8 NOVEMBER 4, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens district attorney has 1995 robbery conviction vacated citing
improper discrimination during jury selection by rogue prosecutor
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Queens District Attorney Melinda
Katz announced Tuesday, Oct. 19,
that her offi ce’s Conviction Review
Unit overturned its 10th wrongful
conviction since she took over the
offi ce in 2020.
Katz and defense counsel at the
law fi rm Covington & Burling LLP
fi led a joint motion to vacate the 1995
conviction of Lawrence Scott based on
evidence of improper discrimination
by a rogue assistant district attorney
during jury selection.
A jury found Scott guilty of robbery
at a 1995 trial, but Queens Supreme
Court Justice Michelle Johnson
vacated the robbery conviction and
dismissed the indictment at the DA’s
request.
Documents found in the Queens
district attorney’s fi les in Scott’s case
demonstrated that a single ADA,
Christopher McGrath, who resigned in
1997, improperly excluded certain minorities
and women from jury service
in violation of the 1986 U.S. Supreme
Court ruling in Batson v. Kentucky.
In 2020, the Conviction Integrity
Unit was made aware of a set of notes
utilized by McGrath when exercising
peremptory strikes, which contained
discriminatory guidance. This discovery
led Katz to vacate the convictions
of two individuals, one for double
murder and another for the shooting
of a police offi cer, whose trials were
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announces her Conviction Integrity Unit had its 10th conviction vacated
since she took offi ce in 2020. Photo by Mark Hallum
deemed unconstitutional based on the
prosecutor’s improper use of race in
jury selection.
The CIU then commenced a review
of all jury trials conducted by McGrath
that uncovered the same discriminatory
conduct in Lawrence Scott’s 1995
trial.
“Late last year, we discovered two
1996 convictions had been tainted by
evidence of discrimination in jury
selection,” Katz said Tuesday. “At that
time, we made a commitment to review
other cases and take appropriate action.
Today’s motion to vacate this
defendant’s conviction reaffi rms my
administration’s determination to
reject any form of discrimination.”
Scott had long completed his sentence
for the 1995 robbery conviction
and is presently incarcerated on a
different robbery conviction and
counsel has been appointed to assess
the impact of the reversal of this prior
conviction on his current sentence,
according to the Queens district attorney’s
offi ce.
The 104th Precinct released
the following list of persons
arrested in recent police
actions.
The charges are accusations,
and all individuals listed
in this blotter are presumed
innocent until proven
guilty.
For questions about the
names listed in the blotter,
contact the 104th Precinct at
718-386-3004.
Oct.18: (Glendale) Joshua
Kenny, at 79th Place, for assault,
by Det. Bublin. (Middle Village)
Fabian Vivar, at 84th Street, for
assault, by Det. Gerardi.
Oct.19: (Glendale) Charles
Martin, at Cooper Avenue,
for criminal mischief, by P.O.
Christodoulou. (Middle Village)
Dragoslav Nikolic, at 77-27 62nd
Street, for assault, by P.O. Incantalupo.
(Ridgewood) Janusz
Gorksi, at 64-02 Catalpa Avenue,
for assault, by Det. Friedrich.
(Glendale) Alaa Abukhader, at
Otto Road, for grand larceny,
by P.O. Calvagna. (Ridgewood)
Sabriel Castillo Sanchez, at
Cypress Avenue and Cornelia
Street, for possession of a forged
instrument, by P.O. Antigua.
Oct.20: (Glendale) Frankie
Delgado, at 80th Avenue, for
assault, by P.O. Bayizian.
(Ridgewood) Michal Cieplinski,
at Madison Street and Fresh
Pond Road, for assault, by P.O.
Bartichek. (Ridgewood) Klever
Pimbomaza, at Hancock Street,
for DWI, by P.O. Petito.
Oct.21: (Ridgewood) Carlos Zayas,
at 64-02 Catalpa Avenue, for
petit larceny, by Det. Rochford.
(Middle Village) Paula Citera, at
70th Street, for assault, by P.O.
Troia. (Middle Village) Brandon
Mcnamara, at 70th Street, for
criminal obstruction of breathing,
by P.O. Troia. (Glendale) Cesar
Galeano, at 80th Avenue, for
burglary, by Det. Fogus. (Maspeth)
Nebojsa Rudovic, at 47th
Street and Grand Avenue, for aggressive
unlicensed operation,
by P.O. Rosalez. (Ridgewood)
Julio Puma, at Catalpa Avenue,
for criminal contempt, by Det.
Golden.
Oct.22: (Maspeth) Michael
Cortez, at Grand Avenue and
74th Street, for aggressive unlicensed
operation, by P.O. Gluck.
(Ridgewood) Patrick Harrison,
at 64-02 Catalpa Avenue, for
leaving the scene of an accident,
by P.O. Candelaria. (Ridgewood)
Thomas Gruber, at 64-02 Catalpa
Avenue, for assault, by Det. Scrimenti.
(Ridgewood) Gabriel Garcia,
at Linden Street, for assault,
by P.O. Cedenoplier.
Oct.23: (Ridgewood) William
Vivar, at Gates Avenue and Seneca
Avenue, for operation of a
motor vehicle with .08 of 15 alcohol,
by P.O. Martinez. (Glendale)
Jessica Guida, at Doran Avenue,
for criminal contempt, by P.O.
Griffin. (Ridgewood) Donald
Rabidou, at Greene Avenue, for
assault, by Det. Bublin. (Ridgewood)
September Johnson, at
Woodbine Street and Cypress
Avenue, for grand larceny, by
P.O. Daddario.
Oct.24: (Ridgewood) Nikita
Tonkins, at Cypress Avenue, for
acting in a manner injurious to
the welfare of a child less than
17, by P.O. Alfred. (Ridgewood)
Alex Sillagana, at Decatur Street
and Seneca Avenue, for falsely
reporting an incident, by P.O.
Mark. (Ridgewood) Marcos
Vasquez, at Summerfi eld Street,
for criminal contempt, by Det.
Wright.
104TH PRECINCT BLOTTER
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