A federal jury has found the four men accused of plotting to blow up synagogues in Riverdale, as well as shoot down military planes in Newburgh, guilty on 30 of 32 counts. James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen, whose lawyers argued that a government informant entrapped them, face up to life in prison—sentencing is next March. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, "Homegrown terrorism is a serious threat, and today’s convictions affirm our commitment to do everything we can to protect against it. The defendants in this case agreed to plant bombs and use missiles they thought were very real weapons of terrorism." more ›

After a day and a half of deliberations, a jury found Steven Hayes guilty on 16 of 17 counts related to the 2007 home invasion of a Connecticut family that led to the deaths of a mother and her two teen daughters. Hayes will face the death penalty; the Courant reports, "The verdicts set the stage for a penalty phase in which jurors will decide whether Hayes lives or dies. That phase will begin Oct. 18." The survivor, Dr. William Petit, who has been lobbying for the death penalty, said, "We did our best to keep our faith in God that justice would be served." more ›

In spite of a juror's claims of being intimidated by other jurors, a judge ruled that the verdict finding Anthony Marshall guilty of looting his late mother Brooke Astor's estate can stand. Supreme Court Justice Kirke Bartley wrote in his decision, "[Judith] DeMarco's claims concerning Ms. (Yvonne) Fernandez's behavior, which according the eleven other jurors were exaggerated, are indicative only of a 'spirited dispute' which was promptly resolved." more ›

A Long Island jury found Jeffrey Conroy, 19, guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime for the 2008 stabbing of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero. Conroy and his friend were allegedly "beaner hopping" and had been on a weeklong hate crime spree. While he was found not guilty of murder as a hate crime, Conroy, who claimed one of his friends actually killed Lucero, was found guilty of first-degree gang assault. According to Newsday (subscription required), he faces a "maximum of 25 years and a minimum of 8 years." Six of Conroy's co-defendants are still awaiting trial; four of them who testified against him pleaded guilty to gang assault while the other two pleaded not guilty. more ›

The Borough Park rabbi/travel agent accused in hundreds of incidents of sexual abuse was convicted yesterday of molesting a 16-year-old student. Baruch Lebovits could be sentenced to 32 years in jail, after being found guilty on eight counts. "I understand that there are a significant number of Jewish holidays coming up,” said the judge. “And I am sorry." The young victim testified that in 2004 Lebovits offered to let him drive his car, then unzipped his fly and performed oral sex on him. Among the rabbi’s other alleged victims is a young Hasidic man who committed suicide on his honeymoon, by jumping from the seventh story of a hotel. more ›

A jury convicted Janet Redmond-Mercereau of murdering her fire marshal husband. Douglas Mercereau was found dead, shot in their bed, in December 2007; Remond-Mercereau called 911 to say her husband was shot. Prosecutors had claimed she was a cold-blooded killer, doing a load of laundry and suggesting she put the gun through the dishwasher (which witnesses later refuted), while the defense suggested Mercereau, a fire marshal who investigated suspicious fires, had other enemies and called the focus on Remand-Mercereau a witch hunt. Jurors had been deadlocked yesterday, but the judge urged them to continue deliberating. Redmond-Mercereau now faces 25 years in prison; she has two young daughters. more ›

Yesterday, jurors found Dexter Bostic guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of police officer Russel Timoshenko. This was the second verdict in Timoshenko's killing; earlier this week, Bostic's friend Robert Ellis was found not guilty of murder (but guilty of weapons possession) while a third defendant, Lee Woods, is still awaiting his verdict. Bostic's lawyer, who said they would appeal, suggested outrage over Ellis's acquittal compelled jurors to find him guilty, but the Daily News noted how prosecutors had more evidence in this case: "His DNA on a picked-clean Popeyes chicken bone was a perfect match to DNA on the gun used to kill Timoshenko." Additionally, a witness said that Bostic didn't want to go back to jail just for gun possession (implying that's why he fired upon Timoshenko). When the slain cop's mother was asked if the verdict provided her with some sense of justice, Tatyana Timoshenko said, "For this case it does, but the previous one was disappointing." more ›

A jury delivered a guilty verdict for Steven Armento, a Yonkers man accused of killing an off-duty police officer in 2005. Armento had been trying to break into a Bronx home for drugs with friend, actor Lillo Brancato, when police officer Daniel Enchautegui intervened. more ›