OCTOBER MONTHLY MEETING
Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance (VNNA)
Monday October 3, 2022
at 7:00 PM
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Saturday, October 1, 2022
Council Member Marjorie Velázquez - Resources Available to Our Community
Dear Neighbor,
Lately, my office has received calls asking for assistance in identifying resources to support their unique situations, ranging from utilities and homeownership resources to immigration and public safety programs. To ensure you have access to these resources, you will receive a monthly resource newsletter with that information. As my office becomes privy to the latest updates both by the City and in the district, we will share that information with the community in this monthly email or our weekly community round-up.
In this newsletter, you will find information about human services, agency-offered programs, and other relevant information that you may find helpful. As we prepare for the colder season, it’s important to me that you are prepared for anything. If you have any questions or would like additional information or clarification, you can reach out to my office Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM at (718) 931-1721 or via email at District13@council.nyc.gov.
In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you all around the district and hope you have a safe weekend!
Sincerely,
Council Member Marjorie Velázquez
Homeowners & Housing
Hurricane Ida Relief
The last day to submit an application for the Hurricane Ida Supplemental Funding Program is Monday, October 3, 2022. This program provides payments to homeowners in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, whose Federal Emergency Management Agency benefits were insufficient to allow their homes to be habitable. If you are interested in applying, please email IdaAssist@recovery.nyc.gov or call (212) 615-8329.
UTILITIES
Managing Your Energy Bills
Over the past several months, many residents have experienced higher than normal utility bills, due to increased market rates. Below are a few tips on how to manage this season’s high utility bills.
Spread payments out throughout the year - Con Edison offers payment plans to avoid large monthly energy costs.
Check your benefits - If you are registered in a government assistance program, you may be eligible for discounts through Con Edison’s Energy Affordability Program.
Manage your usage by monitoring your hourly energy use.
Get customized tips by using Con Edison’s Home Energy Analysis tool, which is found when accessing your online account. This tool provides tips and suggestions to improve energy efficiency and control costs throughout the year.
Avoid using electricity during peak times, which can save you money. Check out their Time-of-Use rate option.
Our mailing address is:
3040 E Tremont, Bronx, NY 10461
3040 E Tremont, Bronx, NY 10461
Governor Hochul Issues Proclamation Declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in New York State
New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Launches 'Start the Conversation,' a Multi-Media Campaign to Raise Awareness
Winning 'End Domestic Violence' License Plate Design Unveiled
State Landmarks and Bridges To Be Illuminated in Purple on Saturday Evening
Read the Proclamation Here
Governor Kathy Hochul today issued a proclamation declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and announced the launch of 'Start the Conversation,' a multi-media campaign aimed at helping New Yorkers raise this critical issue with people in their lives and communities. In addition to the campaign, the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence also unveiled the winning license plate design created in partnership with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in honor of the agency's 30th anniversary.
"Our state has come a long way since the days when my mother advocated for the survivors of domestic violence, but there is still much work to be done in helping to put an end to the abuse and suffering that far too many New Yorkers have endured over the years," Governor Hochul said. "Throughout October, we are reminded of the need to continue evolving our approach to domestic and gender-based violence so that we can best meet the needs of survivors and their families."
Governor Hochul also directed the following state landmarks and bridges to be illuminated purple on Saturday, Oct. 1, marking the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month:
- One World Trade Center
- Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
- Kosciuszko Bridge
- The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
- State Education Building
- Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
- Empire State Plaza
- State Fairgrounds - Main Gate & Expo Center
- Niagara Falls
- The "Franklin D. Roosevelt" Mid-Hudson Bridge
- Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct
- Albany International Airport Gateway
- MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station
- Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
The 'Start the Conversation' campaign is aimed at better informing New Yorkers on how to raise the issue of domestic and gender violence with survivors and how to access the resources available to help them. The campaign will feature messaging on social media and broadcast radio throughout the state, along with an online toolkit with resources to help raise awareness.
