October 2, 4:16 PM
A Queens man who discharged untreated sewage into Jamaica Bay was convicted on Wednesday.
John Schmitt, 56, was convicted of two class E felonies, a misdemeanor, and two violations for environmental crimes. He was also convicted of a misdemeanor for the criminal possession of a weapon. Schmitt, who owned and operated Schmitt’s Marina on the shores of Jamaica Bay and resided in the same building, flushed sewage from his sinks and toilets directly into Jamaica Bay. Schmitt also owned and operated a telephone answering service at a second building nearby, where the toilet was connected to a pipe that discharged onto the ground and into the groundwater, prosecutors said. Jamaica Bay is an environmentally protected area that provides a habitat for a variety of birds, fish, and other wildlife, in addition to providing protection from storm surges and flooding. Schmitt faces up to four years imprisonment and up to $200,000 in fines when he is sentenced on Oct. 28. QUEENS MAN SENTENCED IN RAPE, MURDER PLOT -- October 2, 4:15 PM
A Flushing man who pleaded guilty to raping and planning to murder his former girlfriend was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday.
Angel Lopez, 31, pleaded guilty in July to first-degree rape and second-degree conspiracy. “The defendant has been convicted of sexually assaulting his former girlfriend in her own home and thereafter brazenly trying to have her murdered while he was in custody on Rikers Island. Fortunately, as the result of superb investigative work, his violent plot was thwarted. The significant prison term imposed today will ensure that the defendant is held accountable for his senseless and brutal acts,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Lopez broke into the 26-year-old victim’s Floral Park, residence on Nov. 2, 2005 – less than a month after being dumped. He handcuffed and sexually assaulted her while she pleaded with him to stop, prosecutors said. Lopez then dragged her to the bathroom, filled the tub with water and threatened to drown her before putting a knife to her throat and forcibly raping her. He was also charged with stealing $700 in cash from the victim. Lopez was arrested shortly after the incident and was remanded without bail, prosecutors said. Another inmate later informed prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Special Victim’s Bureau that Lopez wanted to have his former girlfriend killed in order to prevent her from testifying against him while he was in custody at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. An undercover police investigator posing as an inmate’s cousin willing to carry out the contract murder later met with Lopez on Rikers Island as part of a sting operation. Lopez met with the undercover police officer – who was posing as a “hit-man”– at Rikers Island, provided him with a written description of the victim’s home, and arranged for $1,000 to be paid for shooting to death his former girlfriend, prosecutors said. Lopez made numerous phone calls to the undercover officer seeking information regarding the status of the purported efforts to kill the victim between Feb. 9 and March 16, 2006. Lopez was sentenced to twenty years in prison on the rape plea and a concurrent term of seven to fourteen years on his conspiracy plea. FIVE INDICTED IN FIREARMS SALE -- October 2, 4:14 PM
Five men were indicted on Wednesday for selling more than three dozen weapons – including an assault rifle, sawed-off shotguns and semi-automatic pistols with silencers – to undercover police officers.
Thomas Suarez, 26, of Brooklyn and Staten Island; Ali Kabeer, 25, of Queens; Ali Hassan 42, of Queens; and brothers Scott Kwaak, 21, and Clinton Kwaak, 24, both of Brooklyn were variously charged in a 63-count indictment including first-, second- and third-degree criminal sale of a firearm, the manufacture, transport, disposition and defacement of weapons and fifth-degree conspiracy. “The defendants are accused of attempting to seed the streets of New York with dozens of illegal weapons that would have posed a serious public safety threat if their plan had been carried out,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. The indictment charges that the defendants – either individually or jointly – sold a total of 38 weapons – many of which were defaced by having their serial numbers removed – to undercover officers at various locations in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan between July 2, 2007 and Aug. 21, 2008. Dubbed Operation Tommy Gun, detectives assigned to the NYPD’s Firearms Investigation Unit picked up street information on illegal gun merchants in July 2007. Together with the District Attorney’s Narcotics Investigations Bureau they set up a “sting” operation that included a series of telephone conversations followed by face-to-face street transactions, prosecutors said. “So far this year, New York City Police officers have taken over 3,000 guns off of city streets. They include the 38 guns recovered in this case, and all had the potential to inflict death and untold misery. The fact that they are out of criminal hands is one of the reasons why New York City remains the safest big city in the country,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said. Other weapons allegedly sold included handguns of various calibers and 12 gauge sawed-off shotguns. If convicted, Suarez and Scott Kwaak each face up to 25 years in prison; Kabeer faces up to 15 years in prison; and Hassan and Clinton Kwaak each face up to seven years in prison. MAN CONVICTED IN 2004 MURDER -- September 18, 12:40 PM
A Jamaica man was found guilty of fatally shooting a Queens Village man inside his residence during a robbery attempt in August 2003.
