3 - 10/13/20 James Liander - Bureau Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, 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

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

3 - 10/13/20 James Liander - Bureau Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, QDA Office

April 08, 2021 • Valentina Veleva • Season 1 • Episode 3

ADA Yvonne Francis and SADA Kadijah Mohammad-Starling:

On October 1, 2019, during a meeting at the Queens District Attorney’s Office ADA Francis, in the presence of SADA Mohammad-Starling, informed Valentina that they were not going to move forward with her case due to problems with evidence and credibility issues with Valentina. When Valentina requested what the specific evidence and credibility issues were, the both refused to respond and Valentina ended up walking out of the meeting.

As a crime victim, who had been waiting over two and a half years for the NYPD and the Queens District Attorney to conduct a proper investigation, Valentina was certainly entitled to a comprehensive detailed explanation as to why they were not moving forward with her criminal complaint against Police Officer Miguel Delacruz. Their inability to provide Valentina any details evinces their own lack of credibility and sincerity.

Bureau Chief of Public Integrity Unit, James Liander:

October 13, 2020: Bureau Chief Liander informed Valentina that “the matter was closed.”

Joseph W. Murray

Attorney for Ms. Valentina Veleva