Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of NICHOLAS MINA, 31, a New York City police officer, for stealing police-issued firearms from his colleagues’ lockers in the 9th Precinct Station House and selling them on the underground market. MINA is charged with Conspiracy, Criminal Sale and Possession of a Firearm, Grand Larceny, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance. The indictment also charges five other defendants for conspiring with MINA. IVAN CHAVEZ, 24, MARCOS ECHEVERRIA, 22, MERYL LEBOWITZ, 64, JENNIFER SULTAN, 38, and a fifth unapprehended defendant are each charged with Conspiracy and related crimes.
“Guns, drugs, and corruption are a dangerous combination,” said District Attorney Vance. “This defendant endangered the very public he took an oath to protect, at a time when gun violence is destroying lives every day. Thanks to the work of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, its Firearms Investigation Unit, and my Office’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, we have taken these stolen guns off the street and will seek to bring a criminal network to justice.”
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said: “I commend the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as well as the Firearms Investigations Unit detectives and the Internal Affairs Bureau for their fine work and critical information sharing that led to tracking the missing guns back to the suspect.”
According to documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court, MINA has served as a member of the New York City Police Department for more than three years. He is accused of stealing and selling on the underground market police-issued firearms over the past six months. Each sale was monitored by undercover members of the NYPD’s Firearms Investigation Unit. The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau also played a key role in this case, working with the District Attorney’s Office to investigate missing firearms and other equipment from the 9th Precinct Station House.
Illegal guns remain a serious problem in our city. There have been 80 shooting incidents this year in Manhattan with 96 victims.
This case marks the 13th indictment of gun traffickers in the last 18 months by the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit and its NYPD partners, which have seized nearly $2 million of criminal proceeds and taken 422 guns off the street. An additional 139 guns were turned in on a single day last fall at a “Cash for Guns” buyback event sponsored by the Manhattan District Attorney and the NYPD, and numerous weapons are removed from circulation each year in routine criminal prosecutions.
Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Prevost and Patrick Doherty are handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Ryan, Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, and Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division. Mark Stewart is the Supervisory Rackets Investigator assigned to the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit.
District Attorney Vance also thanked NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly; NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau Chief Charles V. Campisi, Deputy Inspector Joseph DiBartolomeo, Lt. Keith Shine, and Sgt. Brian Lopez; Organized Crime Control Bureau Chief Anthony J. Izzo and his Firearms Investigation Unit officers, Deputy Inspector John Burke, Capt. Robert Van Houten, Lt. Thomas McParland, Sgt. William Sommer, Sgt. Michael Ingram, Det. Richard Wells; and the undercover detectives of both the Internal Affairs Bureau and Firearms Investigation Unit.
Defendant information:
NICHOLAS MINA, DOB 9/18/1980
Queens, NY
Charges:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 5 counts
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 5 counts
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class D felony, 4 counts
Criminal Possession of a Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a class D felony, 4 counts
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
IVAN CHAVEZ, DOB 7/17/1987
Queens, NY
Charges:
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class B felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 8 counts
Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 10 counts
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
MARCOS ECHEVERRIA, DOB 6/1/1990
Brooklyn, NY
Charges:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 2 counts
Attempted Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
MERYL LEIBOWITZ, DOB 12/22/1947
Queens, NY
Charges:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 2 counts
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
JENNIFER SULTAN, DOB 5/12/1974
New York, NY
Charges:
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
“Guns, drugs, and corruption are a dangerous combination,” said District Attorney Vance. “This defendant endangered the very public he took an oath to protect, at a time when gun violence is destroying lives every day. Thanks to the work of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, its Firearms Investigation Unit, and my Office’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, we have taken these stolen guns off the street and will seek to bring a criminal network to justice.”
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said: “I commend the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as well as the Firearms Investigations Unit detectives and the Internal Affairs Bureau for their fine work and critical information sharing that led to tracking the missing guns back to the suspect.”
According to documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court, MINA has served as a member of the New York City Police Department for more than three years. He is accused of stealing and selling on the underground market police-issued firearms over the past six months. Each sale was monitored by undercover members of the NYPD’s Firearms Investigation Unit. The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau also played a key role in this case, working with the District Attorney’s Office to investigate missing firearms and other equipment from the 9th Precinct Station House.
Illegal guns remain a serious problem in our city. There have been 80 shooting incidents this year in Manhattan with 96 victims.
This case marks the 13th indictment of gun traffickers in the last 18 months by the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit and its NYPD partners, which have seized nearly $2 million of criminal proceeds and taken 422 guns off the street. An additional 139 guns were turned in on a single day last fall at a “Cash for Guns” buyback event sponsored by the Manhattan District Attorney and the NYPD, and numerous weapons are removed from circulation each year in routine criminal prosecutions.
Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Prevost and Patrick Doherty are handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Ryan, Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, and Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division. Mark Stewart is the Supervisory Rackets Investigator assigned to the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit.
District Attorney Vance also thanked NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly; NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau Chief Charles V. Campisi, Deputy Inspector Joseph DiBartolomeo, Lt. Keith Shine, and Sgt. Brian Lopez; Organized Crime Control Bureau Chief Anthony J. Izzo and his Firearms Investigation Unit officers, Deputy Inspector John Burke, Capt. Robert Van Houten, Lt. Thomas McParland, Sgt. William Sommer, Sgt. Michael Ingram, Det. Richard Wells; and the undercover detectives of both the Internal Affairs Bureau and Firearms Investigation Unit.
Defendant information:
NICHOLAS MINA, DOB 9/18/1980
Queens, NY
Charges:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 5 counts
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 5 counts
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class D felony, 4 counts
Criminal Possession of a Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a class D felony, 4 counts
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
IVAN CHAVEZ, DOB 7/17/1987
Queens, NY
Charges:
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class B felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 8 counts
Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 10 counts
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
MARCOS ECHEVERRIA, DOB 6/1/1990
Brooklyn, NY
Charges:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 2 counts
Attempted Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
MERYL LEIBOWITZ, DOB 12/22/1947
Queens, NY
Charges:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony, 1 count
Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 2 counts
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
JENNIFER SULTAN, DOB 5/12/1974
New York, NY
Charges:
Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
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