BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR SELLING 14 FIREARMS, INCLUDING TWO SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES, TO UNDERCOVER COP IN THE BRONX

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling over a dozen firearms to an undercover NYPD detective in the Bronx. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant had in his possession multiple weapons that could have been used to injure or kill people in the Bronx. Throughout several occasions, the defendant sold the firearms to a brave, undercover NYPD Detective who was acting as a buyer. The defendant will now spend years in prison for promoting illegal guns in our communities. Public safety is a priority and my Office will continue to work to prosecute and hold accountable anyone who sells, possesses or shoots guns on Bronx streets.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Frankie Esperanza, 35, of 2816 Schley Avenue, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision today by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree Criminal Sale of a Firearm on October 2, 2019. 

 According to the investigation, Esperanza sold 14 firearms to an undercover NYPD detective on eight separate occasions between August 8, 2018 and January 28, 2019, at several locations in the Throgs Neck area of the Bronx. Among the weapons the defendant sold to the undercover detective were revolvers, pistols, two semi-automatic rifles, a high-capacity magazine and ammunition.

 District Attorney Clark also thanked NYPD Deputy Inspector Brian V. Gill, Commanding Officer of the Firearms Suppression Section; NYPD Captain Jonathan P. Korbell, Commanding Officer; NYPD Detective Jonathan Jordan and Detective Dennis Kenefick, all of the Firearms Investigation Unit, and NYPD Detective Douglas Lansing of the Drug Enforcement Task Force, formerly of the Firearms Investigation Unit, for their assistance in the investigation.

Cases from the Bronx District Attorney's Office

NYC DOC Officer, Two Others Indicted for Smuggling Contraband into Rikers Island

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett today announced that a Department of Correction Officer, a former inmate and a Bronx resident have been indicted for smuggling heroin and tobacco into Rikers Island. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendants allegedly fueled corruption and danger on Rikers Island by smuggling heroin and other contraband for sale or trade behind bars. The Correction Officer stands accused of tarnishing his badge and jeopardizing the safety of his fellow officers. We will continue to work with partners such as the Department of Investigation to halt crime in the jails, whether they are committed by staff or inmates.” 

 DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said, "Our City's jails are only safe if the officers working in them are free from corruption. This Correction Officer and his co-conspirators allegedly ferried in illegal contraband, including potentially deadly drugs and loose tobacco. In addition to the potential danger of the contraband itself, officers providing illegal favors for certain inmates is a threat to good order and discipline in the jails, making them less safe for inmates and officers alike. DOI thanks the Bronx District Attorney's Office for their partnership in this investigation."

 District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Jason Prieto, 40, a Correction Officer for three years; Anthony Rusielwicz, 41, of Brooklyn, who is an inmate; and Luz Pagan, 54, of the Bronx, were charged in an indictment with fourth-degree Conspiracy, third-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the third degree, fifth-degree Conspiracy, first and second-degree Promoting Prison Contraband, third-degree Bribery, and seventh-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. Prieto was additionally charged with third-degree Bribe Receiving and Official Misconduct.

 The defendants were arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy. Bail was continued at $2,000 for Prieto, Pagan was released on his own recognizance, and bail was set at $10,000 bond/$5,000 cash and 10% partially secured bond in the amount of $15,000 for Rusielwicz. The defendants are due back in court on December 5, 2019.

 According to the investigation, from February 2, 2018 through April 16, 2018 the three conspired to, and successfully brought in, dangerous contraband to the Eric M. Taylor Center Rikers Island. On April 16, 2018, Correction Officer Jason Prieto was caught with 11 glassines of heroin, loose tobacco and rolling papers by a narcotics-detecting canine.

 District Attorney Clark thanked BXDA Detective Investigator Matthew Cruz and BXDA Senior Detective Investigator Vincent Cantarella for their assistance in the case. District Attorney Clark thanked FBI Forensic Examiner Michael D’Angelis, Captain Vincent Fuca of DOC, and the DOI’s Office of the Inspector General for DOC, specifically, Investigator Brian Hilario, Captain Ali Fayad, Assistant Inspector General Carmelo Galarza and K-9 Gunner, under the supervision of Inspector General Dana A. Roth, Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Investigations Dominick Zarrella, and First Deputy Commissioner Daniel Cort. 

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

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Bronx Gang Member Charged With 2015 Murder

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Raymond Donovan, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging JOSE RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Hov,” a/k/a “Hov Goon,” with murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and firearms offenses in connection with the murder of Daquan Cooper on June 25, 2015, in the Bronx.  RODRIGUEZ was already in federal custody serving a sentence for other charges. RODRIGUEZ will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged in the indictment, Jose Rodriguez and others were responsible for the cold-blooded murder of Daquan Cooper in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx in 2015.  We commend the extraordinary efforts of our law enforcement partners to bring this defendant to justice.”           

