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Office of the Controversial Democrats Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg dropped charges against Fr. career criminal who snatched cash from a woman at a subway station, according to sources and court records
Claude Myers, 54, who was 46 arrested earlier and is on parole, allegedly unbuttoned the backpack of an unsuspecting victim and withdrew $ 60 at about 5pm on Thursday at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street, a law enforcement source said. and court documents.
Manhattan County Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during the Get Out the Vote rally at A. Philip Randolph Square in Harlem on November 1, 2021 in New York City before taking office. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
Myers did not realize that a transit policeman in plainclothes was watching nearby. He allegedly saw Myers count three twenty-dollar bills and then shove them into his wallet.
Police arrested him on charges of large-scale theft of 4th degree for seizure of property from a person, criminal possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance after taking out of his pocket a transparent container with a synthetic cannabinoid.
FORMER PROSECUTORS CALL MANHATTAN DA SOFT CRIME POLICY “Definition of Madness”
But when prosecutors filed a complaint against Myers, the higher qualification was downgraded from a large-scale crime to a minor one, according to court records. Judge Michael Gaffy ruled to release Myers without bail.
The reduced charges were in line with Bragg’s anti-crime program, which he outlined in a controversial note when he took office in January.
Alvin Bragg, the former Deputy Attorney General of New York, together with his wife Jamila Bragg at a meeting the night before the election, talking to supporters in New York on June 22, 2021.
(Photo by AP / Craig Rattle)
He has since walked back some of the parts of his policy that are most criticized, including reducing commercial robberies to petty thefts if the scope of the weapon “does not pose a real risk of harm”.
Former Manhattan prosecutor who became a lawyer, Mark Bederov, called the dropped charges against Myers unheard of in previous administrations.
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“According to previous district attorneys, a man who was monitored by police for pickpocketing with a harsh criminal history would be charged with large-scale theft and posted on bail,” Beder told Fox News Digital. “Now he is accused of petty theft, which is not even subject to the right to bail.”
Beder added that given Myers’ criminal history, if he had been found guilty of large-scale theft, “it would have been almost certain that he would have received a harsh prison sentence.”
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The prosecutor’s office declined to comment. Myers’ lawyer did not immediately return the request for comment.
