NEW YORK CITY CRIMINAL BLOG

FUNNIEST CRIME STORY IN A WHILE

2013-08-28T10:23:00.002-07:00

Paul Martinka

Police take Joel Donaldson into custody.

He committed the ultimate crime — of fashion.

A Brooklyn cellphone crook’s poor wardrobe choices led to his arrest when his saggy jeans tripped him up during his getaway attempt and allowed cops to chase him down, police said.

Joel Donaldson, 21, allegedly punched his victim in the face before snatching her phone at around 2:30 p.m. at Court and Remsen streets, just steps from Borough Hall. He then tried to get away on foot, but didn’t get far.

His droopy blue jeans — which left his boxer shorts exposed — kept slipping down as he ran.

A cop who was directing traffic nearby spotted the bungling bad guy’s sorry sartorial situation and hurried after him.

Donaldson made it only about a block before his pants were completely around his ankles, allowing the officer to tackle him near Joralemon Street.

“He was zigzagging all over the place, but he couldn’t run because his pants was falling down,” witness Arlene Williams said.

“This cop saw it, and he went right after him.’’

Donaldson was arrested two blocks from Brooklyn Criminal Court and charged with robbery, cops said.

WHO THE HELL BREAKS INTO JAIL?

2013-08-22T11:36:00.003-07:00

JEFFERSON SIEGEL

Matthew Matagrano, 37, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 7 years of post-release supervision for trespassing into the Manhattan Detention Complex, stealing equipment and groping an inmate.

His dream has come true.

Matthew Matagrano, 37, a convicted sex offender who repeatedly snuck into city jails, was sentenced to a decade in prison Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court after pleading guilty to burglary.

The chubby weirdo who has an obsession with lock-ups copped to two counts on July 25, including a burglary as a sexually motivated felony for a Feb. 27 unauthorized entry at the Manhattan Detention Complex, where he showed security a gold badge and parked next to the jail using a fake Department of Correction placard.

JEFFERSON SIEGEL

Matthew Matagrano pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary in the Manhattan Detention Complex.

During that trip, he also clutched a jailbird's testicles and strip-searched him after pinning him to a pillar.

"Don't f--- with me. I will hurt you," the 5-foot-8 , 340-pound Matagrano told the inmate victim at the lower Manhattan facility.

Matagrano also got five years of post-release supervision under the terms of his plea deal.

AP

Matthew Matagrano was arrested on Saturday, March 2, 2013 on charges that he impersonated a Department of Correction investigator. Officials say that for at least a week, he used phony credentials to get into multiple city lockups, including Rikers Island and the Manhattan Detention Center, where he mingled with inmates for hours.

"Using a fake badge to enter a city jail has landed a real criminal in state prison," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement. "Impersonating a law enforcement official is not only unlawful, it poses unacceptable dangers in today's world."

Matagrano previously admitted to illegally getting into Brooklyn and Queens facilities and was expected to be charged in the Bronx for security breaches at Rikers Island and Bronx Criminal Court.

His lawyer, Carlos Martir, said at the time of his plea that Matagrano is medicated and has "emotional issues."

NYPD COP ARRESTED FOR FILING FALSE TAX RETURNS

2013-08-08T11:10:00.003-07:00

A disgraced NYPD cop who moonlighted as a tax preparer pleaded guilty today to identity theft at the expense of children and filing fraudulent returns for customers.

Jonathan Wally, a 10-year police department veteran who worked out of the 34th Precinct in Washington Heights, is expected to spend 2 to 2 1/2 years behind bars and shell out $5,000 to $50,000 in fines after copping his plea before a judge in Manhattan federal court. Wally, who also agreed to forfeit about $195,000 gained through the scheme, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 9.

Wally, 34, was busted by IRS agents in April for illegally using Social Security numbers issued to dozens of unwitting children in order to submit tax returns for clients and then falsely claiming they had dependents and should receive tax credits.

He and his lawyer declined comment.

LAWYER GONE BAD

2013-08-06T10:21:00.003-07:00

Here’s some free legal advice for this “knucklehead” city tax lawyer: Don’t bribe cops!

BMW-driving attorney John Todorovich was busted for driving with a suspended license in Brooklyn last Thursday — then allegedly tried to bribe cops into letting him go by offering their entire precinct free legal tax and real-estate advice, law-enforcement sources said yesterday.