HSI Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said:  “Rodriguez allegedly ran with a gang whose calling card was violence and drug trafficking, and he is now charged with murder in aid of racketeering for his involvement in a 2015 homicide.  As alleged, he may have thought he was in the clear four years later, but strong law enforcement partnerships ensure that no one will get away with murder.  You commit a crime, you will be arrested and you will be prosecuted.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan said:  “Too often we see murder as a byproduct of gang violence and drug trafficking.  This investigation is a result of combined law enforcement efforts to thwart violent crime and bring answers to victims’ families.” 

NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said:  “Our obligation is not just to ensure that New Yorkers in every neighborhood are safe, but that they feel safe.  To that end, our work identifying and dismantling gangs and crews, and preventing the violence so often associated with their activities, continues to be of paramount importance.  I thank our NYPD investigators, and our law enforcement partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District, HSI, and the DEA, for their dedication and vital work in this case.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:

RODRIGUEZ was a member or associate of a racketeering enterprise known as the Beach Avenue Crew, a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in, among other things, murder, attempted murder, and narcotics trafficking. 

On June 25, 2015, RODRIGUEZ and others murdered Daquan Cooper in the vicinity of 1595 Unionport Road in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx.                

RODRIGUEZ, 27, from the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of murder through use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of HSI, DEA, and the NYPD.  Mr. Berman added that the investigation is continuing.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.

MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS DERMOT SHEA NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER

New Commissioner is a 28-year NYPD veteran, currently Chief of Detectives, plans focus on gangs and gun violence.

Mayor de Blasio today announced that Dermot Shea will be the next Commissioner of the New York Police Department. Shea began his service as a police officer in 1991, a year New York City faced more than 2,000 murders, and rose through the ranks to become Chief of Detectives, where he has overseen the criminal investigations in the city in addition to targeted efforts to prevent crime from happening.

As the next Police Commissioner, Shea will apply precision policing and Neighborhood Policing to target gang-related violence, take guns off the streets and continue the city's remarkable reduction in crime. He will take office on December 1st.

"Dermot Shea is a proven change agent, using precision policing to fight crime and build trust between police and communities. As Chief of Crime Control Strategies and then Chief of Detectives, Dermot was one of the chief architects of the approach that has made New York City the safest big city in America. Dermot is uniquely qualified to serve as our next Police Commissioner and drive down crime rates even further," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to express deep gratitude to Jimmy O'Neill for dedicating his entire career to keeping our city safe. Jimmy transformed the relationship between New Yorkers and police, and helped to make the Department the most sophisticated and advanced in the country."

"This is a tremendous honor and a tremendous responsibility and I'm grateful to the Mayor for this privilege to serve," said Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea. "Police Commissioner O'Neill has been a mentor and a friend to me, and I am committed to building on the incredible success of Neighborhood Policing and precision policing, while continuing my life's work to eradicate gangs and guns from our streets. Every New Yorker deserves to be safe and feel safe, and that has been my mission since I took the oath and became a police officer 28 years ago. As Police Commissioner, this will be what drives me."

"Dermot Shea has exactly the experience and skill to continue to drive down crime, strengthen relationships with the community members we serve and make sure every neighborhood has the safety they deserve," said Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill. "We cannot take the historic crime reductions in New York City for granted, and Dermot's understanding of the complex issues that lead to crime and disorder, as well as the most effective strategies for addressing these issues, is as good as it gets in policing today."

Commissioner James O'Neill has presided over the lowest crime rate in New York City since the NYPD started tracking major crime, as well as the fewest number of homicides recorded since the 1950s. The architect of Neighborhood Policing, he oversaw the expansion of Neighborhood Coordination Officers to every precinct, Police Service Area and transit district as well as reforms to department policy that drove down crime and simultaneously reduced arrests for low-level offenses.

About Dermot Shea

Shea began his service as a police officer in 1991, a year New York City faced more than 2,000 murders. He rose up the ranks to serve as precinct commander of the 44th and 50th precincts in the Bronx where he oversaw a dramatic reduction in gun violence.

In 2014, Shea was appointed Chief of Crime Control Strategies and Deputy Commissioner for Operations, where he oversaw the CompStat system and honed a new generation of precision approaches that helped drive crime to record lows. He focused the Department not just around arrests, but around intelligence-driven prosecutions in close cooperation with District Attorneys to take dangerous criminals off the street. Shea's role required him to constantly shift resources to respond to real-time crime trends. In 2018, Shea was promoted to Chief of Detectives, where he oversaw all of the Department's investigatory operations, including every criminal investigation in the city. Shea overhauled the Special Victims Division to strengthen NYPD's commitment to survivors of sexual assault.

