Housing Lottery Launches for 727 East 215th Street in Williamsbridge, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 727 East 215th Street, a four-story residential building in Williamsbridge, The Bronx. Designed by Boaz M. Golani Architect and developed by Israel Frankel of Silverlight Management, the structure yields 15 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are three units for residents at 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $81,635 to $116,640.

Residences feature air conditioning, hardwood floors, and name-brand kitchen appliances, countertops, and finishes. Tenants are responsible for electricity, including stove and heat.

At 80 percent of the AMI, there are three one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,173 for incomes ranging from $81,635 to $116,640.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than February 4, 2026.

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Community January Meeting AND 2026 Monthly Schedule.

 

The Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association  will be restarting our Monthly meetings on TUES.Jan 13,2026 at Bronx House,990 Pelham Parkway South Bx NY 10461 .We start at 7 pm sharp.We have scheduled a very important and significant guest for January. From the Office of The Mayor:NYC Office for The Prevention of Hate Crimes .Please join us for this powerful event.

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Vote for what Mayor Mamdani should do Next

 

Today, you can help Van Cortlandt Park by sharing your voice. The New York Times is asking New Yorkers how the new mayor should prioritize our tax dollars.

 

Take the survey by January 13

It only takes a few minutes, and thousands of people have already weighed in.

 

We’re a little biased, but we hope you’ll give parks a big thumbs-up!

 

Did you know? Van Cortlandt Park Alliance advocates year-round for more local government funding for your park. In 2025, we hosted hundreds of volunteer events, and successfully petitioned City Council for funding to help protect and improve our valuable green space.

 

And, along with more than a dozen Bronx environmental organizations, VCPA helps organize the annual Bronx Parks Speak Up, which brings elected officials and the public together to improve parks in the Bronx. Join the 32nd annual Bronx Parks Speak Up, Saturday, February 28, 11am to 5pm at Lehman College. Free! Pre-registration is not necessary. 

 

Thanks for standing up for Van Cortlandt Park!

Our Contact Information Van Cortlandt Park Alliance 80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Ste. E1 Bronx, NY 10463 718-601-1460 http://vancortlandt.org

H Block Gang Associate Pleads Guilty To Drug Conspiracy

 

An associate of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to drug conspiracy charges.

Mark Linnehan, 26, of West Roxbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for April 7, 2026. 

Linnehan was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H-Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.

The investigation of H Block began in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. Since the start of the investigation in 2021, law enforcement attributed 12 incidents of gunfire to growing tensions involving H Block gang associates. Six H Block members and associates were arrested and charged with drug dealing in Boston and the surrounding communities. Four additional H Block members and associates were already in state custody at the time of the arrests. Additional drugs and four firearms were seized during the subsequent arrests.

From 2022 through 2023, Linnehan, a long-time H Block gang associate, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, in particular, fentanyl and cocaine. According to court filings, Linnehan was a supplier of fentanyl to his co-conspirators and also engaged in various drug deals with an undercover officer. 

According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation. 

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Linnehan is the nineth defendant to plead guilty in the case.   

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Ted E., Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Justice Department Secures $325,000 Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Iowa Landlord and Property Manager

 

The Justice Department announced that the owner and property manager of residential rental properties in Davenport, Iowa, have agreed to pay $325,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the property manager sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in January 2025, alleges that for more than two decades, property manager Kurt Williams sexually harassed female tenants at various rental dwellings throughout Davenport. The suit alleges that Williams’ conduct included making unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances to female tenants, exposing his genitals to female tenants, requesting sex or sex acts from female tenants in exchange for tangible housing benefits like reductions in rent, and taking adverse housing actions, such as initiating evictions or refusing to make repairs, against female tenants who objected to or refused his sexual advances.

“A home should be a place of security and comfort, not fear,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold property managers and landlords accountable when they prey on vulnerable tenants by sexually harassing them.”

“Housing should not be a tool used for exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman for the Southern District of Iowa. “Our office will vigorously uphold the Fair Housing Act to protect tenants’ dignity, safety, and equal access to housing.” 

“Kurt Williams exploited his authority as a landlord for sexual gain, victimizing our most vulnerable community members,” said Special Agent in Charge Machelle Jindra with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “Sexual misconduct in housing is not a misunderstanding — it is an abuse of power that turns shelter into leverage, and nobody should ever have to trade their safety for a place to live. HUD OIG will continue to work with the US Attorney’s Office to hold housing providers accountable for this type of horrible conduct.”

The Justice Department’s lawsuit also names as a defendant Gearhead Properties LC, the owner of the rental dwellings where the sexual harassment occurred. The lawsuit alleges that this defendant is vicariously liable for the sexual harassment committed by their agent, Kurt Williams. HUD OIG participated in the investigation that uncovered the evidence leading to the lawsuit.

Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the defendants must pay $315,000 to tenants who were harmed by Williams’ harassment and a $10,000 civil penalty to the United States. The settlement agreement permanently bars Williams from contacting tenants harmed by his harassment and permanently bars Williams from managing residential rental properties.

If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. This settlement is part of  the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 52 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered nearly $17 million for victims of such harassment.

Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation into Civilian Death in Queens

 

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of Adrian Cevallos, who died on August 3, 2024 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens. The OSI was previously conducting a preliminary assessment of the matter but has opened an investigation following the receipt of new information.

At approximately 8:36 p.m. on August 3, NYPD officers responded to 911 calls reporting what the NYPD refers to as an “emotionally disturbed person” on 62nd Street between 53rd Avenue and 53rd Drive in Queens. When officers arrived, they encountered Mr. Cevallos. Mr. Cevallos allegedly attempted to strike one of the officers, and the officers attempted to place him in handcuffs. During the struggle to handcuff Mr. Cevallos, one officer deployed his Taser. Mr. Cevallos became unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change.