Local Publisher Punished With 5 Months in Prison For Witness Tampering

By Evan Rosen

The publisher of a long-running community newspaper was sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to blackmail a sexual assault victim.

Photo by G. Crescoli on Unsplash.

Patricia Adams pleaded guilty for abusing her position as the leader of the Forum Newsgroup in Howard Beach to sway the father of a girl who accused a local deli owner to drop sex-related charges.

Adams was facing up to 20 years in prison when she “intimidated” and “harassed” the family by threatening to publish embarrassing stories about them. Her attempt to “persuade” the family was recorded during a conversation in a Starbucks.

Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto sentenced Adams on Thursday to five months in prison and ordered her to surrender herself on Jan. 11, 2019. The facility will be determined at a later date. She also has to pay a $200 fine.

Request for confirmation if Adams is still employed with the almost 40-year-old publication was not immediately received.