Latest news with #BrooklynSupremeCourt
New York Post
22-07-2025
- New York Post
Anti-Israeli protester accused of torching NYPD cars charged as supporters cause chaos in court: ‘F–k peace'
A smug anti-Israeli protester charged with torching nearly a dozen NYPD cars was hit with criminal mischief charges Tuesday as a mob of unhinged supporters sparked a near-riot in Brooklyn. Jakhi Lodgson McCray, 21, strolled out of Brooklyn Supreme Court after being arraigned in last month's arson stunt that caused at least $800,000 in damages to police vehicles — with about a dozen keffiyeh-wearing trouble makers who berated cops and reporters with vulgar threats. 5 Supporters of accused cop car arsonist Jakhi Lodgson McCray cursed out police and reporters in Brooklyn court. AP 'You guys are f–king disgusting,' one wanna-be bully told reporters. 'You're a f–king piece of s–t.' One cop asked the mob, 'I thought you guys were all about peace.' 'F–k peace,' one punk fired back. The state court arraignment came one day after McCray, identified by law enforcement sources as a known 'Free Palestine' protester, was arrested on federal arson charges in the car-torching case. 5 Jakhi Lodgson McCray, 21, is charged in state and federal court with torching 11 NYPD vehicles on June 12. via REUTERS 5 Police said 10 NYPD squad cars and one trailer were burned at a Bushwick lot, causing $800,000 in damages. Gabriella Bass The charges stem from the early morning caught-on-camera incident at an NYPD parking lot just one block from the 83rd Precinct station house around 1:30 a.m. on June 12. A surveillance camera at the lot allegedly caught McCray setting fire to 10 squad cars and a police trailer before escaping through a hole in the fence at the Bushwick lot. Police recovered a cigarette lighter, 22 retail fire starters and 10 BBQ dragon egg fire starters at the scene — along with a pair of sunglasses that allegedly had McCray's fingerprints, the federal complaint said. In a statement in the federal case, US Attorney Joseph Nocella called the stunt 'deeply disruptive.' 5 Surveillance camera footage captured the arsonist who torched 11 NYPD vehicles on June 12. DCPI 5 Supporters of accused arsonist Jakhi Lodgson McCray shielded him from cameras and cursed out cops and reporters. In the state case, McCray was charged with criminal mischief, making graffiti and possession of a graffiti instrument, and was released without bail because the charges are not bail-eligible under the state's controversial 2019 criminal justice reforms. According to police, he is also linked to the destruction of a statue at Columbia University during an unruly protest at the Ivy League campus in September. In court Tuesday, McCray wore a dirty red hoodie and a mask, and looked cocky — at one point turning and waving at the group of supporters inside the courtroom. As he left court, three of them covered McCray in keffiyehs while cursing out reporters. He is due to return to court on Aug. 5.
New York Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Brooklyn DA makes decision on criminal charges against ‘King of All Pimps' — who recruited Luv Gov Eliot Spitzer hooker Ashley Dupré
The self-proclaimed 'King of All Pimps' who took credit for recruiting Ashley Dupré, the hooker whose tryst with then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer ended the 'Luv Guv's' career, has been cleared of criminal charges in a long-running spat with a fellow social media personality. Now a foul-mouthed live streamer who goes by the online name 'MrBased,' Jason Itzler was facing harassment, criminal contempt and making a terroristic threat charges in two pending Brooklyn cases for allegedly threatening YouTuber Alex Novell and violating an order to stay away from him. This week, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office dropped the charges against Itzler, 58, who has 170,000 TikTok followers and an audience of 151,000 on Instagram, his attorney, Mark Bederow, said. Advertisement 4 Ashley Dupré had an infamous role in ex-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's downfall. AP 'The criminal charges are completely dismissed and gone,' Bederow told The Post. The DA's office said it cannot comment on the now-sealed cases. Advertisement Years after he made headlines for his small part in Spitzer's salacious scandal, Itzler has reinvented himself online — often seen in social media posts hanging out with an autistic TikToker with 3.8 million followers named Josh Block, aka 'World of Tshirts.' The spat started when Novell accused Itzler in a July 2024 of confessing to murder in the 2010 killing of Wisconsin college student Julia Sumnicht. Novell included audio of Itzler allegedly confessing to buying and providing the GHB Sumnicht took in Miami Beach the night of her death. Itzler has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in Sumnicht's death. Advertisement 4 Alex Novell accused Itzler in a YouTube video of murder. YouTube/This, With Coffee Podcast 4 Itzler, who declared himself the 'King of All Pimps,' is no stranger to the legal system. Steven Hirsch He pleaded guilty, however, to misdemeanor assault in Manhattan in November after an incident with Novell, records showed. Novell then sued Itzler in March in Brooklyn Supreme Court for the Manhattan assault and allegedly harassing him over the video, while Itzler sued the YouTuber in April for defamation. Both cases have since been dropped, records show. Advertisement 'Those matters have been resolved,' Bederow said of the lawsuits. 4 Dupré has also reinvented herself as a TikTok personality. Victoria Will/New York Post In the 2000s, Iztler bragged about running New York Confidential, one of the Big Apple's most infamous prostitution rings, and touted giving then-19-year-old 'little lamb' Dupré her start in the city's tawdry sex-for-hire scene. Dupré has transformed herself since her headline-making days. After briefly running a lingerie business in New Jersey, Dupré, 40, now goes by the name Ashley Earle, offering parenting advice and clips of her young kids to her 310,000 TikTok followers. Meanwhile, her stepdaughter, 'Hot Mess' podcaster Alix Earle, dwarfs her stepmom's social media power with a whopping 7.4 million TikTok followers. Novell did not return The Post's message seeking comment.
