Articles Posted in In the News

Rape, Sexual Abuse, Assault, Forcible Touching and Grand Larceny are a few of the charges Joseph Brooks, 71, faces today after the indictment against him was unsealed. Shawni Lucier, 42, Mr. Brook’s assistant, was indicted on nine counts of Criminal Facilitation for her alleged role in the crimes. As Saland Law PC recently blogged, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Brooks allegedly raped and sexually assaulted eleven women in his upper east side apartment. It is further claimed that his personal assistant, Ms. Lucier facilitated the sexual assault of nine of these woman. Mr. Brooks had turned himself in on the charges, but Ms. Lucier will do so next week.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Brooks engaged in this conduct from a period between March of 2005 through April of 2008. The women, as young as 18 and as old as 30, went voluntarily to Mr. Brook’s apartment believing they were auditioning for an acting role. Prosecutors claim that Mr. Brooks flew many of these women into New York from as far as Washington State and Florida after they learned of the potential acting gigs on Craigslist. Once Mr. Brooks got the women into his apartment, however, they quickly learned there was no role to be had.

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The criminal defense attorneys and former Manhattan prosecutors at Saland Law PC have learned that Joseph Brooks, a Oscar winning songwriter and director, has been arrested and charged with rape and related crimes. According to law enforcement, it is alleged that at least four women were tricked into going to Mr. Brook’s home where they claimed he engaged in some form of sexual acts with them. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has scheduled a press conference for today. Check back for updates and an analysis of the facts alleged and crimes charged.

*** UPDATE ***

Jack Chang, a tax preparer who currently is charged in Manhattan with Grand Larceny for his alleged tax fraud scheme, was arrested for threatening the life of Gilda Mariani, the Assistant District Attorney who is handling his case and who is also the top prosecutor in the Tax Crime and Money Laundering Unit. According to at least one report, Mr. Chang had sent letters to the prosecutor depicting a tombstone and stated that he had a 9mm handgun and that he was insane. Moreover, he is alleged to have said that he would shoot the prosecutor once for each year he served in prison.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, a search warrant at the defendant’s house revealed a computer printout of Assistant District Attorney’s Mariani’s biography, as well as another threatening letter directed towards her. The letter stated, in pertinent part, “You will be captured and before you are sent to hell you will taste hell on earth.”

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Just yesterday I blogged about a Grand Larceny involving seventeen tons of batteries in Queens. While that may have been a first, again in my years as a prosecutor and New York City criminal defense attorney, I have again come across another unique Grand Larceny crime. According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Thomas Parkin has been indicted by a Grand Jury on a 47 count indictment. He is charged with Grand Larceny in the First Degree, Forgery, Criminal Impersonation and other crimes for an alleged scheme where he dressed up as his deceased 77 year old mother to steal a Park Slope townhouse, social security benefits, and social service payments. Mhilton Rimolo is also charged in the indictment as well for his assistance in allegedly perpetrating the crimes.

As much as I would like to put this incident into my own words, I have attached the press release for my readers’ review. The press release indicates as follows:

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As a former Manhattan prosecutor and as an experienced NY criminal defense attorney who has handled Grand Larceny crimes in New York City ranging from the thousands to millions of dollars, I have to admit that the arrest of Bruce Lesniewski, Darrin Pfaff and Kimberly Edwards for Grand Larceny is a “new” one. According to the Queens County District Attorneys Office, these three individuals are alleged not to have stolen jewels or money, but eight forklifts and seventeen tons of batteries from a warehouse in Queens where they worked as sub-contractors for the MTA. Regardless of what they are accused of stealing, however, the crime of Grand Larceny is still the same.

According to District Attorney Brown:

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It appears that Plaxico Burress has not reached a disposition with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in connection with the his gun possession arrest and charge of Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The matter is being adjourned until September when Burress returns to 100 Centre Street on Monday. If convicted, Burress would face a minimum of 3.5 years in state prison and a maximum of 15 years. However, it is clear that the parties are working on a deal that would avoid any sentence similar to that.

The former prosecutors at Saland Law PC know that Criminal Possession of a Weapon as it relates to guns and other firearms is a very serious offense. Fortunately, our clients have benefited from our experience in law enforcement and as criminal defense attorneys. If you are charged with an offense related to possession of a weapon it is critical to retain criminal counsel that will not only fight to protect your rights and freedom, but your integrity and livelihood.

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A New York City man, John Zaubler, was arraigned today for the crime of Making a Terroristic Threat (New York Penal Law Section 490.20). A “D” felony punishable by up to seven years in state prison, the charge relates to alleged threats made by Mr. Zaubler to “blow up” President Barack Obama and Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor. According to a prosecutor, Mr. Zaubler stated “I’m going to kill Judge Sotomayor by blowing her up. I’m going to blow her up. I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it because my girlfriend is not going to federal prison.”

Although Mr. Zaubler is currently at Bellevue Medical Center in Manhattan, New York County Criminal Court Judge James Gibbons arraigned him on live video from 100 Centre Street. According to media reports, it appears that Judge Gibbons adjourned the case for the defendant to receive a psychiatric analysis. This examination is often what is referred to as a “730” examination where the prosecutors and defense attorney try to ascertain whether the defendant is fit to proceed and is capable of understanding the situation he or she faces.

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