Trial Division

The Trial Division comprises six large trial bureaus. Approximately 45 attorneys of varying levels of experience staff each of the bureaus. In addition to the legal staff, each bureau has a bureau administrator, paralegals, and secretaries.

Assistants in these trial bureaus, which are on intake in the Complaint Room on a rotating basis, evaluate felony and misdemeanor arrests and draft complaints. Felony cases are generally assigned to an Assistant District Attorney at the time a complaint is drawn up in the Complaint Room. The majority of misdemeanor cases are assigned after arraignment. The assigned attorney then handles the case from that point until the final disposition of the case. For more information on the criminal justice process, see Arrest to Sentence.

The type of case that an Assistant District Attorney handles is commensurate with his or her level of experience. Junior attorneys begin by handling misdemeanor cases and then advance to felony cases. The most senior attorneys are responsible for homicide and other major felony cases.

The Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau investigates and prosecutes crimes involving domestic violence, and all serious crimes committed against children under the age of fourteen. The Bureau was created in 1989 as the Child Abuse Bureau. In recognition of the strong correlation between domestic violence and child abuse, the Bureau was expanded in 1995 to form the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau.

Child Abuse Cases:

The Bureau handles investigations, arrests, and prosecutions of serious crimes against children under the age of fourteen, whether committed by family or non-family members. Each of the attorneys in the Bureau receives specialized training in dealing with the sensitive issues that child abuse presents. The Bureau works closely with child protective teams in hospitals, the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), and the Police Department. In addition, members of the Bureau also lecture throughout the city on child abuse issues.

The Bureau also investigates and prosecutes individuals who sexually exploit children via the Internet. Children are exploited on the Internet through the manufacture and distribution of child pornography, and by persons who seek to make contact with children online for the purpose of engaging them in sexual activity. The Bureau now prosecutes numerous such crimes each year. Bureau staff are available to provide lectures and training about Internet safety to teachers, parents, and children.

Domestic Violence Cases:

The Office investigates and prosecutes thousands of domestic violence cases each year. ADAs who prosecute domestic violence cases are specially trained in various aspects of these cases, including how to interview victims, how to prosecute cases without the victim's cooperation, and how to present expert witnesses in the courtroom.

Information for Witnesses & Victims of Child Abuse

Information for Witnesses & Victims of Domestic Violence

See the Domestic Violence Brochure (en Español)

The Sex Crimes Unit was established in 1974. It was the first unit in the country dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault (rape, sexual abuse, and other criminal sexual acts). The Unit presently handles all cases involving sexual assaults of victims 14 years old and older (sexual and physical assault of children under fourteen are prosecuted by the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau). The Sex Crimes Unit is staffed by approximately forty ADAs, who are selected not only for their ability in the courtroom, but also because they exhibit a sensitivity to the issues unique to victims of these crimes. Widely recognized for its services provided to sexual assault victims and its role in dramatically increasing the conviction rate of sex offenders, the Sex Crimes Unit has been used as a model by similar units all over the country.

The Sex Crimes Unit's work is not limited to prosecution. In addition to trial work, members of the Unit train medical personnel, rape crisis intervention volunteers and law enforcement officers. In addition, Unit personnel provide safety lectures and inform the public about sex crimes. Prosecutors all over the state and country have followed the Sex Crimes Unit model.

The Sex Crimes Unit works closely with the NYPD's Special Victims Squad, frequently interacting with detectives from the moment a rape case is reported to the police.

The Sex Crimes Unit, along with the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau and the Cybercrime Bureau, also investigates and prosecutes individuals who sexually exploit children via the Internet. Children are exploited via the Internet through the manufacture and distribution of child pornography, and by persons who seek to make contact with children online for the purpose of engaging them in sexual activity.

If you have been sexually assaulted or violated in any of the ways described above:

• Call 911 immediately. If you are uncomfortable calling the police, the Sex Crimes Unit has its own hotline: 212-335-9373.
• Go to the emergency room to check for injury, prevent sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, and have a rape kit done for evidence collection. Do not shower, and do not brush your teeth or drink if you were orally sexually assaulted. Place all clothing or bedding that might have evidence on it in a paper bag (NOT a plastic bag) and bring it with you. If you do not change your clothes before you come to the hospital, it is a good idea to bring an extra set with you. If it makes you more comfortable, have a friend or family member go with you to the hospital. Some rape crisis centers also have counselors available to go with you. A hospital exam is about evidence collection as well as treatment, so please go to the hospital for such an exam. There are specially trained and sensitive sexual assault medical personnel at many hospitals. You can call any of the hotline numbers listed here to find the nearest such emergency room.
• Seek support. There are many good organizations that provide crisis counseling to rape victims. If you’re looking for something specific, don’t be afraid to call one of the numbers below and ask; the staff at these organizations are very knowledgeable about NYC resources for sexual assault victims.

