These are the worst — and wokest — judges in New York Metropolis on the subject of defending the general public from violent suspects.
These prison court docket jurists set violent offenders unfastened forward of trial at an astounding charge — with some springing alleged perps greater than 80% of the time, in response to a Submit evaluation of pretrial detention knowledge from the Workplace of Court docket Administration.
The evaluation checked out 96 judges who dealt with a minimal of 25 instances within the first six months of 2024 the place the highest cost at arraignment was a violent felony. Practically all such instances are nonetheless bail-eligible, even after radical criminal-justice reforms had been enacted by Albany lawmakers in 2019.
One of many metropolis’s most egregious practitioners of this junk justice is Queens Prison Court docket Decide Wanda Licitra, who solely set bail 5 occasions and had no suspects held in pretrial detention in 34 violent felony instances spanning January to June 2024, the most recent obtainable knowledge.
Licitra even set unfastened a feces fiend accused of smashing poop right into a straphanger’s face on a subway platform — who cursed her out in court docket besides.
“Judges like that, we name them judges who drink the Kool Assist, as a result of as an alternative of them specializing in the precise state of affairs, they’re consuming the Kool Assist of bail reform,” one veteran prison protection legal professional who has repeatedly gone earlier than Licitra instructed The Submit.
Such jurists’ “broad ideological slide” towards opposing incarceration is endangering New Yorkers’ lives, stated Hannah E. Meyers, a fellow and director of policing and public security on the Manhattan Institute.
Many of those judges are “letting out harmful folks even once they know these persons are harmful and so they’re failing to be accountable in these conditions and security of others,” she stated.
Judges have bemoaned their palms are tied when deciding to set bail, citing how New York is the one state the place jurists solely can weigh whether or not an individual will return to court docket, with zero consideration for whether or not they’re a public security menace.
But prison protection legal professional Thomas Keniff, who ran as a Republican towards Alvin Bragg for Manhattan district legal professional, confused there are “many” methods to justify holding a violent perp on bail.
“Even when you may’t depend on the general public security standards due to the dysfunctional legal guidelines within the state [to set bail], likelihood is you will get there another manner.”
An OCA spokesperson stated the administration doesn’t touch upon bail selections, however stated judges “have discretion in making bail selections in accordance with the regulation and primarily based solely on an individualized evaluation of a defendant’s danger of flight.”
Not one of the following judges responded to requests for remark.
Decide Wanda Licitra, 65
Queens Prison Court docket
Freed 29 out of 34 accused violent felons, 85%
Appointed by then-Mayor Invoice de Blasio in 2021, she has gained notoriety amongst prosecutors and protection attorneys alike for springing violent accused criminals.
Final yr, the ex-Authorized Assist Society legal professional reduce unfastened no less than two perps charged with first-degree assault with a weapon and second-degree theft leading to bodily harm, respectively, with out bail — just for the pair to be rearrested for violent felonies, in response to OCA’s pretrial knowledge.
“She’s letting all of them out,” one longtime protection legal professional stated.
In February 2022, Licitra prompted a stink when she launched Frank Abrokwa, 37, who was accused of assaulting a lady on the subway by pushing poo into the sufferer’s face.
Although Abrokwa snarled at Licitra, “F–okay you, bitch” in her courtroom, Licitra let him go throughout an early continuing.
By September 2022, she additionally ordered the discharge of a 56-year-old man who was being held on Rikers Island because of his incapacity to pay a $500 bail, citing the jail’s violent circumstances. The person, who had bail set for allegedly violating an order of safety, had open instances for drunk driving and assault, in response to New York Focus.
Decide Valentina Morales, 46
Manhattan Prison Court docket
Freed with out bail a migrant who allegedly slashed a person in 2023
One other de Blasio appointee, Morales has been nicknamed “Decide Let-em-go” amongst regulation enforcement officers for her infamous leniency.
