Attorney General James Issues Joint Statement on Lawsuit to Preserve Funding for Medical and Public Health Research Ahead of Hearing

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general in issuing a joint statement ahead of a court hearing in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health. At today’s hearing, the attorneys general will seek an extension of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Trump administration’s unlawful cuts to funds that support life-saving medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country, such as research institutes at CUNY and SUNY, including Stony Brook University, University at Buffalo, University at Albany, and others. The coalition today released the following statement:

“The Trump administration’s attempt to cut research funding at thousands of research institutions across the country is not only unlawful; it undermines public health, our economy, and our competitiveness. There are laws in place that protect this funding, and the President cannot simply toss those laws aside.  

“This research funding covers expenses that facilitate critical components of biomedical research, such as lab, faculty, infrastructure, and utility costs. Without it, lifesaving and life-extending research, including clinical trials, could be significantly compromised. These cuts would have a devastating impact on universities around the country, many of which are at the forefront of groundbreaking research efforts – while also training future generations of researchers and innovators. They would force many universities to redirect funds and ultimately reduce research activities. Research funded by the National Institutes of Health has found new treatments for adult and childhood cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, PTSD, and more.  

“Attorneys general are not just fighting for the rule of law; we are fighting for our loved ones, our friends, and our neighbors, and we will not allow President Trump to play politics with our public health. We are heartened that less than six hours after filing our lawsuit, the court recognized the devastating impacts of this directive and granted an emergency temporary restraining order preventing the administration from implementing these unlawful cuts. Today, we urge the court to continue to block these funding cuts as we keep fighting this reckless abuse of power.” 

On February 10, Attorney General James joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to unilaterally cut “indirect cost” reimbursements at every research institution throughout the country. Less than six hours after the attorneys general filed their lawsuit, the court issued a TRO against NIH, barring it from cutting billions in funding for biomedical and public health research. 

Joining Attorney General James in making this statement are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Armed Drug Cartel Member Sentenced to Over 20 Years in Prison for Trafficking Hundreds of Kilos of Cocaine and Methamphetamine

 

A Mexican national and armed member of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) was sentenced in the District of Columbia to 20 years and 10 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that distributed large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine destined for the United States.

“For at least five years, Edgar Fabian Villasenor-Garcia took up arms to carry out the CJNG’s criminal activities, including trafficking enormous amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These highly addictive drugs and the violence associated with the CJNG’s criminal operations have devastated communities in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere. Today’s sentence sends another clear message to members of the CJNG and other Mexican drug trafficking organizations: We are committed to working tirelessly with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to eradicate Mexican cartels.”

“Eliminating the cartels responsible for the deadly drug crisis in the United States is the Drug Enforcement Administration’s top operational priority, and Edgar Fabian Villasenor-Garcia’s sentencing — as an armed CJNG operative — brings us a step closer to our goal,” said Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “The CJNG is responsible for fueling the deadly drug crisis in the United States, as well as unprecedented violence in Mexico, our neighbor. The DEA is relentlessly committed to defeating the CJNG and other cartels, and we will exhaust every tool in the justice system to fight back, to save American lives, and to bring these cartels to justice.”

According to court documents, Edgar Fabian Villasenor-Garcia, also known as Gary and El Monje, 54, was responsible for trafficking at least 450 kilograms of cocaine and at least 780 kilograms of methamphetamine for importation into the United States on behalf of the CJNG, one of the most powerful, violent, and prolific drug cartels in Mexico. The CJNG kills, tortures, corrupts, and traffics hundreds of tons, if not more, of cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs into the United States and other countries. The CJNG also uses its drug proceeds to fund its violence, and by doing so, ravages communities and imperils countless lives.

Villasenor-Garcia joined the CJNG before 2017 and carried a firearm in furtherance of the CJNG’s criminal operations. In November 2024, he pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges and admitted that CJNG members used firearms and violence to advance their mandate, including to protect drugs and drug proceeds, to control the CJNG members, to fight rival cartels, and to escape capture by law enforcement.

The DEA Los Angeles Field Division investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Lernik Begian and Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations also provided significant assistance.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING EXGIRLFRIEND AND MAN IN JEALOUS RAGE

 

Victims Were Shot in Front of Five Children

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Bronx man was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five-years post-release supervision after pleading guilty to Attempted Murder in the second degree for shooting two people, leaving his ex-girlfriend paralyzed. 

District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant’s ex-girlfriend was at home babysitting five children when a man arrived to pick up his daughter. The defendant went inside and shot both his ex-girlfriend and the man. A 9-year-old girl courageously called police after witnessing the attack.” 

District Attorney Clark said Marlon Edwards, 49, was sentenced on February 18, 2025, to 15 years in prison and five years post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormack. The defendant pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the second degree on December 18, 2024. 

According to the investigation, on July 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00 p.m., at a home near Barnes Avenue and East 223rd Street, the defendant was observing the home of his 49-year-old exgirlfriend. She was babysitting five children ages 1-11 years old, when one of the kid’s parents, a 44-year-old man arrived for pick-up. After seeing the father enter the home, Edwards forced his way inside the apartment, and in a jealous rage, shot the woman in the chest. He also shot the man in the shoulder, who attempted to wrestle away the gun. Police and emergency personnel responded and took both victims to nearby hospitals after a 9-year-old called 9-1-1. The woman suffered life altering injuries including paralysis.

The defendant fled to Florida where he was arrested for another incident, before getting extradited to New York in September 2022. 

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Robert Regnier of the 47th Precinct Detective Squad, Felix Arana of the Bronx Warrants Squad, NYPD Police Officers David Canasgaviria and Erick Landaverde of the 47th Precinct, and former NYPD Police Officers Travis Gembecki and Kegham Jarjokian for their work in the investigation.  

Statement from Governor Kathy Hochul re:Optimum and MSG Networks

“After 52 days in the penalty box, New York sports fans will finally be able to watch the Knicks, Rangers and Islanders again. Optimum and MSG Networks have ended the corporate dispute and service will be restored before tonight’s face-off between the Rangers and the Sabres. This long-overdue step comes after I directed the Department of Public Service to call for public hearings on how consumers are being shortchanged by weeks of corporate bickering. I’m going to keep fighting like hell for New York consumers — no matter which team they root for.