11 - 12/1/20 Gerard Brave - Executive Assistant District Attorney, QDA Office Artwork

“Justice Delayed is Justice Denied” - “Let's Break The Silence Together”

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In order to track bad actors in borough district attorney's offices and other law enforcement agencies throughout NYC who refuse to investigate, arrest and prosecute crime perpetrators, we need to document the blowback and victim-blaming that women often hear from both the police and the district attorneys when we use the criminal legal system to attain justice. The Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is refusing to address the misconduct of her staffers and members of NYPD. These are telephone conversations between me and high-level members of the Queens District Attorney's office of Melinda Katz. PO Miguel Delacruz is an active member of NYPD. He committed multiple felonies and misdemeanors against me. PO Delacruz unlawfully surveilled our intimate encounter, threatened me, disseminated multiple video files, concealed the physical evidence. The Queens District Attorney's Office of Melinda Katz is not only refusing to prosecute PO Miguel Delacruz but is refusing to initiate a special proceeding in The Supreme Court, Queens County, Criminal Term, before the Honorable Joseph A. Zayas, Administrative Judge of Queens County, Criminal Term, seeking the appointment of a special district attorney. I’m so thankful to have Maya, Larry, Priscilla, Adam, Rocco, Molly, David, Diego and other reporters working on my story. I am forever grateful for the tremendous support from my family, friends, my attorney, Joe Murray, and his whole team. "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied" - " Let's Break The Silence Together " Melinda Katz NY1 Debate, October 23, 2019 and Melinda Katz Twitter, April 8, 2021

All Episodes

“Justice Delayed is Justice Denied” - “Let's Break The Silence Together”

11 - 12/1/20 Gerard Brave - Executive Assistant District Attorney, QDA Office

April 08, 2021 • Valentina Veleva • Season 1 • Episode 11

Executive Assistant District Attorney of Investigations Division, Gerard Brave:

December 1, 2020: Valentina informed EADA Brave of the existence of People v Zapata, 41 A.D.3d 109, 837 N.Y.S.2d 110, 2007 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6719, 2007 NY Slip Op 4687 to dispute EADA Brave’s mistaken assertion that the victim must be identifiable on the video. In Zapata, the image was merely of the girl’s legs and her underwear.

This was a painful conversation to listen to in which EADA Gerard Brave stated that (1) Valentina is “unidentifiable;” (2) that she is a “witness without credibility” (as he is laughing at her); (3) EADA Brave makes the wild and baseless accusation that Valentina is seeking an advantage in her civil action by bringing this criminal complaint, essentially gaming the system; (4) EADA Brave stated that every single prosecutor that has reviewed Valentina’s case found her to be not credible, and that that was the primary reason for not going forward with her case; (5) that Valentina is unstable and would make a terrible witness. EADA Brave made further insulting remarks about Valentina and that he was confident at some point that her civil case would be dropped. EADA Brave closed by saying they were not prosecuting her case for “all of the above” reasons.

This was absolutely disgusting behavior that I DEMAND A PUBLIC APOLOGY TO BE MADE TO MY CLIENT! Listening to EADA Brave’s conversation with Valentina makes clear why so many women are so afraid to come forward with their complaints against men. It is this very sexist, misogynist, and demeaning conduct that women fear most from law enforcement in deciding to come forward with their allegations.

MOST RECENT RESPONSE FROM QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY

“We take every complaint of this nature very seriously, and Ms. Veleva’s was no exception. This matter was thoroughly and carefully reviewed before investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal case.” See, Larry Celona and Priscilla DeGregory, “NYPD cop illegally taped one-night stand, then blackmailed woman: lawsuit” New York Post, April 1, 2018 8:54 pm.

This statement is insulting and disrespectful to the People of the State of New York. In all of my time serving as a New York City Police Officer and now as an attorney I have NEVER seen any law enforcement professional treat a crime victim in a more disgusting manner than Valentina was treated, by members of your office, the worst being EADA Gerard Brave. That also goes for you too, Ms. Katz, in your failure to personally respond to Valentina’s two letters and numerous requests to speak with you.

Joseph W. Murray

Attorney for Ms. Valentina Veleva