BROOKLYN, N.Y.
Two former New York City police officers were charged in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday with conspiring to violate the civil rights of a woman during an on-duty encounter in Queens, prosecutors stated this week.
Justin McMillan and Justin Colon, both formerly assigned to the NYPD’s 115th Precinct, were arrested and scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg in federal court in Brooklyn.
The officers resigned from the department in March 2025.
Prosecutors allege the officers responded to a July 2024 complaint about prostitution, turned off their body cameras and took a key to the location. Hours later, they allegedly returned to the site, stole money and one officer groped a naked woman inside.
The three-count indictment charges the men with conspiracy against rights and willfully depriving an individual of constitutional rights while acting under color of law.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the alleged conduct “shocks the conscience” and violated the civil rights of a vulnerable victim.
“Upholding the integrity of law enforcement and holding accountable those who violate their sworn duty will always be a priority of our office,” Nocella said.
The charges were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI’s New York Field Office and the NYPD.
Nocella also thanked the Queens District Attorney’s Office for assisting in the investigation.
If convicted, the former officers face potential federal prison sentences.
According to court documents, Justin McMillan and Justin Colon were on duty with the New York Police Department’s 115th Precinct on July 19, 2024, when they responded to a 311 complaint about prostitution inside a residential building on 89th Street near Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Prosecutors allege the officers turned off their body-worn cameras after arriving and took a key to the building’s entrance from a woman who had just exited. The encounter was not reported, and the officers resumed their foot patrol.
About eight hours later, at approximately 4:50 a.m. on July 20, the officers returned to the building and used the key to enter. Inside, they allegedly encountered a woman engaged in sex with a customer. The customer fled, leaving the woman naked and alone with the officers.
According to the indictment, while Colon kept watch, McMillan took money from the woman’s purse and groped her breast and buttocks. The woman fled the apartment. The officers then resumed patrol and later returned to their stationhouse.
The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. If convicted, McMillan and Colon face up to 10 years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Reid is handling the prosecution.
Defendants:
Justin McMillan, 26, Atlantic Beach, Long Island
Justin Colon, 24, Long Island City, Queens.