Press Releases for 2008

Previous Years Press Releases Cases of Note Selected Pending Court Cases

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Number & Date Brief details for cases in December Click below for Press Release
64. 12/31/2008 SHARELL BUTLER (INDICTED: on one count of Murder in the 2nd degree and one count of Manslaughter in the 1st degree in the shooting death of Christopher Umpierre and the same charges in the stabbing death of John Hopkins-Drago. The incidents occurred on December 19, 2008 and December 21, 2008, respectively.) Press Release
63. 12/22/2008 LILLO BRANCATO (CONV: on one count of Attempted Burglary in the 1st degree in an attempted break-in at the home of an acquaintance on Arnow Place in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. The incident occurred in December of 2005.) Press Release
62. 12/18/2008 MARVIN BYER (SENT: to a maximum term of up to life imprisonment for the stabbing death of a 53- year-old woman on March 5, 2005.) Press Release
61. 12/16/2008 CHRISTIAN YANCEY (CONV: on one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd degree. Young was found guilty of selling crack cocaine to an undercover narcotics detective in front of 198 East 161st Street, where the Office of the Bronx District Attorney is located.) Press Release
60. 12/12/2008 ROBERT COAKLEY (CONV: on one count of Murder in the 2nd degree. Coakley was found guilty in the death of Marilyn Ginel in March 2006.) Press Release
59. 12/11/2008 RAMUNXTO BOSCH (ARRESTED: on charges that he engineered the theft of more than $41,000 from the State by allegedly filing fraudulent tax returns sixteen times for six clients over a four year period beginning in January 2005 through November 2008.) Press Release
58. 12/05/2008 JOSE CORRASCO (CONV: on one count each of Murder in the 2nd degree and Robbery in the 1st degree. Currasco was found guilty in the stabbing death of a 52 year-old man during a home invasion robbery in January 2005.) Press Release
Number & Date Brief details for cases in November Click below for Press Release
57. 11/28/2008 WORLD AIDS DAY (observed at the Bronx County Hall of Justice with public display of the visually stunning ‘aids memorial quilt’.) Press Release
56. 11/26/2008 RAYLESHIA CAGE and BURNESTHA WILDER (P.G.: to one count of Attempted Grand Larceny in the 2nd degree for stealing the assets of an elderly stroke victim during her hospitalization and recovery.) Press Release
55. 11/25/2008 MALISHA BLYDEN and LATISHA JOHNSON (SENT: to 40 years imprisonment for their roles in the brutal armed robbery and attempted murder of a 41-year-old street vendor.) Press Release
54. 11/13/2008 STEVEN ARMENTO (SENT: to a term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Armento was found guilty in the shooting death of off duty New York City Police Officer Daniel Enchautegui. The incident occurred in December of 2005.) Press Release

Number & Date Brief details for cases in October Click below for Press Release
53. 10/31/2008 STEVEN ARMENTO (CONV: on one count of Murder in the 1st degree. Armento was found guilty in the shooting death of off duty New York City Police Officer Daniel Enchautegui. The incident occurred in December of 2005.) Press Release
52. 10/27/2008 MICHELLE ANGLIN and KOLLEN ROBINSON (INDICTED: on two counts of Assault in the 2nd degree and two counts of Official Misconduct. Anglin and Robinson, two New York City Police Officers, are charged with allegedly assaulting a motorist and another man who came to his aid during a traffic dispute. The incident occurred on August 15, 2008.) Press Release
51. 10/23/2008 ROY GRAY (SENT: to 25 years to life imprisonment on one count of murder in the second degree. Gray was convicted for his role in the shooting death of 19-year-old Levi Bernard. The incident occurred on November 16, 2004.) Press Release
50. 10/20/2008 BETSAIDA MELENDEZ-GARCIA (P.G. to one count of Custodial Interference in the 1st degree in the abduction of the twelve-year-old daughter of a neighbor in March 1998.) Press Release
49. 10/02/2008 REGINA PALAZZO and MORRIS PARK PAVILLION INCORPORATED (P.G. to one misdemeanor count of filing a false personal income tax return and two felony counts of filing false business reports and tax documents. Palazzo and Morris Park Pavillion, Inc. were convicted of evading over $150,000 in corporate, sales and personal income taxes owed to New York State and New York City.) Press Release
48. 10/01/2008 FRANCISCO MARTINEZ (CONV: on one count of Assault in the 1st degree. Martinez was found guilty by an eleven- member jury of assaulting a man with a baseball bat during a dispute at a car wash on March 26, 2005.) Press Release