Safe Horizon Sexual Assault & Incest Hotline
212-227-3000

• www.safehorizon.org

Safe Horizon is a New York City organization that provides 24-hour crisis counseling in multiple languages, safety planning, assistance with finding shelter, and advocacy with the police.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network)
1-800-656-HOPE

• www.rainn.org
  

RAINN is a national organization that provides 24 hour crisis counseling both over the phone and via their website using a completely secure and confidential instant messaging program. Their website also allows you to search for the nearest counseling center.

New York Asian Women’s Center (NYAWC)
1-888-888-7702

• www.nyawc.org

NYAWC offers emergency shelter, victim’s rights advocacy, and counseling and support groups in over 15 different Asian languages and dialects.

Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project Hotline
212-714-1141

• www.avp.org

The AVP hotline is a 24-hour bilingual service that offers free and confidential support to victims of bias violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, pick-up crimes, police misconduct and HIV-related violence. Counselors can advise victims on orders of protection, and can provide accompaniment and advocacy for victims going to the hospital or the police.

CAMBA Rape Crisis Services & Hotline
1-800-310-2449

• www.camba.org

CAMBA provides 24-hour crisis counseling. Victims and family members are accompanied to hospitals and/or police precincts (as needed).

There are also many hospital-based rape crisis and counseling programs that you may access by calling any of the hotline numbers listed above. In addition, a Sex Crimes Unit assistant district attorney is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be reached by calling the main District Attorney’s Office number (212-335-9000) and asking for the on-call Sex Crimes ADA.

The Special Litigation Bureau (originally called the Special Projects Bureau) was established in 1982 and handles a variety of specialized areas of law:

The primary responsibility of the Unit is to oversee and provide support to assistants in Vehicular related crimes including Vehicular Homicide, Assault and DWI prosecutions. Too often, innocent lives are destroyed in horrible crashes and the Unit ensures that the perpetrators face justice. These cases are often very technical and involve crash reconstruction principles including speed from skid and yaw marks, pedestrian throw analyses and Crush analysis. The Vehicular Crimes Unit works closely with the NYPD's Accident Investigation Squad and Highway Unit, frequently interacting with detectives from the time a crash occurs. Assistants often go to crash scenes in order to aid investigation of these cases.

The Vehicular Crimes unit aids Assistants in obtaining blood search warrants in order to preserve the blood alcohol content of a suspected intoxicated driver. Assistants get on-going training on issues involving vehicular cases and are familiar with the scientific principles involving Intoxilyzers, field tests and portable breath tests.

Assistants also prosecute misdemeanor and felony cases involving unlicensed drivers or those whose driving privileges have been suspended or revoked by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Public Assistance Fraud Unit prosecutes fraud in need-based public assistance programs, focusing primarily on Welfare, Medicaid, and Food Stamps Programs. The Unit is staffed by approximately 21 Assistant District Attorneys drawn from the Trial Division's six Trial Bureaus. The Unit works closely with law enforcement agencies, including the Human Resources Administration's Bureau of Fraud Investigations, the New York State Office of Medicaid Inspector General, the NYPD, the New York State Department of Health, and the United States Department of Agriculture to uncover, investigate and prosecute fraud in public assistance programs. Founded in 1995, the Unit has prosecuted cases involving over 7 million dollars in fraud in public assistance programs.

The Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau (CITB) was created in 2010 by District Attorney Vance in order to combat the growing number of identity theft and high technology crimes committed in New York County. CITB investigates and prosecutes cases involving cyber offenses committed against children as well as cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying, two prevalent criminal behaviors victimizing children, teens and adults. The Bureau reports to both the Trial and Investigations Divisions, and prioritizes its resources on investigations and prosecutions of cases involving malware, hacking, computer intrusions and related computer crimes.

CITB handles more than 200 identity theft cases each month ranging from using a stolen or counterfeit credit card for a single purchase to opening multiple accounts in a victim's name, falsifying documents, and using false identities to effect large frauds. The District Attorney’s Office has committed to the prosecution of these cases by dedicating over eighty Assistant District Attorneys to this issue. In addition, these Assistants District Attorneys have specialized training and expertise to prosecute such crimes. The Bureau conducts intensive, long-term investigations to identify and dismantle large, complex criminal organizations. In one such case, People v. Igor Klopov, et al, cyber criminals living in Russia and the United States were indicted and convicted for stealing over $1 million using the identities of some of the wealthiest Americans. In addition to attorneys, the Bureau has a dedicated team of highly-trained investigators and forensic analysts, led by nationally recognized computer crimes and computer forensic experts.

