Craig Blankenhorn
Members of a team from the Kings County District Attorney's Office working a sting in a fine art theft go out to lunch to discuss the case. Pictured from left to right: Cooper Gorrie, Assistant District Attorney, Money Laundering; Shaun Winter, Supervising Detective; Sean Balkan, ADA; and Lawrence Oh, ADA, Bureau Chief, Rackets Division.
Michael Vecchione and Lawrence Oh
Craig Blankenhorn
Rackets Division bureau chief Lawrence Oh, right, discusses an art theft case with his boss, Michael Vecchione. Vecchione says his door is always open and Oh never hesitates to come in and discuss strategy.
Lawrence Oh
Craig Blankenhorn
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Lawrence Oh began his career at the District Attorney's Office in the Major Narcotics Investigations Bureau nearly 19 years ago, and enjoys the variety of cases he now handles in the Rackets Division.
Craig Blankenhorn
Joe Alexis, bureau chief, Rackets Division, says working for more than 20 years in the Kings County DA's Office has been incredibly rewarding: "I've seen Brooklyn become a better place. I'd like to think I've been a part of it, I've contributed to what's made Brooklyn better. I'd like to continue contributing to that."
Craig Blankenhorn
Deputy District Attorney Ken Taub, who heads the Homicide Bureau, has worked in the Kings County DA's office for 33 years. "Being a homicide prosecutor is the reason I think why I've remained a prosecutor my whole career," he says. "It is different than other crimes. The prosecution of homicides so intimately involves you with the families of the deceased that you can't help but be moved by their loss."
Craig Blankenhorn
Howard Jackson, Assistant District Attorney, Homicide Bureau, says he is driven by his desire to work very hard on every case he's given. His wife, Nicole Chavis-Jackson, is also an ADA with the District Attorney
Ken Taub and Howard Jackson
Craig Blankenhorn
ADA Howard Jackson, right, and his boss, Ken Taub, review the details of a homicide case Jackson is eager to take to trial. For Taub, the pain that families of homicide victims deal with is forever, which provides serious motivation when working on a case. "The importance of what we do becomes magnified because it means so much to the families."
Eileen Ayvazian
Craig Blankenhorn
Eileen Ayvazian, unit chief, Rackets Division, is a 29-year veteran of the District Attorney's Office. After a long, successful career in the Rackets Division, she is set to retire this fall.
Kathleen Collins
Assistant DA Kathleen Collins began her career at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in the Crimes Against Children Bureau. She has always had an interest in anti-trafficking issues and got involved as soon as DA Joe Hynes created the Human Trafficking unit. "Doing something that I love and doing something that I'm passionate about is really what matters to me. And I really love what I'm doing."
Craig Blankenhorn
Laura Neubauer, an Executive Assistant DA in the Human Trafficking Bureau, Rackets Division, was first introduced to the topic of sex trafficking over 10 years ago while working overseas with the U.S. Department of Justice in Bosnia and Macedonia. In her opinion, it's important to help the victims of these crimes out of a situation that is oftentimes gruesome and unspeakable. "I always say the only reason we're really here is to try and better this world and take care of people."
Rob Fortunato
Kathleen Collins, left, and Laura Neubauer prepare for their upcoming human trafficking trial. Neubauer says seeking justice for the victims of these human trafficking crimes is what's most important. "There are so many people who are really in very bad harm's way," she says. "And it's very important that we do something about it."
Richard Farrell
Craig Blankenhorn
As Unit Chief of Real Estate Fraud, Richard Farrell often has to unravel complicated issues. "I really do thrive on the investigative part, he says. "I love puzzles and I hate not knowing the answers so investigating and getting the information is the big thrill."
Craig Blankenhorn
For Farrell, doing the right thing always comes first. "We're not gunslingers," he says. "We don't notch our belts. We don't keep close score on wins and losses. We come and try to prove a case because we think the person is guilty. We come and try to convince the jury that this person broke the law, broke the social contract. Shorthand for that is doing the right thing. How can you not enjoy spending your day doing the right thing?"
