Remember when
@Target
$TGT said it was closing nine stores because theft and organized retail crime were making them too dangerous to run? Turns out crime incidents are higher at the locations it kept open nearby
Very excited to announce that today is my first day with
@CNBC
!!! I'll be on the retail beat covering direct to consumer brands. Please add me to your email lists and send tips and story pitches to Gabrielle.Fonrouge
@nbcuni
.com or GFonrouge
@protonmail
.com. DM for Signal.
I have some very exciting professional news to share — Wednesday was my last day with the New York Post after nearly nine years with the paper but before I left, I had to finish one last story that was published this morning. Take a read here:
NEW: I obtained images of the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island that show the dire, crowded conditions that plagued the intake unit for months. Detainees were crammed body to body for days, or even weeks, in violation of city regulations..
ICYMI: Our “special report” on the crisis at the NYPD ran in print today — all 85 inches of it. I am stunned. Incredibly proud of how this story turned out and thankful to have worked with some of the best in the biz on it,
@TinaMoorereport
and
@createcraig
. Give it a read!!
For years, I have been tracking city employees who were arrested between 2017-2021 and learned at least 16 NYPD officers accused of fireable offenses were allowed to keep their jobs, even after an internal department trial judge found them guilty of the conduct.
For the last nine months, I have been working on a new TV show called “Torn from the headlines: New York Post Reports” and tonight is the show’s debut!!!! It’s incredible the amount of work it took to get this show off the ground (1/3)
NEW: The Department of Investigation rescinded its offer Thursday to appoint veteran Brooklyn prosecutor Charles Guria to be the next inspector general of the NYPD after a Post investigation revealed he has a long history of sexual harassment.
For one, NY law requires any officer convicted of an oath-violating offense, such as assault, stalking, corruption and aggravated harassment, to be automatically terminated but these officers were given back their badges and guns, even after the NYPD found they committed the acts
🧵When I was first assigned the Hero of the Day series, it felt like fluffy busy work while my colleagues were tracking the pandemic in real time, reporting on skyrocketing deaths, ventilator shortages and governmental shortcomings..
It’s a bad day to have a criminal court hearing in Nantucket District Court-- the docketed defendants here barely have room to sit with their families and lawyers. Already court is running 36 minutes behind and no sign of Kevin “Spacey” Fowler yet.
#KevinSpacey
@JordanWaterfal
Hi Jordan, I am sorry to hear that your family has been impacted by this and I hope everyone is safe and okay. I am a reporter for the NY Post, in case you would like to speak about this, please send me a DM. Thank you.
.. with little to no access to water, hygiene, fresh air, medical care and their attorneys. The facility, which was not built to withstand that many people for that long of a time, crumbled under the weight. Toilets stopped working and the floors..
Shoutout to
@TamarLapin
, The Post’s new ace criminal justice editor (and my longtime friend) who helped me turn this opus of a story into something sharp, focused and readable, and to managing editor
@liaeustach
who sold this “special report” and saw that it got wood treatment.
More news to come on where I’m headed next — I am so extremely excited for my next adventure and all of the great reporting that’s still to come. Stay tuned!
Really digging this news series I get to work on. So grateful for our healthcare workers and all of the many heroes of this great city. Stay tuned because we have so many more to highlight! “Hero of the day: This Brooklyn nurse is making miracles happen.”
A deep dive into the rising, escalating violence against Asian Americans in NYC. In 2019, just three hate crimes against AAPI NYers were reported to the NYPD. By the end of 2021, that number skyrocketed to 133.
Laura is a brilliant reporter and writer, a true New York Post legend, and I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve had the chance to learn from her over the last seven years. Heartbroken to see this.
Laura is an amazing person, reporter & editor and it makes me so mad to see the pitchforks coming for her today. I'm sad future Post reporters won't have the chance to learn from her wisdom, cheer and love for the job.
Check on your loved ones and check on yourself. If you or someone you know is in a bad domestic situation and you’re not sure what to do, call 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522 for help.
Rikers Island already has a federal monitor, who alerted the court about these conditions as early as August 24, yet they continued for another month before intake was moved to another, larger facility.
Thank you to my rewrite row New York Post family for all of the love yesterday and everyone else who shouted me out. Thank you also to
@ShepNewsTeam
for having me on-- it was a great time!
