ATM skimmers just keeps getting cleverer. For example: Back in March the police busted a pair of Romanian nationals in the country on journalism visas for hacking Dunkin' Donuts gift cards into ATM cards [PDF]. “Instead of going on a run for coffee and doughnuts with their gift cards, the defendants are instead accused of going to the bank and using its ATMs as their personal slot machines, cashing out large sums of money with each use of their ‘doctored’ Dunkin’ Donut gift cards,” said Queens DA Richard Brown. more ›

This is our justice system, people According to the Daily News, "A [Queens] judge declared a mistrial in a rape trial after a renegade juror emailed a friend who happens to be a Bronx prosecutor about the contentious deliberations." more ›

One day after the anniversary of Malcolm X's assassination, daughter Malikah Shabazz faces extradition to New York after being arrested in North Carolina on charges of identity theft. Warrants for her arrest were issued by the Queens DA office last June for obtaining credit in the name of Khaula Bakr, the widow of of one of Malcolm X's bodyguards. She was found when police came to her Asheville to ask why her 13-year-old daughter hadn't been attending school. more ›

The Queens elementary school teacher accused of sexually abusing five of his female students in the classroom over the course of the last three years was investigated three times when he taught at Public School 115 in Canarsie. School officials tell the Daily News that Simon Watts used corporal punishment against a student in 2005, but since it was his first infraction no action was taken beyond "a note in his file." Two other allegations of corporal punishment were investigated and not substantiated. Meanwhile, Gothamist commenter "Britthney NoCense Cox" describes her experience as a former student of Watts: more ›

The Queens DA's Office announced that Larry Greene, 20, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly punching and causing the death of his seven-month-old son Xiah. Greene, who had been babysitting his son, brought the unconscious baby to the New York Hospital Queens on Tueday. The child was pronounced dead and Green initially said he dropped the baby, but later admitted that he punched Xiah in the chest because he had been crying. Prosecutors also say that he told Xiah to "toughen up" and that Greene was allegedly upset because the baby seemed to like his mother more. more ›

In May, a man was arrested after running out onto Citi Field—wearing a thong (with a monkey stuffed animal)—and trying to slide into second base. Yesterday, Craig Coakley was fined $3,000 and sentenced to 20 days of community service. The 29-year-old showed off his Mets chest tattoo to the Post yesterday and said, "I would love to do my service at Citi Field. I have no problem scraping gum off the floor." Unfortunately, Queens DA Richard Brown pointed out, "The defendant’s antics have resulted in a criminal record, the paying of thousands of dollars in fines and civil penalties, and - perhaps the worse punishment for any true Mets fan - precludes him from ever again visiting Citi Field or any of the New York Mets other venues - such as KeySpan Park in Brooklyn or Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, Florida," adding that his office and the Mets "have zero tolerance for those who interfere with the play of America’s pastime." Still, Coakley noted that he didn't try to kiss a Mets player, like a US Open fan did with Rafael Nadal recently. After the jump: Coakley being tackled by Citi Field security. more ›

State Senator Hiram Monserrate was arraigned on felony assault charges related to a December incident where he allegedly used a broken glass to hit his girlfriend. Karla Giraldo, who needed 20 stitches and was left with a black eye, initially told hospital staff and police that Monserrate hit her, but later recanted. Outside the courthouse, Monserrate repeated his position, "From the very beginning, I've said this is an accident. Karla has said this is an accident. Ladies and gentlemen, what occurred on December 19 was an accident. This district attorney's office had discussions with me about a plea, a non-felony plea that had attached to it no jail time. I said unequivocally, 'no,' because I am innocent." more ›

Yesterday, State Senator Hiram Monserrate told reporters, "Sen. Monserrate is innocent, and I will not be resigning, thank you," after news that he was indicted on felony assault charges for allegedly hitting his girlfriend with a broken glass. However, Monserrate (D-Queens), who was sworn in as State Senator earlier this year, was suspended from chairing the Consumer Affairs Committee. more ›