“He had to bribe the officer, then he had to bribe the officer and a sergeant, then he had to repeat the bribe to the cop with [the Internal Affairs Bureau] recording it. What a knucklehead,” said one police source of Todorovich, 60.

JOHN TODOROVICH
Hangdog mug shot.

The tax and real-estate lawyer, who works in Times Square and lives in Westchester, was pulled over in Bushwick by Officer Joseph Curto, when he noticed Todorovich’s inspection sticker was expired, sources said.

Curto discovered that Todorovich’s license had been suspended eight times and was currently revoked, the sources said.

Todorovich was hauled into the 83rd Precinct station house in Bushwick, where he allegedly told Curto he was a lawyer and if Curto dropped “all the charges against him, he would provide free legal services to the officer and the other officers at the 83rd Precinct,” a law-enforcement source said.

Todorovich was caught on tape repeating the bribe, sources said.

The suspect’s own lawyer, Don Savatta, denied that any bribe was offered.

“The tape’s going to show that this is absolutely ridiculous,” he told The Post.

ANOTHER STRIKE AGAINST BROOKLYN DA

2013-07-29T12:28:00.002-07:00

A Brooklyn prosecutor was caught calling a prostitution service from his office phone when a colleague recognized his phone number during a routine investigation of phone records, The New York Post reports.

Mark Posner, 37, was then transferred from the rackets bureau to the early case-assessment bureau. He was not fired and there was no investigation into whether he broke any laws, the Post reports.

“As soon as we learned of this conduct by ADA Mark Posner, District Attorney Charles Hynes immediately suspended him for 10 days without pay, ordered him to seek counseling and transferred him to ECAB,” said DA spokesman Jerry Schmetterer.

Sources tell the Post that he was likely never fired because he is the son of the late Charles Posner, a former judge and top aide to Hynes.

Posner, who is married, was exposed when another assistant district attorney noticed his office phone number as she examined the prostitution service’s phone records in 2009.

service-from-office-phone/#sthash.RS6x03nj.dpuf

THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE

2013-07-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

The politicians are gone and things are apparently back to normal at the Lincoln Houses.

A woman was shot at the East Harlem housing project just days after some of the top Democratic mayoral candidates -- Bill Thompson, John Liu, Bill de Blasio, Christine Quinn and Anthony Weiner -- spent the night there in an effort to bring attention to the conditions faced by public housing residents, authorities said.

Olivia Brown, 23, was shot in the groin and the hand when a woman known around the Lincoln Houses as Mohawk Michelle opened fire just outside the Lincoln Houses on Park Avenue near East 132nd Street at around 3:30 a.m., cops said.

Theodore Parisienne/Splash News

A woman was shot at an East Harlem housing project just days after the Democratic mayoral candidates spent the night there, authorities said.

Brown was taken to Harlem Hospital in serious but stable condition, officials said.

Mohawk Michelle fled and is currently being sought by cops.

"The politicians left yesterday and now it's back to normal," said resident Tara Martin, 40. "When the politicians were here there was a lot of police officers and their presence was known in the buildings and outside in the community.”

“It shouldn't take a politician to come to our neighborhood to have them address the issues at hand,” she added.

Police believe the shooting is related to an ongoing dispute between the two women, police sources said.

Residents who know both women said Brown and Mohawk Michell got into a fistfight earlier in the night that left Michelle beaten and embarrassed, witnesses said.

“Michelle and her friends got drunk and came over and bothered her [Olivia],” said Larelle Walker, 48.

"Olivia beat her up and Michelle left and came back [with a gun] and said 'What's up now, b---h?' and shot her in the stomach."

“I've known Olivia since she was born,” Walker added. “She doesn’t bother anybody. There was no reason to shoot her.”

The shooting comes three days after five of the leading Democratic candidates spent the night at the Lincoln houses to see what life is like for public housing residents.

Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson spoke to reporters outside the building where Brown was shot.

"I stayed here along with the other mayoral candidates. In that building," Thompson said, referring to the building in which he spent this past Saturday night.

"All New Yorkers deserve a safe community in which to live,” Thompson added. “As Mayor I'll protect every community."

