Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As we come to the end of a year that has been unlike any other in the modern times of Queens County (and, indeed, of our city, our country and the world), I want to take this opportunity to offer my best wishes in the New Year, to reflect on some of this office’s 2020 accomplishments, and to reaffirm the principles and vision that guide us to the future.

At the beginning of the year, I referred to the mission of the new Queens District Attorney’s office as ‘brave justice,’ but the challenges we were preparing to face did not yet include a worldwide pandemic that, to date, has claimed the lives of thousands of Queens residents. 

COVID-19’s consistent interruption of court proceedings led us to change and redefine our office since March 15th, but our work continued throughout. Here in Queens in 2020, we saw more than 20,000 cases arraigned in criminal court and handled more than 900 indicted cases. Our prosecutors interviewed witnesses and victims, in person, over the phone and via Webex and Zoom. We responded to crime scenes, hospitals, precincts and multiple other locations both local and out-of-state to investigate cases. We worked with our witnesses and victims to connect them with services as they needed. 

Throughout this difficult year, the goals of my administration have remained constant: to keep the people of Queens safe by prosecuting drivers of crime… to protect our most vulnerable… to partner with our communities… and to work towards building an equitable criminal justice system.

My team and I have maintained a steady hand during turbulent times, whether taking down gun traffickers trying to smuggle illegal weapons from down South or prosecuting human traffickers who exploit and abuse troubled teens.

There is always more to be done, but I am proud to report that in our first year we have truly re-imagined the way the DA’s Office works by fortifying our ties to the communities we serve, restructuring to more clearly focus on violent crime and those who would prey on our most vulnerable, and boldly breaking new ground by devoting an entire unit to investigating potential wrongful convictions.
Protecting and Supporting Our Communities
Throughout years of public service here in Queens, I’ve learned that trust comes from building close relationship in all parts of the most diverse county in the nation. I am determined to open the doors of the DA’s office to our communities, to invite them in, hear their concerns and make sure they know our office. 

  • To this end, I asked nearly 400 Queens residents from all walks of life to join our Community Advisory Councils. Among the Advisory Councils launched this year are the Latino, LGBTQ, African-American, South Asian/Indo Caribbean, Pacific Asian, Jewish and Clergy Councils, and two Labor Advisory groups, one focusing on the Building Trades and one focusing on Service Workers. We will continue to form new advisory councils as the opportunities arise, including a Middle Eastern/North African Advisory Council in 2021.

  • Our enhanced Community Partnerships Division broadened our reach across the borough, participating in nearly 400 community-based events in 2020 and hosting thousands of attendees at cultural and heritage appreciation events, both on-line and in person. 

  • Together with NYPD and community leaders, we confronted the gun violence that exploded during the summer -- and continues to claim too many lives – with gun buy-back events that have taken more than 200 weapons off the streets. Each of these guns represents a potential tragedy averted. We also organized a Rally for Peace that brought community members and leaders, clergy, cure-violence groups and law enforcement together in unity to condemn gun violence.

  • Crimes fueled by bigotry and hatred have no place in the most diverse county in the country. No one should have to endure being called a vile slur or being attacked simply because of the color of their skin, their religion or who they love. That’s why I created a Hate Crimes Bureau, one of the first in the nation dedicated exclusively to investigating, prosecuting and deterring hate crimes.

  • To break the cycle of crime and offer a second chance to young people in a community-based setting, we are working with Queens Defenders on a new diversion program at the Rockaway Community Justice Center that can hopefully serve as a model for replication in the future. The program is part of an overall emphasis on Alternative Sentencing Programs, when appropriate. 

  • Since the pandemic first hit, too many motorists have disregarded traffic laws and speed limits and are driving recklessly or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Year-to-date, our office has seen a 27 percent increase in fatal collisions throughout the borough. Few choices are more selfish than driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Under my administration, drivers are being held accountable for driving while intoxicated. I have ensured that dispositions on DWI cases are now more closely aligned with statutory guidelines. While each case is examined on its own merits, many DWI cases are no longer eligible for reduced pleas as they had been in the past. We have lowered the blood alcohol levels acceptable for plea offers and seek stronger sanctions in aggravated circumstances. These new policies strengthen our ability to keep these drivers off the road and prevent further harm.
Some of The Changes Within
  • We’ve implemented new policies that make for a fairer, more just system here in Queens. This includes abandoning the use of the 180.80 waiver and top count plea policies that require defendants to waive some of their rights.  

  • Knowing that no system is without flaws, I established a Conviction Integrity Unit to reinvestigate and resolve credible claims of actual innocence or wrongful convictions. As a result of CIU’s work, two men - each of whom had been incarcerated for more than 25 years - had their convictions vacated this year. The CIU, which is the first of its kind in Queens, is currently reviewing more than 80 cases. I also moved to vacate two separate 1996 convictions, based on clear evidence of unconstitutional discrimination in jury selection. The evidence of discrimination did not raise any questions about the defendants’ guilt, and my office will re-prosecute them, but convictions obtained through such discriminatory practices could not be permitted to stand. 

  • Our Human Trafficking Bureau is dedicated exclusively to combating human trafficking in Queens County. When young people are forced into prostitution with threats and physical violence, as we allege in cases being prosecuted this year, it is our obligation as a city to hold the traffickers accountable. The bureau aggressively prosecutes traffickers and buyers of sex, while offering survivors of trafficking access to meaningful support services. It also provides community outreach, education and information to help identify and prevent trafficking in our communities. 

  • The Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau focuses on organized criminal activity to protect our neighborhoods from violent gangs, gun runners and drug traffickers. This summer, the VCEB and NYPD took down a gun trafficking ring that allegedly used the notorious “Iron Pipeline” to smuggle guns purchased in Virginia for illegal sale on Queens streets.   

  • The Housing and Worker Protection Bureau was created to stop the theft of property, wages and equity from hard-working residents and to punish those who put workers in danger. This past fall, the Bureau stopped an unscrupulous contractor from defrauding the city of more than $1.5 million in stolen wages. The defendant pleaded guilty to skimming money that should have been used to pay fair wages to his contractors. More than a dozen workers got their hard-earned wages back thanks to the Housing and Worker Protection Bureau’s efforts. 

  • I also established a Frauds Bureau where prosecutors are specially trained to aid residents of Queens, particularly the elderly, who are victims of embezzlement, organized theft schemes, confidence schemes, trademark counterfeiting, financial and investment scams, cyber- and environmental crimes. 
I am happy to have this opportunity to update you on some of the movement here at the Queens District Attorney’s office. From my family to yours, we hope the New Year finds you healthy, safe and happy. My wish is that, if nothing else, 2021 brings hope and allows us to be together again one day soon. 
In Friendship,

Melinda Katz
Queens District Attorney