Friday, March 12, 2004

D.A. BROWN: PUBLIC SCHOOL SPECIAL ED TEACHER CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME FOR SCRAWLING RACIST GRAFFITI IN REST ROOM STALL

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a female special education public school teacher has been charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime for scrawling racist epithets inside a restroom stall at P.S. 256 in Far Rockaway, Queens.

District Attorney Brown said, “According to the charges, the defendant used a marking pen and wrote racist phrases on the wall of a restroom stall that is used by female students and female teachers and professional staff. The words were hateful, offensive, and harmful to public order as well as being destructive to property.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Yolanda Moorjaney, 31, of 247th Street in Bellerose, Queens, a special education teacher at P.S. 256 at 144 Beach 111th Street in Far Rockaway, Queens who has been assigned to the elementary school for six years. The defendant has been charged with Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree as a Hate Crime and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Brown said that the incident allegedly took place earlier today about 7:45 a.m. during an ongoing investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force in response to a complaint by school officials about a series of similar incidents over the past few several weeks dating back to January 30th.

The District Attorney said that according to the charges, the defendant was apprehended when she exited the public school’s third floor rest room which had been searched previously and found to be graffiti free. An immediate examination of the rest room led to the discovery of two separate epithets, both containing the word, “Nigger,” written on the wall of a stall. A search of the defendant allegedly revealed that she had in her possession a black felt marking pen.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant is being held pending arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.

The investigation was conducted by Detective William Ambery of the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force under the supervision of Inspector Dennis Blackman, Commanding Officer, and the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives George F. Brown.

Assistant District Attorney Peter J. McCormack III, Deputy Chief, of the District Attorney’s Anti-Bias/Youth Gang Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Mariela Palomino Herring, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Trials James Clark Quinn.

It should be noted that criminal charges are merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.