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Former Bookkeeper Who Masterminded Acid Attack on Reverend in Long Island City Sentenced to Prison: DA

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A former bookkeeper from NYC who masterminded an acid attack on a non-profit director in LIC will spend years in prison, prosecutors said

Prosecutors say Kim Williams masterminded the attack to get away with stealing more than $750,000 in funds she stole from the non-profit

In December 2018, Willams and co-defendant, Jerry Mohammed, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault; They will both spend 17 years in prison

A former bookkeeper from New York City who masterminded an acid attack on a nonprofit director in Long Island City in an attempt to cover up stealing from the organization will spend years in prison, prosecutors say.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced Wednesday that the former bookkeeper was sentenced to 17 years in prison for stealing more than $750,000 in funds from a nonprofit between 2013 and 2015 and splashing the center’s director with acid to cover up the theft.

“The defendant used her position to steal thousands of dollars in funding from a non-profit that helped society’s most vulnerable individuals," Brown said. 

Working with another individual, Kim Williams, 49, inflicted bodily harm to the unsuspecting center's director, and in doing so, left her with life-altering injuries to her face and body, prosecutors say.

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In December 2018, Willams, of the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, and her co-defendant, Jerry Mohammed, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault.

According to the charges, between 2013 and 2015, while working as a bookkeeper, Williams stole more than of $750,000 from Hospital Audiences Inc., - a Long Island City-based nonprofit dedicated to providing arts programs to individuals with special needs.

Prosecutors say Williams kept $600,000 of the funds for herself and gave the  $150,000 to a close friend.

Subsequently, Williams allegedly plotted the attack on the center’s executive director, Rev. D. Alexandra Dyer, who started asking questions about the whereabouts of the stolen funds.

According to the district attorney's office, on Aug.19, 2015, at Williams’ direction, Mohammed waited outside of the center’s Skillman Avenue location and when the victim exited the building, he threw a liquid substance on the woman - severely burning her face and other extremities.

The victim had to undergo numerous surgeries.

Mohammed is set to receive the same sentence as Williams on Wednesday.

Mom of girl found dead in bucket of acid was serving 10 years probation for injuring child

LAREDO, TEXAS — 

A Texas woman arrested Thursday after the body of her toddler daughter -- who she said accidentally drowned in the bathtub -- was found hidden in a bucket of acid has a long history of arrests for violent crimes and was on probation for injury to a child when her daughter died, records show. 

Monica Yvonne Dominguez, 37, of Laredo, is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and endangering a child in the death of her daughter, according to Webb County Jail records. 

Rebecka Zavala would have been 3 years old on Sunday, according to KGNS in Laredo. Members of the community held a candlelight vigil for the girl outside the apartment where she lived and died.

>> Related story: Parents charged after toddler's body found in bucket of acid, prosecutors say

Dominguez is being held in lieu of $175,000 bond, according to jail records. Rebecka’s father, Gerardo Zavala-Loredo, 32, is jailed in lieu of $125,000 bond on the same charges as his wife, the records show. 

Dominguez has a long history of arrests, including multiple arrests on aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and injury to a child with the intent to cause bodily injury. Of her 17 prior arrests listed since 1999, five of them were related to accusations of injuring a child, jail records show.

The most recent arrest took place last February, when she spent nine days in jail. According to records, Dominguez was released a year to the day before Laredo police officials announced her arrest in connection with Rebecka’s death. 

Webb County court records show Dominguez was serving 10 years of probation at the time of the toddler’s death, after pleading guilty to injury to a child with the intent to cause bodily injury in 2016. Limited online case records indicate her 2018 arrest was related to the enforcement of her probation in the 2016 case. 

Dominguez’s probation was revoked Friday, the records show.

Laredo police Chief Claudio Trevino Jr. said during a news conference Friday that the department received a call around noon Thursday for a welfare check at the couple’s apartment, where a concerned neighbor said there were possible human remains inside a container in a closet. Officers went to the home, where they secured the scene and determined there was a potential situation involving hazardous materials. 

