the defendant then forced the girl into the laundry room where he groped and raped her, then threatened to kill her if she told anyone. After the defendant fled, the victim ran upstairs to her apartment, told her parents what happened and they called 911.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Deborah Cohen of the District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 7, 2015

 

Former Reception Hall Waiter Sentenced To Prison For Stealing Donation Box From Borough Park Synagogue

Defendant Received Two to Four Years in Prison for Burglarizing Former Employer

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a Bensonhurst man has been sentenced to two to four years in prison for burglarizing a Borough Park synagogue which had once employed him as a waiter at its reception hall.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant used his position as a former employee to steal from a house of worship. He will now pay the price for his shameful conduct.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Peter Podziewski, 23, of 1818 79^th Street, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The defendant was today sentenced to an indeterminate term of two to four years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Ingram. The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree burglary before Justice Ingram on March 17, 2015.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on March 23, 2014, the defendant and another man, Daniel Roscher, entered Congregation Beth Jacob located at 5610 12^th Avenue, in Borough Park, and stole a donation box by ripping it off of a wall. Both men had formerly worked as waiters at a reception hall affiliated with the synagogue.

Roscher, 25, of 1491 Shore Parkway, in Bensonhurst, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary for his part in the incident last July and was sentenced to one to three years in prison. That sentence is to run concurrent to a five-year sentence he received at the same time for an unrelated case in which he pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mark Berkowitz, of the District Attorney’s Trial Bureau V – Orange Zone, under the supervision of Thomas C. Ridges, Chief.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 3, 2015

 

City Adult Protective Services Employee Charged In $214,000 Theft From 94-Year-Old Woman in Her Care

Case Manager Used Online Banking To Steal From Greenpoint Woman’s Accounts

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson and Philip R. Bartlett, the Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, today announced that a case manager with the city’s Adult Protective Services has been charged with looting her 94-year-old client’s bank accounts of more than $214,000.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant was entrusted by the city to help an elderly woman live safely at home. Instead, she allegedly defrauded the victim in a shameful act of greed and deception against a 94-year old woman.”

Inspector-in-Charge Bartlett said, “The defendant used her position of trust as a Case Worker for Adult Protective Services to allegedly steal from the very person placed in her care. Her alleged conduct is heartless, despicable and will not be tolerated. She will be held accountable for her actions.”

District Attorney Thompson identified the defendant as Cecile Davidson, 50, of 117-21 164^th Street in Jamaica, Queens, and of Conyers, Georgia. She was arrested in Georgia, returned to New York and arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jo Ann Ferdinand. In the 51-count indictment the defendant is charged with second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree identity theft. The defendant was remanded. She is to return to court on May 8, 2015. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Thompson said that, according to the indictment, Davidson has been employed since July 9, 2012 as a case manager for Village Care of New York, a sub-contractor for Adult Protective Services, a program run by the city’s Human Resources Administration.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the victim was a client of APS at Village Care from January 10, 2013 to September 13, 2013 and from January 24, 2014 to September 8, 2014, and Davidson was her case manager during both periods.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, online banking was established to access the victim’s accounts at Capital One Bank on July 23, 2013 and a debit card was sent to the residence in Greenpoint. After online banking was established, it is alleged, $105,851.34 in online checks were issued from the account in the name of Davidson and a day care center in Georgia where Davidson previously worked, and mailed to Davidson’s Post Office box in Brooklyn.

Davidson allegedly also used the debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs and purchase Postal Service money orders at U.S. Post Office locations in transactions totaling $67,366.43. The money orders were made out to Davidson’s relatives and other people connected to her in Georgia.

Investigators at Capital One alerted the Postal Service to the debit card purchases of money orders, and a Postal Inspector reviewed surveillance recordings at Post Offices and stores where the victim’s debit card was used and determined that Davidson had used it.

The District Attorney would like to thank Major Case Investigator at Capital One Peter D’Angelo, U.S. Postal Inspector Joseph Marcus and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force for their assistance.

