Faces 25 Years Behind Bars For His Illegal Deals
A Long Island man who formerly owned a Kew Gardens bodega has been convicted of conspiring to sell cocaine and possessing illegal firearms, prosecutors announced.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Jaime Corchado, 37, of Grand Avenue in Baldwin, L.I., who formerly owned Louis’s Deli & Grocery at 85-56 118th St. in Kew Gardens. He was convicted last Tuesday, June 17, of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, seconddegree criminally using drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of marijuana and fourth-degree conspiracy following a 12-day jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert Kohm.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 1, at which time Corchado faces up to fifteen years in prison for weapons possession and nine years in prison on the criminal sale of a controlled substance.
“[Corchado] used his mom-andpop grocery store as a front to traffic in narcotics,” Brown said in a statement. “Drugs and guns are a deadly combination. This joint investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Police Department once again underscores our commitment to rid our county of illegal narcotics trafficking and to improve the quality of life of our Queens residents.”
According to trial testimony, it was learned during the course of a long-term joint narcotics investigation that on Dec. 17, 2010, Corchado was meeting a narcotics buyer in order to sell him an “eight ball,” which is slang for a quantity of cocaine.
At approximately 6:10 p.m. that day police observed Corchado arrive at the intersection of 69th Street and Forest Avenue, driving a black 2007 Mercedes S50 sedan.
Police observed the buyer approach and enter Corchado’s car, and after a brief transaction with Corchado, the buyer then exited the vehicle. When police stopped the buyer moments later, within fifteen feet of the sale location, they recovered a plastic bag containing cocaine from the buyer’s pants pocket.
Between November 2010 and August 2011, Corchado was overheard engaging in hundreds of narcotics-related communications on his cell phone. On Aug. 17, 2011, a court-authorized search warrant was executed at Corchado’s convenience store, Louis’s Deli and Grocery in Kew Gardens, while Corchado was present at the location. From beneath the refrigerated deli counter, police recovered two plastic bags containing cocaine, two plastic bags containing marijuana and a scale.
Later that night, a search warrant was authorized and executed at Corchado’s Baldwin home. Police recovered a Sig Saber .380-cal. pistol, a Winchester single barrel shotgun with magnifying scope, magazines and approximately 100 rounds of various caliber ammunition.
The investigation was conducted by Detectives Kevin Mehrman (now retired) Rafael Ramos (also retired), Nicholas Romano and David Ferreira, of the NYPD Queens Gang Squad, which at the time was under the supervision of Sgt. Patrick Delaney, Lt. Gerald Pizzano and Capt. James Ryan, commanding officer of Queens Gang Squad.
Assistant District Attorney Ajay D. Chheda and David Chiang, of District Attorney Brown’s Narcotics Investigations Bureau, prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Wilbert J. LeMelle, bureau chief, Karen J. Friedman, deputy bureau chief, and Philip D. Anderson, supervisor, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.
