Feb. 19, 2025 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday the release of surveillance video of the cold case murder of an off-duty Rikers Island correction officer in Springfield Gardens more than four years ago. During the early morning hours of Aug. 15, 2020, 28-year-old NYC Correction Officer John Jeff was…
Feb. 19, 2025 By Robert Pozarycki Another individual incarcerated on Rikers Island has died, the Correction Department (DOC) announced early Wednesday morning. The unidentified inmate was found at an unspecified facility on the island during the early hours of Feb. 19, according to a terse statement from the DOC. The agency indicated the person…
Feb. 17, 2025 By Colum Motherway Council Member Robert Holden has praised Mayor Eric Adams for reopening the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at the Rikers Island jail complex. Holden, who represents the District 30 neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Elmhurst, and Rego Park, has consistently pushed for this action to be taken. “This is a…
Feb. 14, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Following the dismissal of federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, elected officials across Queens have called for his removal from office. The Department of Justice’s decision to drop the case has raised concerns among prominent Democrats, who allege that President Donald Trump now holds…
Feb. 14, 2025 By Bill Parry A Venezuelan man who was living in the migrant shelter on Randall’s Island is now on Rikers Island after he was arrested last month and criminally charged with attempted murder for shooting an Astoria business owner during an armed robbery with his accomplice from Long Island in November. Elier… Read more »
Dec. 6, 2024 By Bill Parry One day after Mayor Eric Adams expressed his willingness to collaborate with the incoming Trump administration on addressing the migrant crisis and signaled a readiness to meet with former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) head Tom Homan, Council Member Robert Holden called on the mayor to reopen…
Nov. 27, 2024 By Ethan Stark-Miller A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday said she is “inclined” to appoint a federal receiver to oversee the use of force and safety on Rikers Island — moving the jail complex the closest it has ever been to federal control. US District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s statement…
Aug. 26, 2024 By Bill Parry A correction officer assigned to Rikers Island was indicted by a Queens grand jury for allegedly raping a woman he lured to his Springfield Gardens apartment with the promise of an acting job in March. Anthony Martin, 32, of 161st Street, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on…
Aug. 20, 2024 By Bill Parry Disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein will remain in custody on Rikers Island pending the outcome of his upcoming retrial in Manhattan on rape and sexual assault charges, scheduled to begin in November. Weinstein was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Monday morning during an administrative function under…
Sep. 6, 2023 By Ethan Marshall Queens 3rd Congressional District candidate and former NYPD detective Michael Sapraicone discussed why he believes Rikers Island should remain open, despite plans for New York City to close the prison in the near future. He believes the conditions within the prison need to be improved, including how the incarcerated…
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