NYPD TOP SPIN DOCTOR RETREATS TO ACADEMIA- WHO'S THE NEXT NYPD APOLOGIST?

2013-07-19T09:14:00.003-07:00

KEVIN HAGEN FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Paul Browne said the position came “out of the blue” after a consulting firm approached him about making him a candidate.

The top spokesman for the NYPD is stepping down from his post, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced Wednesday.

Paul Browne, 64, the longtime deputy commissioner for public information, will be leaving the NYPD in August to serve as vice president for public affairs and communications at the University of Notre Dame, police said.

CITY MUST END PEDICAB ABUSE

2013-07-19T09:11:00.003-07:00

It would have been cheaper to take a helicopter.

A crooked pedicab driver charged two Japanese tourists a staggering $720 for a 20-minute ride from Midtown to the Village, The Post has learned.

Chisa Niwa and her husband, Hiroki, were fleeced on June 9 when they attempted to go two miles from the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue to the Knickerbocker bar and Grill on University Place.

The 39-block trip should have cost about $50, but when they arrived the driver showed them a bill for $520. They reluctantly handed over a credit card because he said they had no choice but to pay.

ROLLED: Chisa Niwa (above) and husband Hiroki were charged $720 by a rogue pedicab driver they snapped with their cellphone from behind.

When they got back to Japan, they saw he charged them $720 — and attempted a second, $616 charge that was luckily rejected by the credit-card company.

Now the Department of Consumer Affairs is hunting for the rogue driver. They are asking the courts to subpoena Square, the company that makes smartphone credit-card readers, to get his name.

The rip-off took place on the first day of the couple’s New York vacation.

“Before that ride, they were very excited about their trip to New York City,” said a friend, Raygan Solotki.

They initially tried to make the trip by yellow cab, but the drivers who stopped said they didn’t know the Knickerbocker. The first pedicab to stop also didn’t know it, and that’s when trouble arrived.

The pedicab thief pulled out a price board and pointed to the $5 line.

Chisa repeated back “$5” — and he started pedaling.

During the ride, he made small talk with them about where they are from and what sites they would see.

Once they got downtown, he whipped out his smartphone and tallied up the exorbitant fee.

“This was their first night in New York, somewhere they had both dreamed of going,” Solotki said. “This put a negative spin on their whole trip.”

Laramie Flick, acting president of the NYC Pedicab Owners Association, said this was the worst rip-off he had ever seen.

Flick said laws that went into effect last Friday, forcing drivers to more prominently display the rates and charge a flat fee by the minute, will help fend off future fleecing.

“I’m hoping the new rules will prevent this from happening,” he said.

The Department of Consumer Affairs said that if true, “this charge is both outrageous and likely illegal. Even at the highest market rate per minute we’ve seen out there so far — $4 per minute — a $700 ride would had to have lasted almost three hours.”

"STOP AND FRISK" IS A PUBLIC RELATIONS CREATION

2013-07-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

With all of the talk and court cases about the NYPD Stop and Frisk policy, one thing has gotten lost. Who came up with the term Stop and Frisk? It appears that he NYPD has done some research probably with the help of a public relations company and tested the term. The real term should be STOP and SEARCH. However, since the term search evokes images of something sinister and unconstitutional, the term frisk was inserted.It is well settled law in this entire country that a police officer cannot stop a citizen just to see if he has any contraband, without reasonable suspicion. The NYPD does not want to follow the law because it will bring their arrest numbers down and the political pressure to keep crime down is too much for them to bare.

A MIGHTY FALL FOR ESPADA

2013-06-14T12:15:00.003-07:00

Pedro Espada Jr., the former state senator who was convicted of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a nonprofit health care network he ran, was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday, during a hearing that showcased Mr. Espada’s defiance until the very end. What is always astounding to me is how it may feel to have been a powerful man in state politics and now simply be reduced to an inmate.

Enlarge This Image

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Pedro Espada Jr. arrived at Brooklyn Federal Court on Friday.

Multimedia

Graphic

CITY SEEKS TO CLOSE 18B LAWYER PROGRAM

2013-06-12T11:31:00.004-07:00

The NYC 18-b program is a program for those who cannot afford to hire their own lawyer in a criminal case. Some people are assigned Legal Aid and others are given 18-b lawyers. These 18-b lawyers are lawyers who supplement their practice by taking court appointed cases by the judges and are paid $75 an hour by the state. There are many excellent 18 b lawyers. NYC now has a new program to save money and create another institutional provider to take away the cases from 18B lawyers. I believe that the quality of representation will suffer, as these new providers are not as experienced as 18b lawyers. You can read more in detail here.