Troy Lockley, 34, was arrested after DNA collected from a cigarette butt found in the victim’s apartment matched his DNA profile. “The defendant thought he could get away with murder but his own DNA proved his undoing. He has now been held accountable for cold-bloodily shooting a Queens man inside his own home. His actions warrant imposition of a maximum prison sentence to punish him and protect society,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Lockley was convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted robbery and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Lockley and an acquaintance, Andy Dabydeen, 23, approached the residence of Fabian Ceballos, 28, and asked his girlfriend who was standing outside for directions before displaying a gun, prosecutors said. Lockley then ran to the doorway where Ceballos was standing and, grabbing him at gunpoint, demanded money. He then shot Ceballos once in the chest, fatally wounding him. Lockley and Dabydeen then entered the victim’s apartment to search for money before fleeing. Lockley was arrested in March 2005 when his DNA profile was matched to DNA found on a cigarette he smoked on the night of the murder and recovered from under the victim’s couch, prosecutors said. Dabydeen was arrested in October 2003 and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in September 2005. Lockley faces 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 7. HOMICIDE -- September 18, 12:39 PM
A man was shot and killed in Jamaica on Saturday.
Police responded to an emergency call on 116th Drive where they found the 28-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. The man was rushed to Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. HOMICIDE -- September 18, 12:38 PM
A man was killed in Jamaica on Thursday.
The 27-year-old man arrived at Jamaica Hospital with a gun shot wound to the torso, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police said the shooting occurred on 111th Road at 4:15 a.m. HOMELESS MAN CHARGED IN LIC SLAYING -- September 11, 4:50 PM
A homeless man was arrested and charged in the beating death of a man described as a “good Samaritan” last Friday.
Eric Cherry, 43, who lives at the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence, allegedly punched 67-year-old Nicholas Nowillo multiple times, grabbed him and threw him to the ground and proceeded to kick and punch him until he finally succumbed to the injuries, prosecutors said. Nowillo was assisting a neighbor in distress when he was attacked. “The defendant is accused of taking the life of a man who was coming to the aid of a neighbor. His family must now face the difficult task of adjusting to a life empty of the presence of a husband, father and grandfather,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. If convicted, Cherry faces up to 25 years in prison. BOOKKEEPER CHARGED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT -- September 11, 4:49 PM
A Richmond Hill electrical equipment firm employee was charged on Friday with stealing as much as $500,000 from her company.
“The defendant is accused of using her position to unjustly enrich herself by siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company. Her alleged conduct represents a betrayal of the confidence that her employer had in her.” Carol Harte, 49, of Howard Beach was arraigned on charges of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records. Harte was employed as a bookkeeper for Primary Electrical Equipment from 1992 to 2008. She was given the weekly responsibility for preparing the company’s payroll worksheets, which detailed the company’s contributions to its employees’ 401K savings plans. She was fired earlier this year when an internal audit of the company’s financial records revealed the theft. Harte allegedly stole a total of $204,351 from the company by overstating its weekly contributions to her 401K plan on 100 different occasions between January 2005 and November 2007, prosecutors said. She allegedly inflated the contributions to reflect amounts ranging from $500 to nearly $3,000 per week instead of the normal $6 to $12 amounts. She also allegedly issued five company checks, totaling $5,863, to New York State Higher Education Services Corp to pay her son’s student loans. Harte allegedly admitted to the 401K overpayments and that the total amount she had stolen from the company was approximately $500,000, prosecutors said. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison. BURGLAR BUSTED AT AIRPORT -- September 11, 4:47 PM
An Arizona man was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport after he was found with more than $150,000 in stolen items, including jewelry and credit cards.
Stevie W. Rogers, 32, allegedly stole the items from the home of a Tucson, Az. veterinarian, but was stopped by airport security here on Saturday for possession of brass-knuckles. A subsequent search by security officials uncovered the stolen goods. “In ensuring the safety of the traveling public by keeping dangerous items off of aircraft, Transportation Security Administration screening agents and Port Authority detectives were able to recover precious family heirlooms for an Arizona family whose home had been burglarized. In addition to the charges the defendant faces here in New York, we are working with prosecutors in Arizona to gather the evidence necessary to extradite the defendant to that state,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Detectives recovered credit cards belonging to Linda and Michael Robinson, of Tucson after Rogers was stopped by security. Also recovered were a jewelry box containing collector coins, items of jewelry, an aircraft radio and a Sony Playstation – all reported stolen by the Robinsons, prosecutors said. Rogers is charged with third-, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, he faces up to 7 years in prison. CARJACKING -- September 11, 4:46 PM
Police are investigating the death of a 56-year-old cab driver in Ozone Park on Tuesday in what prosecutors said may have been a botched carjacking.
