FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2015
Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(718) 228-7206
NEW YORK – February 12, 2015 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Rosemary Yu, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, as the 2015 recipient of the New York Police Department (“NYPD”) Asian Jade Society’s Lifetime Community Service Award. Ms. Yu will be honored on February 13, 2015 during the Annual Asian Jade Society Scholarship Dinner Dance at Jing Fong restaurant.
A native New Yorker, Ms. Yu joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in 2005. She has extensive experience handling cases and investigations in the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor and Special Investigations Bureau. She was one of the five inaugural ADAs in the Crime Strategies Unit, created by the District Attorney in 2010. Appointed Co-Director of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Immigrant Affairs Program in 2011, Ms. Yu has worked within the department and with community leaders to investigate and prosecute crimes affecting the immigrant community as well as educate the public about immigration fraud. In 2013, Ms. Yu handled the high profile ‘Chinese blessing’ scandal in the Chinatown community, which preyed on the fears of religious elderly Chinese immigrants historically averse to reporting crimes to the police. In elaborate multi-person schemes, the perpetrators switched victims’ bags of money and jewelry with water bottles and newspaper clippings in fraudulent ceremonies meant to bless and spiritually cleanse the victim’s families. The NYPD Asian Jade Society is recognizing Ms. Yu’s service and impact in making the Chinatown community a safer place.
Ms. Yu has been active with AABANY as Co-Chair of its Prosecutors’ Committee, which seeks to promote the interests of Asian Pacific American (APA) prosecutors in New York at the county, state and federal levels. In this capacity, Ms. Yu has organized events and programs that benefit the professional development and advancement of APA prosecutors, including AABANY’s annual Prosecutors’ Reception at the New York County Lawyers’ Association, which has become one of AABANY’s signature events attended by the District Attorneys of each of New York City’s boroughs and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, among others. In addition, Ms. Yu has collaborated with AABANY’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee to educate the APA community about immigration fraud and how not to fall victim to it. Through her leadership role in the Prosecutors’ Committee, Ms. Yu helps AABANY connect with the District Attorneys’ offices across New York City, so that AABANY can play a role as an advocate and resource to the APA community.
“AABANY is proud of Rosemary’s recognition by the Asian Jade Society as a Lifetime Community Service Award recipient,” says Executive Director Yang Chen. “Our association has long known about and benefited from Rosemary’s ties to the community and her considerable talents and energy as a prosecutor and public servant. We commend the Asian Jade Society on its choice of Rosemary as an honoree. She is not only highly worthy and deserving of the honor, but we are confident that she will continue to earn praise and accolades in the years and decades to come.”
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For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to[email protected].
The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
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