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Read Here: https://queenseagle.com/all/2026/3/12/queens-judge-dismisses-most-terroristic-threat-charges-against-man-accused-of-threatening-mamdani

Kevin Gomez, 22, was acquitted of felony manslaughter in the fatal 2023 hit-and-run death of three-year-old Quintus Chen in Queens, New York, but a jury found him guilty of misdemeanor charges including reckless driving and operating an unregistered vehicle. Queens Daily Eagle Prosecutors argued Gomez’s tinted windows severely impaired his visibility, yet he struck the child and fled the scene, while his defense countered that Gomez was merging into traffic and did not see the child, calling the tragedy an accidental “pedestrian error.” Queens Daily Eagle Gomez faces sentencing on December 10 and could receive either probation or up to a year behind bars. Queens Daily Eagle Click the link to read the full article.

Jury Deadlocked with regard to all charges involving marijuana impairment including most serious charge of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide. The so called controversial “Pot Defense” presented by New York Criminal Defense Attorney Todd Greenberg was based on scientific studies as explained to the Jury by a highly qualified Yale Professor. If convicted of top count Beer would have faced up to 25 years. Beer was convicted of the lesser charges of Manslaughter in the second degree based on reckless conduct. Watch on YouTube.

LONG ISLAND CRIME WOMAN PLEADS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MOM’S DEATH Attorneys said Suzan Grossman-Kerner of Oceanside was not responsible due to mental illness in the 2015 stabbing of her mother, Irma Grossman. By Joan Gralla @JoanGralla Updated May 15, 2018 9:30 PM An Oceanside lawyer pleaded not responsible for stabbing her mother to death due to mental illness, attorneys said on Tuesday. The Nassau district attorney’s office confirmed the plea by Suzan Grossman-Kerner, who had been charged with the murder of her mother, Irma Grossman, 79, in August 2015. “This is one of the top heart-wrenching cases; when somebody kills their mother, there has to be real, real mental illness here,” her lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said by telephone. Grossman-Kerner “was a successful attorney, with three kids, and a good job – and she snapped,” he said, noting her husband, also an attorney, has stood by her. Her collapse began after superstorm Sandy in 2012 destroyed some of her belongings, said Greenberg, who documented his client’s psychiatric history in a presentation before acting state Supreme Court Justice Meryl J. Berkowitz. “She grew depressed, delusional, dysfunctional; the mental illness, as her doctor said, ‘took a severe, unrelenting mental course,’ ” her attorney said. As a patient at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Grossman-Kerner underwent 40 electroconvulsive therapy treatments, he said. “And she felt that harmed her,” Greenberg said. “Basically, she blamed her mother and her husband for the particular treatment she received,” he said. Glen Oaks-based Zucker Hillside Hospital is part of Northwell Health. Citing patient confidentiality laws, a Northwell spokesman declined to comment. On Aug. 17, 2015, Grossman-Kerner went to her mother’s Terrell Avenue home in Oceanside, where the two argued over “her daughter’s ongoing medical conditions,” police said at a news conference on the following day. “The daughter, enraged, ultimately stabbed her mother to death,” Det. Capt. John Azzata said at the time. The mother was pronounced dead at South Nassau Communities Hospital at about 2:55 p.m. Grossman-Kerner called 911 about 12:48 p.m. and told authorities her mother had been assaulted. She was arrested at the scene and then charged with murder in the second degree. Since her arrest, Grossman-Kerner has spent most of the time in Nassau County jail, her lawyer said. She also has been examined by a doctor chosen by the prosecutors, he said, thanking the Nassau district attorney’s office for “doing the right thing” in this case. Two psychiatrists now will examine her to determine whether “she is dangerously mentally ill,” her lawyer said, and present their findings to the judge on June 19. If they determine she is dangerous, Grossman-Kerner will be sent to a secure psychiatric hospital, and re-examined periodically to see if she has improved enough to be transferred out. Said her lawyer: “Ms. Grossman-Kerner has an opportunity and will receive the proper psychiatric care and hopefully get herself back to a normal state.” By Joan Gralla https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/oceanside-murder-plea-mother-1.18561979