One of the goals of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau is to educate the public on steps that can be taken to prevent a person from becoming a victim of identity theft and to assess and limit the damage if one is a victim. To that end, the Bureau has its own Identity Theft Hotline (212.335.9600), which victims can use to contact the Bureau 24 hours a day in either English or Spanish. Through its presentations to various group and its distributions of a “Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft” brochure, the Bureau also provides important information on these crimes to the community.

See the Identity Theft brochure in *.pdf (en Español) ()

Useful Links:

• Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Page
• Social Security Administration
• Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• National Consumers League 'Phishing' Information
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
• Identity Theft Resource Center

The Firearms Trafficking Unit was formally created in 1993 to investigate and prosecute illegal firearms dealers in New York City. The Unit targets gun traffickers, including unlicensed street sellers and corrupt licensed dealers, who distribute significant numbers of illegal firearms to violent criminals. The Unit is staffed by Assistant District Attorneys experienced in handling long-term investigations and complex prosecutions.

Working closely with the New York City Police Department and a variety of other local, state, and federal authorities in New York and beyond, the Unit has successfully prosecuted over one hundred firearms traffickers, involving the seizure of hundreds of firearms and preventing the distribution of thousands more guns. Through its investigation and prosecution of those who provide illegal firearms to other criminals, the Unit also has successfully developed significant prosecutions of violent street gangs, narcotics crews, robbery rings, and other criminal enterprises.

Richard Yarmy

Richard Yarmy was a gun dealer, both legally and illegally. Yarmy held a Federal Firearms License and operated "Yarmy Sporting Company," which legally sold firearms out of its offices in Hawthorne, New York, and Boones Mill, Virginia. The illegal enterprise, used to supplement Yarmy's legitimate income, operated out of his home, first in Scarsdale, NY, then after a move, in Boone's Mill, VA. Yarmy used his legitimate, licensed business as a front for criminal activities, using middlemen to handle the riskier aspects of the enterprise, such as distributing guns and ammunition to drug gangs. Richard Yarmy profited by arming hundreds of criminals, who perpetrated countless acts of violence.

By virtue of his Federal Firearms License, Yarmy was able to purchase unlimited numbers of firearms for resale. Yarmy became one of the highest volume gun dealers in a network of gun shows regularly held along the eastern seaboard. He was able to purchase firearms and ammunition at gun shows, and then resell them illegally to unlicensed purchasers. Yarmy regularly made the sales knowing that the weapons were to be resold to street criminals operating in Manhattan.

During a two year investigation by the Firearms Trafficking Unit of the New York County District Attorney's Office--in conjunction with the New York Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms--undercover detectives purchased or seized forty-five firearms and over ten thousand rounds of ammunition from an individual who acted as a middleman between Yarmy and his ultimate illegal customers.

In addition, an undercover detective purchased an assault weapon and a rifle directly from Yarmy in Scarsdale. The forty-seven weapons recovered in the course of the investigation included the types of firearms that are commonly associated with street violence -- nine millimeter and .380 caliber pistols, .357 and .38 caliber revolvers, TEC-9 and MAC-11 pistols, an Uzi, Street Sweeper shotguns, assault rifles, and fully automatic Sten and Thompson submachine guns.

When law enforcement authorities executed simultaneous search warrants at Yarmy's business locations in Hawthorne and Boones Mill, they seized 271 handguns, rifles and shotguns, and business records reflecting the scope of his enterprise. At Yarmy's Boones Mill home, authorities found an estimated 500,000 rounds of ammunition.

Yarmy was indicted for Enterprise Corruption, eight counts relating to the manufacture and transport of firearms, and four counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree. In addition, Yarmy was charged with Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree and eleven license violations.

Richard A. Yarmy was convicted at trial. He was sentenced to 10 to 30 years in prison.

The Homicide Investigation Unit works with investigators to target gangs who commit multiple homicides, especially those that are drug-related. Starting in the early 1980s the District Attorney's Office began to work closely with the NYPD to target the violent drug gangs that were responsible for so much of the violence plaguing Manhattan's neighborhoods. These joint efforts made a difference and led to the formation of the Homicide Investigation Unit. In the decade since the formation of HIU, homicides have been greatly reduced. Nearly 5 times as many people were killed in Manhattan in 1988 as in 1998. The unit's success has been dramatic: since 1991, HIU has removed more than 1,000 gang members from Manhattan precincts.

