Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Justin M. Eassa, 34, of Town of Tonawanda, pleaded guilty this morning before Buffalo City Court Judge Erin E. Hart to one count of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (Class A misdemeanor).
During the early morning hours of Thursday, July 2, 2026, the defendant intentionally damaged property owned by the City of Buffalo. The defendant damaged a flagpole in Niagara Square and stole a Somalian flag. The suspect was later identified and arrested on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The flag was not recovered.
As a condition of the plea, our prosecutor requested that the Court order the defendant to pay $462 in restitution to the City of Buffalo and perform community service as part of his sentence.
Eassa faces a maximum of 364 days in jail when he is sentenced on Thursday, January 7, 2027, at 9:30 a.m. He remains released under the supervision of the Probation Department and the C.O.U.R.T.S. Program.
Eassa is currently pending prosecution for two other alleged crimes in the Village of Kenmore. On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Justin M. Eassa, 34, of Tonawanda, was arraigned before Kenmore Village Court Justice Katherine Bestine on one count of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (Class A misdemeanor) and one count of Harassment in the Second Degree (violation).
It is alleged that on Monday, August 24, 2026, the defendant, with the intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person, subjected the victim to physical contact, at a residence on Tremaine Avenue in the Village of Kenmore. The defendant is accused of intentionally causing damage to another person’s property, an air conditioning unit, by forcefully pulling it out of the window, resulting in damage to the unit, window and floor.
Eassa was released on his own recognizance. A temporary order of protection was issued on behalf of the victim.
On Sunday, September 27, 2026, Eassa was arraigned before Kenmore Village Court Justice Bestine on one count of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree (Class A misdemeanors).
It is alleged that on Sunday, September 27, 2026, Kenmore Police responded to a residence on Tremaine Avenue after receiving a complaint that the defendant repeatedly drove by the victim’s residence. The responding officer allegedly observed the defendant inside of a parked vehicle on Tremaine Avenue. The defendant is accused of intentionally violating a temporary order of protection.
It is further alleged that as the officer drove closer to the suspect vehicle, the defendant drove off. The officer continued to follow the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop on Elmwood Avenue where the defendant was taken into custody. During an inventory search of the vehicle, an officer found a bag of suspected cocaine inside of the defendant’s wallet, which was in the center console cup holder.
Justice Bestine set bail at $500 cash or $2,500 bond. Eassa is scheduled to return for further proceedings on both files in Kenmore Village Court on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
DA Keane commends the Buffalo Police Department and Kenmore Police Department for their work in these investigations.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christine O. Murray of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Carly S. Cross of the Justice Courts Bureau.
As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.