Number & Date Brief details for cases in September Click below for Press Release
47. 09/25/2008 ROBERT FEDERICO (P.G. to one count of Grand larceny in the 3rd degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the 1st degree. Federico, owner of a defunct car dealership, is charged with stealing half a million dollars from more than four dozen customers.) Press Release
46. 09/24/2008 DAVID BROWN (P.G. to one count of Criminal Solicitation in the 2nd degree, a Class D felony offense. Brown tried to hire a ‘hit man’ to assassinate New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and blow up NYPD Headquarters at 1 Police Plaza.) Press Release
45. 09/18/2008 RAFIN VELLON (P.G. to two counts of Murder in the 1st degree in the deaths of Gloria Valdez and Carl Valdez, and one count of Murder in the 2nd degree in the death of Polonio Peralta.) Press Release
44. 09/11/2008 JOSE JIMENEZ (CONV: on one count of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd degree and one count of Harassment in the 2nd degree. Jimenez was found guilty of sexually abusing a client.) Press Release
43. 09/10/2008 KING OF CASTLE ORGANIZATION (ARRESTED and INDICTED: on charges ranging from conspiracy to sell narcotics to murder and other offenses.) Press Release

 

Number & Date Brief details for cases in August Click below for Press Release
42. 09/08/2008 DISTRICT ATTORNEY ROBERT T. JOHNSON announced the hiring of 55 New Assistant District Attorneys. Press Release
41. 08/18/2008 ANGEL PEREZ, ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ, HIRAM MORALES, MICHAEL RIVERA (ARRESTED: and charged with various car theft related offenses including grand larceny, petit larceny, criminal mischief, auto stripping, possession of burglar’s tools, and criminal possession of stolen property. The men broke into a Bronx DA Office owned vehicle used by the Auto Crime Team as a “bait car”. Press Release

Number & Date Brief details for cases in July Click below for Press Release
40. 07/29/2008 FRANK SIMMONS (P.G.: to one count of Attempted Robbery in the 1st degree. Simmons, a mandatory persistent felony offender, robbed a 17-year-old high school student who was on his way to school.) Press Release
39. 07/24/2008 APOLINAR ROQUE (SENT: to concurrent maximum terms of 25 years imprisonment on two counts of Manslaughter in the 1st degree. Roque pled guilty to his role in the shooting deaths of a war veteran and his best friend in November 2003.) Press Release
38. 07/21/2008 JAMARR FOWLER (CONV: on one count of Rape in the 2nd degree. Fowler was found guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl in the back of a building in July of 2006.) Press Release
37. 07/10/2008 JOBA COTTOREAL, ARELIS PERALTA, DAMARIS PERALTA (INDICTED: on multiple counts of Bribe Receiving in the 3rd degree and Falsifying Business Records in the 1st degree. Cottoreal and the Peralta’s are charged with accepting bribes from people seeking section 8 housing applications.) Press Release
36. 07/08/2008 RICHARD GOTTFRIED (INDICTED: on one count of Grand Larceny in the 2nd degree; 42 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st degree and 42 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the 1st degree. Gottfried is charged with billing the City and collecting more than $50,000 for work that he never performed.) Press Release
35. 07/01/2008 GEORGE MELENDEZ, LAWRENCE PEREZ, VIRGILIO SAMO (CONV: on one count of Murder in the 1st degree (Melendez) and Murder in the 2nd degree (Perez and Samo). The three Latin King gang members were found guilty of torturing and killing a Bronx man before dumping his body in a parking lot at Yankee Stadium in June 2005.) Press Release

Number & Date Brief details for cases in June Click below for Press Release
34. 06/30/2008 FREDDY RODRIGUEZ (SENT: to a maximum term of 5 to 15 years imprisonment for Manslaughter in the 2nd degree in the death of 3-year-old Saquann Williams. The incident occurred on August 1, 2005.) Press Release
33. 06/13/2008 NICHOLAS ZITO (CONV: on a misdemeanor charge of Attempted Official Misconduct in connection with an assault on an inmate at a City jail facility on Rikers Island.) Press Release
32. 06/13/2008 WILLIAM WALSH (P.G.: to one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2nd degree. Walsh wrongfully collected over two thousand dollars in paid leave from his job on Rikers Island.) Press Release
31. 06/03/2008 BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY ROBERT T. JOHNSON announced today that 17 law school and college students will begin an eight-week summer internship program. Press Release
30. 06/02/2008 FREDDY RODRIGUEZ (CONV: on one count of Manslaughter in the 2nd degree, one count of Vehicular Manslaughter, two counts of Assault in the 2nd degree, two counts of Vehicular Assault in the 2nd degree and two counts of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol. Rodriguez was found guilty in the death of a three- year-old boy whom he struck and killed while driving.) Press Release

