December 30, 2022
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
In my three years as your District Attorney, I have worked tirelessly to keep the people of this Borough safe, while implementing effective strategies to empower our communities.

The fact remains that limiting access to firearms saves lives. I have made it my number one priority to rid Queens County of dangerous and illegal weapons that wreak havoc and place countless lives at risk.

Not only does my Office house the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau - whose sole purpose is to suppress gang and gun activity in this Borough - but I have also created the Crime Strategies and Intelligence Unit to find ghost guns and home manufactured weapons throughout Queens.

There is more to be done, but I am proud of the work we have accomplished so far working with our law enforcement, community, faith-based, and cure violence partners. Some examples of the work we have done over the past year include:

  • Prosecuting nearly 3,000 criminal weapon possession cases, representing the sheer magnitude of deadly weapons that can no longer be used in our communities.

  • Seizing nearly 200 ghost guns - unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online, often sold through “ghost gun kits,” and assembled at home. Our ghost gun recovery efforts lead the city.

  • Holding accountable those who profit from the drug trade. Last month, I announced an indictment against an accused drug dealer for possessing roughly 2 kilograms of fentanyl. With a street value of $80,000, the amount seized would be enough to produce 20,000 counterfeit pills.

  • Utilizing specialized treatment courts to screen and refer eligible defendants for appropriate interventions to help break cycles of crime driven by addiction. In 2022, my office screened 121 individuals for mental health treatment dispositions, and 79 of those defendants successfully entered into alternative sentencing mental health plea agreements.

  • Securing dozens of indictments on hate-crime charges. Earlier this year, we secured prison sentences in two separate hate crimes cases: an eight-year sentence for slashing a victim after hurling homophobic and racial slurs in Flushing, and a five-year sentence for threatening a transgender woman with an illegal firearm in Jamaica.


  • Securing a guilty plea and a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of a World War I veteran, who had been missing since 1976, thanks to the work of the Cold Case Unit I created when I took office.

At the same time, we have also succeeded in:
Getting Guns Off Our Streets
Among the thousands of gun prosecutions we undertook this year was the arrest and indictment of five members of a gun trafficking ring. The case resulted in the seizure of 180 illegal firearms, 136 high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, some of which can be seen in the photo below.

I also hosted gun buyback events that collected 400 firearms and launched investigations that resulted in the take down of more than 600 high-capacity magazines, two dozen lethal firearm accessories, and 92,000 rounds of ammunition.
Protecting Our Homeowners and Workforce
We charged a contractor with allegedly taking thousands of dollars in kickbacks from employees working on a School Construction Authority project in Ridgewood and obtained guilty pleas from three defendants in a home foreclosure scam, resulting in restitution of more than $400,000 to the victim.
Ensuring Conviction Integrity
For there to be justice in the criminal justice system, and public faith in its outcomes, it is incumbent upon us as prosecutors to follow the facts to wherever they lead. That’s why I created the Conviction Integrity Unit as soon as I took office. Including two motions filed in November, the unit has vacated 13 convictions since it was formed in 2020. An additional 86 convictions were vacated because they were based on the police work of detectives later convicted of various crimes.

Whenever we discover credible new evidence that undermines the integrity of a conviction, we will not let a miscarriage of justice stand.
Seeking Safer Roadways
I have seen firsthand the damage and heartache car crashes cause, often involving drivers without a license, whether they had it revoked, or because they never got one in the first place. As I wrote in this Daily News op-ed, driving without a license endangers all of us whether as fellow motorists, pedestrians or passengers.

This year, my office has prosecuted 3,591 cases involving unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a 31% increase from last year.
Advocating For Our Animals
In December, I announced 90 counts of animal cruelty charges against an individual accused of failing to provide proper care and sustenance to 45 dogs and puppies living inside his single-family home.

Previously, I wrote in the Law Journal about the dire need for stronger animal cruelty penalties in our state.
Empowering Our Communities
One of my goals since taking office has remained focused on bolstering our relationships with the communities we serve. To-date, our enhanced Community Partnerships Division has participated in more than 2,000 events – engaging the public from all over the borough.
This Office has implemented broad policies that try to lift everyone and do right by those we serve. We will remain judicious about prosecuting drivers of crime while utilizing rehabilitation programs and diversion courts to break cycles of crime and ensure that Queens County thrives.

As we look towards a new year, and new beginnings, may you all stay healthy, happy and safe. 
In Friendship,

Melinda Katz
Queens District Attorney