Results tagged “hirammonserrate”

Things are not looking good for State Senator Hiram Monserrate. The NY Times reports that the Queens Democratic party is "expected to dump" him, after his misdemeanor conviction for reckless assaulting his girlfriend: "It is extremely rare for a party to seek to unseat one of its own incumbents, even those dogged by scandal."

Since Justice William Erlbaum found State Senator Hiram Monserrate guilty of reckless assault when he slashed girlfriend Karla Giraldo with a broken glass, but found him not guilty of intentionally slashing her, she wants the judge to lift the order of protection that prevents her from being with Monserrate. The Post reports that her lawyer wrote to the judge saying the couple would like to resume their "intimate relationship ... without further unnecessary interruption or delay."

The panel to investigate whether State Senator Hiram Monserrate should face disciplinary action, in the wake of his misdemeanor for assaulting his girlfriend, has been set. Senate majority conference leader John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) said, "Violence against women is simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It has no place in the world. It has no place in the Senate. As a father with daughters I am not only angry, but I'm pissed off. But as a leader I cannot let my personal feelings supercede the individual rights of each member. While there may be many calls for our colleague to resign, that is his choice and his choice alone."

There's a growing chorus of lawmakers saying that State Senator Hiram Monserrate should step down, now that he's been convicted of a misdemeanor for slashing his girlfriend in the face with a broken glass, but one of Monserrate's Senate colleagues is standing by him. In fact, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. said that these demands are "racist."

After State Senator Hiram Monserrate was found guilty of a misdemeanor related to assaulting his girlfriend (he was acquitted on two felonies; he and his girlfriend have also insisted it was an accident), some of his State Senate colleagues demanded he step down. Now, others are joining in the call for Monserrate to step down—including Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

State Senator Hiram Monserrate's girlfriend spoke to the Daily News about her love for Monserrate: "I love him. We love each other and we want to be together again." See, Karla Giraldo hasn't been able to see Monserrate ever since a judge placed an order of protection preventing him from contacting her—since he slashed her last December with a broken glass—"I never asked for an order of protection. Now that the case is over, what is the reason for keeping us separated? I feel that the justice system has been unjust to me."

Sure, State Senator Hiram Monserrate wants to marry his girlfriend Karla Giraldo (at least according to his lawyer)—but there is a snag: That pesky order of protection that prevents Monserrate from contacting Giraldo, since he slashed her face with a broken glass last December! Monserrate and Giraldo both said it was an accident—and Monserrate was acquitted of two felony charges related to the incident but found guilty of a misdemeanor—but the judge still needs to remove the order.

Yesterday found State Senator Hiram Monserrate not guilty of felony assault charges but guilty of a misdemeanor—"recklessly causing physical injury" to his girlfriend Karla Giraldo during a December incident where Monserrate slashed her in the face with a broken glass. Today, Monserrate's lawyer Joseph Tacopina said on Good Day New York, "She loves him, as she testified in court. As he said yesterday, he loves her...And they're looking to get back together and resume their marriage...uh, relationship." To which GDNY anchor Rosanna Scotto said, "Will they get married?" and Tacopina replied, "Maybe I said marriage, maybe I let the cat out of the bag, but that's where it's heading."

State Sen. Hiram Monserrate was found guilty of misdemeanor assault, but he was acquitted of more serious felony assault charges after slashing his girlfriend's face during a Dec. 9 dispute. In a bench trial, Monserrate was found guilty of "recklessly causing physical injury to his companion, Karla Giraldo, by dragging her though his lobby after she was cut," the New York Times reports. If he had been found guilty of the felony charges — which each carried up to seven years in prison — he would have been forced to step down from his Senate seat.

Later this afternoon, Justice William Erlbaum is expected to give his verdict for State Senator Hiram Monserrate's assault trial. The freshman Senator (and former NYPD and City Councilman) is accused of slashing his girlfriend last year, sending her to the hospital for 40 stitches. He and his girlfriend claim it was an accident. One expert believes, based on the 6 hours of closing arguments, that both sides know they don't have an open-and-shut case.