State Senator Hiram Monserrate was indicted on felony assault charges for the allegedly hitting his girlfriend last December, WCBS 2 reports, which also explains, "Monserrate, a former New York City councilman who was sworn into office as Senator in January despite the looming charge, will be arraigned later this week." The girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, suffered from cuts to the face and a black eye, apparently from a glass. Giraldo reportedly initially said her boyfriend hit her but then changed her story and said she tripped into it, but the police and Queens DA's office pursued charges, based on witness accounts and surveillance tapes. Monserrate has repeatedly denied the charges and Giraldo maintains that the only thing Monserrate did was make her go to the hospital. more ›

Yesterday in court, the lawyer for State Senator Hiram Monserrate, the man accused of smashing a glass on his girlfriend's face, claimed that prosecutor Scott Kessler was distorting the facts over what was merely an accident in order to "incite the court" and as a result should be taken off the case. The judge denied the request and renewed the order of protection barring Monserrate from having any contact from Karla Giraldo, who has maintained that it was just an accident (law enforcement implies she's not cooperating with them). Giraldo tried to speak in court yesterday, but was denied since it was merely a procedural occasion for the order of protection. The judge said, “In essence, what you want me to do is conduct a minitrial here. She can tell the grand jury her side of the story." Queens DA Richard Brown defended Kessler as "a nationally recognized expert in domestic violence prosecutions.” The Times reports that Monserrate, who thinks he is being smeared from many angles, had several dozen supporters in the courtroom yesterday, all wearing purple ribbons. more ›

The Mets' 2008 season may be over, but the law keeping working on cases with rowdy fans: The Daily News reports Brooklyn resident Christian Hansen "admitted to badgering the baseball-headed mascot - while swatting young fans out of his way" - back at a May 31 Mets win over the Dodgers. Hansen also apparently refused to leave Shea, "took a swing at a security guard and spit in his face," earning him a conditional discharge, $500 fine and an indefinite ban from Mets home games. And in spite of the Mets' and Queens DA's "zero tolerance" theft and vandalism policy (PDF) for Shea's last weekend, 17 fans were arrested for trying to steal seats, plaques and banners, a criminal bookend to the start of Shea's last stand. more ›

The Queens DA's office has charged a man with possessing and promoting child pornography after a tip from Illinois police that he had a how-to video on molesting children. Dominick Guerra, who lives in Ozone Park and works as a wedding/party DJ, was arraigned yesterday and could face up to six years in jail. more ›

Another twist in the murder case of Queens dentist Daniel Malakov: The sister of his ex-wife - who remains in jail for plotting to kill Malakov - was arrested for threatening Malakov's brother. more ›

The father who wanted to give up his 6-month-old baby out of desperation has told the police he wants to surrender. Carlos Rodas, 27, was overwhelmed when his 14-year-old girlfriend and the mother of the baby left him to care for their daughter, so he, his sister, and her boyfriend, a livery cab driver, worked out a plan for the driver to leave the baby at a Queens fire house. more ›

Testimony picked up again yesterday in the trial of three police officers for fatally shooting an unarmed man in 2006. The prosecution called friends of victim Sean Bell and the commanding officer of the undercover operation to the stand. more ›

Yesterday, the Post reported City Councilman Dennis Gallagher, the Queens politican accused of raping a woman last summer, was offered a plea deal that would "keep him out of jail and off the sex-offender registry" and possibly force him to resign office. more ›

A former math teacher at MS 190 in Forest Hills was arrested for child endangerment after allegedly sending former and present male students lewd instant messages. Bradley Dieffenbacher, 33, of Long Island, had worked at MS 190 since 2000 until his resignation on February 14, when investigators confronted him. more ›

The Queens DA's office and NYPD revealed new details about the killing of a Queens dentist. and why his estranged wife was arrested for murder and conspiracy. Daniel Malakov, who had been fighting with wife Dr. Mazultov Borukhova over custody of their young daughter, was gunned down at a playground last October when taking the 4-year-old to his wife for visitation. more ›

