14
QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 9, 2019
Debate
were the number
three in the office of
the Queens district
attorney. Your nickname
was ‘Mr. Murder,’”
Malik said followed by
murmurs throughout
the auditorium. “Your
nickname was Mr.
Murder, it’s in the
newspaper I believe, and
you said that you started
a ‘wrong man unit.’ I
was in the office for 15
years, I never heard of
the ‘wrong man unit.’
So my question is, that
with your record, why
are you talking about
progressive criminal
justice reform when you
were in the office for 25
years, as the number
three, nicknamed Mr.
Murder and supposedly
the head of the ‘wrong
man unit,’ how can the
public to trust you to
implement criminal
justice reform?”
Lasak said the first
time he had ever heard
himself referred to
by that name was in
the headline of a New
York Times Sunday
special spread.
“I’ve been cal led
other things, but not
Mr. Murder,” Lasak
responded. “You can
trust me because when
it was not popular,
before anyone had ever
thought of the term
‘conviction integrity
unit,’ I was working on
wrongfully convicted,
or arrested and indicted
men’s cases for a long,
long time. I didn’t start
any unit, as you know
late District Attorney
Richard Brown never
wanted to form a unit.
You know that, you
know that. I never said
I started a unit. You
were there, I was your
boss. We worked in the
Special Victims Unit.”
Lasak further argued
that he had worked on
wrongful convictions
quiet ly with 20 other
men and that there was
no of f icial unit.
Lasak boasts over
40 years of experience,
a f lex none of his six
other opponents in
the primary race can
match, but has recent ly
challenged Borough
President Melinda
Katz’s abi lity to lead
the large of f ice having
no prosecutorial
experience apart from
being an at torney.
Chal lenges against
one another’s track
record has not been
solely conf ined
to Lasak, Malik
and Katz.
Jose Nieves, who has
worked as a prosecutor
for 18 years, has twice
questioned Ti f fany
Cabán’s seemingly
humble seven years
in the court room as a
public defender.
Lasak, Malik,
Katz, Rory, Cabán
and Nieves all made
the June 25 bal lot
alongside Councilman
Rory Lancman and
prosecutor Bet ty Lugo.
Reach reporter
Mark Hallum by
email at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4564.
Continued from Page 1
Tire thieves plaguing Southeast Queens
Heights, Laurelton,
Rosedale, Springfield
Gardens, Glen Oaks,
New Hyde Park and
Floral Park.
To reduce the recent
crime in the area, the
precinct issued several
tips for residents to
secure their rims and
tires:
Have wheel locks
installed on your vehicle
and place the key in a
secure location.
Park your vehicle in a
well-lit, heavily traveled
area.
Most Thefts occur
during night time hours.
Please be observant of
any suspicious activity
and immediately report
it to 911 or directly to
the 105th Precinct.
For additional
information, residents
can contact crime
prevention Police
Officer John McCoy at
718-776-9207.
Additionally, the
precinct has also posted
tips on its Twitter
account page, twitter.
com/NYPD105Pct.
Reach reporter
Carlotta Mohamed by
email at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4526.
Continued from Page 1
File photo/QNS
/schnepsmedia.com
/schnepsmedia.com
