Crime continues to trend in a positive direction in Manhattan with shootings, homicides, and most major crime categories declining significantly over the past three years. Shootings were down 45 percent in 2024 compared to the year I took office, and murders were down 20 percent in 2024 compared to 2021.

Yet these reported crime rates do not tell the entire picture of public safety.

In addition to the numbers, it is about how New Yorkers going about their daily lives feel. Specifically, at this moment in time, there are too many hard-working New Yorkers who are being targeted and exploited because they are perceived as vulnerable.

At the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, we have a wide range of resources dedicated to protecting victims of this pernicious conduct. Whether it’s fraudsters targeting immigrants, employers stealing wages from their workers, or landlords harassing their tenants, stopping this type of criminal activity is a key part of the public safety puzzle.

 

Protecting Hard-Working New Yorkers

Far too frequently, bosses are taking advantage of power imbalances by denying employees their lawful wages.

That is why I launched the Office’s first Worker Protection Unit to investigate and prosecute wage theft and other forms of worker exploitation across Manhattan. To date, the unit has brought nine prosecutions, including a case against the owners of the iconic Grimaldi’s Pizza for stealing more than $30,000 in wages from 18 employees. I am proud that in just two years, we have successfully recovered and distributed over $1.3 million in wages stolen from more than four dozen workers.

Last year, the New York State Senate passed a bill championed by my Office, which will allow us to bring stronger charges against employers who steal wages by making it larceny.  We have now brought two prosecutions using this new tool.

 

Protecting Tenants

Another public safety issue facing Manhattanites is safe and affordable housing. When New Yorkers experience housing instability they are often pushed to the brink, which can lead to poverty, homelessness, and crime.

I created the Housing and Tenant Protection Unit to protect Manhattanites from systemic criminal activity among landlords and developers, including patterns of criminal harassment, to fraud of government programs, to deed theft.

Last year, we indicted a landlord for allegedly harassing rent-regulated tenants in five Manhattan properties with horrific living conditions to induce them to vacate their apartments and enable him to sell the buildings for significant profit.

 

Protecting Immigrants

We have also seen bad actors exploit new immigrants who are just trying to follow the law by posing as immigration attorneys, when in reality they pocketed fees without providing any assistance.

For example, we charged a woman for allegedly diverting her clients’ checks intended for immigration application fees into her personal bank account, spending it on food, travel and other personal expenses. Additionally, the unit provides educational materials to help people identify signs of, and protect themselves from, this type of fraud.

 

Protecting Manhattanites

I encourage any New Yorker facing these issues to contact our office at the relevant helplines on our website. You can also report to our satellite offices in Harlem and Washington Heights.

We need witnesses and victims to come forward and help us hold people accountable. We seek justice for every victim, survivor, and witness regardless of immigration status and we have free survivor support services available in multiple languages.

We will not tolerate any Manhattanites being exploited because they are vulnerable. We are here to fight for justice and safety for everyone, regardless of their background or wealth.