New York Paralegal Blog

Imagine a business disagreement spiraling into a shocking criminal plot. That's what authorities in Nassau County say happened in a case involving a Dix Hills man accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill a former associate. The Accusation Navdeep Singh, 48, is at the center of a disturbing story. Prosecutors allege that he was so deep in a business dispute that he decided to have his rival kidnapped and killed. The Alleged Offer What was the price for this horrifying job? Singh allegedly offered the would-be hitman $100,000 and 10 acres of land in India. The plan was reportedly to kidnap the victim, torture him for millions of dollars, and then murder him. The Backstory This wasn't a random act. The feud started around two years ago when the intended victim, also in the construction business, fired Singh's company from a project. This led to a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit that was still pending. The Investigation According to officials, Singh provided the hired ass...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of KHALID RAHMAN, 20, on charges of Murder in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree.[1] In the early morning hours of July 5, 2012, the defendant is charged with firing a shot that killed Matt Shaw, 21, a recent college graduate, near the AK Houses in East Harlem.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of ROBERTO NUNEZ, 30, on charges of Murder in the First Degree and Murder in the Second Degree for the shooting deaths of three men in Harlem last month.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the filing of criminal charges against PEDRO HERNANDEZ, 51, for the homicide of Etan Patz, 6, on May 25, 1979. HERNANDEZ is charged with Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of three men to significant prison terms for robbing and murdering a 24-year-old man in Harlem in 2008. MICHAEL SMITH, 33, was sentenced today to 20-years-to-life in prison following his conviction at trial in December 2011 of multiple charges, including Murder in the Second Degree. ANTHONY SMITH, 30, pled guilty to Murder in the First Degree in August 2010 and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. In May 2011, MELVIN PETERS, 49, was convicted at a separate trial of multiple charges, including Murder in the Second Degree, and was sentenced to 45-years-to-life in June 2011.

Defendant Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Violent Attack on Ex-Girlfriend Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of RAMON LALONDRIZ-CASTILLO, 26, to 15 years in prison and five years post-release supervision, for shooting his ex-girlfriend two years ago as she left work on the Upper East Side. On January 5, 2012, the defendant pleaded guilty to the top charge in the indictment, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of AARON HAND, 40, to Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First and Second Degrees for conspiring to murder a witness who testified against him at his 2010 trial, at which he was convicted of masterminding a $100 million mortgage fraud. HAND will be sentenced on February 6, 2012. This sentence will run consecutively with the 8 1/3-to-25 years that HAND is currently serving on his mortgage fraud conviction.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of ANDRE VELEZ, 25, to 18 years to life in state prison for the homicide of Glendalyz Pagan, 19, the mother of his child, in a vacant apartment at 570 West 204th Street. VELEZ pled guilty on September 9, 2011 to one count of Murder in the Second Degree.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment and arraignment of TYSHAWN BROCKINGTON, 21, and ROBERT CARTAGENA, 20, on charges of Murder in the Second Degree, Burglary in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. BROCKINGTON and CARTAGENA are charged with the shooting death of Tayshana Murphy, 18, a Harlem teen and athlete. A third defendant, TERIQUE COLLINS, 24, is charged with providing the gun to the other defendants.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that three defendants were sentenced to decades in prison today by United States District Judge CATHY SEIBEL for committing the 2008 murder of a Yonkers resident on Helena Avenue in Yonkers, New York, several armed robberies, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. GREGORY FULLER, a/k/a “Murder,” was sentenced to 100 years’ imprisonment; defendant DAVON YOUNG, a/k/a “Burners,” was sentenced to 65 years’ imprisonment; THOMAS CHAMBLISS was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment.

NEW YORK - A Chinese gang leader was extradited from Canada to face charges of murdering two individuals in a Queens nightclub in 2004. This extradition is the result of an extensive investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the following law enforcement partners: HSI's attaché in Toronto; the Toronto Police Service; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the New York City Police Department (NYPD); the U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Office of International Affairs.

