Brooklyn federal judge hears home invasion robber’s guilty plea
A Brooklyn federal judge experienced in high-profile organized crime cases accepted a guilty plea on Wednesday for a robber, allegedly associated with Bonanno crime family members, who made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars in a home invasion and multiple jewelry store heists.
Brooklyn’s federal court has a history of trying criminals engaged in organized crime, including — most recently — the arson case of Bonanno crime capo Vincent Asaro and John J. Gotti, the grandson of famed crime boss John Gotti.
After finding himself in an indictment with alleged Bonanno associates, Matthew Hattley, 27, pleaded guilty to robbing a Queens home of $50,000 in cash and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry. He also copped to making off with about $250,000 from a Long Island jewelry store and trying to rob two other shops.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.