Crime and Law

An Op-Ed by Brooklyn District Attorney Candidate Abe George: Stop Arresting New Yorkers for Carrying Condoms

Carrying a condom in New York could lead to your arrest. Why? Because it is legal for law enforcement to cite condom possession as evidence that a person engaged in prostitution. Targeting condoms, however, is an ineffective deterrent to prostitution and threatens public health. The practice also co ... More >>

New Numbers on Domestic Violence-Related Murders in New York

At the end of last year, city officials announced that New York saw the lowest number of murder victims in 2012 in over 50 years. A new report by the NYPD provides the data behind those rates and a visual analysis of the 419 victims, as well as the 290 suspects identified in their murders. Among the ... More >>

Who is Stockpiling and Sharing Private Information About New York Students?

Most New York City public school parents don't know that their child's personal information will be available to third-party companies through a new data-sharing initiative.   Parents and advocates opposed to the new initiative believe it will put sensitive student information at risk and allow com ... More >>

Bloomberg's Sneaky Fix For All Those Stop-and-Frisk Lawsuits

Why the Police in Michael Premo's Occupy Wall Street Trial Are Unlikely To Face Perjury Charges

Many of the readers who commented on last week's story about Michael Premo, the Occupy Wall Street protester who beat his criminal charges last week thanks to video evidence, wanted to know: Would the police officer whose testimony was contradicted by the video face any consequences? Would he be cha ... More >>

Even A Blizzard Didn't Stop A Ton Of Violence From Happening This Weekend

Nemo was able to shut down power, the Long Island Expressway and most of the news over the weekend. But, somehow, it apparently couldn't prevent the unfortunate plague of crime in New York City. The first shooting victim came Friday night during the apex of the snowstorm. At a baby shower up on Eas ... More >>

9 People Were Non-Fatally Shot While You Were Stumbling Home On New Year's

As we know, New Year's Eve brings out the worst in people. An hyped-up party atmosphere mixed with thousands of people mixed with alcohol will produce that blowback; on my walk from the Flatiron District to the East Village at around 2am, I witnessed two huge fights, five ambulances and a streaker p ... More >>

Brooklyn Deserves a New D.A.

Why the 23-year reign of Charles Hynes must end

Settlment Reached in Poly Prep Sex Abuse Scandal

Prestigious Brooklyn private school Poly Prep has reached a settlement with plaintiffs from a 2009 lawsuit that alleges decades of sexual abuse by former football coach Phil Foglietta, according to the Daily News. The News has closely followed the lawsuit--which highlights a situation eerily simil ... More >>

Gun Show Located Near Newtown Still a Go, Because Of Course

It's now been four days since the Adam Lanza's killing spree in Newtown, Connecticut, where he killed 27 people, including 20 small children, before committing suicide when he heard first responders to the scene. For the first time ever, it seems, we're talking seriously looking at gun control, and ... More >>

NYCLU Files Lawsuit Against State Over DOC's Solitary Confinement Policies

The New York Civil Liberties Union yesterday filed a lawsuit in federal court charging New York State prison officials with overseeing policies that lead to the "arbitrary and unjustified use" of solitary confinement for prison inmates.The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Leroy Peoples, spent more than two ... More >>

"Krills," "Yams," and "Grizz": Decoding NYC Gangsters' Facebook Faux-Pas

In October, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly publicly announced that he was doubling the size of the Department's Anti-Gang Unit and would be stepping up efforts to bust gangsters using social media websites like Facebook and Twitter -- where gangsters have recently taken their turf wars.New York City's ... More >>

Cops Go To Question Westchester Women-Slasher About Cold Case Murders; Find Woman's Body

What are the odds that when detectives go to question a parolee about two cold case murders they find another body in his house? In the case of Westchester killer Lucius Crawford -- who's already served prison time for stabbing six women -- the odds were apparently pretty good, because that's exactl ... More >>

'Killer' Nanny Yoselyn Ortega Hit With First-Degree Murder Charges

The Upper West Side nanny accused of brutally stabbing two children in her care has been formally indicted on first-degree murder charges -- a charge reserved for the state's most heinous criminals, including those who murder cops and judges.In addition to the two first-degree murder charges, 50-yea ... More >>

