It took seven arrests, but an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who police say is linked to the Tren de Aragua gang has finally been jailed.
Brandon Simosa, 25, crossed the line after being charged with robbing a prosecutor who works in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and then exposing his genitals in front of her, according to the New York Post.
The 38-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was confronted in the hallway of her apartment building at about 2 a.m. Sunday.
The woman was asked for money, police said in an incident in which her credit cards and some cash were taken from her purse, according to WNYW-TV. The woman dropped her phone, which was taken.
Before leaving, the woman’s assailant performed “a lewd act,” police said.
Simosa was later arrested. Police alleged he was in possession of drugs and about $525 worth of stolen clothes, according to WABC-TV.
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The stolen phone was used to trace the suspect to a shelter for illegal immigrants, according to the Post.
Simosa was hit with charges including sexually motivated robbery, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
The Post reported that Simosa entered the U.S. illegally in October 2023 at Eagle Pass, Texas.
Simosa has had six prior arrests, including assault and three grand larceny charges, since January. His most recent arrest was on Nov. 11, when he was charged in connection with a grand larceny at a Times Square CVS store.
Brandon Simosa — the Tren de Aragua-linked “migrant” accused of robbing a Manhattan prosecutor in her apartment building — was ordered held without bail during his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on a felony charge of first-degree sexually motivated robbery.
“He arrived… pic.twitter.com/QjzWu3vHQP
— Crime In NYC (@CrimeInNYC) November 21, 2024
That history, and his smirking behavior in court, led to a decision by a Manhattan Criminal Court judge to have him held without bail, according to the New York Post.
“He arrived here in New York in June and has managed to get arrested seven times since June, and at one point was smiling, and is smiling now, and I observed him laughing during the proceeding,” Judge Janet McDonnell said during the hearing.
Assistant District Attorney Devin Horzempa told the judge Simosa should be locked up.
“His criminal history makes it clear that he makes his primary living through theft of property,” he said.
“The defendant is a foreign national who now faces almost certain removal and deportation if he is convicted of these charges,” he said.
“Immigration already filed a container in relation to this case. He is also homeless, showing lack of community ties,” he said.
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