Ex‑NYPD Officers Federally Charged in 2024 Queens Sex‑Worker Robbery
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have indicted former NYPD patrol officers Justin McMillan, 26, and Justin Colon, 24, on charges of felony conspiracy against rights and willfully depriving an individual of her constitutional rights over a July 2024 incident at a Queens brothel. Authorities say the officers responded to a prostitution call, turned off their body cameras, took a key and cash from a woman leaving the building, then returned about eight hours later, unlocked the door, and confronted a woman engaged in sex with a man who fled. Prosecutors allege McMillan stole roughly $200 from the woman’s purse and groped her while Colon kept watch, after which the woman ran and called 911 and the officers went back to their precinct without reporting the encounter. The pair were previously charged in Queens state court with burglary, forcible touching and official misconduct, but that case was dismissed and sealed in December when the district attorney’s office blew state speedy‑trial deadlines, effectively forcing the feds to pick up a case local prosecutors fumbled. Both men had been suspended following their 2025 arrests and have since resigned; they are due to be arraigned in Brooklyn federal court, with defense attorneys so far declining comment as civil‑rights advocates online point to the indictment as a rare second chance at accountability when procedural errors derail local cases involving alleged police abuse.
📌 Key Facts
- Justin McMillan and Justin Colon, former NYPD patrol officers, were federally indicted March 10, 2026, in EDNY.
- Prosecutors allege they shut off bodycams, took a key and cash from a woman outside a Queens building, then later used the key to enter and rob and grope a sex worker in July 2024.
- A prior Queens state case charging burglary, forcible touching and official misconduct was dismissed in December 2025 on speedy‑trial grounds after the DA’s office missed deadlines.
- Both officers were suspended after their arrests and have since resigned from the NYPD; they are scheduled for arraignment in Brooklyn federal court.
📊 Relevant Data
In Queens, New York, sex workers are predominantly immigrant women, including many Asian and Latina individuals, with numbers more than doubling in recent years due to migration trends.
Sex Work Emerges as an Important Policy Topic in Jackson Heights, Queens — Columbia News Service
From 2016 to 2019, 89% of the 1,800 people charged with prostitution-related crimes in New York City were nonwhite, amid allegations of NYPD officers targeting Black and Brown New Yorkers for arrests with little evidence to secure overtime pay.
NYPD Cops Cash In on Sex Trade Arrests With Little Evidence, While Black and Brown New Yorkers Pay the Price — ProPublica
New York State has experienced a rise in criminal case dismissals on speedy trial grounds since the 2020 discovery reform law, which mandates faster evidence turnover by prosecutors, leading to more cases being dropped due to procedural deadlines.
State sees jump in cases dismissed for not meeting speedy trial deadlines — Newsday
Sex workers in New York City face heightened socioeconomic vulnerabilities, including income loss and safety risks from deplatforming, with non-white, gender-expansive, and disabled workers being more likely to experience these issues.
Deplatforming puts sex workers at risk, study says — CUNY School of Public Health
From 2016 to 2019, the vast majority of substantiated NYPD misconduct complaints involving abuse targeted Black and Latino youth, with a report indicating serious deficiencies in handling such cases.
NYC police misconduct often involves minority youths, watchdog report says — PBS NewsHour
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