08/18/2026
NYSACDL Calls on the NYS Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct to Act on Hundreds of Complaints Including Leventhal and Testagrossa
Read Our Statement & Letter Here: https://bit.ly/NYSACDLCPC81826
In 1999, Queens Assistant District Attorneys Brad Leventhal and Charles Testagrossa withheld key evidence in the homicide trial of George Bell, Rohan Bolt and Gary Johnson. This conduct resulted in Bell, Bolt and Johnson’s convictions and subsequent unjust incarceration for the next twenty-four years of their lives. In 2023, Hon. Joseph A. Zayas, now the Chief Administrative Judge of the Unified Court System, excoriated these prosecutors, finding deliberate misconduct in withholding the exculpatory evidence. Bell, Bolt and Johnson were exonerated and released. Yesterday, despite the exonerations, a NYS grievance committee found insufficient evidence of ethical violations on the part of Leventhal and Testagrossa. In the view of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NYSACDL), this decision is incongruous with the opinion of Judge Zayas.
In 2026, NYSACDL filed complaints against these prosecutors with the newly created New York State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct (CPC). It was our hope then that the Commission would swiftly undertake an investigation. Despite this complaint, and others stemming from this case, no action has been taken. Unfortunately, this is true of most complaints submitted to the CPC. In fact, only one complaint filed with the CPC since 2024 has been elevated to a formal opinion of discipline; that of former Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley, for conduct while she was off duty. This lack of action is unconscionable given the stakes.
Today, August 18, 2026, NYSACDL sent a letter to the CPC, calling on them to act swiftly in investigating the hundreds of complaints currently before them, including a fulsome review of the Leventhal and Testagrossa matter.
NYSACDL and its Prosecutorial and Judicial Conduct Committee (PJCC) will continue to review, investigate and submit to the CPC those complaints which require formal action.
Read our full statement and letter here: https://bit.ly/NYSACDLCPC81826
