May 8, 12:30 PM
Investigators arrested 10 people and recovered 70,000 counterfeit movie and music DVDs in an anti-piracy bust at six locations in Flushing and Bayside last Thursday.
“This was no small mom-and-pop operation but a highly sophisticated duplicating operation that could mass produce more than 300 copies of trademarked movies every five minutes, or over 40,000 copies every 12 hours. These counterfeit discs – which are clearly of inferior quality – could then be sold for between $5 and $10 each, well below the price of the legitimate product, which usually runs around $20,”Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Arrested were Kathy Ye, 26, of Flushing, Min Min Huang, 35, Flushing, Jian Hua Zheng, 32, of Brooklyn, Hong Y. Xiao, 32, of College Point, Meng W. Qu, 31, of College Point, Yong L. Li, 29, of Bayside and Xiao Lin Ye, 20, Xiau D. Xu, 29, Hai Hu Xu, 24, and Jian X. Qu, 31, all of Corona. The suspects are being held pending arraignment in Queens County Criminal Court, and have been charged with criminal possession of forgery device, second-degree trademark counterfeiting and first-degree failure to disclose the origins of a recording. If convicted, the defendants each face up to seven years in prison. In addition, Xiao Lin Ye, Xiao D. Xu, Hai Hu Xu, Jian X. Qu, Kathy Ye and Min Min Huang have been charged with first-degree trademark counterfeiting, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. MAN FOUND WITH FATAL GUNSHOT WOUND TO HEAD: -- May 8, 12:30 PM
Police found the body of a 66-year old man in Middle Village last Thursday.
The man, whose identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification, was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead by emergency medical workers at the scene. A .38 caliber revolver was recovered at the scene. No arrests have been made. Police are investigating the circumstances of the man’s death. HUMAN CORPSE FOUND STUFFED IN TRAVEL BAG: -- May 8, 12:29 PM
Police found human remains stuffed into a travel bag at 109-54 Park Lane South in Richmond Hill on Monday.
The officers observed the bag inside a vehicle with a human foot sticking out after responding to an emergency call at 10:23 a.m. The body was taken to the medical examiners office where they will try to identify the victim and a cause of death. Theatrical Robber Takes Center Stage -- May 8, 12:29 PM
A Sikh and a rabbi walk into a bank…
For nearly two-years the beginning of this real-life-bad joke has been playing out at banks throughout Queens and Nassau. But detectives with the New York City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Bank Robbery Task Force need your help to write a good punch line. A serial bank robber with a penchant for dress up is suspected in nine bank heists since beginning a stealing spree in May, 2006 – using various costumes and hoax weapons to frighten his victims and throw off investigators. “He’s a potentially dangerous person who disguises himself to fit into the neighborhoods,” Detective Paul G. Courtney, an investigator with the task force, said. “He dresses as the ethnicity of the area.” Described as a white male in his mid-50s, approximately six-feet tall, weighing approximately 300-pounds and sporting a full beard and mustache, the robber made his most recent attempt last Monday disguised as a turban-clad Sikh at a Chase Bank on Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill. He was unsuccessful. The robber also dressed up in what was described as a Hassidic Jew or rabbi costume during two attempts last month, escaping with $3,400 from one of the banks. He has also been known to wear sports attire during robbery attempts, including a red University of Indiana basketball jacket in one instance, Courtney said. In each of his attempts he has used what are believed to be fake weapons – devices made to appear like bombs or poison gas containers. He uses the props to frighten bank tellers while demanding cash. “Instead of passing a deposit or withdrawal slip, he passes a note and produces a hoax device – an object that replicates a bomb,” Courtney said of the robber’s past attempts. “If he’s not getting anything he bails right away.” The man is believed to use a personal vehicle during his robberies, often hitting multiple banks in short time spans, Courtney said. investigators have not yet identified a specific getaway vehicle. Despite the robber’s ridiculous methods, catching him is no joke. Investigators are urging anyone facing him to refrain from heroics, as it is unknown how he will react if threatened. “Walk to a safe area and dial 911,” Courtney said. Anyone with information on the suspect can contact the NYPD’s Crimestoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or contact the JBRTF at (212) 384-5000. Queens Mom Accused of Killing Infant Son -- May 1, 12:55 PM
An Elmhurst woman was charged with murder after her 11-week-old infant son was removed from life support at Elmhurst Hospital last Thursday.
Kiana Paez, 23, brought her severely beaten son, Pablo Paez, to the hospital on April, 3, where he was diagnosed with severe brain injuries and skeletal fractures – including broken ribs and a broken leg. Some of the injuries appeared weeks old, the doctors said. The child was unresponsive and placed on life support for three weeks before the hospital declared the child brain dead. “The decision to remove the infant from life-support came about only after thorough and repeated examinations by hospital physicians tasked with determining brain death concluded that the infant had suffered complete loss of function in the entire brain,” District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. “Accordingly, the charges against Ms. Paez will now be upgraded to include second-degree murder.” A medical examination of the infant revealed a fractured skull and head trauma, acute left subdural hematoma, acute intra-retinal hemorrhaging in the right eye, fractured ribs, contusions and lacerations to the lip, an old fractured left femur and an old right subdural hematoma, according to a DA report. Paez allegedly pressed down on the infant’s legs while changing his diaper to keep him from moving, then proceeded to throw the infant onto her bed on Feb. 22, according to statements made at the time of her arrest. When the infant began crying on April 3, she allegedly hit him in the head and left him in a car seat. She later tried to pick up the car seat from her bed, when the seat fell face down with the infant inside. The infant cried and then went silent, according to the statement. Paez will return to court on May 5. If convicted, Paez faces 25 years to life in prison. Man Shot: -- May 1, 12:54 PM
Police are investigating the death of a man found shot in Far Rockaway on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old man was found on Rockaway Beach Boulevard with multiple gunshot wounds to the body at 11p.m. after responding to an emergency call. The man was transported to Peninsula general Hospital where he later died. No arrests have been made. Bank Robbery: -- May 1, 12:53 PM
Police are looking for a man connected to an armed bank robbery in Jamaica on Sunday.
