The Raise the Age/Motor Vehicle Theft Insurance Fraud Unit (RTA/MVTIF) is responsible for the prosecution of adolescent offenders and juvenile offenders charged with the most serious felony crimes. The four prosecutors assigned to this unit, led by Chief Noha A. Elnakib, also handle cases against adult defendants and adolescent offenders charged with offenses involving stolen motor vehicles and/or automobile insurance fraud.
As the number of youths arrested for vehicle theft-related crimes has risen, Acting District Attorney Mike Keane merged the Motor Vehicle Theft Insurance Fraud and Raise the Age units to enhance our efforts to hold adolescent offenders accountable in Youth Part.
Raise the Age
Under the Raise the Age legislation, teenagers accused of committing a crime are no longer prosecuted as adults in New York State. Criminal cases involving individuals under the age of 18 who have been charged with a misdemeanor (juvenile delinquent) are handled in Family Court and prosecuted by the County Attorney's Office.
The RTA/MVTIF Unit is responsible for the prosecution of the most serious and violent felony crimes committed by adolescent offenders (age 16 & 17) in Youth Part of Superior Court. Our office also handles cases involving juvenile offenders (age 13, 14 & 15) charged specified felony offenses in Youth Part.
Depending on the facts of the case, prosecutors may be required to file an “Extraordinary Circumstance” motion, arguing that the matter should not be transferred to Family Court due to the serious nature of the crime. If that motion is successful, the adolescent offender is prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office in the Youth Part of Superior Court.
Information on Raise the Age from the New York State Unified Court System
Motor Vehicle Theft & Insurance Fraud
To combat the recent spike in reported stolen vehicles incidents throughout Erie County, the District Attorney’s Office has dedicated prosecutors in RTA/MVTIF Unit to handle these investigations and hold the offenders, particularly repeat offenders, accountable for their crimes.