Three of four men received jail time and a national Asian-American fraternity was barred from doing business in Pennsylvania Monday in connection with the December 2013 hazing death of a college student in the Pocono Mountains. Kenny Kwan, Charles Lai, Raymond Lam and Sheldon Wong – all fraternity brothers of Pi Delta Psi – were sentenced after pleading guilty in May to manslaughter as accomplices and hindering apprehension in the death of Chun Hsien “Michael” Deng, an 18-year-old at Baruch College in Manhattan who was pledging to the fraternity when he died. Blindfolded and wearing a backpack, Deng was forced to walk in the backyard in the early morning hours through a line of fraternity members who allegedly pushed, shoved and tackled him in an attempt to bring him down, court records state. Judge Margherita Patti-Worthington, of the Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County, sentenced Wong and Lam each to 10 to 24 months incarceration; Kwan to a term of 12 to 24 months; and Lai to time served, according to attorneys for several of the defendants. Each sentence will be followed by seven years probation, according to Kimberly A. Metzger, a prosecutor with the Monroe County Office of the District Attorney. Wong’s attorney, Steven Brill, and Lam’s lawyer, Todd Greenberg, said their clients were taken into custody following the hearing and began serving their sentences in county jail immediately. Both Brill and Greenberg said there were no plans to appeal the conviction or sentencing. “There were no winners today or in this case,” Brill said. “Michael Deng has died. Sheldon Wong’s life is shattered and uncertain. But this sentence is reasonable enough that it allows Sheldon to get out and continue on the productive road that he was on before this night ever happened.” Greenberg said the sentencing process was extremely fair. “The judge took into consideration all of the mitigating factors in this case,” he said. “There’s no question that this is a tragic incident with regard to Michael Deng, but equally tragic to Mr. Lam and his co-defendants in the sense that they were young men on the right track and nobody intended this to happen.” Jim Swetz, Lai’s attorney, said in a phone interview that his client was eligible for immediate parole and was released. He said he was satisfied with the sentence, adding that Lai would not be available for interviews because of ongoing civil litigation. Robert Saurman, Kwan’s attorney, said Tuesday they were satisfied with the verdict. “The judge was fair,” he said. “She applied justice to it, weighed the balance, and came out with a very just decision, which punishes the defendants but also recognizes that they didn’t act with any malice, that they made mistakes, horrible mistakes, but no one intended any harm.” Earlier Monday, Patti-Worthington sentenced Pi Delta Psi to 10 years probation and imposed a $112,500 fine, the maximum allowable by law, according to Metzger. The fraternity, which was convicted in late November on criminal charges, including aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter, is required to pay off the fine and associated cost of prosecution within five years, Metzger said. Pi Delta Psi must also give written notice 60 days from Monday of its conviction and sentence to all colleges and universities across the country where it currently has or has ever had a chapter, associate chapter or colony, or where they plan to host or establish them, according to Metzger. Metzger said she had asked for 20 years probation, but was satisfied with the sentence. “I think the judge really took her time with contemplating what was the most appropriate sentence, and so we have no objection to what she’s done here,” Metzger said. Wes Niemoczynski, Pi Delta Psi’s attorney, said the sentence was within the judge’s discretion but that the fraternity is going to appeal the verdict. “What happened at trial, I think, was a gross mischaracterization of the fraternity and its policies and its rituals and all the rest of that,” he said. Deng’s mother submitted a written statement to the court ahead of the sentencing, according to Metzger; his family was not present in court Monday. Deng was pledging to Pi Delta Psi when he died during a December 2013 retreat at a rented house in the Poconos, around 96 miles west of New York City. The hazing was part of a violent ritual known as the “glass ceiling.” Deng fell several times and suffered multiple blows to his body, including his head, according to a forensic pathologist, court documents state. A grand jury presentment said he was brought into the living room, but wasn’t driven to a hospital for at least an hour. An autopsy showed Deng died of complications of traumatic brain injury, and the delay in treatment, the forensic pathologist said, significantly contributed to his death, according to court documents. Last January, fraternity member Ka-Wing Yuen was the first of 37 individual defendants sentenced in the case. Yuen pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to hinder apprehension by evidence tampering, a third-degree felony, and conspiracy to commit hazing, a misdemeanor. He was given five years probation, ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, and pay a $1,000 fine. Metzger said 30 individual defendants in November entered guilty pleas and were all sentenced to probation, ranging from six to 36 months. Former national fraternity president Andy Meng, brother of U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), was given the harshest punishment of 36 months probation, according to Metzger. Deng’s family has also filed a lawsuit against the fraternity. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/fraternity-fined-sentenced-probation-2013-baruch-college-hazing-death-n835731

