Two years ago, a prisoner managed to stroll out of the Criminal Court Building in Manhattan because he was wearing a business suit and convinced a guard that he was a lawyer. After a day on the lam, police caught Ronald Tackman—wearing jeans and a t-shirt—in Washington Heights with a fake passport, wigs, phony beards, and four gun-shaped cigarette lighters. Now, a judge has sentenced him to a maximum of life in prison, even though Tackman argued he needed the NY Attorney General to certify the constitutionality of the laws sending him to the pokey, "If I bought a painting from Sotheby’s, it would be certified authentic by three experts. If you buy a Ford, it’s certified. If you buy a diamond ring, it’s certified. The laws of America must be certified. They are much more valuable than a painting. How come I can’t see proof of this?" more ›

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that some bird netting to reduce the amount of bird droppings at the Bronx Supreme Court was actually killing pigeons, because pigeons get caught there, and, in the words of a court employee, they "starve to death... The pigeons suffer, then they just leave their bodies in there to rot like garbage." Realizing that dead pigeon carcasses are bad publicity, the city now says they'll look for an alternative to the netting. more ›

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the NYPD is at fault for letting a man accused of multiple robberies escape from a Staten Island courthouse on Wednesday. Suspect Freddie Thompson, 35, assumed the identity of a detainee facing lesser charges for marijuana possession and was released from Richmond County Criminal Court after being sentenced to time served. "It appears the police officer didn't adequately check the identification of the prisoner," said Kelly, according to the Daily News. "There was a mistake here—no question about it." The officer who was responsible has been "placed on modified duty." Thompson is described as 6'3'', 200 lbs, with a tattoo of an executioner on his arm. more ›

Nearly 1,000 people were evacuated from a Lower Manhattan courthouse this morning because of a fire that's thought to have started in a wooden contractor's shed or in the building's basement. Around 10:30 a.m. defendants were taken back to their cells in another building when smoke began to fill the lobby at 100 Centre Street, reports the Post. According to NY1 the fire was under control in under two hours, leaving five FDNY workers, two civilians and one prisoner with minor injuries. Unhappy evacuees were ordered to the street and told the building would be closed for the day. Some came to attend the sentencing of rapper Lil Wayne, which will be postponed, like all of the cases on the court's docket. more ›

A day after Vice President Biden called out Mayor Bloomberg for inflating the cost of trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters in a Lower Manhattan courtroom, Bloomberg said the Veep doesn't know what he's talking about. The Mayor—who wants a guarantee that the federal government will pick up the tab for the terror trial—insisted that his estimate of $200 million per year is "reasonable." more ›

In our advanced age, street pay phones are often thought of as grimy relics of a bygone era—something between a public toilet and a closet-sized museum. Still, measured up against touch-screens and T9, they seem incredibly romantic. One pay phone outside of a Queens courthouse still swallows its fair share of quarters, and a Times reporter spent a week eavesdropping from the sidewalk. As one might expect, lots of people called after their run-ins with the law. “I do drugs,” said one man. “I got caught with them.” Others conduct their shady dealings. “Nah,” one young man said after hanging up, “you didn’t see me use that phone.” “Loneliness, loneliness, loneliness,” responded another man when asked why he was calling. He'd tried to reach his son, but was met by an automated response. See a map of the city’s payphones by zip code after the break. more ›

Anthony Marshall, the 85-year-old son of the late philanthropist Brooke Astor, fell in a bathroom, hitting his head, in the courthouse where he is on trial for stealing from his mother's fortune. The Daily News reports, "The accident happened around 11:30 a.m. Some 45 minutes later, paramedics were still trying to treat Marshall. His wife, Charlene, was also inside the men's room comforting him." His lawyer said, "He was dizzy and fell. He fell down in the stall and hit his head." The Post, which notes that Marshall requested to see a doctor being he wasn't feeling well yesterday, has a sad picture of Marshall wearing an oxygen mask and sitting on a gurney. more ›

Earlier today, Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to eleven criminal charges related to the Ponzi scheme that ensnared thousands of individuals, charities and banks and involves tens of billions in losses. U.S. District Judge Denny Chin revoked Madoff's bail and ordered that he be jailed until his sentencing, which is scheduled for June 16. more ›

The principal of a charter school located within the building that also houses the Dept. of Education has stepped down amid accusations that she was doctoring standardized test scores. more ›

An out-of-control car jumped a curb on Centre Street and mowed down three pedestrians outside the State Supreme Court. According to NY1, the car "crashed into a coffee cart and continued up several steps of the courthouse," where one man was pinned under the car. more ›

The killing of Mt. Vernon police officer Christopher Ridley, gunned down outside of a White Plains courthouse, resulted in no indictments this week. The four men who killed him were Westchester County police officers, and the grand jury did not believe there was reason to proceed to a criminal trial. more ›

Today marks the third annual Informal Presentation on the Art of Dance, a dance event put on by the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. The two troupes converge each year in a most unconventional space: The State Supreme Court of Manhattan! more ›