Queens DA Asks Court to Dismiss 60 Cases that Relied on Bad Detectives

Queens County Defense Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that she would be formally asking the Queens Supreme Court to wipe the cases of 60 defendants whose charges were based on witness statements from three former New York City Police Department detectives who have since been convicted of crimes including perjury and sexual abuse of an arrestee. In a press release, DA Katz said she became aware of “serious misconduct” by the former NYPD officers and committed her office’s Conviction Integrity Unit to do a full, intensive review of cases “in which the officers were the essential witnesses and take appropriate action.” All three detectives, Kevin Desormeau, Sasha Cordoba, Oscar Sandino, pleaded guilty and were terminated. “We cannot stand behind a criminal conviction where the essential law enforcement witness has been convicted of crimes which irreparably impair their credibility,” said DA Katz. “Vacating and dismissing these cases is both constitutionally required and necessary to ensure public confidence in our justice system.”