DNAinfo - manhattan local news

Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. to Hand Over Two Cases Because of Conflict

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

The DA's office must hand over two major white collar cases to an outside prosecutor because Cy Vance Jr.'s was a defense attorney on the cases before he was elected the city's top prosecutor.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

David Letterman's Accused Blackmailer Robert Halderman Pleads Guilty

Robert Halderman is expected to plead guilty on Tuesday in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Courts | Manhattan 1comment

Lil' Wayne Eats Pasta for his First Meal at Rikers, Allowed to Keep His Teeth

Lil Wayne at Sentencing(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

Lil' Wayne was served pasta marinara with sausages on his first night at Rikers Island, and allowed to keep his "gangsta grillz."

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Manhattan Courthouse Reopens Nearly a Week After a Fire, Lil' Wayne First Up

It's back to business as usual in the Manhattan criminal court system with the doors of 100 Centre Street due to reopen Monday morning.

Courts | East Harlem comment

Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV's Drunk-Driving Trial Delayed Again

Adam Clayton Powell IV's DWI Trial Delayed Again(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

DWI charges against the East Harlem pol are now two years old.

Tags: Courts, East Harlem

Lil' Wayne Finally Sent to Rikers For One-Year Jail Sentence

Lil Wayne Sentencing(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

Lil' Wayne is finally off to the Big House for a gun possession rap.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Construction Boss Whose Two Cranes Collapsed on the East Side Indicted Monday

Construction workers embrace after an Upper East Side crane collapse.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The owner of a construction company whose cranes collapsed on the East Side in 2008, killing nine people is expected to turn himself in to face manslaughter charges Monday.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Manhattan Woman Sues Netflix and Warner Brothers Over Rental Restrictions

A Netflix customer is unhappy with the video-by-mail company's recent agreement with Warner Brothers.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Cy Vance Jr. Launches First-Ever Review Panel to Guard Against Wrongful Convictions in Manhattan

Manhattan prosecutors have set up a committee to review cases to protect against wrongful convictions.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Fire Damage Keeps Manhattan Criminal Court Building Shuttered Indefinitely

Firefighter injured in courthouse fire(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

The main Manhattan criminal court building remained shut down for a third consecutive day Tuesday.

Lil' Wayne Sentencing Delayed Until Monday, Rapper Turns Out at Jay-Z Concert

The rapper's one-year trip to Rikers Island has now been delayed for a third time, and he now has until Monday to turn himself in.

Manhattan Criminal Court Moves Across Centre Street After Fire

Manhattan Criminal Courthouse Evacuated After Fire Breaks Out(DNAinfo / Shayna Jacobs)

The Manhattan Criminal Court building will remain closed on Wednesday.

Courts | Upper West Side comment

Rapper Lil' Wayne's Sentencing Postponed by Courthouse Fire

The delay devastated twins who'd taken the day off for court.

Tags: Courts, Upper West Side

Crime | Manhattan comment

Manhattan Courthouse to Stay Closed Wednesday Due to Basement Fire

Manhattan Criminal Court will be closed Wednesday after a fire broke out in the basement on Tuesday.

Tags: Crime, Manhattan

Courts | Washington Hts. comment

Washington Heights 'Mensch' Remembered As His Murderer is Sentenced

Jacob Gerstle(Manhattan District Attorney)

Instead of killing a beloved elderly man, William Hill could have asked for charity, the victim's son said.

Tags: Courts, Washington Heights & Inwood

Courts | Midtown West comment

Penn Station Scam Artist Who Tried to Swindle a Swedish Military Commander Convicted

Pennsylvania Hotel Attempted Armed Robbery(Manhattan District Attorney)

A career con artist who foolishly tried to scam a streetwise Swedish military commander vacationing in New York was convicted Monday of attempted robbery and weapon possession.

Tags: Courts, Midtown West & Hells Kitchen

Courts | The Village comment

Nightclub Entrepreneurs Guilty of Threatening to Torture, Sodomize Landlord

hammer, pliers, screwdriver(DNAinfo/Jim Scott)

A pair of failed nightclub entrepreneurs have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for threatening to torture their landlord's assistant unless he waived their back rent.

Tags: Courts, Greenwich Village

Testwell Owner Attempts Suicide After Partial Verdict in Corruption Case

V. Reddy Kancharla slashed his wrists after a partial verdict last week, court papers revealed Thursday.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Manhattan comment

Upper East Siders -- Human and Canine -- Brave the Snowicane

Snowy Carl Schurz Park(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

They stomped through slush and parked on snow piles, but Upper East Siders were out on Friday despite the snowicane.

Tags: Manhattan

Courts | Midtown West comment

Con Artist Messed With the Wrong Swedish Tourist

A con artist picked the wrong mark when he went after a street-wise military commander last year, according to court testimony Wednesday.

Tags: Courts, Midtown West & Hells Kitchen

Only In New York | Upper East Side comment

Yankee Stadium Concrete Testing Company Guilty of Enterprise Corruption

Testwell Chief Guilty of Faking Records(AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

Executives at a concrete testing company accused of faking structural integrity checks at city construction projects were found guilty of enterprise corruption on Wednesday.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Courts | East Harlem comment

Defense Wrangles Over Charges in 'Assisted Suicide' of Motivational Speaker Case

A man prosecutors now believe assisted in the suicide of a Long Island motivational speaker in Harlem is fighting to have his murder charge reduced to manslaughter or dropped altogether, his lawyer said.

Tags: Courts, East Harlem

Crime | Midtown East comment

Former WABC Sportscaster Marvell Scott Accused of Raping Underage Prostitute

Marvell Scott Heading to Arraignment(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

The former WABC-TV sportscaster was charged Tuesday with raping a 14-year-old prostitute, according to prosecutors.