#JussieSmollett
#HotSauce
It was confounding to report on such an extreme violation of human rights that had no immediate remedy. No one was able to answer the question: how can the DOC/city/state answer for this? What are the repercussions?
One of them is Sgt. Edel Sanchez, who allegedly pinned down his wife and strangled her after a night of drinking. His case is sealed in the court system so the disposition is unclear but an NYPD trial judge ultimately determined the wife’s story to be credible...
It took me a while to realize just how privileged most of journalism is and how difficult it is to make it in this field if you don’t have that privilege. Grad school? Forget it. I couldn’t even afford a mattress when I was starting out.
Starting news salaries are often predatory and immoral. This was the reality for many starting out in the industry. It’s why journalism continues to be an industry that welcomes the privileged while shutting out other crucial perspectives and backgrounds. It must change.
I thank Melissa for her bravery in trusting me with this story and hope prosecutors who read it will find the courage to try these difficult cases the next time around, especially when it involves an officer with a badge and a gun.
...in particular the visible bruises she had on her when she reported the incident. But instead of firing him, Sanchez was disciplined internally and allowed to keep his job. He's currently back to full duty, working out of the transit bureau’s anti-terrorism unit.
If you love true crime and the New York Post, be sure to watch our new TV show coming out on the Investigation Discovery channel at 10 p.m. March 16! "Investigation Discovery Plots Two New York Post True-Crime Projects" via
@variety
Compounding the issue is how the courts handle these cases: NYPD employees are far more likely to see favorable outcomes in the court system than the general public, data show.
This story caps off a wild, nine-year run at The Post where I got to learn from and work with some of the best journalists in the city. The adventures I’ve had are too many to count, and I will be eternally grateful for all of the opportunities The Post has afforded me.
The Laundrie’s attorney did not cancel tomorrow’s press conference because the FBI asked / told him to. After receiving his statement, I asked him to clarify & if the FBI asked him to cancel, as others are reporting. He replied: “Not true. Just not in my clients’ best interest.”
I don’t usually do this but... while on assignment recently, I rescued a kitty who showed up at my
@HiltonHotels
and I incurred some vet bills along the way. Please help in anyway you can. I named him Hilton.
Teton County Coroner confirmed to The Post a body has been found “in the forest” at Grand Teton National Park where crews are searching for
#GabbyPetito
. There is no identification yet and no further details available ATM. There is no confirmation this is Petito
#wheresgabby
Melissa told us Queens prosecutors were reluctant to try the case, even though she was willing to go to trial and testify. She had photos of her injuries, texts from Valencia admitting to the crimes (which we reviewed) and witnesses to the attacks, but it still wasn’t enough.
Take NYPD Officer Christopher Valencia, who allegedly strangled his fellow cop girlfriend Melissa, busted her lip and bit her so hard on her leg, it drew blood and left permanent scarring.
While the NYPD claims they’ll make their own disciplinary decisions, regardless of what happens in the court system, cops who are convicted are six times more likely to lose their jobs, research shows.
.
@natmusumeci
may be my future wife, but she has also been my colleague for a longtime and I have learned a tremendous amount working with her. She was one of the toughest reporters to work with but she always found holes where there were holes and guided the way to plugging them
Some personal news, as they say: Today was my last day at the NY Post after almost 7 years. It's bittersweet and has been the adventure of a lifetime, but I am super excited for my next adventure. I will soon be starting at Insider as a senior reporter on the breaking news team.
...only to learn her abuser was offered an ACD after he underwent counseling. She didn't agree with the outcome but prosecutors forged ahead any way and told her the matter was settled. Nearly two years later, he's still with the NYPD on modified duty, collecting his full salary.
Prosecutors told her her injuries looked like 'rough sex' and allegedly said they didn't want to see Valencia lose his job. DV cases like this are tough to bring, usually because the accuser doesn't want to testify, but Melissa was ready and had been prepping for trial...
As retailers continue to call organized retail crime an industry wide dilemma,
@CNBC
embedded with
@CHP_HQ
and
@HSINewOrleans
to better understand the issue. In one of the cases, police say a woman made millions reselling stolen cosmetics on
@amazon
Really incredible details here on Lori Pollock and Benjamin Tucker. They had better records than their colleagues but were still passed over for promotions. From
@createcraig
and
@AaronFeis
Following 35 hours of deliberation, Joaquin "El Chapo"
#Guzman
had been found guilty of all charges. He now faces a manditory minimum of life in prison when sentenced on June 25.