Queens Assistant District Attorney Scott Kessler delivered closing arguments yesterday in state Sen. Hiram Monserrate's assault trial—and he's sure somebody is a liar. According to the Daily News, the prosecutor argued that the senator's girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, was telling a lie or two in hopes of keeping Monserrate a free man—and from losing his Senate seat.

Yesterday, the defense rested in the trial of State Senator Hiram Monserrate. The Queens Democrat is accused of slashing his girlfriend Karla Giraldo on purpose in a jealous rage (he and she both say it was an accident) and faces felony charges. Monserrate opted for a bench trial, so Justice William Erlbaum will decide on a verdict; Erlbaum said, "I don’t know how this thing is going to turn out as we sit here today"

During the bench trial of State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who is accused of assaulting his girlfriend last winter, Justice William Erlbaum threw out two of the prosecution's charges against Monserrate. The charges were ones that claimed the freshman, coup-loving Senator acted recklessly when he slashed Karla Giraldo's face with a broken glass; Erlbaum reasoned that they conflicted with the prosecution's claim that Monserrate acted intentionally.

The assault trial of State Senator Hiram Monserrate has adjourned for the weekend after yesterday's dramatic testimony from his girlfriend Karla Giraldo. The victim explained inconsistencies with her initial accusations that she was attacked by Monserrate to her current version that a glass broke on her face by saying that she was so drunk that night that "my mind was in another planet." Despite her previous grand jury testimony saying she only had a couple glasses of wine, Giraldo said that she was so drunk that she could not remember banging on a neighbor's door looking for help or telling a doctor that Monserrate attacked her while being treated for the cuts that would leave her with 40 stitches.

[Updated Below] Karla Giraldo has taken the stand today in the trial against her boyfriend, State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who is accused of cutting her face with a broken glass in a jealous rage that required Giraldo to receive 40 stitches. After initial fears that prosecutors who subpoenaed Giraldo may have to treat her as a hostile witness, it appears she has been cooperative in her testimony. She admitted to being drunk when she arrived at Monserrate's apartment, contradicting of her grand jury testimony. And Girlado claims that the state senator was "jealous but not angry" upon finding another cop's PBA card on her.

The police officer whose PBA card allegedly incited the jealous rage of Hiram Monserrate is married and denies knowing Karla Giraldo, the state senator's girlfriend who needed 40 stitches to heal from Monserrate's alleged attack. The Post claims that longtime NYPD vet Water Loor is the man whose card has been used as evidence in Monserrate's ongoing assault trial. Monserrate is seen throwing the card down the trash chute on the surveillance video where he apparently drags Giraldo down the stairs. The Post says investigators determined that Loor's relationship with Giraldo had nothing to do with his job or the violent incident.

During State Senator Hiram Monserrate's assault trial, a nurse testified that his girlfriend Karla Giraldo begged that he not be allowed into the room where doctors were examining the cuts on her face, saying, "He's crazy! He's crazy!" And an ER doctor testified that Giraldo yelled, "I can’t believe he did this to me! My face! My face! I can’t believe my face!"

Today in Kew Gardens opening arguments were heard in the bench trial of State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who faces three counts of felony assault against his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo. The Daily News reports that the prosecutor accused Monserrate of flying into a jealous rage at finding another man's business card in his girlfriend's purse, and attacked her with a glass of water, saying, "You want the water? You want the water? Here's your water!", slashing her face with the broken glass.

