NAIM JABBAR Sentenced to 3 1/2 to 7 Years in Prison for Robbing a Man in Midtown Using So-Called "Eyeglasses Scam"
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of NAIM JABBAR, 43, to 3 ½ to 7 years in prison for robbing a man on a Midtown street in July 2010. The defendant committed the robbery under the guise of an "Eyeglasses Scam," in which the defendant purposefully bumped into an unsuspecting man and falsely blamed him for causing the defendant's eyeglasses to break. The defendant then used the threat of force in aggressively demanding that the man turn over money to pay for the purportedly "damaged" eyeglasses. On December 16, 2010, a jury in Manhattan Supreme Court convicted JABBAR of Robbery in the Third Degree and Fraudulent Accosting for these actions. The case was treated as a priority by the District Attorney's new Crime Strategies Unit ("CSU"), because the defendant had been flagged as a priority offender in the Midtown North and Midtown South Precincts.
"This defendant is a dangerous individual whose highly effective criminal strategy has been to threaten and intimidate victims into turning over their money," said District Attorney Vance. "Today's sentencing is another example of how intelligence-driven prosecution results in strong sentences for repeat offenders. One more recidivist is off our streets, thanks in large part to the partnership of our new Crime Strategies Unit and the NYPD, which together identify and then aggressively prosecute priority offenders. I thank Commissioner Ray Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Patrick Timlin for their continued support of CSU."
As proven at trial, on July 16, 2010, in front of 145 West 58th Street, JABBAR bumped into a man and then aggressively claimed that the man had broken the defendant's glasses. Using his imposing stature and aggressiveness to instill fear in his victim, JABBAR menacingly demanded $40 from his victim as payment for the glasses, which the man handed over. The defendant then angrily demanded an additional $60, which the fearful victim also promptly paid. A good Samaritan, observing what was happening, called the police and the defendant was arrested shortly after the crime by police officers from the Midtown North Precinct.
The CSU, formed by District Attorney Vance in May 2010, tracks each precinct's worst repeat offenders, so CSU was already familiar with JABBAR. The defendant's arrest triggered an alert on CSU's Arrest Alert system, and the District Attorney's Office was also contacted by members of the Midtown North Precinct, who provided further intelligence about this defendant and the method used in this type of robbery. This, in turn, defeated JABBAR's false claim at trial that this was nothing more than a simple scam, worthy at most of a conviction for the misdemeanor crime of Fraudulent Accosting.
Because of the rapid sharing of information between the NYPD and the DA's Office, prosecutors filed a felony robbery charge against the defendant, upon which he ultimately was convicted, along with the misdemeanor charge of Fraudulent Accosting. The defendant previously had been convicted of Fraudulent Accosting on 19 prior occasions and had never received a sentence of more than five months in jail for any of those convictions. This is JABBAR's 41st criminal conviction.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Erin Tierney for prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Lisa DelPizzo, Deputy Chief of Trial Bureau 70, and Executive Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division. Assistant District Attorney Heather Pearson of the Crime Strategies Unit assisted with the case, as did Trial Preparation Assistant Alexandra Jenik.
District Attorney Vance also thanked members of the NYPD's Midtown North Precinct, including Deputy Inspector Timothy Beaudette, Sergeant Joseph Sammon, Lieutenant Evan Minogue, and Police Officers Paul Casey and Michael Palam.
Defendant Information:
NAIM JABBAR, D.O.B. 4/7/67
New York, NY
Convicted:
Robbery in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, one count
Fraudulent Accosting, a Class A misdemeanor, one count
Sentenced:
3 1/2 to 7 years in state prison
"This defendant is a dangerous individual whose highly effective criminal strategy has been to threaten and intimidate victims into turning over their money," said District Attorney Vance. "Today's sentencing is another example of how intelligence-driven prosecution results in strong sentences for repeat offenders. One more recidivist is off our streets, thanks in large part to the partnership of our new Crime Strategies Unit and the NYPD, which together identify and then aggressively prosecute priority offenders. I thank Commissioner Ray Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Patrick Timlin for their continued support of CSU."
As proven at trial, on July 16, 2010, in front of 145 West 58th Street, JABBAR bumped into a man and then aggressively claimed that the man had broken the defendant's glasses. Using his imposing stature and aggressiveness to instill fear in his victim, JABBAR menacingly demanded $40 from his victim as payment for the glasses, which the man handed over. The defendant then angrily demanded an additional $60, which the fearful victim also promptly paid. A good Samaritan, observing what was happening, called the police and the defendant was arrested shortly after the crime by police officers from the Midtown North Precinct.
The CSU, formed by District Attorney Vance in May 2010, tracks each precinct's worst repeat offenders, so CSU was already familiar with JABBAR. The defendant's arrest triggered an alert on CSU's Arrest Alert system, and the District Attorney's Office was also contacted by members of the Midtown North Precinct, who provided further intelligence about this defendant and the method used in this type of robbery. This, in turn, defeated JABBAR's false claim at trial that this was nothing more than a simple scam, worthy at most of a conviction for the misdemeanor crime of Fraudulent Accosting.
Because of the rapid sharing of information between the NYPD and the DA's Office, prosecutors filed a felony robbery charge against the defendant, upon which he ultimately was convicted, along with the misdemeanor charge of Fraudulent Accosting. The defendant previously had been convicted of Fraudulent Accosting on 19 prior occasions and had never received a sentence of more than five months in jail for any of those convictions. This is JABBAR's 41st criminal conviction.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Erin Tierney for prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Lisa DelPizzo, Deputy Chief of Trial Bureau 70, and Executive Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division. Assistant District Attorney Heather Pearson of the Crime Strategies Unit assisted with the case, as did Trial Preparation Assistant Alexandra Jenik.
District Attorney Vance also thanked members of the NYPD's Midtown North Precinct, including Deputy Inspector Timothy Beaudette, Sergeant Joseph Sammon, Lieutenant Evan Minogue, and Police Officers Paul Casey and Michael Palam.
Defendant Information:
NAIM JABBAR, D.O.B. 4/7/67
New York, NY
Convicted:
Robbery in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, one count
Fraudulent Accosting, a Class A misdemeanor, one count
Sentenced:
3 1/2 to 7 years in state prison
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