Archive for January 2026
Your Weekly Update - January 30, 2026
A Virginia man was convicted of murder last week in the cold case homicide of a 15-year-old killer in her Far Rockaway home in 1992. The victim was found … (continued).
BROOKLYN MAN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY FOR NEARLY FATAL ATTACK ON COUSIN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jonathan Velez was indicted on assault and reckless endangerment charges for punching his cousin after the two got into an argument on Rockaway Bou...
NEW JERSEY MAN INDICTED FOR ASSAULT STEMMING FROM 2023 HIT-AND-RUN COLLISION THAT SERIOUSLY INJURED 26-YEAR-OLD MOTORCYCLIST
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Moustafa Taher was indicted for assault, reckless driving, leaving the scene and other crimes for a motor vehicle collision that took place o...
DEFENDANT ARRAIGNED ON HATE CRIME CHARGES FOR UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON RABBI IN FOREST HILLS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Eric Zafra Grosso was arraigned on assault as a hate crime and related charges for allegedly attacking a man who was wearing a yarmulke and walking...
MASPETH MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR STABBING FELLOW BAR PATRON IN THE HEART AT WOODSIDE BUS STOP
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Olmedo Osorio was convicted of murder in the second degree for the fatal stabbing of 55-year-old Freddy Jimenez during an argument at a Woodside bu...
DA KATZ ANNOUNCES PADLOCKING OF FOUR ILLEGAL CANNABIS STOREFRONTS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the third phase of a sweeping enforcement action against illegal cannabis storefronts in the borough. Dubbed Operation Weed Whacker, the months-long...
VIRGINIA MAN CONVICTED OF 1992 COLD CASE MURDER OF FAR ROCKAWAY TEEN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jerry Lewis was convicted at trial of murder for strangling 15-year-old Nadine Slade to death in May 1992. The victim was found dead inside a bathr...
LONG ISLAND MAN CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY FOR POSING AS LAWYER AND STEALING MORE THAN $15,000
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Leonardo Ferretti was charged with grand larceny and other crimes for falsely representing himself as an attorney and charging a Corona woman more ...
Your Weekly Update - January 23, 2026
A South Carolina man was extradited and arraigned last week on charges of killing his ex-girlfriend in a calculated and cold-blooded murder in her Queens home... (continued)
NYPD OFFICER INDICTED FOR PERJURY AND OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT FOR FALSE TESTIMONY AND STATEMENTS IN GUN POSSESSION CASE
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Miguel Vanbrakle, an NYPD officer, was indicted for perjury, tampering with physical evidence, official misconduct and other crimes for allegedly l...
Your Weekly Update - January 16, 2026
We announced criminal charges this week against two defendants in the stabbing death of 17-year-old…(continued)
SOUTH CAROLINA MAN EXTRADITED; ARRAIGNED FOR EXECUTION-STYLE MURDER OF 21-YEAR-OLD EX-GIRLFRIEND
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that De’Ovryion Elijha Ray was extradited to New York and arraigned on an indictment charging him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon for th...
DEFENDANT INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOR 1998 COLD CASE STRANGULATION OF UNIDENTIFIED VICTIM
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jose Velasquez was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned today on a charge of second-degree murder in the 1998 strangulation homicide of an uniden...
KEW GARDENS MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR POSSESSING ARSENAL OF WEAPONS, INCLUDING ASSAULT WEAPONS, AND BULLETPROOF VESTS INSIDE APARTMENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Charles Foehner was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty in November to criminal possession of a weapon stemming from charge...
TWO DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR STABBING DEATH OF 17-YEAR-OLD IN WOODHAVEN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that 18-year-old Derek Trejo and a 17-year-old co-defendant have been charged with murder and weapon possession for the stabbing death of 17-year-old Jo...
GLENDALE RESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULT FOR ATTACK ON 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND OFF-DUTY POLICE SERGEANT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Feliz Enrique pleaded guilty to multiple assault charges for attacking a 9-year-old girl who was playing on a Glendale street. The defendant forcef...
Your Weekly Update - January 9, 2026
This week, my office announced an indictment charging a Rosedale man with making terroristic threats as a hate crime and related charges for threatening to kill Jewish, Israelis and law enforcement o...
DISBARRED ATTORNEY SENTENCED TO ONE TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON FOR STEALING $1 MILLION FROM ASTORIA CHURCH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Debra Hoskins was sentenced to one to three years in prison for stealing more than $1 million dollars from an Astoria church. Hoskins, now a disbar...
FAR ROCKAWAY MAN INDICTED ON CHARGES OF GANG ASSAULT AND RIOT FOR BEATING MALBA HOMEOWNER AT VIOLENT CAR MEETUP; FACES UP TO 25 YEARS IF CONVICTED
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Justin Aguilera was indicted by a grand jury on charges of gang assault, riot and other related crimes in connection with an illegal car meetup in ...
SOUTH CAROLINA MAN INDICTED FOR EXECUTION-STYLE MURDER OF 21-YEAR-OLD DASHANNA DONOVAN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that De’Ovryion Elijha Ray was indicted for murder and criminal possession of a weapon for the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Dashanna Donovan in Elmhurs...
MOTHER INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOR KILLING 15-MONTH-OLD SON
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Nicole Boodhai has been indicted on murder in the second degree for intentionally causing the death of her 15-month-old son, Charlie Ramraykha. The...
QUEENS MAN ARRAIGNED ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES FOR TYING DOGS BEHIND CAR AND DRAGGING THEM
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dan Bujor was charged with animal cruelty for tying two dogs behind his car in Long Island City and then driving through the neighborhood. Video ca...
ROSEDALE MAN INDICTED FOR MAKING TERRORISTIC THREATS AS A HATE CRIME; DEFENDANT THREATENED TO KILL ‘JEWS,’ ‘ISRAELIS,’ ‘NYPD,’ AND ‘FEDS’
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Nathan White was arraigned on grand jury indictment charges of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime and related crimes for posting threateni...
Your Weekly Update – January 2, 2026
As I begin my seventh year as your District Attorney, it is important to reflect on the measurable results we have achieved in service of public safety, accountability and justice. In 2025…(continued)...