Archive for July 2026

This week we announced the takedown of an international stolen merchandise ring allegedly operated by a mother and daughter…(continued)

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dawood Faisal was arraigned on hate crime charges for destroying property in May outside of a kosher bagel store on Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Shaleek Brunson was arraigned on charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes for wielding a hammer and chasing a woman ont...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Felipe Hoyos Foronda has been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for the death of 31-year-old Maria Penaloza. Penaloza suffered cardiac arrest...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced today that mother and daughter Maria Betances and Leslie Cruz were charged with criminal posses...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Luis Belis was indicted for first-degree murder and other offenses for fatally shooting 37-year-old Jairo Vinces-Cobena in March on a Corona ...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Omar Prado was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the execution-style shooting of 29-year-old Kelvin Gomez. Prado pleaded guilty to manslaug...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jezerel Huston was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bringing dozens of guns into Queens. Huston pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a firearm in ...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Aaron McKelvey was charged in connection with seven burglaries and one attempted burglary at commercial buildings in Long Island City, Woodside, Ma...

I am proud to be in my seventh year as District Attorney serving Queens County. Combating illegal guns has been a defining priority for my administration, combining intelligence, investigations and…(c...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Darius Adams was arraigned on an indictment charging him with manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene and other crimes for the death of Suzanne Sc...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Osvel Diaz was sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder and other crimes in the June 2024 beating of a 62-year-old...

This week we announced that three defendants were sentenced to more than a decade in prison each for their roles in a violent home invasion robbery…(continue).

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that former FDNY firefighter Michael Pena was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for the death of 23-year-old Justin Diaz in February 2025. Pena, w...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Richard Dixon was sentenced to 55 years to life in prison for the June 2022 murder of his accomplice, Raymond Francis, whom he fired upon after sho...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ryan Dash, Brandon Dash and Oneil Thompson were sentenced for their roles in a violent home invasion robbery. The Dashes and defendant Jone Smith b...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Lindy Jones was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapon possession charge for a 9 mm pistol found in the glove compartm...

This week five defendants were charged in a 26-count indictment for allegedly falsifying documents to obtain a “cash-out” mortgage of more than $688,000 on…(continue).

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that five defendants were indicted by a grand jury and variously charged with mortgage fraud, identity theft, forgery and other crimes for falsifying do...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Anthony Lanno was indicted on assault, vehicular assault, leaving the scene and other charges for a hit-and-run collision that seriously injured a ...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Joseph Gilbert Stevens has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for fatally shooting Richard Carter outside a Jamaica church while a ...

This week we announced two separate gang takedowns as part of our effort with our NYPD partners to curtail summer…(continued).

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Michael Robinson was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the 1993 stabbing death of his estranged wife, 29-year-old Gwendolyn Samuels...

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that former FDNY firefighter Michael Pena pleaded guilty to manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter for driving while intoxicated and slamming his Merce...