A Manhattan criminal court judge known for his leniency discovered bullet holes in the bedroom of her apartment but didn’t call police, The Washington Post has learned.
According to the complaint, Judge Valentina Morales, an appointee of former Mayor Bill de Blasio who has released at least four violent criminals in the past three years, discovered holes in and above her bed and a broken lightbulb in her ceiling fan on July 31.
Authorities said in the complaint that the judge, who was not present at the time of the shooting, also discovered “a hole in a plastic box under her bed” and that there were bullet fragments inside the box.
She reported the matter to the Office of Court Administration, which oversees judges, and the office contacted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is soft on crime, on Aug. 1, law enforcement sources said.
Investigators from Bragg’s office visited her building and spoke with her upstairs neighbor, John Moore, who was convicted of drug trafficking in 1987, records show.
According to documents, Moore, 59, was not at home but was invited by his roommate to enter the room, where investigators found a hole in the bedroom floor. Moore later told investigators he accidentally fired the weapon and threw it into the Hudson River, prosecutors said.
The NYPD was finally notified on Aug. 2, when an arrest warrant was issued for Moore’s apartment, according to people familiar with the matter.
Once inside, NYPD investigators found a large amount of weapons, including a sawed-off shotgun, approximately 18 rounds of shotgun ammunition, one antique flintlock pistol, approximately 50 rounds of hollow-point 9mm ammunition and 21 rounds of .38-caliber ammunition, authorities said in a charging document.
Other items found included 22 switchblades, 12 electronic stun guns, eight collapsible batons, three sets of brass knuckles and two wallets containing police badges, according to the criminal complaint.
Law enforcement officials weren’t surprised the judge avoided calling in New York’s top prosecutor.
“She didn’t call the police because she didn’t want to let a criminal get away,” a veteran NYPD detective told me. “She called the district attorney.”
Al Baker, a spokesman for the Office of Court Administration, said he couldn’t discuss ongoing investigations or specific security procedures.
“The safety of judges and court staff is a top priority for UCS, and we take threats or actual acts of violence against judges or staff extremely seriously,” Baker said.
While serving as a Bronx judge in 2022, Morales placed an electronic monitoring device on former inmate Frankie Centeno, who was charged with possession of a gun, after the Bronx district attorney asked for $100,000 cash bail or $300,000 surety. Centeno fled the country and was rearrested.
Records show that on Oct. 2, 2023, President Morales released without bail Walter Almachi Leal, a Venezuelan immigrant who slashed a 43-year-old victim with a broken beer bottle on West 39th Street.
She also released 18-year-old Up the Hill gang member, Kalifa Quattara, on electronic monitoring earlier this year. Quattara was arrested April 19 with a loaded gun and admitted to using the weapon in a shootout with a gang rival. Quattara’s shots did not hit anyone.
Authorities said Moore was charged with possession of a weapon and dangerous driving. Police sources said he has been arrested four times for weapons possession, including in 2011, and was also arrested in 2010 for theft.
Moore was being held on $100,000 cash or $300,000 partially secured bail, officials said.
He was being held at Rikers Island as of Friday. His next court date is Sept. 15.
Bragg’s office declined to comment, and the judge’s address was not made public.
Additional Reports Georgia Worrell.