Between January and June 2024, Morales let 83 alleged violent felons out of 101 stroll with out bail, together with recidivist vagrant Eric Taylor, who already had been convicted on two felony expenses and practically two dozen misdemeanors.
Taylor had been charged with bail-eligible felony assault for allegedly throwing a procuring bag full of heavy objects at a 24-year-old lady strolling to work in Union Sq. in January 2024, leaving her with a black eye, a reduce above her eyebrow, and a concussion.
Morales additionally beforehand set Venezuelan migrant Walter Almachi Leal free with out bail in October 2023 after he allegedly slashed a person’s arm with a damaged beer bottle in Instances Sq.. The alleged sufferer wanted 20 stitches for his accidents.
“You are taking the oath as a decide to guard and serve,” one cop with practically 20 years stated. “Clearly she’s not on the subject of criminals.”
Decide Robert Rosenthal, 63
Manhattan Prison Court docket
Sprung violent robber who went on sexual assault spree the subsequent day
Elected to Manhattan Civil Court docket in 2019 however assigned to prison court docket, Rosenthal let perps go with out bail within the first half of 2024 a staggering 67% of the time.
Then, in January, the onetime de Blasio appointee made headlines after he reduce unfastened on supervised launch Jason Ayala, who had been charged with violent theft expenses.
The very subsequent day, Ayala, 37, allegedly went on a twisted sexual assault rampage, abusing a 12-year-old and 14-year-old in addition to three ladies within the span of half-hour. The case continues to be pending.
“All the arrests had been for forcibly touching intimate components and endangerment. He shouldn’t have been out on our streets the subsequent day doing that,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch instructed The Submit on the time.
The mom of the 14-year-old sufferer was outraged by Rosenthal’s document: “It’s regarding as a result of it doesn’t look like the decide is for the harmless folks — he’s for the individual doing the crime,” she stated.
Decide Marva Brown, 43
Manhattan Prison Court docket
Freed 54 out of 87 accused violent felons, 62%
Brown has solely been on the bench for 14 months, however in that quick tenure has sprung no less than 54 violent maniacs – numerous whom have reoffended.
The ex-Authorized Assist legal professional, was elected to Brooklyn Civil Court docket in November 2023 however has overseen Manhattan prison instances, infamously let unfastened Amira Hunter with out bail after she was caught on digicam bashing a subway cellist over the pinnacle with a steel water bottle in February 2024.
Weeks later, Hunter was nabbed for allegedly shoplifting at Nordstrom in midtown.
Earlier this yr, she additionally sprang a subway nutter on a bail-eligible sexual abuse cost — just for the psycho to allegedly push an unsuspecting rider right into a shifting practice at a Washington Heights station.
“You don’t need to be a prison justice skilled to know that setting violent recidivist criminals unfastened on our streets places New Yorkers in actual hazard,” MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber beforehand instructed The Submit.
Decide Eugene Bowen, 49
Bronx Prison Court docket
Sprung alleged gun-toting migrant squatter with out bail
Bowen, who was elected to Manhattan Civil Court docket in 2022 however is now assigned to Bronx prison instances, sparked outrage in 2023 when he launched two males who allegedly bashed a cop after the officer requested them to place out their cigarettes at a subway station — regardless of prosecutors asking for $10,000 money bail.
Bowen continued to chop accused violent felons unfastened in a staggering 87 out of 113 instances he oversaw between January and June 2024.
In April 2024, the jurist let go on supervised launch an accused gun-toting migrant, Hector Desousa-Villalta, who was considered one of six busted for allegedly squatting and dealing medicine out of a Norwood multifamily residence.
Desousa-Villalta had an open case linked to August 2023, when he allegedly shot a fellow migrant throughout an argument over a lady in Yonkers, police officers stated.
Bowen additionally let two different migrants stroll with none restrictions forward of their trial, considered one of whom was beforehand arrested in September 2023 and indicted for possession of a loaded firearm, police officers stated.
Extra reporting by Tina Moore
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