Prosecutors said the man clung to his 2003 Lincoln after being pushed out by an unidentified woman and was dragged until he fell and was allegedly struck and killed by another vehicle on 76th Street at around 5 p.m. The Lincoln was recovered shortly after on 87th Street. Both drivers involved in the incident fled the scene, police said. The victim was brought to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. WOMAN BRUTALLY BEATEN BY HOMELESS MAN -- September 11, 4:45 PM
A 59-year-old woman was brutally beaten and killed by a homeless man in Woodside on Saturday, police said.
Police arrested Michael Bohan, 45, on Sunday after an investigation into the woman’s death. The woman, who was allegedly struck in the face multiple times, was found at 10:30 p.m. on Laurel Hill Boulevard and 64th Street, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Bohan was charged with murder. Student Sentenced In Corona Electrician Murder: -- September 4, 3:47 PM
A 20-year-old Corona man was sentenced today to 18 years to life in prison for the murder of an electrician during an attempted robbery. The victim was shot multiple times and fatally wounded during the 2004 attack outside of his LeFrak City residence.
District Attorney Richard Brown identified the defendant as John Richardson, 20, of Corona. He was a 16-year-old freshman at John Bowne High School in Flushing, at the time of his arrest. Richardson was convicted in January of second-degree murder and first-degree attempted robbery following a jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael B. Aloise. He was sentenced today to 18 years to life in prison. According to the trial testimony, Andrey Kovalenko, 36, who was employed as an electrician, at 4 a.m. on Nov. 14 was outside of his LeFrak City residence, when he was confronted by the defendant and three others and shot seven times in the head after the perpetrators tried to rob him. Two other defendants, Jordan Smith, the gunman, and Joshua Ryles, have been convicted and sentenced to 21 years to life and 22 years, respectively. The victim was survived by a wife and young son. NYPD Detective Charged With Queens Bank Hold Up: -- September 4, 3:46 PM
A retired New York City Police detective has been charged with the robbery of a St. Albans bank last month.
Athelson Kelson, 59, of Queens, is being held pending arraignment later today in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging him with third-degree robbery. According to the charges, Kelson approached a teller July 10 at the Chase Bank branch located at on Linden Boulevard and handed her a note, which read, in sum and substance: “Do not press the alarm, give me all the large bills in your drawer, I have a gun, I do not want to hurt anyone, no dye, no bait money, you have 10 seconds.” The defendant then allegedly repeated, “Do not press the alarm.” It is alleged that the teller gave the defendant $600 in cash and that the defendant then fled on foot. The note was recovered from the teller. Landlord Charged With Stealing Tenant’s Identity And Running Up Bills: -- September 4, 3:45 PM
An Astoria landlord has been charged with stealing the identity of one of his tenants in order to obtain a $32,000 car loan and to open a credit card account that incurred more than $20,000 in debts, including bills for his telephone and EZ Pass.
Phivos C. Ioannou, 47, Astoria was arraigned Aug. 27 before Queens Criminal Court Judge William M. Harrington on a complaint charging him with one count of second-degree grand larceny and three counts of first-degree identity theft. Ioannou, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, was released without bail and ordered to return to court on Sept. 30. An investigation was commenced by detectives from the New York City Police Department’s 114th Precinct Detective Squad following a complaint from the victim, Jorgji Glekas, 48, after she received bills in the mail that did not correspond to any accounts that she was aware of having opened. Glekas also told police that Ioannou, her landlord, subsequently began asking her if she had received any mail that did not belong to her. According to the complaint, Ioannou is accused of taking a $32,450 loan from Capitol One Auto Finance last year. A Bank of America Visa credit card account was opened last May in the name of Jorgji Glekas. Records indicate that $20,310 in charges were made on the account, including more than $4,000 at Queenie Boutique in Astoria. Ioannou, according to the complaint, admitted he is the owner of the boutique. Couple Shot Dead: -- September 4, 3:44 PM
A Queens couple was found shot after their son found them inside their Woodhaven apartment.
Police arrived at 11:03 p.m. after receiving an emergency call from the son finding both Salvatore, 65, and Evelyn, 62, Rovino dead from gun shot wound to the head. A .38 caliber revolver was recovered at the scene. |
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