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

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

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 2, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Who Shot NYPD Emergency Service Officers Convicted of Aggravated Assault Of a Police Officer

Officers Shot After Defendant Barricaded Himself Inside An Apartment He Shared With His Pregnant Girlfriend And 10-Month-Old Son

District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 36-year-old man was convicted last night of two counts of aggravated assault upon a police officer and other charges for shooting at and injuring five members of the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit when they responded to a call at the defendant’s Sheepshead Bay apartment. The police were called after reports that the defendant had pointed a gun at someone during an earlier altercation.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us all safe. This defendant not only had the audacity to fire at our police officers, he recklessly put the pregnant mother of his baby in harm’s way. The jury has spoken and now the defendant will spend many well-deserved years behind bars.”

The District Attorney said that the defendant, Nakwon Foxworth, 36, of 3301 Nostrand Avenue in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault upon a police officer, three counts of attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer, three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing, following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog, who set sentencing for April 23, 2015, at which time the defendant faces up to life in prison. The defendant is a mandatory persistent violent felony offender.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on April 8, 2012, the defendant got into a verbal dispute with movers in his building over items left in a hallway. The defendant pulled a gun on the workers and the police were called. The defendant then returned to the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Jessica Hickling, and their 10-month-old son, armed with a gun.

Approximately an hour after police arrived, the defendant allowed Hickling and the baby to leave the apartment. The defendant then opened fire on the responding officers, injuring three of them. The officers then returned fire and struck the defendant. Three guns were recovered from the defendant’s apartment.

The District Attorney said that Officer Matthew Granahan was shot in the leg, Officer Michael Keenan was shot in the knee and Officer Kenneth Ayala was shot in the pelvic area and the foot. All of the officers were hospitalized and have recovered from their injuries.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Andres Palacio of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Thomas Teplitsky under supervision of Deputy District Attorney Kenneth Taub, Chief of Homicide Bureau.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 25, 2015

 

Eleven Defendants Indicted for Scam in Which They Allegedly Used Stolen Credit Card Numbers to Purchase Target Gift Cards

Defendants Arrested After Pattern of Purchases Was Detected by Store, Bank Security

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that 11 men have been indicted for using forged credit cards to purchase Target gift cards – in increments of $45 in an effort to evade detection – at the Gateway Mall in Spring Creek. The men were arrested after security for Target and J.P. Morgan Chase Bank discovered the pattern and set up a joint surveillance operation.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This case is disturbing in that the defendants were allegedly able to systematically – and swiftly – swipe their way into the bank accounts of innocent Chase customers by using forged credit cards. Our Cybercrimes Unit will continue to work closely with the New York City Police Department to remain vigilant in the face of changing technology.”

The District Attorney said that the defendants (see addendum), who range in age from 20 to 27 and all live in Brooklyn, have been variously charged in eight separate indictments with second-degree criminal possession of a forged document, fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny. Most of the defendants were arraigned earlier this week in Brooklyn Supreme Court. One remaining defendant will be arraigned tomorrow.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictments, between late 2014 and early 2015, Chase Bank became aware of a large number of identical $45 fraudulent authorizations being made against its debit cards at the Gateway Target. Target security personnel were also aware of the fraudulent transactions, but Target’s protocol provided that employees should not inspect payment cards for purchases under $50. The $45 purchases were all being made for Target gift cards. None of the purchases was authorized and Chase assumed the loss. Chase and Target alerted the New York City Police Department and a joint operation was conducted on January 7, 2015.

The District Attorney said that, according to the one of the indictments, on January 7, 2015, at approximately 8 a.m., just after the store opened defendants Terquan Oliver and Courtney Cooper, entered the Gateway Target and went to the Electronics section. They immediately began making $45 purchases of Target gift card store credits, loading the gift cards through successive purchases. All of the debit card purchases were processed as credit card purchases and did not require a personal identification number.

It is alleged that in less than 15 minutes, Oliver used two stolen debit cards to make 39 incremental $45 purchases of Target gift card store credit. Of the transactions, 24 were made against a Chase account that did not belong to him and 15 were made against another Chase account that did not belong to him. Oliver switched accounts only after the first card was declined. The total value loaded onto the gift card was $1,755.

Meanwhile, during the same time period, it is alleged that Courtney Cooper made 18 incremental $45 purchases of Target gift card store credit against a Chase account that did not belong to him, 17 were made to load value onto one gift card, while one purchase was for a single $45 gift card. In total, $810 in charges was made against a Chase Bank debit card that did not belong to Courtney Cooper.

It is alleged that the defendants then purchased seven iPods using Oliver’s card. They were arrested upon leaving the store.

