Bragg’s biggest offenders: Criminals arrested over 100 times released by Manhattan DA
Retired NYPD Inspector Alison Esposito discusses the impact of cashless bail on New Yorkers.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's record of leniency when it comes to New York City's career criminals is under fire in the aftermath of the liberal prosecutor's unprecedented indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Under Bragg, 52% of all felony arrests were downgraded to misdemeanors in 2022, compared to the 39% downgraded in 2019, according to data posted the DA’s website.
"My city is in peril right now," retired NYPD Inspector Alison Esposito said on "Fox & Friends" Thursday. "Alvin Bragg literally got on national media, national news and said that he cannot, we cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct. He has spent every single day in office doing nothing but normalizing serious criminal conduct."
In addition, numerous criminals have been let back on Big Apple streets to commit more offenses under controversial bail reform laws supported by Bragg. One repeat offender, Michelle McKelley, has been arrested over 100 times and reportedly calls herself a "professional booster." Another, Harold Gooding, has been arrested 100 times, with 70 arrests for theft and a dozen apprehensions for larceny charges.
"These are professional thieves. This is what they do. This is their hustle. They're not going to stop unless we stop them. And what he's doing is emboldening these criminals, to take it further and further and further. Do you know how quickly a burglary becomes a rape? A larceny becomes a robbery? Do you know how quickly people get injured with this?," Esposito asked.
According to NYPD data, the city did see a 5.6% drop in overall crime during the month of February; Esposito, however, noted that under DA Bragg's tenure, criminals still feel emboldened and victims continue to reel from daily crime.
"We have a progressive far-left movement that is putting victims to the side and just praising criminals." - Alison Esposito
"Every statistic is a victim. Every victim has a family. Every family hurts. And crime has a ripple effect through our city, through our state, through our communities. People are hurting. Police are at their wits end. My officers were going out every single day, taking some of the most violent felons off of the streets. Firearms. Two, three and four times same individuals. And they were back out in the street telling my cops, don't worry, take the gun. I'll be out tomorrow."
After assuming office in 2022, Bragg issued a "Day One" memo to staff directing them to downgrade certain felonies, including armed robberies of commercial businesses, and to no longer seek jail time for many serious offenses.
"We have a progressive far-left movement that is putting victims to the side and just praising criminals," Esposito said.
Bragg's leadership has come under a greater microscope after former President Donald Trump was indicted, fulfilling a campaign promise made by the far-left prosecutor in 2021.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in criminal court in Lower Manhattan Tuesday afternoon. The charges are related to alleged hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Esposito blasted the "sloppy" prosecutor for pursuing the Trump indictment in light of his policies towards other crimes.
"He's incompetent…he goes after the president of the United States, like a third-world country [where] we remove our political opposition. And Joe Biden had the chance to be a leader. He had the chance to bring the country together. But instead, he smiles almost maniacally," Esposito told host Brian Kilmeade.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The former president of the United States, who is currently the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner, faces a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison if convicted.
The judge said he would like to move ahead as expeditiously as possible with the case. The next hearing in the case is Dec. 4, 2023, in the same Lower Manhattan court.
Fox News' Greg Wehner and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox