Former probationary NYPD officers Justin McMillan and Justin Colon are facing federal civil rights charges after prosecutors accused them of turning off their body-worn cameras, taking a key from a Queens prostitution location, returning hours later while still on duty, stealing money, and sexually violating a woman.
The case began with a July 2024 311 complaint about alleged prostitution inside a residential building on 89th Street near Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens. According to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, McMillan and Colon were assigned to the NYPD’s 115th Precinct and were working together on foot patrol when they responded to the location.
Prosecutors alleged the two probationary officers shut off their body-worn cameras, approached a woman leaving the building, and took keys connected to the premises. Instead of documenting the encounter or filing paperwork, the officers allegedly continued their patrol.
About eight hours later, according to prosecutors, McMillan and Colon returned to the same location while still on duty, used the key to enter the building, and encountered a woman with a male customer. The man allegedly fled, leaving the woman alone with the officers. Prosecutors say McMillan then stole money from the woman’s purse and groped her while Colon kept watch.
The woman eventually fled and called 911 with help from others. According to the Queens DA, that 911 call triggered an investigation by the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau and the District Attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau.
In March 2025, McMillan and Colon were indicted in Queens on charges including burglary, forcible touching, petit larceny, and official misconduct. The Queens DA said McMillan had entered the police academy in April 2023 and was assigned to the 115th Precinct in October 2023, while Colon entered the academy in July 2023 and was assigned to the same precinct in January 2024.
That state case later collapsed. The Associated Press reported that the Queens case was dismissed and sealed after prosecutors failed to meet speedy trial requirements.
Federal prosecutors then stepped in. On March 10, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that McMillan and Colon had been charged in a federal indictment with felony conspiracy against rights and willfully depriving a person of constitutional rights while acting under color of law.
The federal indictment alleges that the officers abused their official authority during the incident. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the alleged conduct “shock[ed] the conscience” and violated the civil rights of a vulnerable victim. FBI officials also accused the former officers of betraying their sworn duty and abusing the power entrusted to them.
By the time the federal charges were announced, McMillan and Colon were no longer NYPD officers. Federal prosecutors said both resigned from the department in March 2025. The Associated Press reported that both men pleaded not guilty in federal court and were released on their own recognizance.
This case is another example of why body-worn cameras, internal affairs investigations, and independent prosecution matter. The allegations are not merely that two officers failed to respond properly to a complaint. Prosecutors say they used the authority of the badge to enter a private location, steal, intimidate, and violate someone who was especially vulnerable.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations. McMillan and Colon are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
