NYC DA Alvin Bragg under fire after downplaying shoplifting crime and reducing charges

Newly-elected Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is facing backlash after his office downplayed a shoplifting crime and had the charges reduced after prosecutors in his office failed to mention that the man was armed with a boxcutter.  

Bragg, who has been criticized for his liberal policies, came under fire after an email from the NYPD’S Sergeant Benevolent Assocation in an email that surfaced on Friday night that claimed the DA’s office is attempting to minimize the details of the shoplifting incident.

The email claims that an assistant district attorney from the office excluded information that a boxcutter was used during the crime, and reduced the charges to petit larceny – a misdemeanor. 

The omission of this crucial detail as well as Bragg’s decision not to impose ‘carceral punishments’ and downgrading felonies has been criticized as New York City‘s crim rate soars, with the number robberies increasing by 19.4 percent over the course of the last week.

This incident comes after Bragg was also slammed by the NYPD’s first black female Commissioner Keechant Sewell for his woke policy of downgrading burglary, armed robbery and drug dealing crimes.

Newly elected Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been criticized after he downplayed a shoplifting incident which caused the charges to be reduced 

This incident comes as crime continues to surge in NYC with a 19.4 percent increase in robberies reported

An email written by SBA President Vincent Vallelong detailed the incident and warned members to watch out for Bragg.

‘It has come to our attention that during the processing of a Manhattan shoplifting arrest where the suspect threatened employees with a pair of cutting-shears, the ADA preparing the accusatory instrument intentionally omitted all facts related to the perp threatening the employees with a weapon,’ the email obtained by the New York Post read. ‘Fortunately, the arresting officer had the sense to refuse to sign.’ 

‘We remind you to be hyper-vigilant when reviewing any accusatory instrument prepared by the Manhattan DA’s office. Make sure that what you sign is exactly what happened. 

‘I don’t think we have to tell you that if you sign something prepared by a Manhattan District Attorney that is inaccurate, they will blame you and prosecute you.’

Vallelong also added that if Bragg ‘wants to re-write the penal law, make him own it.’

In response to the incident, former NYC prosecutor Eric Nelson said that the omission of details about the weapon is the difference between felony second-degree robbery and petit larceny which is considered a misdemeanor.

‘It’s a big difference. Huge. Especially if he (the suspect) has prior convictions,’ he said.

Former NYPD sergeant Joseph Giacalone also said that the latter sentencing would see the suspect in prison for up to 10 years.   

‘The petit larceny would get a desk appearance ticket and fall under Bragg’s ‘no prosecution memo,’ Giacalone said.

Bragg was previously criticized on Monday after he distributed a new policy to downgrade felony crimes such as burglary, armed robbery and drug dealing 

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell slammed the new policy as she considered it a ‘danger’ to officers

Sewell previously voiced her concerns on Bragg’s policies which she claims are putting officer’s lives ‘in danger.’  

Bragg sent out a memo to his staff on Monday where he announced he did not want to hand out jail sentences for criminals unless they were deemed guilty of a serious crime or were repeat offenders.

In addition, he also raised concern after he sought to ditch felony armed robbery charges in favor of petty larceny even if a weapon is involved but does not ‘create a genuine risk of physical harm.’   

Burglaries will also no longer be prosecuted as such if the person steals from a storage unit or outdoor property that isn’t connected to a ‘living’ dwelling, and quality-of-life crimes such as prostitution, turnstile jumping, weapons possession (of non-firearms) and marijuana possession won’t be prosecuted at all. 

The DA’s office later clarified that it would still prosecute armed robberies involving a gun as a felony.    

‘I have studied these policies and I am very concerned about the implications to your safety as police officers, the safety of the public and justice for the victims,’ Sewell wrote in the email obtained by the New York Post.   

Sewell wrote that among her biggest concerns included Bragg’s refusal to prosecute resisting arrest charges unless they part of a larger felony case. 

She feared the decision would ‘invite violence against police officers and will have deleterious effects on our relationship with the communities we protect.’     

Sewell also said Bragg’s sweeping changes would cause harm to local businesses already reeling from the pandemic and would ‘invite more open-air drug markets and drug use in Manhattan.’ 

She added that it would also lead to more gun violence and exacerbate quality of life concerns, which have gone up by 59 per cent since 2019. 

‘The new charging policies of the Manhattan District Attorney effectively decriminalizes much of the conduct that New Yorkers are asking the police to address,’ Sewell wrote. 

Sewell said that while she agreed with Bragg’s hopes for more criminal justice reform in the Big Apple, she argued that the NYPD was already making headway through its community based policing. 

Bragg was endorsed by new NYC mayor Eric Adams despite making it his mission to reduce crime in the city 

Despite the criticism, Bragg was endorsed by new NYC mayor Eric Adams who has made it his mission to reduce crime in the city. 

Adams also said that his role as mayor would make Bragg’s job ‘boring’ due to his mission to lessen NYC crime himself.   

‘Prosecution rates is [sic] tied to my educational failure rates, Adams said, according to NewsOne. ‘If I do my job right, then he will have nothing to do in this office.’

Bragg added: ‘The state has the power to take away someone’s liberty. We are going to use that power judiciously and wisely. We’re going to use that for fairness and for safety.’  

The most recent crime stats put out by the NYPD show that crime continues to tick up in the new year.

Compared to last year major crimes, which include murder, rape, robbery, felony assault and others, have jumped 38 per cent for the week of December 27 to January 2. 

There have been fewer murders in that period – five to last year’s 10 during the same period – but grand larceny spiked 84 percent, rape is up 35 percent and robber climbed 21 percent. 

Crime is only up about two percent compared to two years ago, but 15 percent higher than last decade.