Posts by ASokol@queensda.org

    Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the closure of an unlicensed storefront cannabis dispensary operating out of two locations on Merrick Boulevard in Laurelton. A court-authorized search of the premises resulted in the seizure of hundreds of pounds of illicit cannabis and tobacco products as well as a machete and a total of…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Brandon Harris was sentenced to 15 years in prison for pushing an 82-year-old woman from the Flushing-Main Street subway platform onto the train tracks in October 2024. The woman suffered fractured vertebrae and other injuries in the fall. The defendant pleaded guilty this month to attempted murder. District…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Luis Emmanuel Valencia Ponce was arraigned on charges of attempted murder, assault and weapon possession for the unprovoked stabbing of a 30-year-old woman on her way to the bus in East Elmhurst Monday morning. Ponce allegedly followed the victim and stabbed her repeatedly with a knife just as…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Dayvon Morrison was indicted for murder and child endangerment for causing fatal injuries to his 2-year-old son, Maliek, inside their residence in Long Island City. District Attorney Katz said: “A parent’s most sacred responsibility is ensuring the safety of their children. As alleged, this defendant chose to…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Cleveland Sterling was sentenced to 44 ½ to 52 years in prison after being convicted at trial of sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, robbery and other related crimes. The defendant forced two women to repeatedly engage in prostitution, assaulted them when they refused to follow his orders and forcibly…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Rupchand Simboo has been charged with murder, concealment of a human corpse, tampering with evidence and other crimes for the homicide of his 33-year-old wife, Salisha Ali. The victim’s beheaded and dismembered torso, wrapped in plastic tarp and a blue blanket, was initially discovered by NYC Sanitation workers…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that John Ankelman was indicted by a grand jury on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and other crimes for a December 26, 2025, collision during a snowstorm that seriously injured a 63-year-old man who later died. This incident took place near the Long Island Expressway in…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Messiah Randall, Jomar Pointdujour, Nicolson Pierrimas and Zaire Rolley, reputed members and associates of the 007 gang, have been indicted on charges of murder, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon for their alleged roles in the shooting death of 16-year-old Claudia Quatey in May 2023 in St.…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Olmedo Osorio was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing 55-year-old Freddy Jimenez during an argument at a Woodside bus stop in September 2022. Osorio was convicted by a jury in January of multiple charges connected to the deadly incident. District Attorney Katz said:…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Kenyatta Weston Jr. was indicted by a grand jury on charges of manslaughter, driving under the influence, criminal possession of a weapon and other charges for a February 8, 2025, crash on the Belt Parkway that resulted in the death of 27-year-old Elizabeth Vanessa Perla-Hernandez. The defendant is…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Davi Vidal was sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison for killing his 55-year-old landlady, Zoraida Leo, by strangulation in December 2023. Vidal, also known as Deiby Vidal, leased an attic unit in the victim’s multi-unit residence in East Elmhurst for two years before the deadly confrontation over…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that George Tsintzelis was sentenced to 25 years in prison following a jury conviction on charges of attempted murder, assault and other crimes. The defendant defenestrated his 64-year-old mother¸ Paraskevi Tsintzelis, out of their third-floor apartment window in 2024. District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant committed an unthinkable…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jabez Chakraborty was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on charges of attempted assault and weapon possession for advancing on an NYPD officer while holding a large kitchen knife. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, the defendant tried to attack a police officer while holding a large…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ho “Alex” Shin was extradited from South Korea and arraigned on indictment charges of murder and related crimes for fatally stabbing 22-year-old Hyun Dae Kim in January 2002 inside an apartment in Flushing. The defendant is also charged with attempted murder for stabbing another 22-year-old victim in the…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Florin Stoian, AKA Slaco Razmias, AKA Slavco Rostas, was extradited from Germany and arraigned on indictment charges of manslaughter, arson, tampering with evidence and related crimes for hitting a pedestrian with a rented BMW X6 while the victim was crossing the street at Myrtle Avenue and Hancock Street…

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that two homes were returned on January 28 to their rightful owners after a judge voided fraudulent deeds for the properties. The homes were stolen as part of a deed fraud scheme and the defendants then sold the properties to third parties. Four people were ultimately convicted for the…