The District Attorney further said that the other seven indictments filed in this case reveal that the other nine defendants engaged in a similar scam, loading up Target gift cards using fraudulent debit cards, leading to a total of $6,750 in losses which were sustained by Chase Bank in less than an hour. In all, the defendants are alleged to have swiped 51 separate forged credit cards inside of an hour, switching to new cards as cards were declined.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Jackson Todd of the Special Frauds Squad and Detective Miguel Marte of the Identity Theft Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant Gregory Besson of the Financial Crimes Task Force, and the overall supervision of Deputy Inspector Kenneth Gray, Commanding Officer of the Financial Crimes Task Force.

The District Attorney thanked Target and J.P. Morgan Chase for their cooperation.

The case is being 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 Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division.

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

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DEFENDANT ADDENDUM: 

1. Terquan Oliver, 25, 2364 Batchelder Street, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
2. Courtney Cooper, 25, 2344 Bragg Street, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
3. Justin Justiniani, 26, 600 East 26^th Street, Flatbush, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
4. Johansson Smith, 27, 175 Utica Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Bail set at $15,000 bond or $7,500 cash.
5. John Charles, 27, 1639 East 55^th Street, Mill Basin, Brooklyn. Released on $10,000 bond or $$5,000 cash.
6. Andrew Andujar, 22, 1440 Freeport Loop, Starrett City, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
7. Matthew McQueen, 25, 959 East 100^th Street, Canarsie, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
8. Neon Orridge, 21, 939 East 100^th Street, Canarsie, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
9. Fabrice Brimm, 20, 10501 Flatlands Avenue, Canarsie, Brooklyn. Released without bail.
10. Bill Dorrelus, 22, 50 Vandalia Avenue, East New York, Brooklyn. Bail set at $5,000 bond or $2,500 cash.
11. Rubens Jeannot, 22, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, East New York, Brooklyn. To be arraigned on March 26, 2015.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, March 23, 2015

 

Former Attorney Who Stole Nearly $500,000 From Clients To Spend From Six to 18 Years in Prison

Defendant Convicted In Two Separate Incidents, Sentences Ordered to Run Consecutively

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a South Orange, New Jersey, man has been sentenced to two to six years in prison for stealing $70,000 from a client’s real estate sale. The sentence was ordered to run consecutive to a sentence of four to 12 years he received last year for stealing $411,082.50 from another client whom he represented in a property sale.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant disgraced the legal profession when he stole money from the estates of his clients. Now he will pay a serious price for his misconduct. This should serve as a warning to others who let greed get the best of them.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Stephen Mitchell, 48, of 542 Hartford Court, in South Orange, New Jersey. The defendant was sentenced last Friday to two to six years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice William Garnett following his conviction earlier this year on one count of second-degree grand larceny following a jury trial. The judge ordered the sentence to run consecutive to a sentence he handed down last year in a similar case.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, in 2006, the defendant was hired by the property manager for the estate of Jacques Montrevil to remove the estate’s administrator and to complete the sale of property located at 3215 Church Avenue in Brooklyn that was owned by the estate.  On November 6, 2006, an amended contract of sale for that property was executed between representatives of the estate and Stephen Falcone, the prospective purchaser. The defendant was present at the signing of the contract and accepted the $70,000 down payment from the buyer, made payable to himself.

The next day, the defendant deposited the check into his escrow account and wrote a check for $65,500 from the account. At the closing of the property in 2008, the defendant did not turn over the funds to complete the sale on that day or any point thereafter.

The defendant was previously convicted in 2013 of second-degree grand larceny for stealing more than $400,000 from another client. In that case, he was hired in December 2005 to represent the estate of Charles Brown for the sale of his property located at 302 St. James Place, in Brooklyn. The defendant sold the property for $650,000, netting $411,082.50, which belonged to Mr. Brown’s estate.  The defendant deposited the money into his own escrow account, and then into three of his own bank accounts through March 2006.

Justice Garnett, who presided over both of the defendant’s jury trials, ordered his sentences to run consecutively and ordered him to pay $70,000 and $411,082.50 in restitution to both victims.

The defendant surrendered his law license prior to his first trial.