Former NYPD Officer Nicholas Mina Headed To The Hoosegow For Selling Guns To Drug Dealers

A former NYPD officer who pleaded guilty last month to charges that he stole several NYPD-issued firearms from fellow officers and sold them to a Queens drug kingpin was in court today, where he was sentenced to 15-and-a-half years in prison.Additionally, former Officer Nicholas Mina -- who claims h ... More >>

The Costliest Battle in the High-Tech World

On the front lines of the new Cold War

Robbing the Same Bank Over and Over Whenever You Need Cash Is a Thing, Apparently

On Monday, we wrote an article about a Brooklyn bandit who has robbed the same Crown Heights Apple Bank three times in the past year and a half. We, for the record, were flabbergasted by the amount of chutzpah the guy had for returning to the scene of the crime where he ostensibly could have (should ... More >>

Hudson River Park Rapist Opts For The Old Four Lokos And Weed Defense

A convicted sex offender accused of violently raping a woman at Hudson River Park last month told police that he doesn't know if he raped the woman because he'd consumed five Four Lokos before the attack -- but that was only after drinking vodka, and smoking weed and K-2, a brand of synthetic mariju ... More >>

Another School Bus Driver Charged With DWI (Sigh)

For the third time this month, a New York school bus driver is accused of driving a bus drunk.The latest allegedly tipsy driver is 47-year-old James Sommer, of Massapequa. At the time of his alleged DWI, Sommer was transporting 29 seventh graders on a field trip to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ... More >>

Nassau Police Officer Shot and Killed During Queens Traffic Stop; Second Homicide Also Linked to Suspect

A traffic stop in Queens led earlier today to the shooting deaths of a Nassau County Police Officer and a bystander. Authorities locked down eight public schools in a search for the suspect, which was still ongoing by late afternoon. The shooting took place on an entrance ramp onto the Cross Islan ... More >>

Former NYPD Officer Nicholas Mina Cops Plea; Admits To Stealing NYPD Guns And Selling Them To Drug Dealers

A former NYPD officer admitted in court today that he stole several NYPD-issued firearms from fellow officers and sold them to a Queens drug kingpin over a six-month period earlier this year.The plea deal accepted by former officer Nicholas Mina, 32, includes a 15-year-prison sentence when he's sent ... More >>

Duo Pulls off Robbery Almost Exactly the Way It's Done in the Movies, Then Decides to Run out with the Safe

NYPD say that yesterday, two robbers robbed a physician's office, because as everyone who has watched a good heist film knows, one guy isn't enough, and more than guarantees that someone's going to snitch. The robbery took place in the 43rd Precinct of the Bronx on 2029 Westchester Avenue (Manhatta ... More >>

New York Has A Drunk Bus Driver Problem

Several New York pols are pushing to have breathalyzers installed in every school bus in the entire state. You might be thinking, "does New York really have a drunk bus driver problem?" Well, yeah, it does.In the last two weeks, two school bus drivers have been accused of driving a bus while drunk. ... More >>

Murder, Inc.

The biggest criminals are on the loose

Man Who Threatens Life of Two Pro-Life Advocates Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison

Yesterday, 51-year-old New York native Theodore Shulman was sentenced by Manhattan federal court to 41 months in prison for threatening the lives of two pro-life advocates online after pleading guilty in May. It all started in January 2010, when Shulman, the son of feminist political activist Alix ... More >>

Man Who Threatens Life of Two Pro-Life Advocates Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison

Yesterday, 51-year-old New York native Theodore Shulman was sentenced by Manhattan federal court to 41 months in prison for threatening the lives of two pro-life advocates online after pleading guilty in May. It all started in January 2010, when Shulman, the son of feminist political activist Alix ... More >>

New York Department Of Corrections Defends -- But Is Reviewing -- Solitary Confinement Policies

The New York Civil Liberties Union released a report yesterday detailing the "inhumane, arbitrary use of solitary confinement" in New York state prisons. Based on the report, the group is now calling for drastic reforms in how the New York State Department of Corrections deals with inmates in segre ... More >>

