250 New York Inmates Rearrested 450 Times After Being Released by Gov. Cuomo
New jailbreak directive sees more crime in New York
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Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) jailbreak directive, at least 250 convicted and accused criminals freed from New York's Rikers Island prison have been rearrested 450 times.
According to data from the New York Police Department (NYPD), at least 250 inmates from Rikers Island have been rearrested since Cuomo issued a statewide order for prison inmates to abide by social distancing measures.
NBC New York’s Melissa Russo reports:
"Of approximately 2,500 defendants sprung from Rikers early because of COVID safety planning, at least 250 have been arrested again since, according to Michael LiPetri, chief of Crime Control Strategies for the NYPD.
"Chief LiPetri tells NBC New York the NYPD did not object to releasing older defendants, nor those with underlying medical conditions.
"But he says the consequences of the larger-scale release of prisoners are now showing up in the arrest data, with those 250 re-offenders being arrested 450 times so far during the pandemic."
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One case involved 27-year-old Jonathan Martinez, who was charged in six incidents since November 2019, those included:
- Forcible touching
- Allegedly robbing a Sephora store
Martinez was also convicted for strangling his girlfriend in 2014.
But in March, Martinez was released from Rikers Island under Cuomo’s directive.
Just a week later, Martinez was arrested for allegedly robbing a person at knifepoint.
Following his arrests, Martinez was released without paying bail thanks to Cuomo’s bail reform law.
NY Gov Andrew Cuomo Demands President Trump Apologize Over Tweet About Protester
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) June 9, 2020
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Cuomo’s bail reform law virtually eliminates bail for a number of nonviolent and violent crimes, including the following:
- Second-degree manslaughter
- Aggravated vehicular assault
- Third-degree assault
- Promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child
- Criminally negligent homicide
Martinez was arrested again for alleged robbery, then released from jail.
In June, Martinez was arrested twice for vandalizing stores in Manhattan.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also faced backlash after refusing to deploy the U.S. National Guard to tackle looters who ravaged shops and stores.
Over 400 people have been arrested for looting commercial businesses, according to The New York Times.