Assistant District Attorney Patrick F. Cappock, Deputy Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s Frauds Unit prosecuted the case, 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 Bureau.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 18, 2015

 

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 47 Years to Life in Prison For Quadruple Shooting in Gang Dispute at Basketball Tournament

Defendant Shot Four Teens at Marcy Houses, Killing One and Injuring Three

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 47 years to life in prison for the gang-related shooting death of an 18-year-old boy and for shooting and injuring a 15-year-old and two 13-year-olds during a basketball tournament at the Marcy Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

District Attorney Thompson said, “Today’s sentence should serve as a warning that shooting and killing people on the streets of Brooklyn will not be tolerated. An 18-year-old boy is dead and three other teens were shot all because this defendant decided to commit senseless and terrible acts of violence. Now he will pay for what he did by being locked up for most of his life.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Brandon Reese, 21, of Brooklyn. He was today sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Parker to 47 years to life in prison following his conviction earlier this month on one count of second-degree murder, one count of second-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree attempted assault, one count of second-degree assault, one count of second-degree attempted assault, one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on July 6, 2013, at approximately 6:30 p.m., at the Marcy Houses, located at 472 Marcy Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, during a basketball tournament two rival crews engaged in a dispute which ultimately resulted in a shooting.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, a number of gang members from Bushwick Houses, who belong to a crew named Young Stackers (YS), were hanging out in front of Marcy Houses. A member of Stack Money Goonz (SMG) walked by and realized that one of the YS’s had previously pulled a gun on him. He then called his older brother, the defendant, Brandon Reese, for back-up.

The District Attorney further said that, according to trial testimony, after an argument ensued between his brother and the YS kids, the defendant pulled his gun from his waistband and fired approximately nine shots. Mario Lopez was shot approximately eight times and pronounced dead later that evening. Three others were injured: A 13-year-old shot in the neck with the bullet exiting his nose was left with permanent partial paralysis of his face; a second 13-year-old was shot in the knee; a 15-year-old was grazed on the hip and suffered minor injuries.

The case was investigated by now retired New York City Police Detective James Tischler and other detectives assigned to the NYPD’s 79^th precinct.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis, Chief of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Iris Das, under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney William E. Schaeffer, Chief of Investigations.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 17, 2015

 

Bookkeeper Indicted For Stealing Approximately $325,000 From Carroll Gardens Plumbing Supply Company

Allegedly Used Funds to Travel to Disney World and Poconos Resort, Pay for Airline Tickets, Motel Stays And Restaurant Meals

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced a 159-count indictment charging a former bookkeeper with stealing almost $325,000 from a family-owned plumbing supply business in Carroll Gardens by repeatedly writing checks from the company’s bank account to pay her credit card bills instead of paying vendors.

District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant almost ruined a hardworking family’s small business by allegedly stealing a huge amount of money to fund her travels and pay her bills. Luckily her alleged scheme was uncovered before that could happen. She will now be held accountable.”

The District Attorney said that the defendant, Elizabeth Nero, a.k.a., Elizabeth Leone, 55, of 45-30 Pearson Street, in Long Island City, Queens, was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an indictment in which she is charged with one count of second-degree grand larceny, 79 counts of first-degree falsifying business records and 79 counts of second-degree forgery. She was ordered held on bail of $20,000 bond or $10,000 cash and to return to court on May 20, 2015.

The District Attorney said that, according to the indictment, in approximately December 2010, the defendant was hired to work as a bookkeeper for Hicks Street Plumbing and Heating Supply, Inc., located on Hicks Street, in Carroll Gardens, which is owned by Matthew Ruggiero. It is alleged that between July 2011 and October 2013, the defendant used the company’s checking account to pay her own bills, specifically forging the name of Mr. Ruggiero or his wife, on company checks and using them to pay her credit card bills, instead of paying the company’s vendors and suppliers.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, among other things, the defendant used the money to pay for airplane tickets, accommodations at a resort in the Poconos, travel to Disney World, motel stays and restaurant meals.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, in order to conceal her alleged theft the defendant “whited out” the designated payee, i.e., her Chase, Discover or American Express account, after the checks were cashed and an image of the cancelled check appeared on the company’s bank statement. After “whiting out” her payee, the defendant would allegedly write in the name of a vendor or supplier.

The case was investigated by Brooklyn District Attorney Financial Investigator Rosa Velasquez and New York City Police Department Detective John Munari, of the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force.

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

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