Time Out
23-06-2025
- Time Out
Your dog is now legally a member of the family, says a New York judge
It's official: In New York, dogs aren't just good boys— they're family. In a groundbreaking ruling that has tails wagging from Bushwick to the Bronx, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Aaron Maslow declared that dogs are no longer just property in the eyes of the law, but rather 'immediate family.' The decision stems from a tragic 2023 case involving a dachshund named Duke, who was struck and killed by a car while on a walk with his owner's mother in Mill Basin, per the New York Post. The case, brought by Trevor DeBlase and his mother Nan, challenged the legal status of pets in wrongful death and emotional distress cases. Historically, pets have been treated like personal property, meaning damages were limited to their monetary value (read: the price of a purebred pup, not the priceless grief they leave behind). But Judge Maslow's ruling rewrites the rules. 'This Court fails to see why a beloved companion pet could not be considered 'immediate family,'' the judge wrote, allowing the DeBlases to seek compensation typically reserved for those who witness a close relative's injury or death. Nan, who was physically tethered to Duke at the time, now qualifies for these broader damages. Trevor, though deeply affected, can only pursue financial losses since he wasn't present at the scene, which is one bittersweet distinction in an otherwise historic win. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Trevor DeBlase (@trevdeblase) Animal rights groups are hailing the ruling as a major shift. 'It's an incremental but important step in recognizing that pets aren't just property—they're individuals who matter,' Christopher Berry of the Nonhuman Rights Project told Gothamist. (The organization filed supporting briefs in the case.) Maslow backed up his decision by pointing to growing social and legal recognition of pets as family: from pet trusts and divorce custody rulings to the fact that most airlines and hotels now treat pets as valued guests. The decision, however, is limited to cases where a dog is struck while being walked on a leash—so no, your emotional support ferret isn't covered. Yet. Meanwhile, Trevor shared a bittersweet tribute to Duke on Instagram, calling the ruling 'a monumental win for families of NYC.' Alongside a photo of Duke in a green tux, he added: 'Knowing that something good has come out of this tragedy brings me some kind of solace.'