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN

2013-06-10T10:42:00.003-07:00

G.N. Miller

The scene at Harlem Hospital today after an officer was shot during a scuffle.

A heroic EMT disarmed a crazed man who grabbed a police officer’s gun — while handcuffed — and shot another cop at Harlem Hospital, officials said.

Guiteau Idore, 42 — classified by the NYPD as an emotionally disturbed person — was arrested for assaulting someone early this morning, officials said.

Veteran officers Fausto Gomez and John Chiodi were escorting Idore into the hospital for psychiatric evaluation at around 5:30 a.m. when he somehow grabbed Chiodi’s gun, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who spoke at a press conference at the hospital.

Officer Fausto Gomez was shot in the left foot.

Officer John Chiodi

The suspect fired, hitting Gomez once in the left foot.

That’s when EMT Brendon Hernandez ran over and disarmed Idore.

Kelly said Hernandez has aspirations of joining the force, and said he would review the EMT’s eligibility.

“He did an outstanding job. We understand that EMT Hernandez has aspirations of becoming a New York police officer, and he certainly demonstrated he has what it takes to do the job."

Gomez, a seven year NYPD veteran, was treated for minor injuries at the hospital and released.

Fausto and Chiodi were initially responding to a call of an assault in progress at 4:55 a.m. at 117th St. and Lenox Ave., where Idore was allegedly throwing bottles at people, Kelly said.

“The individual began to struggle … and managed to remove officer Chiodi's service weapon and fired that weapon two times, striking officer Gomez one time in the left foot," Kelly said.

EMT Brandon Hernandez, far left, disarmed an emotionally disturbed person after he shot an NYPD cop

THE ACTRESS LOST HER ROLE

2013-06-06T09:43:00.003-07:00

She’s the “Meryl Streep” of the criminal-justice system.

The alleged Queens madam who feigned cancer to stay out of jail on prostitution charges was told by a judge yesterday that she’s “worthy of an Academy Award” — and a whopping $250,000 bail.

Sun T. Fink, 62, was hauled back into Queens Supreme Court by police yesterday morning after undercover officers discovered she still allegedly runs a Manhattan brothel — without the walker and surgical mask she used at her previous court appearances.

“Your client can win an Academy Award for her performance in this courtroom,” Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter told Fink’s attorney. “With the mask, the walker, can’t barely stand up, her headaches — its very easy to see why someone would think that a person is at death’s door.”

Ellis Kaplan

ILL FATED: Alleged madam Sun T. Fink is led yesterday into Queens Supreme Court, where a judge blasted her earlier “cancer” act, which at first had won her some sympathy.

“Including myself,” replied defense attorney Russell Rothberg.

“I’m not blaming you, but you can’t blame the DA when your client is Meryl Streep in the courtroom,” Buchter told Rothberg.

A healthy-looking Fink appeared before the judge yesterday wearing a black, white and cream colored dress and spoke with the help of a Korean translator.

Fink repeatedly uttered, “I didn’t get the call,” when asked about the numerous attempts made by her lawyer and interpreter to reach her when she failed to show up to court on a bench warrant issued Monday.

Police allegedly found Fink in possession of the phone they had been calling when they showed up at her Flushing home to haul her to court. She was initially arrested last November on charges of promoting prostitution along with 19 others after an investigation by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office exposed Somad Enterprises Inc. as an alleged prostitution ring that was raking in millions by serving up girls and drugs to clients of dollars.

As the Post reported Tuesday, Fink showed up to court twice last month, hunched over a walker, wearing a surgical mask and claiming to have cancer.

She also claimed to not speak English.

She rejected a plea deal that would have left her with a disorderly-conduct charge and no jail time, based on her alleged poor health.

Soon after, cops started tailing her and found Fink was allegedly still running a brothel — and in fine health. She served drinks to an undercover officer posing as a client during the May 29 sting operation, according to prosecutors.

