Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says that Assistant District Attorney, Joseph Alexis, Chief of the Trial Division, has been awarded the Thomas E. Dewey Medal by the New York City Bar Association at a medal presentation in midtown Manhattan.
“I am very pleased to announce that Joseph Alexis is a recipient of the 2016 Thomas E. Dewey Medal,” said Gonzalez about the award that was conferred on Dec. 6.
“Joe embodies the ideals that Thomas E. Dewey himself valued so highly in a prosecutor – integrity, fearlessness, fairness and excellence,” he added.
Alexis, who has been with the District Attorney’s Office for more than 25 years, has prosecuted some of the most challenging cases that the office has handled, Gonzalez said.
He said Alexis’ trials have ranged from the successful prosecution of former Police Officer Peter Liang for the shooting death of Akai Gurley to that of Supreme Court Justice Gerald Garson for accepting bribes.
In his previous position, as Chief of the Red Zone Trial Bureau, which encompasses East New York, Cypress Hills, Canarsie and other areas, Alexis “worked diligently to repair the frayed relationship between the community and law enforcement,” Gonzalez said.
He said Alexis was promoted to chief of the Trial Division this month.
He now oversees the work of the office’s five trial zone bureaus, as well as some of the specialized trial bureaus.
The Thomas E. Dewey Medal is an annual award that goes to outstanding assistant district attorneys in each of the District Attorney’s Offices in New York City and the Office of Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York.