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By Ed Fountaine All charges against two former New York Racing Association officials indicted in the so-called “fat jockeys” scandal were dismissed yesterday by Saratoga County judge Jerry Scarano, but the case is far from over. Mario Sclafani, 50, the clerk of scales, and his assistant, retired Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza, 67, are eyeing possible civil action against the prosecution and NYRA, which initiated the investigation and fired both men two years ago, for the “financial and emotional hardship” they endured, according to Sclafani’s attorney, Todd Greenberg. Sclafani and Baeza were indicted by former state attorney general, now governor Eliot Spitzer on 291 counts charging fraud, conspiracy, larceny and tampering with a sports event for allegedly allowing five different jockeys, including recently retired Hall of Famer Jose Santos and Cornelio Velasquez, who won this summer’s riding title at Saratoga, to ride above their listed weights in over 60 races from June to Dec. 2004 at Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct. The trial began Sept. 4 in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Last Tuesday, prior to adjournment for the Jewish holidays, the prosecution presented videotape evidence showing the jockeys weighing in at Saratoga Race Course. Testimony indicated, however, that the scale being used was not calibrated properly, as required by law. When the trial resumed yesterday, the defense motioned that the case be dismissed. Judge Scarano, over the prosecution’s objection, concurred, dropping all the charges involving the Saratoga races. Furthermore, he ruled that his court did not have jurisdiction over the charges involving the downstate races, and so dismissed all 291 counts. Because the evidence is so shaky, it is unlikely the prosecution will re-indict Sclafani and Baeza for the races at Belmont and Aqueduct. “One juror said the judge did what the jury was going to do anyway,” Greenberg said. “The methodology used by the investigators was terribly flawed and inaccurate” in that they never took into account equipment, such as the helmet and safety vest, that is not meant to be included in the assigned weight. Greenberg asserted that Sclafani and Baeza “were victims of political circumstances.” NYRA, he said, which was then under a federal indictment (since dismissed) and is seeking to have its franchise renewed, “handed them up as sacrificial lambs to the attorney general (Spitzer) to show compliance with a deferred prosecution agreement for the purpose of showing its own worthiness of a new contract.” On Sept. 4, Gov. Spitzer recommended that the franchise NYRA has held since 1955, which expires Dec. 31, be renewed for 30 years.

The Associated Press BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – A judge dismissed charges yesterday against two former New York Racing Association officials accused of falsely reporting the weights of several jockeys at NYRA’s three thoroughbred tracks in 2004. Saratoga County Court Judge Jerry Scarano ruled the case against Mario Sclafani and Braulio Baeza was based on faulty evidence, including a scale at Saratoga Race Course that was incorrectly calibrated and videos of the scales that were unclear, defense attorney Todd Greenberg said. Sclafani, 50, of Yorktown Heights, was NYRA clerk of scales, and Baeza, 67, of Elmont, was assistant clerk of scales. They were indicted in September 2005 on 291 criminal counts, including scheme to defraud, conspiracy, falsifying business records, tampering with a sports contest and grand larceny. Baeza is a two-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top jockey, a member of the Racing Hall of Fame and winner of the 1963 Kentucky Derby. “From the outset, we’d believed for the last 2 1/2 years there was not one iota of criminal evidence against our clients,” said Greenberg, who represents Sclafani. He said they were “the victims of political prosecution” and were served up by NYRA, which was facing federal charges of tax evasion and fraud. After an investigation by then – Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the two were suspended by NYRA in early 2005 and later fired. A spokesman for NYRA said it would not comment on a legal matter. Calls to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo were not returned. Attorney Paul DerOhannesian, who represents Baeza, doubted that charges will be brought in Queens. He said the supposed evidence showed jockeys 11 pounds overweight for a race and making weight 30 minutes later. Defense information showed the same men making weight the day before and a day later at other tracks. The clerks were accused of allowing Jose Santos, Robby Albarado, Herbert Castillo Jr., Ariel Smith and Cornelio Velasquez to ride 67 times at Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct from June 23, 2004 to Dec. 15, 2004 although they were allegedly 7 to 15 pounds over their announced weights. Prosecutors had said the false weights cheated bettors out of accurate data to make wagers.