Earlier this year, the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) conducted a public opinion poll of 5,000 individuals statewide to better understand public perceptions of domestic violence issues. The findings suggested that while most New Yorkers are confident in their understanding of domestic and gender-based violence and that many know someone who was abused or in a controlling relationship, many believed these issues to result from outside factors — drug or alcohol use, poor impulse control, or anger problems — rather than the decisions of an abusive partner.
New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Executive Director Kelli Owens said, "To be survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive, we've got to hear from survivors and all New Yorkers about what they think is the issue and how to solve it. That's why this year OPDV started the conversation and surveyed 5,000 New Yorkers to get their thoughts. I am grateful to serve a Governor who understands what we need to do to end domestic and gender-based violence and has an unwavering commitment to this important issue."
OPDV also announced the 'End Domestic Violence' license plate design selected by New Yorkers to honor the agency's 30th anniversary. Created in partnership with the DMV, the design reflects the strength and resilience of survivors, and New York State 's commitment to support them.
License plates can be purchased beginning Wednesday, Oct. 5, by going to DMV.ny.gov. Revenue from the plates will support OPDV's continued work to end gender-based violence through programming and public awareness.
New York State's Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 and is available in most languages: 800-942-6906 (call), 844-997-2121 (text) or @opdv.ny.gov (chat). Individuals also can visit www.ovs.ny.gov/connect to find a victim assistance program in their community.
Attorney General James’ Statement on Death of FDNY EMS Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling
New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement in response to the stabbing death of on duty FDNY Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling:
“My heart aches for the family, friends, and fellow EMS officers who loved Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling. This senseless, brutal attack against a dedicated public servant is horrific, infuriating, and devastating. This attack reminds us all of the dangers faced by New York EMS personnel, and why these dedicated heroes who have earned our respect deserve pay equity and fair compensation. EMS officials like Lieutenant Russo-Elling put themselves in harm’s way to serve their fellow New Yorkers, they should be recognized and paid fairly for their devotion and duty. I join with all New Yorkers as we grieve for Lieutenant Russo-Elling. May her memory be a blessing and an inspiration.”
Multiple U.S. Postal Service Employees And Others Arrested For $1.3 Million Fraud And Identity Theft Scheme
Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Daniel B. Brubaker, Inspector-in-Charge, New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”), announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging JOHNNY DAMUS, a/k/a “Ace,” RASHAAN RICHARDS, a/k/a “Jay Dee,” a/k/a “JD,” a/k/a “Payso,” DEVON RICHARDS, a/k/a “Dev,” CONRAD HERON, a/k/a “Conny Cash,” LOUIS JEUNE VERLY, a/k/a “Luis Jesus Virola,” KAREEM SHEPHERD, a/k/a “Reem,” a/k/a “Marcus Ford,” a/k/a “Frank James,” FABIOLA MOMPOINT, a/k/a “Lady Fab,” NATHANAEL FOUCAULT, and JOHNATHAN PERSAUD, a/k/a “Junzie-J,” in connection with their theft and unauthorized use of credit cards to defraud several national financial institutions, credit card companies, and major retailers, resulting in more than $1.3 million in intended losses as well as the theft of hundreds of identities. As alleged, the defendants conspired to steal credit cards from the mail; use those stolen credit cards at a variety of stores, including high-end retailers; and sell some of the merchandise purchased with the stolen cards on the website LuxurySnob.com (“LuxurySnob”).
NATHANAEL FOUCAULT and JOHNATHAN PERSAUD, U.S. Postal Employees, were arrested in the Eastern District of New York and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.
FABIOLA MOMPOINT, a U.S. Postal Employee, was arrested in the District of New Jersey and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.
DEVON RICHARDS was arrested in the Eastern District of New York and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.
The remaining defendants are at large.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the defendants engaged in a years-long scheme to manipulate credit card companies and major retailers across New York and New Jersey by stealing credit cards and using those cards to purchase, and subsequently sell, luxury goods. The defendants took advantage of the public trust we place in U.S. Postal Service employees for their own financial gain. Thanks to the diligence of USPIS, the NYPD, and USPS-OIG, the defendants will now be held accountable for their brazen criminal conduct.”
USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said: “These nine defendants, three of which are postal employees, sought to enrich themselves by stealing mail directly from hundreds of postal customers. They further compounded their crimes by committing identity theft against those customers to facilitate their elaborate scheme to defraud several national financial institutions. Make no mistake, the Postal Inspection Service will not allow thieves, no matter who they are, to use the U.S. Mail to harm postal customers or the financial institutions that serve them. We are pleased the members of this criminal syndicate have been apprehended and their crime spree brought to an abrupt end.”
USPS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi said: “The Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General will continue to maintain the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and its personnel. The conduct alleged is disgraceful, and our office will continue to vigorously investigate postal service employees and their co-conspirators who violate the public’s trust. The USPS OIG is thankful for the relationships with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice for their dedication and efforts in this investigation.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment:[1]
Between in or around December 2018, up to and including the present, members of the conspiracy worked with U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, including, among others, FABIOLA MOMPOINT, NATHANAEL FOUCAULT, and JOHNATHAN PERSAUD to steal credit cards from the mail stream before those cards were delivered to the assigned credit card customers. After obtaining the stolen credit cards, members of the conspiracy activated the cards using stolen personally identifiable information (“PII”) of the intended recipients. Members of the conspiracy, including RASHAAN RICHARDS, DEVON RICHARDS, CONRAD HERON, LOUIS JEUNE VERLY, and KAREEM SHEPHERD (collectively, “the Shoppers”), and others known and unknown, then used the stolen cards to purchase luxury goods—including items manufactured by, among others, Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, and Dior—from high-end retailers, including major department stores in, among other places, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Often, JOHNNY DAMUS, instructed the Shoppers to purchase particular luxury items in specific quantities. Working together with a close associate (“CC-1”), DAMUS functionally operated LuxurySnob.com, on which many of these fraudulently obtained luxury items were sold. LuxurySnob purports to be an “online consignment and personal shopping company” specializing in “pre-owned luxury items,” but, in fact, many of the items it sells were purchased using stolen credit cards.
Charts containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the USPIS, USPS-OIG, and the NYPD.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
COUNT | DEFENDANTS | MAX. TERM OF IMPRISONMENT |
Count One: Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1029(b)(2)) | JOHNNY DAMUS RASHAAN RICHARDS DEVON RICHARDS CONRAD HERON LOUIS JEUNE VERLY KAREEM SHEPHERD FABIOLA MOMPOINT NATHANAEL FOUCAULT JOHNATHAN PERSAUD | Seven and a half years in prison |
Count Two: Access Device Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(5), (c)(1)(a)(ii) and 2) | JOHNNY DAMUS RASHAAN RICHARDS DEVON RICHARDS CONRAD HERON LOUIS JEUNE VERLY KAREEM SHEPHERD FABIOLA MOMPOINT NATHANAEL FOUCAULT JOHNATHAN PERSAUD | 15 years in prison |
Count Three: Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1349) | JOHNNY DAMUS RASHAAN RICHARDS DEVON RICHARDS CONRAD HERON LOUIS JEUNE VERLY KAREEM SHEPHERD | 30 years in prison |
Count Four: Aggravated Identity Theft (18 U.S.C. § 1028A) | JOHNNY DAMUS RASHAAN RICHARDS DEVON RICHARDS CONRAD HERON LOUIS JEUNE VERLY KAREEM SHEPHERD FABIOLA MOMPOINT NATHANAEL FOUCAULT JOHNATHAN PERSAUD | Mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison |
Count Five: Conspiracy to Steal Mail by U.S. Postal Employees
(18 U.S.C. § 1709) | RASHAAN RICHARDS DEVON RICHARDS KAREEM SHEPHERD FABIOLA MOMPOINT NATHANAEL FOUCAULT JOHNATHAN PERSAUD | Five years in prison |
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.