“She was seen walking up and down three flights of stairs, to and from the brothel without the use of her cane or walker and speaking English,” said prosecutor Peri Kadanoff.

Fink was sent to Rikers Island yesterday after she failed to post the hefty bail.

“This defendant has engaged in unscrupulous and deceitful behavior,” Buchter said.

“Shes a lot sicker in court than when she’s in the street.”

NYPD DETECTIVE ARRESTED FOR STALKING

2013-05-21T09:45:00.003-07:00

An NYPD detective was busted by the FBI this morning on charges of cyber-stalking and hacking into the email accounts of his ex-girlfriend -- who's also a cop -- and several of their co-workers.

Edwin Vargas, 43, was arrested this morning without incident, FBI spokesman Peter Donald said.

The feds wouldn't release any more details, but sources said Vargas illegally accessed the FBI's National Crime Information Center to get personal information about his ex, with whom he has a child, and his other alleged targets.

Vargas is currently assigned to the 40th Precinct in The Bronx after earlier working in the borough's 44th Precinct.

He's expected to appear in Manhattan federal court later today.

PARENTS SHOULD NEVER TALK TO ACS WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY

2013-05-16T12:59:00.002-07:00

All it takes to start an ACS investigation against someone is an anonymous phone call to an 800 number and an ACS worker will be at your doorstep demanding to see you child and interview you about what kind of a parent you are. It is imperative that parents not speak to ACS workers without at attorney present. The ACS workers will often take any innocent thing that the parent says and try to use it against him. Therefor if you are made aware that ACS wants to speak to you, obtain an attorney as soon as possible. You have a right to an attorney under the New York and federal constitution.

BRONX DA SCREWS UP CASE

2013-05-15T09:06:00.001-07:00

Robert Kalfus

Richard Haste

An indictment has been thrown out in the case against an NYPD police officer charged last year in the fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect in a Bronx home.
A judge found on Wednesday that prosecutors gave flawed instructions to a grand jury that indicted Officer Richard Haste.
The case isn't over because prosecutors were expected to present the case again to the grand jury.
The shooting of 18-year-old Ramarley Graham stemmed from an NYPD investigation of street-corner drug dealing. Police pursued Graham into his home before he was shot once at close range.

RAY KELLY IS RUNNIG FOR MAYOR

2013-05-13T09:49:00.003-07:00

Through the grape vine, there is a confirmed rumor that Ray Kelly, the current police commissioner is going to run for mayor. You heard it hear first. Let us hope this is just a nasty rumor.

LHOTA CALLS THE PORT AUTHORITY COPS "MALL COPS"- IS HE RIGHT?

2013-05-08T10:59:00.003-07:00

GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota issued an apology today for belittling the Port Authority police force as "mall cops" during a public forum.

"In response to a question at last night's National Organization for Women debate regarding the proliferation of human trafficking at JFK Airport, I regret my unfortunate characterization of the Port Authority Police Department," Lhota said in a statement.

"It was an inappropiate answer that does not accurately reflect the hard work of its officers. I apologize for my insensitive remarks and look forward to working collaboratively with them to find ways to better combat sex trafficking throughout the city."

R Umar Abbasi

Joe Lhota.

Mayoral rival George McDonald had demanded an apology in a press release that listed the names of the 37 Port Authority police officers killed on 9/11.

Joe Dunne, the ort Authority's chief security officer, denounced Lhota's comment as "dead wrong" and "offensive."

"It shows he has no grasp of the challenges our cops face every day on the job," said Dunne.

"The 37 PAPD officers who died in the line of duty on September 11 were not `mall cops'..."

Patrick Lynch, president of the NYPD police union, rushed to defend his colleagues at the Port Authority as well.

"New York City police officers have worked side by side with Port Authority police officers for many years and we have found them to be well-trained and highly experienced police officers," said Lynch.

Lhota had served as a deputy mayor in the Giuliani Administration during the period it was engaged in a running battle with the Port Authority over issues ranging from airport rents to security concerns.

Lhota landed in hot water last night after telling the NOW audience that he thought the Port Authority doesn't perform well in "anything that it does."

Then came the zinger.

"These cops get paid more than NYPD cops and, quite honestly -- I know I'm going to get into trouble for this -- they're nothing more than mall cops," he added.

The harsh comment elicited murmurs from the packed crowd at Pace University near City Hall.