Letters From the Hole: SHU Inmate Says Prison Staff Confiscated His Son's Report Card

The New York Civil Liberties Union recently released a report outlining the "inhumane, arbitrary use of solitary confinement" in New York state prisons.Included in the report are handwritten letters from several inmates placed in segregated housing (solitary confinement) for various -- in many cases ... More >>

Ray Kelly Goes Gangbusters: NYPD to Double Size of Anti-Gang Unit; Target Facebook Thugs

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly will give a speech later today in which he will announce his plans to double the size of the NYPD's anti-gang unit to combat the escalating problem of gang violence in the city.Kelly is calling the plan "Operation Crew Cut," which will bring the number of ... More >>

New York Prisoner Spent More Than 20 Years In Solitary Confinement: Report

It's not easy to feel a great deal of sympathy for many of the convicted criminals locked away in New York's prisons, we know. But a new report from the New York Civil Liberties Union might just conjure up at least some compassion. Then again, maybe it won't -- they're still criminals.Regardless, th ... More >>

Syringe-Wielding Robbery Suspect Angel Cintron In Custody

Breathe easy, New York -- the man police suspect was using a hypodermic needle to rob people of their iPhones, iPods and other pricey electronics currently is in police custody.The NYPD says Angel Cintron was arrested this morning in Yonkers after he was identified over the weekend as the suspect in ... More >>

Delloyd Hill, Alleged Doctor Impostor, Possibly Carried Out Similar Schemes in Multiple States

It could be a coincidence -- but it probably isn't. Delloyd Thomas Hill was arraigned yesterday in Queens criminal court on charges relating to a signature forgery scheme that netted him at least $415,000 in medical equipment loans. Hill's alleged crimes are awfully similar to the Delloyd T. Hill w ... More >>

Anti-Islamic Subway Ad Scuffle: Time To Pick Sides

It took just over 24 hours for several subway ads featuring an offensive, anti-Islamic message were vandalized, which, somehow, has led to a debate about the First Amendment, as apparent in the comment section of our story abut the vandals posted yesterday.The entire debate is a bit of an enigma/com ... More >>

And Here's the Guy Who Has Been Robbing Everyone at Gunpoint

NYPD is now looking for a man who pulled off a quartet of robberies over the past 48 hours, including two on the same street 10 minutes apart. The suspect, who has only been unidentified from security cameras as a bald, black male, started his string of crime around 4:20 on Sunday morning, robbing ... More >>

Brooklyn Gets Federal Bucks to Combat Domestic Violence Against Immigrant Women

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office will get $900,000 to beef up its program aimed at supporting domestically abused immigrant women. The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women awarded the grant to the borough in order to help Brooklyn better assist domestically abused women w ... More >>

Feds Nail Eleven MS-13 Thugs ("Bam-Bam" And "Scooby" Included)

Federal authorities have rounded up nearly a dozen members of the murderous MS-13 street gang, each of whom face multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery and other acts of thuggery dating back to 2008, the United States Attorney's Office announced today.In a 50-count indictment, the feds ... More >>

Tunnel Burglar Hit With Whopping 28-Year Prison Sentence -- And He Didn't Even Kill Anyone

*UPDATE* We've compiled a list of what McAleese stole that would warrant such a lengthy prison sentence. Ribs and Saki are involved.When 43-year-old Shawn McAleese was tunneling his way into Manhattan businesses to steal stuff earlier this year, he probably didn't think he could potentially face mor ... More >>

Shawn McAleese Is Going To Prison For Roughly 30 Years For Stealing Ribs And Booze (And Thousands Of Dollars)

Since our prior post about Manhattan tunnel thief Shawn McAleese -- who just found out today that he'll likely be a guest of the state for longer than a convicted murderer -- we got our hands on the criminal complaint that details exactly what he stole to earn such a lengthy prison sentence.The thou ... More >>

