“Manuel Morales will serve a state prison term for targeting, threatening and hurling offensive remarks at a man driven by his own hateful beliefs and biases,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Although the victim did not suffer any physical injuries, this kind of hate-driven conduct and racist vitriol contributed to an atmosphere of fear for not only the victim but other members of the AAPI community during the height of the COVID pandemic. In Manhattan, everyone should feel that they belong, and I hope the imposed sentence offers the victim a sense of justice.”  

“Andre Cheeves allegedly tried to hit a stranger with a heavy chain in an unprovoked hate crime inside of a subway station,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Targeting and harming Manhattanites based on their race is abhorrent and will not be tolerated. Hate crimes impact victims on a profound level and we are here to help: please call our Hate Crimes Unit at 212-335-3100.”      

“As alleged, Woki Massaquoi unleashed hate-driven violence on a woman in an unprovoked attack in our transit system,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This harmful conduct is unacceptable and no one should be targeted because of their religion. Our specially trained prosecutors are working diligently each day to bring cases forward, and we urge anyone who has been a victim or witness to a hate crime or bias incident to please call 911 or report it to our Office at 212-335-3100.”  

“Jesse Diaz Ramos was convicted at trial and will serve a significant prison term for viciously stabbing a woman in a homophobic, unprovoked and nearly fatal attack,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Ramos, emboldened by his biases, selected and assaulted the victim, seriously injuring and traumatizing her. I hope the victim can take comfort in knowing that Ramos has been brought to justice and I hope she continues to recover from the reeling effects of this violent conduct.”  

“We allege this defendant deliberately targeted the victim because of his sexual orientation,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This type of bias-motivated attack should never happen to anyone, and our Office is continuing to seek accountability in hate crime matters while also conducing community engagement and trainings to stop these attacks before they occur.”