The man, believed to be in his late 30s, handed a note to a teller at the Chase Bank on Jamaica Avenue, demanding money. The man showed the teller a black handgun before receiving an unknown amount of money and fleeing. The suspect was wearing a black baseball cap, a burgundy shirt and blue jeans at the time of the robbery. He is believed to be white or hispanic and is approximately 5-feet 10-inches tall and 180-pounds. Police are asking anyone with information related to the crime to contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-8477. Man Shot In Head: -- May 1, 12:53 PM
A man was found dead in a Middle Village residence on Tuesday.
The man was found by police with a fatal bullet wound to his head at 4:50 a.m. and was pronounced dead on the scene. Police are investigating the death. Man Found Dead In Vehicle: -- May 1, 12:52 PM
A 43-year-old black man was found dead in his vehicle on Thursday in Rosedale.
The man was found on 247th Street and 143rd Avenue at 8:57 a.m. with 9mm shell casings found nearby. No arrests have been made at this time. The investigation is ongoing. Man Hit Tree And Found Shot: -- May 1, 12:51 PM
A man was found dead in his car, fatally shot, on a service road along the Vanwyck Expressway on Saturday.
Police responded to an accident report near 133rd Avenue, where they found the man’s car after striking a tree. Upon investigating the vehicle, police found bullet wounds in the man’s head and shoulder. The man was transported to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police believe the man was murdered. No arrests have been made and the case is under investigation. Jamaica Shootout: -- May 1, 12:51 PM
Two policemen from the gang unit were involved in a shootout in Jamaica on Saturday.
The policemen stopped three men in a black Toyota along 169th Street at 9:20 p.m. One of the men fled on foot, no responding to the officer’s warnings of “police don’t move.” The 21-year-old man fired a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun at the pursuing police, who then returned fire, striking the suspect. The man was transported to nearby Mary Immaculate Hospital where he was treated and listed in stable condition. Woman Killed: -- May 1, 12:50 PM
A woman was killed in Jamaica on Saturday after a fire truck struck her vehicle while racing to the scene of a fire.
The fire truck was traveling west along 111th at the time of the collision. The 27-year-old woman was transported to Mary Immaculate Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Six firefighters were also treated after the crash. The firefighters were brought to Long Island Jewish Hospital where they were listed in stable condition. Police are investigating the cause of the accident. COLD CASE SOLVED: -- April 17, 3:39 PM
District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced this week the conviction of a man connected to a killing in 1986.
He now faces a sentence of up to 25 years to life in prison. Brown announced that a 54-year-old former Queens resident has been convicted of murder in the November 1986 shooting death of his neighbor. The defendant was a fugitive until he was discovered living in California in 2006. The District Attorney identified the defendant as Victor Clemente Jr., 54, of San Francisco, California. The defendant was convicted this week of second-degree murder. Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter, who presided over the two-week jury trial, set sentencing for April 30, at which time the defendant faces up to life in prison. Brown said that, according to trial testimony, the victim, Fred Drapete, 32, lived in the basement apartment of 160-16 79th Pl., a house owned by the defendant’s mother. Drapete and Clemente were arguing about the purchase of an airplane ticket to the Philippines when Clemente shot Drapete in the arm with a defaced 9mm handgun. He then shot the victim an additional eight times in various parts of his body. Part of the shooting was witnessed by Drapete’s young daughters, who were four and five years old at the time. The case was set for trial on March 31, 1988, but the trial judge dismissed the indictment because the case was not ready due to the unavailability of the only two eyewitnesses known at that time, the defendant’s mother and sister. The case was appealed, and on May 22, 1989, the indictment was reinstated. The defendant then fled the jurisdiction but was found after he was fingerprinted in connection with a job that he had applied for in California. He was returned to Queens on Dec. 8, 2006. MAN FELL TO HIS DEATH: -- April 17, 3:39 PM
On Monday April 14, Police in the 19th Precinct responded to E. 67th Street and found a Bayside man who fell from the 23rd floor and landed on the 14th floor balcony. He was pronounced dead on arrival. The medical examiners office is determining the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.
ATTEMPTED ROBBER SOUGHT: -- April 17, 3:38 PM
The NYPD is asking for the public’s help in locating an individual wanted in connection with an attempted robbery that occurred on March 24 in the 102nd Precinct.
The suspect entered a store located at 132-06 Jamaica Ave. and displayed a black handgun and demanded money from the register. The suspect is described as a black male around 30 years old. He approximately 6’0,” between 190 and 200 pounds, and is of medium build. |
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