Criminal Justice News

Dana Rachlin poses for a portrait on the roof of her DUMBO office building.

Activist’s Case Against NYPD Survives Challenge, Alleges Leak of Sex Assault Details

by Gwynne Hogan Aug. 17, 2026, 5:00 a.m.Aug. 16, 2026, 1:17 p.m.

The lawsuit filed by police reform advocate Dana Rachlin alleges that the NYPD allows untraceable “ghost access” to sensitive files. The city denies those charges, and the parties are due back in court next month.

Legendary New York punk icon Chester “Chet” Mazur is seen wearing sunglasses in an undated photo

City Life

Stunned Friends Remember an East Village ‘Torchbearer for Sleaze Rock’

by Kaitlyn Schwanemann Aug. 11, 2026, 5:00 a.m.Aug. 11, 2026, 3:17 p.m.

Chet Mazur, 66, a beloved singer, performance artist and road manager, was killed in a hit-and-run a block away from his Hell’s Kitchen home.

Jennifer Peña smiles in an undated photograph with her mother Antonia Peña.

Criminal Justice

Judge Who Sentenced ‘90s Teen Killer Now Wants Him Freed

by Reuven Blau Aug. 10, 2026, 5:03 a.m.Aug. 9, 2026, 12:21 p.m.

Jennifer Peña found her murdered parents’ bodies when she was 13. Nearly three decades later, she's confronting their killer’s bid for clemency.

Former Mayor Eric Adams' administration officials and married couple Sheena Wright and David Banks are now producing a podcast.

Politics

Two Years After Federal Raids, an Eric Adams Power Couple Seeks Podcast Fame

by Greg B. Smith Aug. 3, 2026, 5:03 a.m.Aug. 2, 2026, 7:33 p.m.

Former Schools Chancellor David Banks and ex-First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright have snagged top New York officials as podcast guests, despite the lingering cloud of Adams-era investigations.

Bronx Defenders organized with the UAW walk the picket line outside the legal group’s offices on East 161st Street,

Labor

Why Bronx and Harlem Public Defenders Walked Off the Job

by Claudia Irizarry Aponte July 29, 2026, 2:50 p.m.July 29, 2026, 8:42 p.m.

Unionized staff at Harlem and Bronx legal services providers say managers are short-changing them on raises and benefits, even after a multi-million funding boost from the City Council.

Labor

Embattled Unions to Pay Feds $3.85 Million Over Pandemic Loans

by Claudia Irizarry Aponte July 29, 2026, 5:00 a.m.July 28, 2026, 5:19 p.m.

The Home Healthcare Workers of America, its parent union, and other related labor unions improperly received millions in PPP loans, according to the Justice Department.

Metal gates lock in detainees at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island.

Jails and Prisons

‘Bedlam’: Rikers Island Can’t Keep Its Doors Locked

by Reuven Blau July 22, 2026, 5:02 a.m.July 22, 2026, 4:02 p.m.

New York’s jails have more than 1,500 broken cell doors, threatening the safety of staff and detainees.

Courts

Walkout: Lawyers for Low-Income Clients Strike in Brooklyn and Queens

by Claudia Irizarry Aponte July 16, 2026, 2:20 p.m.July 16, 2026, 3:14 p.m.

Approximately 500 lawyers, case managers and staff at Brooklyn Defender Services and Queens Defenders walked off the job Thursday morning, in a stoppage that could affect criminal, housing and family court cases.

Barbed wire surrounds a jail facility on Rikers Island,

Jails and Prisons

Rikers Remediation Manager Unveils Blueprint for Overhauling City Jails

by Reuven Blau July 16, 2026, 5:00 a.m.July 15, 2026, 6:41 p.m.

The court-appointed official issued 22 directives, from expanding investigations into officer misconduct to fixing broken infrastructure.

Comptroller Mark Levine speaks at the Municipal Building about the budget,

City Government

Levine to Audit $243 Million in Scandal-Scarred Shelter Contracts

by Greg B. Smith July 15, 2026, 3:44 p.m.July 16, 2026, 1:10 p.m.

Federal prosecutors have charged former leaders of BHRAGS Home Care and the head of a security firm in a bribery and kickback scheme that first surfaced in 2023.

Criminal Justice

Activist’s Case Against NYPD Survives Challenge, Alleges Leak of Sex Assault Details

Stunned Friends Remember an East Village ‘Torchbearer for Sleaze Rock’

Judge Who Sentenced ‘90s Teen Killer Now Wants Him Freed

Two Years After Federal Raids, an Eric Adams Power Couple Seeks Podcast Fame

Why Bronx and Harlem Public Defenders Walked Off the Job

Embattled Unions to Pay Feds $3.85 Million Over Pandemic Loans

‘Bedlam’: Rikers Island Can’t Keep Its Doors Locked

Walkout: Lawyers for Low-Income Clients Strike in Brooklyn and Queens

Rikers Remediation Manager Unveils Blueprint for Overhauling City Jails

Levine to Audit $243 Million in Scandal-Scarred Shelter Contracts

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