Mary Hughes
Craig Blankenhorn
Mary Hughes heads the Crime Prevention Division alongside Teresa Fabi. Their job is to create and implement crime prevention programs, such as Drew House and Back on Track, which focus on education and providing alternatives to incarceration. Says Hughes, "We spend as much time as possible to not only create [these programs], but to implement them, and to make sure that as time goes on, those programs will also go on, whether we're here or not."
Teresa Fabi
Craig Blankenhorn
Teresa Fabi is an Executive Assistant District Attorney and heads the Crime Prevention Division, alongside Mary Hughes. Their job is to create and implement crime prevention programs, such as Drew House and Back on Track, which focus on education and providing alternatives to incarceration. "You can't send everybody who does a bad thing to jail," she says. "It doesn't solve anything. These alternative programs absolutely work. There's no question about it."
Rhonnie Jaus
Ron Hill
Rhonnie Jaus, who heads the Sex Crimes and Crimes Against Children Division, brought the Johns School program to the Kings County District Attorney's Office back in 2002. For Jaus, the purpose of the program is to "educate people about what prostitution is and that they should stop trying to buy sex and redirect their lives into more productive ways."
Ron Hill
Jaus says that every time she sees a sex crimes victim, "It almost rejuvenates me. It reinvigorates me to fight hard to try to get them justice, to try to get them help."
Taylor Koss
Craig Blankenhorn
Taylor Koss, 1st Deputy Bureau Chief, Conviction Integrity Unit, believes it is important to make sure that there are no innocents in jail. He says, "I think the Conviction Integrity Unit is a really important mechanism that should operate in probably every prosecutor's office."
Craig Blankenhorn
Detective Investigator Patrick Lanigan is a 20-year veteran of the NYPD and investigated cold cases for many years. He describes this type of work as "going back in time," and finds it very rewarding.
Patricia McNeill
Ron Hill
Patricia McNeill comes from a family that's involved in law enforcement and interned at the District Attorney's Office while in law school. She serves as Executive Assistant District Attorney, Rackets Division.
Ron Hill
Patricia McNeill and Josh Hanshaft are both Executive Assistant DAs in the Rackets Division. The two have worked together for nearly 10 years, and Mr. Hanshaft even refers to their relationship as "work husband and wife."
John O'Mara
Craig Blankenhorn
Deputy DA John O'Mara, who is chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit, graduated from Georgetown in 1978 and has worked for the Kings County District Attorney's Office ever since. For the past two-and-a-half years Mr. O'Mara has been in charge of setting up and running the Conviction Integrity Unit.
Craig Blankenhorn
The Conviction Integrity Unit investigates post-conviction claims of innocence by defendants. For John O'Mara, left, it is important for the unit "to correct past injustices and hopefully to prevent future injustices."
Shaun Winter
Craig Blankenhorn
Supervising Detective Shaun Winter has worked for the District Attorney's Office for 18 years and supervises the technical surveillance unit, including covert recording equipment, wire taps and digital evidence.
Joseph Ponzi
Craig Blankenhorn
Chief Investigator Joseph Ponzi is responsible for the management and supervision of the detective investigative staff who work directly for the district attorney.
Jerry Schmetterer
Craig Blankenhorn
Public information director Jerry Schmetterer has been with the Kings County District Attorney's Office for 12 years. He says, "anything can happen, it's just another day in Brooklyn. This is an exciting, demanding and satisfying job and I am privileged to represent the most dedicated, talented prosecutors in the country; keeping the most savvy citizens in New York informed of the vital work they do."
Michael Seminara
Craig Blankenhorn
Supervising Investigator Michael Seminara, a retired NYPD detective, has worked at the District Attorney's Office for more than 12 years. He is uniquely qualified to work on the art theft case, as he is an avid collector himself.
