Release: Florence Joins 77 WABC’S ‘Cop Talk’
For Immediate Release
August 29, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
ICYMI: INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FOR MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY DIANA FLORENCE JOINS 77 WABC’S ‘COP TALK’ PODCAST
Florence Joins Retired NYPD Detective Kevin Schroeder and Retired Captain Edward Mamet, Lays Out Common Sense Vision for a Safer Manhattan, in Wide-Ranging Interview
Florence Makes Clear She Will End the Revolving Door for Criminal Offenders Kicked Open by Failed DA Alvin Bragg
New York, NY – This week, Diana Florence, Independent candidate for Manhattan District Attorney appeared on 77 WABC’s Cop Talk Podcast, hosted by Ret. NYPD First Grade Det. Kevin Schroeder and Ret. NYPD Sgt. Rory Capra sitting in for Ret. NYPD Capt. Kevin Mamet, and detailed her vision for prosecuting crime in Manhattan amid surging subway crime and recidivism. Florence highlighted her 25 year record as a prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s Office, where she repeatedly took on complicated cases — and won justice for New Yorkers in court. In her career, Florence has successfully prosecuted a wide-range of crimes, including subway crime, domestic violence, and notably, construction fraud.
Florence launched a model for proactive crime fighting when she founded and led the nation’s first Construction Fraud Task Force and won landmark cases through collaborative partnerships with police, labor unions, and community leaders. Stemming from her casework exposing cheaters in the construction industry, Florence partnered with legislative leaders and co-authored ground-breaking legislation known as “Carlos’ Law,” which dramatically increased penalties for employers who were liable for workplace fatalities.
To listen to Diana Florence’s full interview with 77 WABC’s ‘Cop Talk’ click here.
To learn more about Diana Florence’s Independent campaign for Manhattan District Attorney, click here.
About Diana Florence:
Diana Florence started her career 30 years ago as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, focusing on street crime, domestic violence, complex frauds, and corruption cases, ultimately creating and leading the nation’s first Construction Fraud Task Force. She won groundbreaking convictions against companies and individuals for corruption, domestic violence, defrauding 9/11 charities, wage theft, and deadly work conditions. Working side-by-side with community-based groups, unions, worker centers, and government agencies, Florence created an innovative prosecution model rooted in broad-based community participation. She taught trial advocacy for over two decades to lawyers in the DA’s Office and lectured investigators and lawyers from around the world on topics ranging from inter-agency cooperation to prosecuting fraud, racketeering, and workplace homicide.
As an Assistant District Attorney (ADA), Florence held powerful interests accountable by prosecuting landmark cases on behalf of workers and taxpayers. She secured justice for the family of Carlos Moncayo, a 22 year-old construction worker who was buried alive at work. Using the existing criminal law, Florence obtained convictions against the corporations and site supervisors—who had been repeatedly warned of hazardous conditions—for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide related to Moncayo’s death. Florence also secured a record-breaking wage theft conviction working alongside IronWorkers Local 361 to secure $6 million in stolen wages and back-pay from AGL Industries. Not only did Florence prosecute these cases, she authored two bills—Carlos’ Law and Wage Theft—that became New York State Laws. These successes led to her run for Manhattan District Attorney in 2021, with the support of 20 labor unions.
The conclusion of Florence’s campaign coincided with the broad legalization of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation for college athletes. Recognizing the parallels between immigrant construction workers and these young athletes—namely, that both groups were the often-overlooked engines of multi-billion-dollar industries—she transitioned her practice to collegiate athletics as an attorney and consultant. She is one of a handful of lawyers nationwide who has successfully sued the NCAA. She has represented Division One football and basketball players, winning preliminary injunctions granting them immediate eligibility. Florence also advocates for college athletes as a member of the board of Thriving Not Surviving, a nonprofit that supports college athletes who have been sexually assaulted.
Florence received both her BA (with honors and Phi Beta Kappa) and her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is fluent in Spanish. Born in Manhattan, Florence is a long-time resident of Kips Bay, where she lives with her husband and two children.