Latest news with #QueensDefenders
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Queens rapist wearing ‘Ghost Face' sweatshirt was scared off by victim's daughter: prosecutors
A 50-year-old Queens raped by a masked creep in a 'Ghost Face' sweatshirt from the 'Scream' horror movie franchise managed to call her adult daughter, who ran over and interrupted the attack on a secluded residential block in Queens, prosecutors said Friday. Rody Morales Cu was on top of his victim when the woman's 25-year-old daughter ran up and screamed at him, scaring him off, according to court documents released during Cu's arraignment on rape and sex abuse charges. A Queens criminal court judge ordered Cu, 20, held without bail following the brief arraignment proceeding. The stone-faced Cu said nothing to reporters Wednesday as he was led out of the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills, ignoring questions shouted at him. Cops claim Cu snuck up behind his victim around 3 a.m. on April 11 near the corner of 162nd St. and 89th Ave., near NYCHA's Shelton House in Jamaica. He placed a blade against the woman's side and ordered her to be quiet, but the mom managed to speed dial her daughter on her cellphone and scream for help before Cu knocked her to the ground, cops said. The daughter was nearby and ran over, catching Cu in the act, police said. Startled, Cu ran off and was last seen running down 89th Ave., cops said. His victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Investigators used surveillance footage to track Cu to 160th St. and 90th Ave., where the suspect was caught on camera removing his mask. It also clearly showed the 'Ghost Face' sweatshirt with red lettering highlighting a picture of the scary 'Scream' character. Using area surveillance cameras, cops were able to track Cu all the way to his apartment building on 165th St., prosecutors said. Detectives staking out the building arrested him on Tuesday. As they interrogated him, he admitted to sex with his victim and identified himself in surveillance photos, prosecutors said. The Queens Defenders, which represented Cu at his arraignment, declined to comment when reached, citing the ongoing case.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Queens Defenders CEO and founder Lori Zeno forced out on leave; husband fired
Lori Zeno, the executive director and founder of Queens Defenders, a major nonprofit which represent indigent defendants, was placed on forced leave Friday morning and her husband was fired, sources familiar with the sequence said. Zeno was barred from the nonprofit's Queens Blvd. offices and her husband, Rashad Ruhani, identified as a senior legal advocate, was fired, the sources said. 'As a result of information received by the board, Lori Zeno has been placed on leave immediately and is not allowed on any Queens Defenders property,' according to an internal email sent Friday morning obtained by The News. 'Any attempts of [sic] contact or intimidation should be reported to this email immediately.' The immediate reason for the suspension of Zeno, whose annual salary is $434,791 according to records, and the firings was not entirely clear. Queens Defenders did not respond to repeated emails on Friday. Two other employees of the nonprofit, Teyana Reyes and Ureka Washington, were also fired, the sources said. The internal email refers employees who wish to file a complaint to contact the state Attorney General's office, which oversees nonprofits. In a statement, Alexis Richards, a spokeswoman with the AG's office, said, 'The Office of the Attorney General does not comment on ongoing investigations.' The upheaval was first reported early Friday afternoon by the Queens Daily Eagle. Zeno did not respond to phone messages. Ruhani could not be reached. 'Within the next few days, a leadership team will be chosen and a review of employee relations conduct,' the email said. 'In the coming days, there will be a meeting where the employees will be able to speak to the board directly.' Last year, Zeno was criticized by a union representing public defenders for firing two lawyers in the midst of a union election. The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys called it 'heavy-handed union busting on the part of Ms. Zeno.' In 2021, The News reported that Zeno informed her staff that one of their colleagues had COVID, but didn't disclose it was actually her for three days.
