December 31, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

When we said goodbye to 2020, we hoped that the new year would bring new beginnings and the eradication of COVID-19. Although 2021 didn’t quite live up to expectations, I stand proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together. I am especially proud of how judicious this Office has been when it comes to the fair administration of justice in Queens County. Over the past year, we have declined to prosecute for minor violations such as social distancing or mask mandates, but we aggressively went after gun runners and drug traffickers who put our residents in harm’s way. We have held ourselves accountable to the highest standards of excellence while taking a close, hard look at the way justice was dispensed in the past. We have successfully worked to reduce incarceration rates while addressing crime concerns facing this Borough. It is this delicate balance that has been the key focus of my administration, ensuring that Justice always looks the same, no matter who you are or where you’re from.

Safeguarding Our Communities

COVID-19’s continued disruption of court proceedings has not hindered our daily work to protect all those who work, live, and visit Queens. Below are just some of our major achievements in the past year: An investigation by my Office's Frauds Bureau, in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations, resulted in the seizure of 1.7 million counterfeit 3M N95 respirator masks from a Long Island City warehouse. These phony masks were not just a rip-off of the company - they posed a threat to the safety of frontline medical staff and unsuspecting public who could have unwittingly obtained them. In partnership with the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division, my team and I announced the indictment of 28 alleged gang members who have been charged with committing multiple, ongoing serious felonies in our  communities in Long Island City and Astoria and with perpetrating violence that has endangered the lives of residents in the Queensbridge and Ravenswood housing developments. A painstaking investigation, led by my Office’s Cold Case Unit and the NYPD, resulted in an indictment on murder charges against a defendant for his alleged commission of the 1976 killing of an 81-year-old World War I veteran, finally bringing  charges in a 45-year-old cold case. Over the duration of five months, my Office’s Crime Prevention Strategies Unit and the NYPD conducted five separate takedowns that addressed a new form of gun trafficking; the personal manufacturing of “ghost guns” –  firearms that are assembled in the home, bear no serial numbers and are virtually untraceable. The takedowns we made, together with the NYPD and ATF, included the seizure of 74 total firearms, 222 high-capacity magazines, approximately 33,470 rounds of ammunition, and 91 firearm lower receivers - which represent dozens of additional ghost guns that had not yet been completed. Increased global awareness of cryptocurrency has not only attracted investors but also fraudsters who are quick to adapt and always looking to exploit new technologies. Recently, my Office’s Cyber Crimes Unit charged a website consultant with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the proceeds of an on-line sale of $233,000 in cryptocurrency from two tech entrepreneurs. I was personally joined by former NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison and Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Council Member Adrienne Adams, to announce an indictment in the 2019 fatal shooting of Aamir Griffin – an innocent, 14-year-old bystander – at Baisley Park Houses.

Supporting Queens Residents

Over the last year, my Office has prosecuted those who seek to wreak havoc on our communities, but we have also strengthened our treatment programs, our alternatives to incarceration, our youth development initiatives, our violence prevention strategies, and our partnerships with the communities that we serve. At the start of the year, I created the Rehabilitation Programs and Restorative Services Bureau to perfect and expand our restorative justice programs and units. The Bureau includes the Diversion and Alternative Sentencing Unit, the Second Chance Community Justice Program and the Crime Victims Advocate Program. Our Conviction Integrity Unit was established on Day 1 of my administration to make sure that no one has been wrongfully convicted of a crime in Queens County. To-date, the Unit has vacated 70 convictions since its inception two years ago. Public safety and official accountability are not contradictory. Righting these injustices restores faith lost in our criminal justice system. Since taking office in 2020, I declined to prosecute anyone charged with loitering for the purposes of engaging in prostitution. Following the repeal of the law by the State Legislature, my Office filed a motion to dismiss nearly 700 related cases as an appropriate next step in our commitment to brave justice. For many years, I advocated for the decriminalization of recreational marijuana use and declined to prosecute these cases as the Queens District Attorney. Following State-wide decriminalization, my Office filed a motion to dismiss and seal thousands of marijuana-related cases. I strongly believe that we cannot prosecute our way out of gun violence. We must continue to provide meaningful programs and services so that our youth can choose a path to education, employment and success. As part of that effort, my Office awarded grant funding to six community organizations for the implementation of the Queens Community Violence Prevention Project, and additional grant funding to 28 community organizations for the implementation of the Queens Youth Development and Crime Prevention Project.

Throughout 2021, our strength, dedication and resilience have been tested time and time again. As we always do, we rose to the challenge, and I could not be prouder of everything we have accomplished for the safety and vitality of this great Borough. 2022 will bring new hope and hopefully provide more opportunity for us to gather. From my family to yours, may this New Year find you happy, healthy, and most importantly safe.

In Friendship, Melinda Katz Queens District Attorney