By HUGH SON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER A veteran cop accused of killing a young Brooklyn motorcyclist while driving drunk was acquitted of all charges yesterday, a verdict that outraged the victim’s family. Off-duty Officer Victor Wilson, 43, had just left a Bay Ridge bowling alley when he crashed into Stefanos Kiladitis’ motorbike at 88th St. and Fort Hamilton Parkway on June 19, 2002. Kiladitis landed 30 feet from his Yamaha motorcycle and died of his injuries three days later. Defense lawyer Todd Greenberg said that jurors believed Wilson’s bowling buddies and an arresting officer on the scene who testified that the cop appeared sober, despite a test that found otherwise. An Intoxilyzer test administered by cops two hours after the crash found Wilson’s blood-alcohol level to be 0.11% – 0.1% above the legal limit – but the test was shown to be unreliable, Greenberg said. ‘This basically says if you’re a cop you can do something wrong and get away with it,’ said Despena Vasiadis, 25, fiancee? of Kiladitis’ brother John. Another factor in the verdict was that Kiladitis, 21, was traveling along Fort Hamilton Parkway at 55 mph above the speed limit, sources said. ‘Although we’re pleased with the verdict, Mr. Wilson wants the Kiladitis family to know that he certainly shares their sadness,’ Greenberg said. Wilson, of Tottenville, S.I. had been charged with vehicular manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Greenberg called for the suspended cop to be returned to active duty.

By MONTE WILLIAMS A former Mount Vernon High school student convicted of stabbing a classmate to death inside the school in 1994 was sentenced today to five years of probation. The Westchester County District Attorney immediately protested the sentence. “When a jury convicts someone of manslaughter, of killing a 17-year-old student in high school, he deserves more than probation,” District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. “What is the message we’re sending to young people? ‘You can go into our schools with a weapon, kill and walk.’ “ The defendant, Hopeton Minott, was granted youthful offender status by Judge Peter M. Leavitt of Westchester County Court, which allowed for the sentence and effectively sealed Mr. Minott’s criminal record. Mr. Minott, who was 17 at the time of the slaying, could have received a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 to 6 years in state prison or a maximum of 8 to 25 years had he been sentenced as an adult. Mr. Minott’s lawyer, Todd Greenberg, said the sentence imposed today was appropriate because of what he called “extremely mitigating circumstances. Mr. Greenberg has maintained that his client acted in self-defense. During the trial, and in an interview today, he said the victim — Shebuel Jackson, a star center fielder on the school baseball team — was one of five or six youths who accosted Mr. Minott in the hallway between classes. In that attack, Mr. Minott was stabbed above the eye before he wrestled a knife from one of his attackers and chased Mr. Jackson, stabbing him three times in the neck, Mr. Greenberg said. “The jury acquitted him of murder,” Mr. Greenberg said. “There was a note from the jury about the sentencing. The jury asked the court to be as lenient as possible, although that’s not controlling on the judge.” He added: “I think the judge acted extremely fairly given the circumstances he was presented with. The circumstances speak for themselves.” In criticizing the judge’s decision, Ms. Pirro pointed out that Mr. Minott, while free on bail and awaiting sentencing for the manslaughter conviction, was indicted on charges of first-degree robbery. The authorities said Mr. Minott and a 15-year-old took several hundred dollars at gunpoint from a restaurant on Stuyvesant Avenue in Brooklyn, where Mr. Minott moved after the slaying. Mr. Minott pleaded not guilty to the robbery charge in December. Ms. Pirro, a former county judge, proposed legislation in 1994 that would erase youthful offender adjudication upon a second conviction. “Under the legislation I’ve proposed, if Minott is convicted of robbery, the manslaughter conviction would be put back on the books,” said Ms. Pirro, who called the sentencing emblematic of problems with the criminal justice system. “Why should someone who has chosen a life of crime continue to get youthful offender adjudication?” The 1994 incident was the first killing in a Westchester high school. With 2,600 students, Mount Vernon High is the county’s largest high school. It has installed metal detectors since the slaying.