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Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz outlines enforcement on gang takedowns, deed theft and trespass affidavits
Summary
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz told the borough cabinet her office has pursued large gang indictments, increased recovery of un-serialized "ghost guns," and used a trespass-affidavit program that has issued about 1,500 affidavits to help retailers and property owners regain control of premises.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz told the Queens Borough cabinet on Friday that her office has pursued large-scale criminal enforcement and neighborhood-focused programs to protect property owners and retail businesses.
"We had the largest single gang takedown in the history of the borough of Queens," Katz said, describing a 32-person indictment that included homicide and conspiracy charges and spanned neighborhoods from Kew Gardens to Queens Village. She added that a separate 12-person takedown produced a measurable drop in shootings over a holiday weekend.
Katz also highlighted the offices work on un-serialized "ghost guns," saying that, in 2024, about "42% of the ghost guns that were retrieved in New York City" came from Queens County. "We have a very active unit that goes after the guns," she said.
On residential property protection, Katz distinguished criminal trespass from civil landlord-tenant disputes and said illegal entries do not create a legal right to remain. "You cannot trespass in someone elses house and then say you have a right to stay," she said, adding that when an initial entrance was unlawful the DAs office will pursue remedies to recover the property and, when appropriate, criminal charges.
Katz described instances her office prosecuted as grand larceny where imposters collected rent and said one defendant received a prison term after taking over a home and renting rooms without a valid lease. She urged community boards to use tools such as ACRIS to monitor deed recordings and to report suspected fraud to prosecutors and law enforcement.
Katz also explained the trespass affidavit program, a collaboration with NYPD designed for retail settings: a store owner registers and an officer serves a written affidavit that withdraws permission to return; if an individual comes back, the affidavit supports arrest. Katz said her office has handed out roughly 1,500 trespass affidavits boroughwide and that about 100 people returned; those returnees were screened for mental health and referred to services when appropriate.
On e-scooters, Katz warned about illegal, uninsured, unregistered devices after describing a case in which officers, pursuing a rider, were shot. She said enforcing unregistered scooters and working with NYPD on targeted pickups is a safer alternative to high-speed chases.
Katz closed by promoting the DAs youth and community partnership programs and offering a contact email (cats@queensda.org) for district managers and community groups seeking assistance.
The DA invited questions from board members and agreed to follow up on technical questions about the trespass affidavit programs coverage in malls and exterior common areas; she said affidavits apply to individual stores and that broader mall coverage raises different legal issues.