NEW: The Department of Investigation rescinded its offer Thursday to appoint veteran Brooklyn prosecutor Charles Guria to be the next inspector general of the NYPD after a Post investigation revealed he has a long history of sexual harassment.
Chewy has been offering vet telehealth since 2020 but its doctors can't prescribe meds or diagnose conditions b/c state and federal law prohibits it. Chewy funds an advocacy group that's trying to change those laws and vets are worried pets could be harmed
It’d be really nice if men could stop directing me out of parking spots like I’m an invalid who can’t drive. I’ve been driving since I was 14. I can parallel park trucks in Manhattan. I’ve driven on the Autobahn. Don’t @ me
Target’s CEO Brian Cornell told
@CNBC
’s
@CourtReagan
shoppers are actually thankful that merchandise is locked up in glass cases. Can’t say I’ve ever heard that from customers…
After agreeing to stay away from his alleged victim and setting a pre trial court date for March 4 he won’t have to be present for, Kevin Spacey has left Nantucket in a Lear 60 via NetJets.
#KevinSpacey
The prosecution has arrived... we're still waiting for Jussie Smollett and the defense team. Attorneys on both sides were ordered to be within 25 minutes of the courthouse. We received news of the verdict around 4:15 pm.
Great work and reporting by my colleague / friend
@TamarLapin
— I’ve been waiting months to read this!! “The lost movie Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't want you to see”
@nypost
It is an honor and a privilege to have won the Rev. Mychal Judge Heart of New York award from the
@NYPressClub
. Thank you for the recognition and congratulations to all of the winners.
If it wasn’t for the work
@yoavgonen
,
@spccohen
,
@rbbrown
and I did on our 2018 trafficking series, this law would probably still be stuck in bureaucratic limbo. Don’t ever forget the power of the press!
Grateful I got a little taste of this tabloid history. Thank you to the reader who tipped me off about this. "Ming, Harlem's famous 'apartment tiger,' dead at 19." via
@nypost
🧵Bowlero, the buzzy bowling company that was one of the few successful stocks to emerge from the SPAC boom, is the subject of a sprawling federal investigation into age discrimination and retaliation that authorities want to settle for $60 million. $BOWL
In some cases, Target kept stores open in areas with better foot traffic and higher median incomes, even if they had more violence. Many of the stores Target closed were “small-format” and were only opened in the last five years.
🧵When women trapped in a cycle of domestic violence are killed by their partners, the public tends to ask: why didn't she just leave him? Experts told me the real question they should be asking is, how did the system let this happen?
Retailers keep blaming shrink/ theft in part for lower profits but now we know just how much lost inventory is costing them. It's not much. Check out my latest here to find out how much retailers are losing and and how it compares to other factors:
Two days after a three part series into sex trafficking was published by myself,
@yoavgonen
and
@spccohen
,
@NYGovCuomo
announced plans to beef up state laws so traffickers can't walk free. This is a good day for survivors. Bravo.
Proud to have had the opportunity to cover this story today. Read the lawsuit here: I try not to editorialize but this is objectively horrifying. Thanks to my eds
@JulesCorderoy
@EricLenkowitz
Just spoke on
@WNYC
about the sex trafficking investigation
@yoavgonen
,
@spccohen
and I conducted. A woman a week was rescued last year from sex trafficking and experts think we're just scraping the surface. Tune in around 8:30 a.m. to listen
@nypost
#postinvestigates
Big day today in Albany -- after five attempts, a bill to criminalize revenge porn has finally passed both houses and is on its way to
@NYGovCuomo
's desk for approval. Kudos to the advocates and lawmakers like
@edbraunstein
who worked to make this happen.
An
@NYPDnews
patrol car just drove by celebrations in front of the Brooklyn Musuem, lights and sirens and with a thumbs up out of the window. People are also dancing on cars to celebrate Biden and Harris projected win by AP.
#presidentelectbiden
#election2020
13 days after reported attack, Smollett gives CPD 'redacted' phone records. By the way
@suntimes
, the team of reporters you mention was just me and photojournalist extraordinaire Gary Miller but thanks for the shout out.
The culmination of months of work, a lot of tears during tough interviews and an incredible amount of bravery and resiliency exhibited by the survivors we interviewed. Truly awe inspiring, humbling and inspirational. Thank you for letting me tell your stories.