Queens DA: Rookie NYPD cops allegedly groped, stole money from sex worker

Two rookie NYPD officers have been indicted on allegations that one of them groped a female sex worker in Queens last summer and that both stole her money, prosecutors said Monday.

Officers Justin Colon and Justin McMillan face charges of burglary, forcible touching, official misconduct and other crimes in connection with events last July, in which they were investigating a complaint about prostitution inside a residential building on 89th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.

When both officers arrived at the location, Katz said, they turned off their body-worn cameras and took a key from a woman who had just exited the building. Then, Colon, 24, of Long Island City, and McMillan, 27, of Atlantic Beach, resumed their foot patrol, according to Katz.

Eight hours later, both officers returned to the building, unlocked the door and found a woman engaging in prostitution with a customer, who immediately left, Katz said in the statement.

Both officers then allegedly stole money from the woman and McMillan allegedly groped her breast and backside, before returning to their precinct, Katz said, adding that neither officer filed paperwork about the encounter.

"Wearing the uniform of a New York City Police Officer is one of the highest privileges in law enforcement, and the legitimacy of that work is based on the public’s trust. So when that trust is broken, as it was in this case, the entire police department must answer for it," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.

Police higher-ups got wind of the incident when the woman from whom the two officers allegedly took money made a 911 call to complain, something that eventually triggered an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation, according to Katz.

Both officers have been suspended and surrendered on Monday to IAB investigators, officials said. They both had been on modified assignment since August.

McMillan and Colon appeared before a Queens state judge Monday, when they were released on their own recognizance after pleading not guilty to the charges, according to a spokesman for Katz. Both men were ordered to return to court on April 28.

NYPD records show that McMillan joined the department in April 2023 and Colon joined that July. Because both men have less than two years on the job, they are considered probationary officers.

Defense attorneys for Colon and McMillan didn’t immediately return telephone requests for comment.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.