Now that State Senator Hiram Monserrate has opted for a bench trial, versus having a jury hear allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend last year, his fate is in the hands of Justice William M. Erlbaum. City Room reports that the National Organization for Women's New York chapter has been asking women to contact Erlbaum and ask him give the former turncoat Senator "to the maximum sentence allowable by law." Of course, Monserrate's lawyer is upset, claiming, "They’re trying to improperly persuade the fact finder. It’s akin to writing a letter to a juror." On the other hand, Office of Court Administration spokesman David Bookstaver points out it's not quite "akin" since Erlbaum is a public official. The judge also pointed out to Monserrate, at "in a bench trial, I wear two hats: I get to see all the evidence, even impermissible evidence," which includes the purported video of Monserrate roughly handling his girlfriend. One defense lawyer told the Post of the bench trial decision, "It's really gutsy -- but really risky. He's taking out one of the key components of a jury, and that's empathy. A judge cannot and will not be sympathetic to you, relying completely on the law."

State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who faces three felony charges related to allegations that he slashed his girlfriend's face last year, will now receive a bench trial, instead of a jury trial; jury selection was supposed begin today. Monserrate, who is a freshman Senator and who was part of the coup in Albany earlier this summer, has maintained his innocence, that a glass fell and accidentally ended up cutting girlfriend Karla Giraldo on the face. Giraldo also says it was an accident (though some hospital workers claim she indicted Monserrate may have acted purposefully)—the scar required 20 stitches to close. The NY Times notes that court documents say "Video cameras at the Jackson Heights building where Mr. Monserrate lives captured scenes of a violent confrontation between the couple." Monserrate's lawyer suggests that the video was spliced together in a damning fashion and says that Monserrate was actually trying to make Giraldo go to the hospital. Queens DA Richard Brown is confident in his office's case, "We have become leaders in successfully prosecuting domestic violence cases without the cooperation of the victim, who is so often reluctant — or fearful — to testify against her accuser."

The Daily News reports that State Senator Hiram Monserrate refused to take a plea deal for "reckless assault" misdemeanor which is why he's headed to court to face charges that he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend with a glass. The News points out the plea would have allowed him to avoid jail time and keep his Senate seat, but if he's found guilty on one felony count (he's charged with three), he "faces seven years in prison and would automatically lose his seat." The paper got hold of "secret" grand jury testimony—Monserrate's girlfriend Karla Giraldo said that when the hospital "realized he was a politician... They started gossiping and calling the police... They were telling me he was at a hospital of crazy people, that he was married out in Central America, many things more for me to be angry and upset and to sign a complaint against him, but I was not going to sign because I always said from the beginning that this was an accident." But a cosmetologist says Giraldo called her before going to the hospital, saying, "I'm very afraid, I don't want anyone to see my face," plus there's also a video allegedly showing Monserrate roughly yanking Giraldo in the apartment building hallway. His lawyer simply said he's is innocent and ready for trial.

State Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens), the once turncoat-then-turnaround again Democrat, will now have to stand trial for the assault he allegedly committing on his girlfriend last year. His lawyer tried to get the charges dismissed, but a judge said certain evidence could stand and that a trial would begin on September 14.

A week that saw Mayor Bloomberg and Democratic state senators comparing each other to Nazi appeasers and plantation owners respectively ended with an announcement that the two sides had finally come to an agreement on Bloomberg keeping control of New York's schools. New Democratic Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. announced that a deal had been reached with most terms of the original 2002 mayoral control law kept in tact. However the new agreement will work to foster more parental involvement with a $3 million parent training institute run through CUNY and schools being mandated to have safety meetings with parents. The Times says that City Hall officials were careful not to gloat at news of the deal, that will likely be voted on when senators return from vacation before the new school year gets under way. The additional provisions will also require an anotherl vote from the Assembly, but word is that Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver was kept abreast of negotiations. Not all state legislators were forcing a smile though, with Senator Hiram Monserrate saying, “The mayor can really be a mensch when he wants to be.”

