2013 Legislative Breakfast Book - Queens County District Attorney

Cases of Interest
FATHER ADMITS TO ASSAULTING INFANT DAUGHTER
BY VIOLENTLY SHAKING HER
In November, Isrrael Garcia, 28, of
Elmhurst, admitted in court to violently
shaking his crying infant daughter as
he pleaded guilty to first-degree assault.
Garcia, who will be sentenced to a
determinate term of fourteen years in
prison, agreed to make an educational
video on Shaken Baby Syndrome in the
hopes of keeping other parents from
making the same mistake. His daughter,
who suffered permanent life-threatening
injuries, remains on life support.
The infant, Maria Gordillo, who
was born on March 12, 2012, arrived at
Elmhurst Medical Center’s emergency
room on May 28, 2012, in an unresponsive
condition and was thereafter transferred
to New York University Hospital. Medical
tests revealed the infant to be suffering
bleeding on the brain and eyes, old and new
brain injuries, multiple old rib fractures and
various bruises on her left foot and back.
Garcia, who is the baby’s biological
father, admitted that he came home from
work in early May tired and frustrated,
heard the baby crying, forcefully grabbed
and squeezed the baby around her torso
and moved her repeatedly in an up and
down motion. Garcia said that he believed
he injured the baby’s ribs at that time but
did not tell anyone.
Garcia also admitted that on May 28,
2012, he was home alone with the baby and
the baby woke up from a nap and started to
cry. Garcia then forcefully grabbed the baby
and shook her repeatedly for approximately
three minutes until she stopped crying and
appeared to go to sleep. Garcia admitted that
he saw the baby’s head moving backward
and forward and that thereafter the baby
stopped breathing and went limp. Garcia
then admitted that he attempted to revive
the baby and called 911.
FIVE INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH GUN TRAFFICKING
IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS
20 Illegal Weapons Allegedly Purchased over Three-Year Span
District Attorney Brown and NYPD
Commissioner Ray Kelly announced in
December the arrest of five individuals
in connection with illegal firearms
trafficking in Southeast Queens over
the past three years. The price allegedly
paid for each of the 20 weapons that
were purchased ranged from $500 to
$2,400, with most weapons typically
going for about $1,000.
“With relatively few exceptions, the
weapon sales were brazenly conducted
in broad daylight between the hours
of noon and 5:00 p.m., and in some
cases, the transactions occurred in
public places such as street corners
and store parking lots,” said D.A. Brown.
“We must remain vigilant in our efforts to
keep illegal firearms out of the
hands of criminals and off of the
streets of Queens.”
The indictment and criminal
complaint filed with the courts
charge that the defendants sold
a total of 20 revolvers and semiautomatic
firearms – namely,
four 9.mm, three .22 caliber, one
.25 caliber, six .38 caliber, three
.380 caliber, one .44 caliber and
two .45 caliber – to undercover
agents in Southeast Queens
between August 12, 2009, and
October 3, 2012. It is alleged that four
of the weapons were defaced.
32 2013 Legislative Breakfast