Tags: Crime, Midtown East & Kips Bay

Upper East Side Dogs Shocked on Electrified Sidewalk

Dogs Zapped After ConEd Power Mishap(DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs)

Three dogs on the Upper East Side received electric shocks Tuesday morning due to stray voltage on a sidewalk.

Tags: Only In New York, Upper East Side

Linda Stein's Assistant Found Guilty of Murdering the Ex-Ramones Manager

Natavia Lowery(Manhattan District Attorney)

A Manhattan jury Tuesday found Natavia Lowery guilty of the fatal beating death of celebrity realtor Linda Stein.

Fate of Linda Stein's Accused Killer in Hands of Manhattan Jury

Natavia Lowery faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of beating her boss Linda Stein to death in 2007.

Prosecution Floats Bloody Pants Theory in Linda Stein Murder Trial Closing

Linda Stein(Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate)

Linda Stein's assistant may have ditched her blood-stained khakis in the East River hours after the murder, prosecutors said Monday.

Upper East Side Socialite Accused of Molesting House Manager

A former employee of two wealthy Upper East Side socialites is suing for sexual harassment, according to court papers.

Linda Stein Murder Trial Nears End as Natavia Lowery's Attorneys, Prosecutors Make Closing Arguments

Lawyers in the "Realtor to the Stars" murder trial are expected to make closing arguments on Monday.

Politics | Financial Dist. 1comment

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Blasts Port Authority for WTC Construction Delays

Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed his frustration with the pace of the World Trade Center redevelopment Friday, saying he would not "leave this world with that hole in the ground."

Tags: Politics, Financial District & Battery Park City

Testimony Ends in 'Realtor to the Stars' Murder Trial, Deliberations Set to Start

Both sides have rested in the murder trial of Linda Stein's accused killer and former personal assistant as attorneys prepare for closing arguments Monday.

Yankee Stadium Concrete Test Company Testwell Faked Results on Major Construction Jobs, Jury Finds

Construction executive falsified tests on the Freedom Tower, Yankee Stadium and the Second Avenue Subway.

Ashanti 'Sex Text' Stalker Sentenced to 2 Years in Jail

An Indiana man convicted of stalking and harassing Grammy award winner Ashanti was sentenced to two years in jail and ordered to stay away from every member of the singer's family.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

DA: Al Sharpton's Daughter Assaulted by Boyfriend in Harlem

Dominique Sharpton's boyfriend is accused of punching her in the face during an argument in Harlem.

Tags: Courts, Hamilton Heights

DA: Merrill Lynch 'Fraudster' Lied About Qualifications, Bought Ferrari With Advance

Ex-Merrill Lynch Broker Indicted(DNAinfo/John Marshall Mantel)

The broker allegedly faked his credentials to get a job there and purchased a Ferrari with a $780,000 company advance.

Tags: Courts, Chelsea and Meatpacking District

Linda Stein Was Bludgeoned At Least 24 Times by Killer, Official Testified in Murder Trial

Autopsy Drawing of Linda Stein's Skull(Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)

Celebrity real estate broker Linda Stein was bashed in the skull at least 24 times, gruesome autopsy photos showed Tuesday at the trial of her accused killer.

Gigi Jordan Pleads Not Guilty to Murdering Her Autistic Son, His Body Leaves Morgue

The millionairess wiped away tears with a handcuffed hand in her hospital arraignment.

Tags: Courts, Midtown East & Kips Bay

Assistant Confessed to Feeling 'Crazy Sensation' After Beating Linda Stein

The shocking video confession of Linda Stein's accused killer was played for a Manhattan jury Thursday.

Goldman Sachs Programmer Indicted, Allegedly Sold Trade Secrets

Santa Claus Isn't Coming to Town for Many Wall Street Banks This Year(Wikimedia Commons/Ciar)

A Goldman Sachs computer programmer worked his way through tightly-secured firewalls to steal the company's trading secrets, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Crime | Midtown East comment

Mom of Murdered 8-Year-Old Autistic Boy Indicted, Retains High Profile Defense Lawyer

Young Boy found Dead in Peninsula Hotel Next to Unconscioius Mother(DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero)

Gigi Jordan was indicted for murdering her autistic son, a source said.

Tags: Crime, Midtown East & Kips Bay

Crime | Upper East Side comment

Report: Stolen Jewelry Recovered in Fatal Upper East Side Heist

Police tape separates R.S. Durant Jewelry Store After Deadly Robbery(DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero)

Police have recovered some of the valuables stolen in a deadly $1 million jewelry store heist, according to published reports.

Tags: Crime, Upper East Side

Crime | Manhattan comment

Robert Morgenthau: NYPD May Cheat 'Here and There' on Stats

The NYPD can't manipulate the murder rate but may pull strings to lower other CompStat crime rate statistics, retired Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Tuesday.

Tags: Crime, Manhattan

Manhattan Courts Make Unusual Move of Closing for Snow Day

The five state court buildings in Manhattan and others citywide were shut down for a snow day Wednesday, a rare move for judicial officials.

Dental Surgery Delays Rapper Lil Wayne's Sentencing

Lil Wayne avoided jail Tuesday when a judge pushed sentencing buck until March 2 so the rapper can get dental surgery.

Tags: Courts, Manhattan

Linda Stein's Alleged Killer Said She Wanted to Die During Police Interrogation

"I want to die here," Natavia Lowery told police, according to a detective's court testimony on Tuesday.

Woman Accused of Murdering Linda Stein Tries to Fire Lawyers

Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate(Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate)

The personal assistant on trial for murdering celebrity realtor Linda Stein dropped a bombshell in court on Monday — she wants either to fire her lawyers or represent herself.