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER REPRESENT YOURSELF

2013-05-06T12:11:00.003-07:00

As a lawyer it I believe that people think I am being arrogant when I tell them they should not represent themselves. I am not. Even when criminal defense attorneys are accused of crimes, they hire other lawyers. The reasons are many. When a person who is not a criminal defense lawyer steps into a courtroom in NYC, they are facing the biggest most complicated criminal justice system in the world. Knowing how the DA works, how judges think and how trials really work can only come from years if experience. The NY Times has an article about one man defending himself in Brooklyn. He has already spent 13 months in jail. You should never take on any task which you are completely unqualified for. No matter how easy it looks like on television.

THE NYPD LIES CONTINUE

2013-05-02T08:48:00.001-07:00

One man was walking home with groceries. Another was on a break from his job at a meat market. A third was walking down the street listening to headphones.

Connect with NYTMetro

That is when the men say police officers confronted them, sometimes violently, searched their clothing and discovered small amounts of marijuana, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit that is expected to be filed on Thursday in United States District Court for the Southern District, in Manhattan.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of five Bronx men, contends that New York City police officers routinely stop black and Latino men without cause and then charge them with low-level misdemeanors when their pockets are emptied and small amounts of marijuana are found.

In each of the cases, the amount of marijuana found on the men would have amounted to little more than noncriminal violations punishable by a fine of up to $100 for first-time offenders. But the lawsuit contends that the charging officers falsely claimed the marijuana was in public view, making it a low-level misdemeanor under Section 221.10 of the New York Penal Code, which allows for sentences of up to three months in jail.

Critics of the Police Department say the practice, which they call manufactured misdemeanors, is widespread. The arrests are often the outgrowth of the department’sstop-and-frisk program, which is being challenged in federal court for, among other things, disproportionately targeting black and Hispanic men.

The lawsuit names the city, the department and several officers and supervisors as defendants. It was filed by the Bronx Defenders, which represents low-income defendants, and the law firm of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady L.L.P. A similar lawsuit filed by theLegal Aid Society is pending in state court in Manhattan.

A spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department declined to comment on Wednesday, saying the city had not yet been served with the lawsuit.

The Police Department charged more than 50,000 people with marijuana misdemeanors in 2011. More than 84 percent were black or Hispanic, a disparity that is even more pronounced in the Bronx.

In an effort to limit these arrests, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has made decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in open view one of his top goals this legislative session. The Legislature failed to act on a similar measure last year, despite support from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly.

Though state law calls for misdemeanor cases to be tried within 60 days, the time limits are seldom met, the lawsuit contends. People arrested in the Bronx have it even worse; a recent series of articles in The New York Times revealed a dysfunctional justice system plagued by long delays that often make it all but impossible for people charged with misdemeanors to ever reach trial. Two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Francisco Zapata and Danilo Melendez, were featured in one of the articles. They endured long delays and made frequent court appearances waiting for trial before the charges against them were finally dropped.

LET'S REVIEW THE CANDIDATES

2013-04-30T10:56:00.002-07:00

We will be reviewing the candidates for Mayor of NYC. The first one up is Christine Quinn. Here is a great fact sheet by the Thenewyorkworld.comhttp://www.thenewyorkworld.com/public/2013/01/nyw-campaign-scorecard-2013/index.php.

The major problem with Quinn is that she is the ultimate Bloomberg lap dog. She approved every wacky scheme Bloomberg cooked up. If you like Michael Bloomberg you should probably vote for Quinn. She also flip flops on positions when the political heat is too high. NYC deserves better than Christine Quinn.

THEY CAN'T HIDE IT ANYMORE

2013-04-26T10:51:00.001-07:00

The City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a bill that will create a crime mapping database, allowing the public for the first time to view and search reports of criminal activity at a neighborhood level.
The measure, sponsored by Councilmember Fernando Cabrera of the Bronx, requires the New York City Police Department to provide monthly data on criminal complaints to the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), which would create and maintain the map.

