12 The QUEE NS Courier • january 28, 2016 FOR Breaking news visit www.qns.com compiled by Alina Suriel, Kirsten police beat E. Paulson, Robert Pozarycki and Brooke Smith Wet Basement? Call artie Basement Water Proofing Specialist Serving Queens for 35 Years For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 Licensed #08097 and Insured $$Top Cash Paid$$ HIGH END ANTIQUES HIGH CASH PAID Oil Paintings, Mid-Century Accessories 1950s/60s, Porcelain, Costume Jewelry, Sterling Silver, Gold, Furniture, Objects of Art, etc. 1 Pc. or entire estates Damaged Quality Pieces also wanted Premium prices paid for Tiffany, Meissen Porcelain, Bronzes, Marble, etc. CALL JOSEPH OR RUTH 718-598-3045 or 516-270-2128 Family Business for over 40 years AntiqueAssets.com Buying and Selling over 40 Years / Member New England Appraisers Association 109th Precinct Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Whitestone Cement truck fatally strikes woman in College Point A woman died on the morning of Jan. 22 after being struck by a cement truck in College Point, according to authorities. Cops said the truck hit the pedestrian on College Point Boulevard and 15th Avenue sometime after 9 a.m. on Jan. 22. The victim was transported to Flushing’s New York Presbyterian Hospital with critical injuries. She was pronounced dead at about 10 a.m. Police declined to release information on the woman’s identity and the circumstances leading to the crash. The investigation is ongoing. 111th Precinct Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston This guy may have stolen your personal info from Bayside ATM Detectives are looking for a man who allegedly attached a skimming device onto an ATM in the lobby of a Bayside bank last fall. The crook allegedly attached the skimmer at the Atlantic Bank branch located at 41-11 Bell Blvd. at about 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 23, before the branch opened that morning. According to police, a bank employee — upon opening shop — discovered the device and contacted corporate headquarters and the 111th Precinct. Sources familiar with the investigation indicated that the perpetrator sought is believed to be part of an identity theft ring operating in Queens known to attach skimmers onto ATMs in order to obtain the bank account information of unsuspecting users. The ring then uses the information obtained to make fraudulent purchases and cash withdrawals. Police did not indicate the number of accounts, if any, that may have been compromised as a result of the Sept. 23 incident. The NYPD reminds readers to exercise caution when using ATMs, such as by covering the keypad with one hand as you enter your PIN; being aware of any suspicious-looking persons both inside and outside an ATM location; and fully complete your transaction before leaving, including obtaining a receipt. Persons should also not swipe their card into any machine that appears to have a broken or compromised card reader. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit www.nypdcrimestoppers. com or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential. 112th Precinct Forest Hills, Rego Park Forest Hills man sentenced to jail time for pimping two teenage girls A Forest Hills man will serve six to 12 years in prison for prostituting and having sexual relations with two teenage girls in 2011, prosecutors announced. Peter Gerardi, 30, was convicted in November on multiple counts of compelling and promoting prostitution, 21 counts of statutory rape, 11 counts of statutory criminal sex act, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. In addition to prison time, Gerardi must also serve five years of post-release supervision and register with the state’s sex offender registry. According to court documents, Gerardi approached a 13-year-old girl on the street in March 2011 and befriended her. Shortly after, he asked her to perform sexual acts with men in exchange for money, which she reluctantly agreed to. However, when she didn’t follow through, he became violently angry, physically and verbally threatening her with bodily harm if she left him. Gerardi also had sex with the victim and had her perform oral sex on him numerous times. Between March 2011 and September 2011, Gerardi pimped the girl out to numerous men. During the same time, he forced a 16-year-old girl to work as a prostitute for him as well. Gerardi was arrested on parole violation in September 2011, at which point the two girls escaped from him. Gerardi called the 13-year-old victim several times telling her to make money for him. When she refused, he sent two female friends to beat her up. The victim reported Gerardi to authorities after the incident. District Attorney Richard A. Brown said, “The defendant has been convicted of taking advantage of two vulnerable young women and forcing them to participate in a modern-day version of slavery by coercing them to work as prostitutes for their financial gain through threats of physical harm and intimidation. Prostitution is not a victimless crime but a terrifying and despicable offense against society and the young women it enslaves. It cannot—and will not—be tolerated in Queens County.” In Forest Hills, 112th Precinct Council focuses on emergency prep Preparedness is the name of the game for the 112th Precinct Community Council. During its most recent meeting on Jan. 20, the council learned crime prevention tips from the precinct’s commanding officer and lifesaving techniques from trained professionals. Deputy Inspector Judith Harrison, the 112th Precinct’s commander, encouraged residents to combat potential property crimes by making it harder for criminals by locking garage doors, car doors and windows. “People leave their bags, computer equipment and cameras visible in the rear seat. I wonder sometimes if it’s just really a crime of opportunity,” Harrison said. “You make it very easy when you leave your doors unlocked.” Programs such as the NYPD Block Watchers initiative are also available for residents who wish to take an active role in assisting police protecting their communities. The program offers training to teach residents how to properly identify a perpetrator in the case that a crime should be witnessed. Each block watcher is given a number to identify themselves to a 911 operator. This lets the operator know that they have some prior training with police of how to identify a person or vehicle. The council honored two 112th Precinct members — Police Officers David Castro and Sandro Sime — as Cops of the Month for apprehending individuals on Jan. 14 who were stealing untraceable cellphones off the shelves of several Sprint and electronic stores. Harrison credited their efforts, in part, due to the help of a witness. “We got this because they were out there and being observant,” Captain Harrison said. “When they see someone who’s suspicious they don’t keep going or turn a blind eye, they follow, they prevail and do what they have to do.” The Forest Hills/Rego Park Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) was also on hand to promote the importance of preparedness in the case of an emergency. The team urged residents to fill out and keep in their home an emergency reference card with the names of all residents in a household or the names of every resident on an apartment floor. The card also contains lines for DOB, medical conditions, medications being taken, and an emergency contact number. This allows a record to be kept of every resident in the case of a fire or other emergency. Volunteers from the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps taught attendees how to perform CPR in the case of a medical emergency, specifically a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Photo courtesy of NYPD
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