New Evidence Emerges About Police Downgrading of Crimes

Accounts of police downgrading crime reports surfaced again on Sunday in a New York Times article, which compared descriptions of crimes in police reports versus the charges eventually brought by prosecutors. The article's author Joseph Goldstein examined more than 100 police reports, and found a n ... More >>

More Intimidating Robbery Weapon: Gun Or Herpes? Discuss

As a Bronx resident notes in an interview with a local TV station, "anything" could be found in a hypodermic needle, including "AIDS, herpes -- anything!" And nobody -- nobody -- wants either of those stigmatic/potentially deadly diseases.That said, a thief is using the threat of potential herpes to ... More >>

Crips Members Unimpressed With "Fake Ass" Facebook Gangsters

There have been a slew of new, young street gangs popping up in New York the last several years -- including the "Very Crispy Gangsters" and "Rockstarz," each of which were "taken down" by law enforcement earlier this week.These new gangsters have taken their battles to the Internet (which is why th ... More >>

Facebook Leads To Fall Of Two Brooklyn Gangs; "Very Crispy Gangsters" Are Crispy No More

As it currently stands, the body count from the ongoing war between the "Rockstarz" and the "Very Crispy Gangsters," both thuggish Brooklyn street gangs, stands at three dead VCG members -- which prompted a member of the "Rockstarz" to post on Facebook that "Rockstarz are up 3-0."Unfortunately for t ... More >>

Kiddie-Porn Officially Illegal In New York Again

Bad news, perverts: kiddie-porn is illegal in New York again.Believe it or not, prior to today, "viewing" kiddie-porn wasn't a crime in the Empire State -- thanks to a ruling in May by the New York State Court of Appeals, which determined that "viewing" kiddie-porn is perfectly legal because of a lo ... More >>

NY GOP Compares Coverup Of Vito Lopez's Pervy-ness To Penn State Scandal

If the many, many allegations of sexual misconduct are true, shamed Assemblyman Vito Lopez is a dirty, dirty old man -- he tells female staffers not to wear bras, shoves his hands up their skirts, etc.The coverup of the disgraced pol's alleged actions by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are equally s ... More >>

Here's A Fairly Horrifying Photo Of One Of The Stabbings At The West Indian Day Parade

The West Indian Day parade in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn has proven itself to be one of the more popular events in New York City at which to become a victim of violent crime -- and we've come across a pretty gruesome photo to illustrate that fact.Since 2003, the parade has been marred by ... More >>

Fight Turns Bloody at Bronx Playground

On July 22nd, paramedics arrived at the Half-Nelson Playground in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx at around 9pm, only to find a young 22-year-old man named Tashawn Murray covered in blood and sprawled out across the basketball court. Murray was rushed to a nearby hospital and declared d ... More >>

New Jersey Shooting Update: Suspect An Ex-Marine; Killed Two Before Turning Gun On Self

The suspect in this morning's mass-shooting at a New Jersey grocery store has been identified as an ex-Marine who's worked at the store for the last two weeks. Additionally, authorities say he shot two people before turning the gun on himself.Authorities say the suspect entered the Pathmark store in ... More >>

Levi Aron Sentenced To 40 Years To Life In Leiby Kletzky Killing

Levi Aron, the former hardware store clerk who pleaded guilty earlier this month to kidnapping and killing eight-year-old Leiby Kletzky last July, was sentenced today in Brooklyn court to a sentence of 40 years to life in prison. The sentence was in keeping with a plea deal Aron's lawyers had worke ... More >>

Ramadan And Bacon Don't Mix. But A Hate Crime?

Throwing uncooked bacon all over a field on Staten Island is a reckless waste of bacon. And it also might be a hate crime, authorities say, when the field is the site of a Muslim religious ceremony -- which it was.Police are investigating pieces of bacon being strewn about John D'Amato Field on New ... More >>

State Senator Malcolm Smith: An Illegal Gun Should Cost You 8 Years In Prison. About That...

As it currently stands, anyone caught with an illegal gun in New York is looking at a maximum of two years in prison. Two years, apparently, is chump change -- according to Democratic state Senator Malcolm Smith, anyway, who now wants to up the ante for those busted with less-than-legal firearms."We ... More >>