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a Merrick man who stabbed an eight-year-old boy in the back at a Westbury arcade has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault charges.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of STEVEN CARTER, 49, for the rape and murder of Antoinette Bennett in 1986. The crime remained unsolved for 24 years, but the case was reopened last year by the Manhattan DA’s Forensic Sciences/Cold Case Unit, which was created in April 2010 and is reviewing thousands of unsolved homicides dating back to the 1970s. After a thorough re-examination of evidence and the use of new forensic techniques, investigators from the District Attorney’s Office uncovered sufficient evidence to charge CARTER with murder. CARTER is charged with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, including one count of murder for causing the victim’s death during the commission of a felony rape.[1] “The Office’s new Cold Case Unit uses advances in DNA technology to solve homicides,” said District Attorney Vance. “The victim’s valiant fight for her life—in which she clawed at her attacker, scraping his skin—made today’s indictment...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of DANIEL SANTANA, 35, to 25 years to life in prison for the 1997 murder of Carmen Maria in Harlem. On June 13, 2011, a jury in New York State Supreme Court found SANTANA guilty of all of the charges in the indictment: two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, including one count of Murder in the Second Degree with depraved indifference to human life, as well as one count of Kidnapping in the First Degree. “The facts of this case are truly chilling,” said District Attorney Vance. “A woman was burned alive, individuals were tortured, and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes were at large for more than a decade. Cold cases are not forgotten cases, and this Office is committed to using all resources available to vigorously prosecute criminals, in spite of the passage of time. I would like to thank our tireless prosecutors and the jury for their service in this trial.” As proven at trial, in the early...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced a guilty verdict in the trial of DAN EVANS, 26, on murder and other charges relating to two separate violent incidents in East Harlem that occurred three years apart from each other. A jury convicted the defendant of all of the counts in the two indictments: Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Attempted Assault in the First Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, and Assault in the Second Degree. The defendant faces a potential maximum of 90 years to life in prison at his sentencing on July 19, 2011. “Today’s conviction is the result of five years of dogged investigative work on difficult cases, one of which had no eyewitnesses come forward,” said District Attorney Vance. “Both attacks were random, senseless acts of gun violence that victimized innocent bystanders, including a young mot...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of LERIO GUERRERO, 32, for the rape and burglary of a 28-year old woman as she entered her apartment building in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1998. GUERRERO was not apprehended after the assault, but DNA from the attack was recovered and entered into a DNA database maintained by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). The DNA profile was indicted in April 2005 as a “John Doe.” GUERRERO is charged with Rape in the First Degree, Sodomy in the First Degree, Burglary in the First Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, and Attempt to Commit the Crime of Robbery in the First Degree. “For 13 years, the victim waited for justice,” District Attorney Vance said. “Thanks to DNA technology, we were able to file an indictment in this case before the statute of limitations expired, despite not having a suspect in custody. When we consider what a powerful tool DNA evidence is for solving crime, ...

Update: Jury Imposes Death Sentence Against Bridgeport Drug Dealer for Murdering Three People in 2005 David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, announced that a federal jury in New Haven has found AZIBO AQUART, also known as “Azibo Smith,” “Azibo Siwatu Jahi Smith,” “D,” “Dreddy,” and “Jumbo,” 30, of Bridgeport guilty of the August 24, 2005 murders of Tina Johnson, 43; James Reid, 40, and Basil Williams, 54. The trial before United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton began on April 20 and the jury returned the verdicts today after approximately three hours of deliberations. According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, AQUART was the founder and leader of a drug trafficking group that primarily sold crack cocaine out of an apartment building located at 215 Charles Street in Bridgeport. AQUART and his associates participated in acts of violence...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced a guilty verdict against LONDELL SQUIRE, 23, for the 2009 murder of Omar Trent, a party promoter on a boat anchored at South Street Seaport. A jury found SQUIRE guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. On May 17, 2011, SQUIRE will be sentenced in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. "The defendant made a calculated decision to shoot and kill Mr. Trent," District Attorney Vance said. "I commend the jury for its careful attention and service in this case." As proven at trial, on August 22, 2009, Omar Trent was at a party on a boat docked at the South Street Seaport when several fights broke out and caused many of the 400 guests to rush off the boat. SQUIRE also ran off of the boat, but went to his car to retrieve his gun. He was heading back toward the boat when he encountered Trent, whom he recognized as having been involved in the fight. ...

ALHAMBRA – A man who fled the United States after a murder and jewel theft in Alhambra nearly 30 years ago was sentenced today to up to life in prison for his crimes. A Superior Court jury in Alhambra last November convicted 55-year-old Ninh Kim Nguyen of first-degree murder and grand theft. Trial Judge Laura Priver sentenced him today to 31-years-to-life on the murder charge and two years for the theft. Deputy District Attorney Stacie Mayoras said the jury convicted Nguyen of fatally stabbing Bui Khuyen, 45, on Aug. 5, 1983, and stealing her jewelry. The crimes occurred at the victim’s apartment on North Fifth Street in Alhambra. Nguyen, 29 at the time and the reported boyfriend of an acquaintance of the victim’s, was investigated early on as a potential suspect. A felony complaint for extradition charging him with the murder was filed by the District Attorney’s office on Aug. 12, 1983. Nguyen fled the United States shortly after the murder and returned to Southeast Asia. In 1...

MEDFORD– A Medford woman has been arraigned on a charge of murder in connection with the stabbing death of her husband, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today. Shawntina Burston, 39, of Medford, was arraigned today in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on the charge of first degree murder. Middlesex Superior Court Judge S. Jane Haggerty ordered the defendant held without bail. Her next court date is May 25 for a pretrial conference. According to authorities, on January 30, at approximately 10:36 pm, Medford Police were dispatched to 108 Exchange Avenue, for a report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, Officers discovered the victim, Troy Burston, 34, of Medford, outside lying in a snow bank and evidencing an obvious stab wound. The victim was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The defendant, who is the victim’s wife, was taken into custody at the scene. Authorities allege that the defendant and the victim began arguing...