Three and a half months after Queens orthodontist Daniel Malakov was gunned down at a Queens playground in front of his young daughter, his estranged wife was arrested for his murder. Dr. Mazoltuv Borukhova was charged with murder and conspiracy and taken to a precinct house from her Forest Hills home. Malakov's mother told the Daily News, "They're dirty...her whole family, mother, sisters, all of them are animals. They committed such a dirty act, and I ask God for them to get everything they did to me, so that it would come back to them from God." more ›

Queens DA Richard Brown announced an off-duty NYPD detective and his girlfriend were charged with promoting the prostitution of a 13-year-old Brooklyn runaway. Brown said, “This case is every parent and every child’s worst nightmare – made even more frightening by the fact that one of the defendants is a police officer who swore to uphold the law and protect the community he serves.” more ›

Queens City Councilman Dennis Gallagher, whose office was raided last July after rape allegations and was indicted by a grand jury in August, is smiling - for now. A judge dismissed the indictment, believing the defense's claim that the "grand jury process was compromised." The jurors had complained the prosecutors were trying to make Gallagher look "foolish." more ›

The family and friends of slain dentist Daniel Malakov yelled at murder suspect Mikhail Mallayev (pictured) in a Queens courtroom yesterday. Malakov was gunned down last year when he was dropping off his daughter to his ex-wife at a Queens playground. His brother yelled, "Hang him up!" as other yelled "Shoot him!" and "Take off his head!" when Mallayev left. more ›

Yesterday the police announced they arrested 61 people for larceny and insurance fraud after they sold their cars for parts and tried to claim they were stolen. The NYPD actually ran the Queens "chop shop" where customers would typically have a middleman drop off their cars. more ›

On the day that MySpace agreed to work with 49 states to stop sexual predators from using the social networking site to find young victims, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown was announcing a disturbing 56-charge criminal complaint against a couple accused of rape, sexual abuse, and forcing two young teens into performing sexual acts at a Manhattan strip club. Julio Rojas, a stripper, is being held on $500,000 bail while his wife, Sophie Soto, also a stripper, is being held on $250,000 bail. more ›

Cathedral High School has a top reputation as an all-girls high school of the Archdiocese of New York. However, this past week has been rough: Teachers from Cathedral, as well as from nine other Catholic high schools, had a sickout. Plus, a former teacher admitted to assaulting students. more ›

If lawyers for the detectives involved in the Sean Bell case get their way, the venue for a trial may be moved out of Queens. The attorneys for Detectives Mike Oliver, Gescard Isnora, and Marc Cooper met with Judge Arthur Cooperman and prosecutors yesterday to notify them of their intent to move the case out of Queens. Oliver and Isnora are charged with manslaughter while Cooper is facing reckless endangerment in the shooting death of Bell in November, 2006. Bell, Joseph Guzman, and Trent Benefield, all found to be unarmed, were fired upon 50 times by police officers. more ›

Last weekend, a young woman was celebrating her 19th birthday when two men crashed her party and later raped her. The police arrested one of the suspects yesterday and are still looking for the second. more ›

Prosecutors having intimate relationships with defense lawyers happens on TV shows all the time, but a real life drama is playing out in Brooklyn. Former prosecutor Sandra Fernandez, accused of using her position in the Brooklyn DA's office to give information to her defense lawyer fiance, was arraigned on 12 counts of criminal charges. Fernandez allegedly ran criminal history and motor vehicle checks on three prosecution witnesses in cases handled by fiance - and now... more ›

On November 25, 2006, groom-to-be Sean Bell and his friends were leaving the Kalua nightclub in Queens when undercover police confronted them. In the confusion that ensued (the police thinking the men were armed or were going to the car to retrieve a gun, uncertainty over whether the police identified themselves leading Bell and his friends to think they were being carjacked) five undercover cops fired 50 times at Bell's car. His friends Joseph... more ›

The Department of Education is charging a temp with stealing $50,000 in fake overtime. The tip off? When Tyrone Avila would claim he was working 85 hours a week - when he really supposed to work less than 40 hours a week. The Daily News reports that Avila had been temping as budget analyst for the DOE since 2001, but "he didn't start padding his time sheets until 2005 when his mother-in-law developed mental problems... more ›