Gang killers often commit more than one homicide--it is a tragic consequence of their violently competitive drug business. Some estimates identify more than 70% of all homicides as drug related. Thus, removing drug gangs goes a long way toward reducing homicides. The Homicide Investigation Unit has proven this time and time again. Many of Unit's most significant cases have resulted from complex, often time consuming, investigations. The Homicide Investigation Unit, a bureau staffed by senior attorneys, experienced detective investigators, and support staff, has achieved tremendous success. Starting in the early 1980s the New York County District Attorney's Office began to work closely with the police to target the violent drug gangs that were responsible for so much of the deadly violence that plagued Manhattan's neighborhoods. These joint efforts led to the formation of the Homicide Investigation Unit.

In the mid 1990s, HIU prosecuted 136 gang members in Manhattan Valley on the West Side of Manhattan. All of them were convicted, with more than 95 of them sentenced to prison. One gang, the Young Talented Children (YTC), averaged $100,000 per week in crack-cocaine sales. They also trafficked in guns. The removal of YTC, along with eight other gangs, led to a precipitous drop in homicides. In 1993, there were 23 homicides in the 24th precinct. In 1998, only five years later, 2 homicides occurred in the 24th precinct, a reduction of 91%.

Similar success on the Lower East Side has helped to reduce the homicide rate. In the late 1990's, 7 gangs were removed. More than 200 defendants were indicted. In one case, an enforcer of the Red Tiger Gang is suspected of committing as many as 10 homicides. He was convicted of committing three. He has been successfully prosecuted, along with more than 200 other gang members. In 1994, 17 people were killed in the 7th precinct. By 1998, the number had dropped to 2, a reduction of 88%.

Other investigations, conducted by the Homicide Investigation Unit and the Trial Division, concentrated on Washington Heights, once the homicide capital of the city. In 1991 there were 119 homicides in Washington Heights, more than in all of Manhattan in 1998. In 1998 there were only 15 homicides in Washington Heights, a reduction of 87%.

The Forensic Sciences/Cold Case Unit focuses on using forensic science to enhance the quality of our investigations and prosecutions in a manner that comports with the highest standards in the field. The Unit serves in an advisory capacity to the trial division on all cases that involve forensic science, regardless of the nature and severity of the charges, and is designed to ensure that all have access to the tools needed to prosecute the variety of cases that involve forensic scientific evidence. Furthermore, the Unit provides training to ADAs on forensic science and the handling of cold cases to ensure that our Office continues to use the most sophisticated forensic evidence in prosecutions. The Unit also serves to review motions for post-conviction DNA testing and conducts systematic reviews of every unsolved homicide in Manhattan committed in the last 30 years to determine whether the homicides can be solved using state-of-the-art forensic testing techniques.

The Hates Crimes Unit was created by District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. in May of 2010. The Unit investigates and prosecutes hate and bias crimes committed in New York County. As part of this initiative, the Unit collaborates with the New York Police Department and community organizations to develop strategies that seek to prevent bias-motivated crimes, whether based on religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. The Assistants District Attorneys assigned to the Hates Crimes Unit are highly experienced attorneys who are trained to investigate and prosecute these crimes with the assistance of experienced investigators.

This unit records grand jury testimony and transcribes the minutes of that testimony upon request.

This unit processes all cases and provides a variety of support services on misdemeanor cases. The following sub-units operate within Prosecution Support: the Alternative Sentencing Unit controls and monitors defendants who are sentenced to community service; the Open Case Unit maintains all pending Criminal Court case files, coordinates record-keeping functions that support the Trial Division; the Complaint Room Complex is responsible for processing all arrests.

The Spanish Language Program has a bilingual staff, and acts as a consultant on cases with Spanish-speaking witnesses. The Program also offers general translating and interpreting services to the Office.

The visual evidence unit is responsible for collecting visual evidence and formatting it for presentation in court. There are three sub-units: the Video Unit videotapes and preserves statements from defendants and witnesses and crime scenes; the Photography Unit photographs crime victims, property, and crime scenes; the Engineering Unit prepares scale diagrams of crime scenes.

The Witness Aid Services Unit, also known as WASU, is a prosecutor-based victim/witness assistance program in the New York County District Attorney's Office. WASU works collaboratively with assistant district attorneys to assist victims and enhance the prosecution of cases. The goals of the WASU program are to provide victims, witnesses, and their families with comprehensive social services, clinical counseling services, court-related services, and advocacy and support throughout the criminal justice process. WASU also ensures that victims receive essential court-related information and information with regard to their rights in the criminal justice system. For complete information about the services provided by this program, please visit the unit's webpage, or refer to its brochure (en Español).