The Laredo Fire Department’s hazmat team went to the apartment, along with the Webb County medical examiner, the chief said. A search warrant was obtained to allow the agencies access to the container in which the child, called “Baby Rebecka” by authorities, was found. 

Detectives made their grim discovery around 5 p.m. Thursday. 

“The investigative team recovered what appears to be body parts, decomposing body parts in this bucket located in the bedroom closet,” Trevino said during a news conference Friday. 

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Dominguez and Zavala-Loredo were arrested and their remaining four children, ages 11 to 1, were placed with Child Protective Services, Trevino said. 

Online court records did not indicate if Rebecka or one of her siblings was the victim in Dominguez’s 2016 case, or if there were multiple victims. 

Isidro Alaniz, district attorney for the 49th Judicial District of Texas, described the crime scene as “tragic and horrific.”

“As you can imagine, it’s very difficult for all of us in law enforcement and for the first responders to be in a situation, to come across a scene like we did yesterday,” Alaniz said Friday. “Like the chief stated, there was what is believed to be the body of a child found in what looks to be a five-gallon plastic container that was placed in there for disposal with what appears to be acid.”

Alaniz said the investigation was still in the preliminary stages, but that Dominguez and Zavala-Loredo told detectives Rebecka drowned in the tub while bathing unsupervised.

“After the baby drowned and died, it was when it was believed that, according to, again, statements by Monica Dominguez, the mother, that she recruited her husband to help her dispose of the body,” the prosecutor said.

It was not clear Friday how long the girl’s body had been submerged in acid or exactly when she died.

Alaniz said the medical examiner and a forensic anthropologist would examine Rebecka’s remains to determine if she had any injuries that contributed to her death.

“We need to wait to see what the science tells us,” Alaniz said. “We’re hoping that we’re able to recover enough evidence to complete the story.” 

Jorge Dominguez, Monica Dominguez’s nephew, told KGNS he was shocked by the allegations against his aunt.

“I don’t know if to be sad, angry,” Jorge Dominguez said. “I didn’t expect that from her.”

The young man said he grew up around his aunt, who he lived with for a time as a child. He said Monica Dominguez would sometimes lose her temper and “get aggressive” with her children, “taking it out on the kids.” 

Jorge Dominguez said he never thought his aunt could be capable of desecrating her child’s remains as alleged. 

“How can you live with that?” Jorge Dominguez said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

15 Kojic Acid Products That Will Finally Zap Your Most Stubborn Dark Spots

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Ingredients that promise brighter, hydrated skin are never in short supply. But if your skin’s Kryptonite is hyperpigmentation, kojic acid products actually lives up to the hype. According to Dr. Kenneth Howe, a dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology, kojic acid is a great skin lightening agent because it actually blocks the production of melanin, which is the main pigment of the skin.

“It does so by inhibiting tyrosinase, which is the enzyme that produces melanin,” he says. “Hyperpigmented conditions, whether it’s melasma or dark spots developing after an acne cyst, are marked by the over-production of melanin. But with kojic acid causing less melanin to be produced, the dark spots inevitably become lighter as any existing melanin continues to be broken down by natural processes.”

Simply put, kojic acid is a less-aggressive solution to hydroquinone and is available in several forms (serum, moisturizer, even face masks). Dermatologist and founder of Eighth Day, Tony Nakhla also says kojic acid works best in combination with other ingredients that have a similar effect, but a different mechanism of action to attack pesky pigment from different angles.

So as you begin to plan your spring beauty regimen, especially in you suffer within hyperpigmentation-prone areas like under the eyes and cheeks, keep kojic acid at the top of your mind and in the forefront of your cabinet.

Glytone Dark Spot Corrector

This combination of 2% hydroquinone, kojic and glycolic acids helps to lighten and brighten the skin and is well tolerated among most skin types. We love that it includes a dab-on sponge design for easy use and less mess.