Number & Date Brief details for cases in May Click below for Press Release
29. 05/29/2008 NICHOLAS MORRIS (P.G.: to one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd degree. Morris was convicted on a gun possession charge in connection with a shooting that claimed the life of a two-year-old boy on Easter Sunday 2006.) Press Release
28. 05/29/2008
JOSEPH HARMON (P.G./SENT: to one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st degree. Harmon admitted to writing numerous summonses returnable in Criminal Court that were based upon fabricated events and information.)
 Press Release
27. 05/28/2008
ALEXANDER FONTANEZ, EDWIN RIVERA, JONATHAN AYALA, NELSON RODRIGUEZ (SENT: to prison terms in the beating of off duty police officer Eric Hernandez at a White Castle Restaurant.)
26. 05/20/2008 RONALD PILGRAM (SENT: to a term of 22 years to life imprisonment on a single count of Murder in the 2nd degree. Pilgram was found guilty of the stabbing death of Denise Collins). Press Release
25. 05/16/2008 MICHAEL WILLIAMS (INDICTED: on one count of Attempted Murder in the 2nd degree, Attempted Assault in the 1st degree, Assault in the 2nd degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd and 4th degrees. Williams is charged with shooting off duty New York City Police Officer Antwane Reeves. Press Release
24. 05/13/2008 GLENN WILSON (CONV: of Murder in the 1st degree, Robbery in the 1st degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. Wilson was found guilty of the shooting death of Jovanni Vivienes.) Press Release
23. 05/06/2008 EMMANUEL TAVERAS (SENT: to a maximum term of up to 18 years in prison for sexual offenses committed against a 12-year-old boy in Van Cortlandt Park in 1998. The incident occurred on April 23, 1998.) Press Release
22. 05/06/2008 STEVEN MCCRAY (ARRESTED: and charged with one count of Forgery in the 1st degree, one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 1st degree, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree. McCray is charged with being involved in a “mom and pop” style counterfeit currency operation which he allegedly ran in his apartment.) Press Release
21. 05/05/2008 ALEXANDER FONTANEZ, EDWIN RIVERA, JONATHAN AYALA, NELSON RODRIGUEZ, VICTOR MERCADO (P.G.: to assaulting an off duty New York City Police Officer, Eric Hernandez, at a White Castle Restaurant. The incident occurred on January 28, 2006.) Press Release
20. 05/01/2008 CESAR RODRIGUEZ (SENT: to 1 to 3 years imprisonment on a single count of Promoting Prison Contraband in the 1st degree. Rodriguez pled guilty to possession of “dangerous contraband,” a sharp jagged piece of metal that was hidden in his cell at the Robert N. Davoren Complex, a detention facility at the City jail on Rikers Island.) Press Release

Number & Date Brief details for cases in April Click below for Press Release
19. 04/29/2008 FRANK SANTORO (SENT: to 6 years in prison for Manslaughter in the 1st degree and 3 ½ years imprisonment for a gun charge. Santoro pled guilty to the shooting death of Thomas Pennini in July of 2002.)
18. 04/24/2008 DANIEL MARIN, TAMAR PEEBLES, DANIEL BETHEL, JOSEPH CONSTANTINO, ANDRE PLASKETT, ANTHONY NARCISSE and WILLIAM DELGADO - SEVEN CORRECTIONS OFFICERS (INDICTED: on accepting bribes to smuggle drugs, cigarettes and cash to inmates being held at various Department of Correction facilities on Rikers Island.)
17. 04/18/2008 CARLOS CRUZ and DEVON MILLER (INDICTED: on one count of Murder in the 1st degree, one count of Murder in the 2nd degree, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree. Cruz and Miller are charged with acting in concert in the murder of Chelsea Frazier.)
16. 04/08/2008 LUIS SANTOS (P.G.: to one count of Auto Stripping in the 3rd degree, a Class A misdemeanor offense. Santos picked the wrong car to break into, a Bronx DA Office owned vehicle that Mr. Johnson’s Auto Crime Team uses as a “bait car”.)
15. 04/04/2008 LUIS PAULINO (INDICTED: on one count of Murder in the 2nd degree, one count of Manslaughter in the 1st degree, one count of Attempted Murder in the 2nd degree, one count of Assault in the 1st degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 2nd degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree. Paulino is facing a maximum sentence of 25 years to life imprisonment if convicted for murder and other offenses in the shootings of two patrons at a sports bar in the Norwood section of the Bronx.)
14. 04/01/2008 FELIPE ARROYO (SENT: to 25 years to life imprisonment on one count of Murder in the 2nd degree. Arroyo was found guilty of the bludgeoning death of his live-in girlfriend, Lucy Alvarado.)