Shea grew up in Sunnyside, Queens, the son of Irish immigrants. He holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Oneonta. He and his wife Serena live in Manhattan and have three children: Jackie, Lauren and Richie, as well as grandson, Aidan, and a dog named Miley.

Former Head Of Pakistani Drug Trafficking Network Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Narcotics Offenses

Shahbaz Khan Sought to Import Tens of Thousands of Kilograms of Heroin into the United States for Distribution in New York City and Elsewhere

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that SHAHBAZ KHAN (“KHAN”) was sentenced to 15 years for conspiring and attempting to import massive quantities of heroin into the United States.  KHAN was taken into custody by Liberian authorities on December 1, 2016, and expelled to the United States later that day, based on a pending Complaint in this District.  He previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield, who imposed today’s sentence.  

  

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated:  “Shahbaz Khan was an international drug kingpin who distributed staggering quantities of narcotics from southwest Asia to countries throughout the world.  In 2016, he agreed to transport tens of thousands of kilograms of heroin to New York City.  Today’s sentence shows that we will continue to seek justice against those who flood our communities with heroin and other deadly, highly addictive drugs that fuel the opioid epidemic plaguing this city.”

According to the Complaint, the Superseding Indictment, and other filings in this case:

KHAN, a Pakistani national, was the leader of a drug trafficking organization (the “DTO”) based in Afghanistan and Pakistan that produced and distributed massive quantities of narcotics around the world.  In 2007, KHAN was designated a Narcotics Kingpin under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act by then-President George W. Bush.  In total, KHAN and the DTO distributed hundreds of tons of drugs. 

Between approximately August and December 2016, KHAN conspired to send tens of thousands of kilograms of heroin hidden in maritime shipping containers and air cargo shipments to New York City.  KHAN spent weeks negotiating the shipments with individuals he understood to be customers of the DTO, who were in fact confidential sources (the “CSes”) working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (the “DEA”).  The CSes told KHAN that they worked with a New York City-based drug trafficker – who, unbeknownst to KHAN, was a DEA undercover agent (“UC-1”) – and that UC-1 was looking for a new source of supply for large quantities of heroin.  In August 2016, the CSes told KHAN that UC-1 was interested in purchasing up to 300 kilograms of heroin per week from KHAN and the DTO.  KHAN bragged to the CSes about his decades-long experience in international drug trafficking, including that he had once transported 114 tons of drugs in a single year, including 64 tons of hashish. 

Within weeks of first meeting the CSes, KHAN traveled to the Maldives to meet with UC-1 and the CSes.  During the course of these meetings, KHAN explained the various ways that he could transport heroin to UC-1.  KHAN suggested, for example, that he could ship heroin from Pakistan to a transshipment point in Africa, where UC-1 would receive the heroin and have it shipped to the United States.  KHAN further explained that he could ship narcotics “wherever” UC-1 wanted, and emphasized that “if you tell me America, I will send it to America.”

In October 2016, KHAN provided a five-kilogram sample of high-quality heroin to the CSes in Kabul, Afghanistan.  Within weeks of providing the sample, KHAN traveled to Liberia to meet with UC-1 and to examine a supposed warehouse that could serve as a transshipment point for their future heroin deals.  While in transit to Liberia, KHAN explained to UC-1 that he could ship up to 10,000 kilograms at a time, and that it was just as easy for him to ship 10,000 kilograms as it was to ship 1,000 kilograms.  Once KHAN landed in Liberia, he was arrested and expelled to the United States.   

In addition to the prison term, KHAN, 71, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division’s Bilateral Investigations Unit; the DEA Accra, Canberra, Sydney, Dubai, Islamabad, Kabul, Nairobi, and New Delhi Country Offices; the DEA New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Financial Investigative Team; the Government of Liberia; the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency; the DEA Nairobi Country Office Kenyan Vetted Unit; the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission; and the Maldives Police Service. 

The New Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Veterans Luncheon

Veterans Luncheon

Attorney General James On Resignation Of NYPD Commissioner O'Neill

 Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement in response to the resignation of NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill:

“For the past three years, Commissioner O’Neill has dedicated his life to protecting New York City and we are all grateful for his service. Under his leadership, our city reached record low major crime rates and he worked to address many of the challenges that have long-existed between the police and the communities they serve. I thank him for his 36 years of service to New York and I look forward to a productive relationship with incoming Commissioner Dermot Shea.”