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that State Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) was given back his committee chairmanship and the $12,500/year stipend—it had been stripped because of those felony assault charges for allegedly beating his girlfriend. The News' sources suggested Monserrate wanted them back in return to rejoining the Democratic fold, but he told the News, "Me getting the committee chairmanship back is news to me. I never asked to be reinstated as [head] of the ... committee. If that's what you're saying is occurring, oh well. If that's what leadership wants to do, that's their decision." But now the News reports that Monserrate requested to be given back the chairmanship and stipend—according to Sen. John Sampson (D-Brooklyn), head of the Democratic conference, and Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens). In an interesting choice of words, Sen. Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) said Monserrate's reinstatement was "a slap in the face to every woman and every citizen of this state."

Remember when State Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) was charged with allegedly assaulting his girlfriend so badly that she had a black eye and stitches? That was last December, and the next month, the State Senate stripped him of the extra money he received for chairing the Consumer Protection Committee and of the chairmanship itself. Monserrate was later indicted on felony assault charges (also maintaining his innocence), but that doesn't matter to the State Senate: The Daily News reports that his chairmanship and $12,500/year chairman's stipend was "quietly reinstated...State Senate sources say the check was cut after Monserrate was secretly reappointed to his position as chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee. Sources said the move to reinstate him was likely part of the deal to bring the Queens Democrat back into the fold after he sided with Republicans in the June 8 coup that paralyzed the Senate for a month." Excuse us—we need to take a shower.

Fancy that: State Senator Hiram Monserrate, Jesus-comparing, coup- and stalemate-causing Democrat from Queens, is using money donated to his campaign committee to pay off legal fees for his assault case. PolitickerNY reports that according to campaign filings, "Unions representing police and corrections officers contributed $2,450 to... Monserrate's campaign committee, which he in turn used to defend himself against felony assault charges stemming from" allegedly beating his girlfriend. While Monserrate denies the charges, he was indicted. Sen. Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) said, "Sometimes elected officials have been known to use their campaign funds for legal matters because it's job-related. And then there are those that are arrested for criminal acts. He stabbed that woman in the face with a broken glass on his own time in his own apartment. It had nothing to do with government business. Anyone giving him money--especially law enforcement--for his defense should be appalled." Well, some of his fellow State Senators also gave him money! Monserrate had previously told PolitickerNY that "campaign committees routinely spend money on legal expenses that are related to the campaign, to the candidacy and to the candidate."

Yesterday, the State Senate held another Governor Paterson-mandated "extraordinary session." But the post-July 4th session only lasted three minutes, as the State Senate Democrats and Republicans still do not have a deal to share power. Governor Paterson, who is mighty fed up with the stalemate, told the Daily News that maybe the Democrats should give State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. a leadership position, "Whatever you think of [Espada], he has been given the highest position on the coalition side. You may not like him, but you have to respect him. That is where he is."

This is the State Senate's idea of "meeting" today: The Senate Democrats met in the Senate chamber, gaveled in, said the Pledge of Allegiance, have a moment of silence and gaveled out. Then the Senate Republicans entered, gaveled in, said the Pledge, had a moment of silence and gaveled out. Capitol Confidential writes, "So there has been progress today. No camping out on the rostrum, no dueling sessions." The Daily Politics says the Republicans were faster by 42 seconds, but that's because Senator Craig Johnson (D-Long Island) asked for a moment of silence to remember the death of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson.

Over the weekend, State Senate Democrats met at the Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network headquarters in Harlem to discuss sharing power with the Senate Republicans. Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) also spoke on Sharpton's radio show—and compared himsel to Jesus. The Daily News reports that besides saying he was the target of a political jihad, Monserrate also said, "You know, I'm never gonna compare myself to anyone in the biblical context...I remember Jesus himself, when he saw that in the temple there were merchants setting up shop, [he] began to turn over a few tables along."

     

Today at his weekly meeting of the National Action Network, Al Sharpton gathered together some of the major Democratic senators involved in the ongoing power struggle in Albany (with one glaring exception, of course). One week after Senator Hiram Monserrate was out at Yankee Stadium hanging out with Pedro Espada, here he was smiling and yukking it up with the colleagues he helped oust from power, Malcolm Smith and John Sampson.