New York Paralegal Blog

Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Emmanuel Tavarez pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, and the use of a firearm in relation to these crimes for his participation in multiple armed robberies of narcotics traffickers in the New York City metropolitan area and elsewhere while he was employed as a police officer in the New York City Police Department. The guilty plea proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Viktor V. Pohorelsky. When sentenced by United States District Judge Sandra L. Townes, Tavarez faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The conviction was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York As alleged in the indictment and other court filings by the government, Tavarez participated in a violent robbery crew responsible for more than 100 armed robberies of narcotics traffickers that netted more than 250 kilograms of cocaine and $1 million i...

Enver Mehmeti, the leader of a violent crew that distributed large amounts of crack and powder cocaine in the New Springville neighborhood of Staten Island and in New Jersey, was sentenced today to 27 years of imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Mehmeti previously pleaded guilty to narcotics trafficking and weapons charges. The sentencing was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. As detailed in the superseding indictment and other filings with the court, for most of 2007, the Mehmeti crew operated in New Jersey. Mehmeti shifted the crew’s base of operations to Staten Island in 2008, and continued to distribute significant amounts of crack and powder cocaine to customers on Staten Island until he and other crew members were arrested in 2009. Mehmeti and his crew were involved in at least six shootings that took place in Staten Island during that time. Mehmeti, a...