Number & Date Brief details for cases in March Click below for Press Release
13. 03/20/2008
DOUGLAS BOATENG (CONV: of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals and two misdemeanor counts of torturing animals and criminal possession of stolen property. Boateng was found guilty of the beating death of a house cat in June 2005.)
12. 03/04/2008
FELIPE ARROYO (CONV: of Murder in the 2nd degree. Arroyo is charged with the bludgeoning death of his live-in girlfriend, Lucy Alvarado.)
11. 03/04/2008
LUIS SANTOS (ARRESTED: and charged with two counts of Petit Larceny, seven counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, one count of Auto Stripping in the 3rd degree, one count of Criminal Mischief in the 4th degree, and Possession of Burglar’s Tools. Santos allegedly broke into a vehicle owned by the Bronx DA’s Auto Crime Team.)
10. 03/03/2008
JOSE VARGAS (INDICTED: three counts of Perjury in the 1st degree. Vargas is charged with perjury for allegedly lying to city investigators looking into the circumstances of a fatal fire at a discount store, which killed two New York City firefighters in August 2006.)

Number & Date Brief details for cases in February Click below for Press Release
9. 02/26/2008
LLOYD NICHOLSON (INDICTED: on one count of Gang Assault in the 2nd degree, three counts of Assault in the 2nd degree, three counts of Assault in the 3rd degree, and four counts of Official Misconduct. Nicholson is charged with gang assault and other offenses in connection with a scheme to use inmates to enforce discipline at the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island.)
8. 02/22/2008
MIGUEL MATIAS (INDICTED: on count of Murder in the 2nd degree and one count of Manslaughter in the 1st degree. Matias is charged with the murder of is 14-year-old daughter, Ana Matias.)
7. 02/01/2008
PEDRO GARCIA (P.G.: to one count of Attempted Kidnaping in the 2nd degree in the abduction of the twelve-year-old daughter of a tenant in March 1998.)

Number & Date Brief details for cases in January Click below for Press Release
6. 01/31/2008
DETECTIVE INVESTIGATORS (found a decomposed body in the trunk of a stolen car in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx. The body was discovered during a routine auto crime patrol.)
5. 01/29/2008
JOHN ARCERI (INDICTED: on one count of Grand Larceny in the 2nd degree, ten counts of Grand Larceny in the 3rd degree, three counts of grand Larceny in the 4th degree, two counts of Scheme to Defraud in the 1st degree and one count of Petit Larceny. Arceri allegedly failed to either make repairs or begin home improvement jobs for clients who made down payments totaling more than $142,000.)
4. 01/24/2008
LUIS FERNANDEZ (INDICTED: on two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 1st degree, four counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd degree, and two counts of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd degree. Fernandez is charged with selling illegal drugs while making legitimate deliveries for the hardware store that employed him.)
3. 01/22/2008
KEKE CUFFEE (SENT: to 20 days imprisonment and 5 years probation on one count of Assault in the 2nd degree. Cuffee was found gulity of assaulting NYPD Sergeant Kristen McKee.)

 

2. 01/10/2008

 
NOWRANG JOSHUA (SENT: to a maximum term of up to life imprisonment for the strangulation death of his wife. Nowrang was found guilty of Murder in the 2nd degree last month after a jury deliberated for a little more than one hour before finding that he had “intentionally caused the death” of Rawayti “Anitia” Haimraj, the 35-year-old mother of his two children.)
1. 01/04/2008
DISTRICT ATTORNEY ROBERT T. JOHNSON announced the hiring of 12 New Assistant District Attorneys.

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