Tag Archives: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

Why “No Bail” Laws Don’t Work

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On Sunday, The New York Post posted an article that illustrates why the ‘no bail’ policy currently in effect in New York City does not work.

The article reports:

He’s the Grinch who stole your wallet.

A serial pickpocket with more than 30 busts under his belt was pinched again last week while targeting unsuspecting tourists at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, only to be dumped back on the street the next day, law enforcement sources and authorities told The Post.

Gary Teasley, 65 — who has been known to wear snazzy outfits, including a long dark fur coat and fashionable hat, during his alleged crimes — is so familiar to cops that they’re on a first-name basis, a source said.

Teasley is such an illicit pro that he also used to keep a storage locker with stolen wallets and other goods — and a detailed record of the heists, broken down by location and category, sources said.

The article notes:

Teasley was arrested Friday after police said they spotted him unzipping the woman’s purse and reaching inside, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

“We caught him red-handed,’’ a source said. “We called him by his first name. We said, ‘Hey, Gary, don’t give us a hard time.’ We’ve arrested this guy so many times, we’re on a first-name basis.

“He knows the deal, he was saying, ‘DAT, [desk appearance ticket],’ the whole bail-reform thing.

He’s “a very sharp guy, $1,000 suits, skilled at his craft,” the source said. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Teasley was hauled into court Saturday on charges of fourth-degree attempted grand larceny and “jostling.” He was released without bail.

Prosecutors had asked that he be released but with supervised restrictions, a rep for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Sunday. The judge denied the request.

“I’ve personally been arresting him for 20 years,’’ a police source said. “These guys are all coming out of the woodwork around the tree.’’

I think it’s time to re-examine the consequences of the ‘no bail’ law.

Losing Our Justice System One City At A Time

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While no one is paying attention, charges are being dropped against those ‘protestors’ who looted and burned down cities last summer and those who entered the Capitol Building on January 6th are being kept in solitary confinement with questionable legal representation. Seems a little uneven. Meanwhile, The U.K. Daily Mail reported yesterday that out of the 603 were arrested in Manhattan and the Bronx during the most intense days of looting last June, 295 of the cases have been dropped completely.

The article reports:

Now Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr and Bronx DA Darcel D. Clark are facing tough questions about why hundreds walked free after the looting rampage caused an estimated tens of millions in damages.

Business owner Jessica Betancourt, whose Bronx eyeglasses shop was destroyed last summer, vented her outrage at the situation.

‘Those numbers, to be honest with you, is disgusting,’ she told the NBC affiliate. ‘They could do it again because they know they won’t get the right punishment.’

In Manhattan, the NYPD data shows there were 485 arrests connected to last summer’s riots, which saw mobs smashing stores and holding a ‘looting dance party’ in SoHo.

Of those cases, 222 were later dropped and 73 saw convictions for lesser counts like trespassing, which carries no jail time. Another 40 cases involved juveniles and were sent to family court, and 128 cases remain open. 

In the Bronx, 118 arrests were made as mobs smashed shops along the borough’s commercial corridors.

Since then, the NYPD says District Attorney Clark’s office and the courts have dismissed 73 of those cases, well over half the total. 

Eighteen Bronx cases remain open and there have been 19 convictions for mostly lesser counts which carry no jail time.

One of the excuses given is that there is not enough evidence to prosecute the looters. That’s an interesting statement considering a lot of the looting is recorded on the security cameras of the businesses involved (and the news cameras of local television stations).

Some of us (and many New Yorkers) believe that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is so focused on finding President Trump guilty of something that they are ignoring their regular duties. Hopefully many of the people in that office will find themselves out of a job after the next election.