De Blasio rewards judge who went soft on cop-hating thugs
Mayor Bill de Blasio has reappointed three cut-’em-loose judges — including one who sparked outrage by freeing defendants accused of threatening to kill cops after the execution-style murders of two police officers.
De Blasio doubled down on his support for controversial Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Laura Johnson, rewarding her with a full, 10-year term on the bench, the mayor’s office announced Monday.
Last year, Hizzoner gave Johnson a one-year interim reappointment despite fierce opposition from law enforcement officials.
Johnson initially came under fire for releasing reputed gang member Devon Coley without bailfollowing his arrest for posting an online photo that showed a gunman blasting an NYPD cruiser. The posting came just hours after NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot that way on Dec. 20, 2014.
Coley also wrote “73Nextt” in apparent reference to the 73rd Precinct, where he lived at the time.
One day after putting Coley back on the streets, Johnson also freed on bail Travis Maye following an early-morning melee in Prospect Heights, in which Maye allegedly punched one cop and threatened to find and kill others.
The head of the NYPD’s sergeants union, Ed Mullins, blasted de Blasio’s ringing endorsement of Johnson on Monday, calling her “clearly not worthy of such an appointment.”
“Little did I know that when the mayor speaks of criminal-justice reform, he is speaking about eroding the criminal-justice system,” Mullins told The Post.
Also reappointed were Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Miriam Cyrulnik and Bronx Criminal Court Judge Nicholas Iacovetta.
In July 2014, Cyrulnik bought a junkie’s bogus sob story and freed him without bail in the violent mugging of an elderly Brighton Beach woman.
Weeks later, that man, Robert DeCarlo, was busted in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 12-year-old girl, Joey Sellers, and critically injured her mom and sister.
Iacovetta faced criticism last week when The Post revealed that he was the second of three Bronx judges who all freed the same defendant without bail in separate cases during a nine-month stretch.
Iacovetta cut loose Juan Reyes following Reyes’ arrest for allegedly selling crack and heroin near a school, IS 318 in Tremont.
New York City Criminal Court judges earn $159,000 a year.
De Blasio had tapped “judges who he believes will represent the best interests of New Yorkers,” a spokeswoman said.
With Michael Gartland, Shawn Cohen and Sophia Rosenbaum
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