Councilmember Fernando Cabrera of the Bronx pressed for neighborhood crime stats after journalists could no longer get reports from their local precinct. Photo: Beth Morrissey

The public would not only be able to see the total number of reports citywide but also search reports by street, address, zip code or NYPD patrol sector — districts within precincts. Currently, the information is only available at the precinct level, in PDF format.
Councilmembers say that the creation of the map will help them and their constituents improve public safety by highlighting hotspots of criminal activity.
“As a councilmember I need to know where to allocate my resources, into which organizations,” said Cabrera. He noted that other decision-makers would also be able to make ample use of the information. “Businesses make decisions based on data,” he said. “Community boards should be able to do that as well.”
Before the vote, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn voiced support for the crime map.
“Open data embraces the beauty of a more transparent government,” said Quinn. “It is the building block of the digital age.”

Chicago is one of many U.S. cities that already puts crime report data online.

The City Council developed the measure in part because of testimony at community board meetings from journalists at the Norwood News, a newspaper in the Bronx, who complained that the 52nd Precinct stopped providing data on crime reports. The NYPD was also not complying with Freedom of Information Law requests for the data.
According to a just-released “Transparency Report Card” from Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, the NYPD was one of only two agencies to receive a failing grade. Along with the New York City Housing Authority, the NYPD ignored nearly one-third of all FOIL requests submitted.
The office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to comment on the measure, but even if he were to veto, the council has enough votes for an override. During testimony in March, a representative of the city agency charged with building an online crime map offered support in principle.
“The overall intent of the bill would seem to fit with the Bloomberg Administration’s long-held commitment to making more City information available, to more people, in more easy-to-use ways,” said Nicholas Sbordone, director of intergovernmental affairs at DOITT, in his written statement submitted to the council.
New York is hardly a frontrunner in mapping crime online. Numerous other cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore, already make detailed crime data available to the public through online maps and downloads.
Law enforcement watchdog groups hailed the crime transparency bill as a move toward greater public accountability for the city’s police department.
“The NYPD is a notoriously closed institution and holds onto whatever data it gathers with a fierce grip,” said Robert Gangi of the Police Reform Organizing Project. “So this is a positive step toward more openness and more accountability.”
Enabling citizens to have an objective view on the level of criminal activity in their communities is important, said Gangi. “And who knows — it could take a step towards breaking the department’s habit of saying no to even the most reasonable requests for information.”
Councilmember Gale Brewer, who last year championed the city’s groundbreaking open data law, concedes that the police department can be reluctant to share information with the public. “The NYPD does need to be pushed,” she said.
According Brewer, mapping criminal activity could encourage community organizations to reach out to local precincts with proposals to improve public safety. “I’m a big believer in community input on crime solving,” said Brewer. “If you don’t know where crimes are, it’s hard to be helpful.”
The bill requires DOITT to launch the map within 180 days of enactment. Sbordone testified that this is ample time to create map — provided the NYPD cooperates.
“Six months development time should be enough, but that’s from the point at which we have everything we need to start building,” he said during the hearing.
The legislation does not explicitly require that the data used for the map also be made available to the public for download. But the new open data law does require that all of the city’s public data — including that which is only available through FOIL requests — be posted online in a machine-readable format by 2018.
The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment.

THE ROTTEN APPLE

2013-04-23T11:05:00.003-07:00

Queens Assemblyman Malcolm Smith, City Councilman Dan Halloran and four others implicated in a bizarre pay-to-play bribery plot that included an effort to secure Smith the GOP nod to run for New York City mayor were arraigned on corruption charges today.
Smith, 56, and Halloran, 42, didn’t speak during the brief appearance in White Plains Federal Court as their lawyers entered not guilty pleas on bribery charges - but Halloran defiantly proclaimed his innocence outside the courthouse.
“I have nothing to say other than not guilty!” the burly councilman blurted out to the press and a small crowd of supporters.

Robert Kalfus

Dan Halloran today at court.

New York State Sen. Malcolm Smith, second form left, arrives at federal court today.