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Boardwalk Empire' star Michael Pitt's lawyer says sex assault case ‘built on a bed of lies'
NEW YORK — The sexual assault case against 'Boardwalk Empire' star Michael Pitt is 'built on a bed of lies,' the actor's lawyer told the Daily News after a brief court appearance in Brooklyn. Pitt, 44, was busted May 2 on charges he sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend and attacked her with a four-by-four and a cinder block, at the Brooklyn home they previously shared. 'This case is an utter, absolute disgrace,' Pitt's lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, said outside the Brooklyn Supreme Court building, as the actor stood silently by his side. Pitt didn't offer any comment. 'It is built on lie after lie after lie. We have obtained some of the discovery, not all of it,' Gottlieb said, referring to the materials prosecutors must release to defense attorneys, 'and already we can say, it is built on a bed of lies, which is unbelievable that it even came to this point.' 'It is clear that the district attorney did not investigate this case, because if they investigated it, there is no way that this man, who is innocent, would find his way in this court,' Gottlieb said. He didn't elaborate further. A spokesman for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Tuesday that his office can't comment on pending cases. Pitt is charged with criminal sex act, criminal sexual abuse, assault, attempted assault and strangulation. The top charge carries a maximum 25-year prison sentence, if convicted at trial. He's pleaded not guilty to the charges, and remains free on $100,000 bail. The indictment against the 'Funny Games' and 'Ghost in the Shell' actor describes four disturbing allegations by the woman, who is not named in court papers. He's accused of forcibly touching her anus and vagina with his finger in April 2020, forcing her into oral sex and assaulting her with a four-by-four in August 2020, attacking her with a cinder block in June 2021 and strangling her in August 2021. On Tuesday, Gottlieb sparred with Assistant District Attorney Amanda Fisher over the release of documents and evidence during an appearance in Brooklyn Supreme Court in Pitts' sexual assault case. In court, Pitt's lawyer Gottleib accused the D.A.'s office of slow-walking key documents in the case. 'We do know that, as of this late date, that we haven't received a single police report… no detective notes, no complaint reports, no DIR [domestic incident] reports,' Gottlieb told Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abena Darkeh, adding that Pitt was under investigation as far back as February 2024. 'It's all due now,' the defense attorney said, 'and it's all glaring what's missing. It goes to the heart of the investigation that goes on for so long.' Fisher countered that the case was investigated entirely by the Brooklyn D.A.'s office. 'There is no NYPD involvement in this case other than the arrest,' she said. Pitt returns to court July 1, when the judge is expected to hear an application to modify the actor's bail so he can get his passport back.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- New York Post
Cold-blooded NYC killer who gunned down childhood friend in ‘evil act' learns her fate as victim's family tears into her: ‘No remorse'
A cold-blooded killer who gunned down her childhood friend on a crowded Brooklyn street has shown 'no remorse' in the years since the shocking slaying — and the motive remains a mystery even as she was sentenced on Monday. Claudia Banton, 46, deserved to rot in prison for the 'evil act,' victim Delia Johnson's grieving relatives said in Brooklyn Supreme Court before the convicted murderer was slapped with a 23-year-to-life prison sentence. 'It's an act of pure evil and what makes it even more painful is that she showed no remorse for what she did,' Johnson's brother, Mathis Lemons, 51, told Justice Margaret Martin at the hearing, urging the judge to throw the book at Banton. Advertisement 4 Claudia Banton, 46, received a 23-years-to life sentence for murdering childhood friend Delia Johnson. Gregory P. Mango 'My sister's killer should never see the world again,' Lemons said. Banton showed no emotion as Johnson's family expressed shock that the woman they once took into their home had turned out to be their kin's killer. Advertisement 'I saw you as family at one point in my life,' Johnson's daughter, Ladeya Jenkins, 21, told Banton. 'To say this hurt, I cannot even say that. That's putting it lightly.' Johnson's sister, Khadijah Berry, 31, echoed the heartrending sentiment. 'You and her were friends… but what broke my heart is knowing you did it and knowing how you did it to my sister,' she said. Advertisement 4 Delia Johnson's grief-stricken family expressed shock that the killer was a friend. Gregory P. Mango Banton was convicted last month of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for the gruesome execution-style killing, which took place outside another friend's funeral on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights on Aug. 4, 2021. Banton and Johnson were former friends, but no information about the killer's motive came out over the course of her trial. Authorities said Banton blasted the 42-year-old mom at least five times in front of shocked mourners, sending them running for cover. Advertisement 'The first shot wasn't enough for this defendant,' Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Michael Diamond told the court during the sentencing. 'She stepped over and pulled the trigger again and again as people ran for their lives.' 4 Delia Johnson's slaying was captured on surveillance footage. Chilling police bodycam video shown during the trial captured a wounded Johnson bleeding out from her eyes as she lay face-up gasping for air. Her slaying was also caught on surveillance footage. Police stopped Banton in her white Mercedes moments after the shooting, but she was let go after witnesses claimed the shooter was a man. Banton spoke to police like 'nothing happened' when she was pulled over, the prosecutor said. 4 Delia Johnson was shot multiple times by childhood pal Claudia Banton. Brigitte Stelzer Advertisement Three months later, US Marshals tracked Banton down in Jacksonville, Fla. after she changed her appearance — including by wearing a blonde wig — and deleted her social media. It remains a mystery why Banton killed her former friend, whose family let her live with them multiple times. 'The first time I saw you with chains on, it broke me,' Johnson's mom, Delia Berry, recalled inside the courtroom as she shook with emotion and held photos of her beaming daughter. Advertisement 'It broke my heart,' she said. 'I took care of you.'