$38 at Glytone

111SKIN 3 Phase Anti Blemish Booster

This booster attacks blemish-prone skin during the three stages of spot growth for clear skin. Simply apply directly onto the blemish and add 1–2 drops to your regular moisturizer.

$160 at Violet Grey

PCA Skin Perfecting Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 30 

Typically kojic acid is found in serums and moisturizers, but we love that PCA Skin included it in their SPF to further help promote an even skin tone. In it you’ll also find silybin and caffeine—important antioxidants that protect the face against UV damage.

$36 at PCA Skin

SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense

You know those super stubborn brown patches and post-acne marks that just won’t go away? Zap them with this buildable corrector that promises to evens skin tone in as early as two weeks.

$98 at SkinCeuticals

Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant

We love a good scrub and this re-texturizing face peel doesn’t disappoint. It uses natural exfoliators like pineapple enzymes and alpha-beta fruit bark acids to refine and revive dull and damaged skin, while the kojic acid aids in brightening and removing impurities.

$90 at Dermstore

Menscience Androceuticals Pigmentation Repair Formula

Women aren’t the only beneficiaries of kojic acid. Men are tapping into the craze, too. This pigmentation repair formula is especially designed for men to remove the appearance of uneven tone. It uses 1% retinol, a slew of botanicals and the smell is to die for!

$53 at Dermstore

La Roche-Posay Mela-D Pigment Control Serum

Just one drop of this trifecta of acids—glycolic, kojic, and micro-exfoliating lipo-hydroxy—goes a long way. Use it to improve skin radiance after cleansing.

$52.99 at La Roche-Posay

iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance Plus

We don’t subscribe to products being “miracle-workers,” but this antioxidant-rich serum comes pretty close. It combines time-released vitamin C with a blend of botanicals to treat acne, rosacea, contact dermatitis and yes, even insect bites.

$148 at Dermstore

One Love Organics Konjac Cleansing Sponge

We’re suckers for hearts and when it’s made of 100-percent pure konjac plant fiber, we’re all in. This cleansing sponge detoxifes pores and smoothes skin while buffing away dirt and makeup. Just be sure to occasionally disinfect the sponge by soaking it in hot (not boiling) water for 3-5 minutes to keep unwanted germs at bay.

$10 at One Love Organics

Glo Skin Beauty Brightening Polish

It’s easy to capture your glow with this polish designed to brighten, polish and refresh.

$44 at Glo Skin Beauty

Dermelect Beautone Enlightening Spot Treatment

Arbutin, kojic acid and licorice extract are effective individually, but when combined, they naturally help soothe skin and achieve a well-balanced skin tone that’s sure to be the envy of every skin care lover.

$49 at Dermelect

DCL Dermatologic Cosmetic Laboratories AHA Lightening Gel

When it comes to skin lightening, hydroquinone is a derm favorite. And when combined with kojic acid, the results are nothing less than stellar. This gel formula not only lightens dark areas, but prevents new discoloration from developing too.

$100 at DCL Skin Care

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Clinical Grade IPL Dark Spot Correcting Serum

If you’re in need of super-potent ingredients (read: clinical grade), then this over-the-counter dark spot correcting serum has your name all over it. This potent antioxidant protects skin against free radicals, repairs skin cells and firms skin in a flash.

$92 at Sephora

ARCONA Brightening Drops

If you just had a baby or feel hormonal (you know who you are), this powerful brightening serum is great at repairing dark spots caused by hormonal fluctuations. It’s also especially effective for clients with sun damage or acne scars.

$44 at Arcona

PCA Skin Pigment Bar

This facial cleanser contains advanced corrective ingredients like niacinamide (a form of the B vitamin that hydrates and promotes a clear, even complexion) and azelaic acid to provide an even skin tone on the face and body. And it’s gentle enough for daily.