Lawyers for the other four defendants - Bronx GOP boss Joseph Savino, Queens Republican Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone, Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret - also pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges.
Smith, Halloran and the other defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury April 18 in the multi-faceted plot, which included the bizarre effort to secure the GOP mayoral nomination for the Democrat Smith.
The Post broke the story that Smith and Halloran were facing arrest in the wacky scheme
Prosecutors say Smith enlisted Halloran, a conservative Republican, to help him get on the Republican primary ballot.
Because he is a Democrat, Smith, needed GOP support in at least three boroughs to run as a Republican without changing his party affiliation.
Smith had Halloran allegedly set up meetings with Savino and Tabone to arrange thousands of dollars in bribes for their support, while Halloran pocketed thousands for himself.
Smith and Halloran face up to 45 years in prison if convicted of the charges in the White Plains indictment.
Tabone also proclaimed his innocence outside court.
“I’m innocent. I’m going to have my day in court. I was an unpaid, part-time volunteer. I think justice will be done,” he said.
While Smith ducked reporters’ questions, he mingled with a crowd of supporters like a veteran pol at a fund-raiser.
“Hi, how you doing, thanks for coming,” he said, hugging people and shaking hands.
And his supporters portrayed him as the victim.
“Republicans are the prostitutes. They were selling. I’m sorry he got he got hooked into this, but they were selling,” said Roz Conyers.
Federal Magistrate Judge Lisa Smith ordered that the existing bail agreements remain in place, but allowed Savino to also travel to New Jersey, where his son attends school. Prosecutors Alvin Bragg and Douglas Bloom did not object.
The corruption charges were only one of several embarrassing revelations about Halloran in recent weeks.
The Post reported that Halloran and his estranged wife Cynthia belonged to an oddball heathen religion — whose members wear medieval garb, make sacrifices to multiple gods and compete in combat games.
The paper also reported that the portly councilman had an affair with a co-ed staffer half his age - the last straw for his fed-up wife, who filed for divorce.

FORMER NYPD COP SENTENCED TO JAIL FOR SELLING GUNS

2013-04-19T11:27:00.002-07:00

An angry judge lashed into a dirty ex-NYPD officer who was busted with a gang of cops-turned-cronies for transporting $1 million worth of guns and other loot to New York City.
Ali Oklu, 36, was sentenced to 46 months in a federal prison, fined $7,500 and ordered to pay $35,000 to the feds in restitution — the same amount he earned from the criminal operation, prosecutors said.
“These were heinous acts by police officers,” Manhattan federal court Judge William Pauley scolded Oklu, a naturalized citizen from Turkey living in Sunnyside, Queens.
“This country has been very good to you and your parents. It’s remarkable that you would betray that.”

Matthew McDermott

DISGRACED: Ex-NYPD cop Ali Oklu (above) was part of a ring that transported guns to New York.

Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara blasted the cop, who didn’t speak during his sentencing.
“Ali Oklu betrayed the NYPD and the fine men and women who serve there so honorably, even going so far as to conspire to bring firearms into New York where his brother and sister officers — as far as he knew — might have been potentially in the firing line,” Bharara said in a statement.
The rogue cop was among a dozen current and former cops and law-enforcement personnel who made numerous trips to pick up what they believed were stolen cigarettes in Virginia, slot machines in Atlantic City and 20 guns — including three M16s, a shotgun and 16 handguns — and bring them to New York.

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE KEEPS HAPPENING

2013-04-18T08:21:00.001-07:00

Withe the release of the movie by Ken Burns called The Central Park Five, the public is given a rare look into what happens where there is a horrible crime, intense media and public pressure and a police department desperate to make an arrest. The sad part is that The Central Park Happen every day in New York City. Recently, we had the case of Dominique Strauss Khan. There, again, the police were sure they had their man, the Manhattan DA forced him to do a "perp walk" in front of the world media and destroyed a man who may have been Frances next president. The Duke rape case is another example of the police and prosecutor maliciously trying to destroy lives for political gain. Crime is always interwoven with politics. With one order, the Mayor could end the illegal search of young minority men in this city, but he will not. As long as the police and prosecutors let the media pressure dictate who they arrest and prosecute, we can just keep adding to the number of the Central Park Five.

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JEFFERSON SIEGEL

Matthew Matagrano, 37, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 7 years of post-release supervision for trespassing into the Manhattan Detention Complex, stealing equipment and groping an inmate.

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Paul Browne said the position came “out of the blue” after a consulting firm approached him about making him a candidate.

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LET'S REVIEW THE CANDIDATES

THEY CAN'T HIDE IT ANYMORE

THE ROTTEN APPLE

FORMER NYPD COP SENTENCED TO JAIL FOR SELLING GUNS

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE KEEPS HAPPENING