Governor Hochul Announces Groundbreaking for Metro-North Penn Station Access Project to Bring Four New Stations to the Bronx

 Senator Schumer, Congressman Torres and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez Join Governor and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to Commence Construction

Largest Expansion of Metro-North Railroad Will Bring Train Service Within One Mile of 500,000 Residents and Dramatically Cut Travel Times

Provide Metro-North Service to Penn Station via New Haven Line, Connecting Manhattan, East Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut

New Rail Service Will Save Residents 50 Minutes a Day in Commute Times to Manhattan and Open Reverse Commute Opportunities

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the groundbreaking for the Metro-North Penn Station Access project alongside leaders from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority during a ceremony in the Bronx this morning. With four new stations in the Bronx, this project will bring rail service within one mile of 500,000 residents and will be the largest expansion of Metro-North Railroad since it was founded in 1983. By offering rail service to and from Manhattan, Westchester and Connecticut, this will expand access to jobs, education and entertainment for East Bronx communities. Additionally, the project will greatly reduce travel times, provide reverse commuting opportunities and offer a critical second route into Manhattan for the first time ever through Metro-North.

"We are bringing modern, safe, and reliable public transportation to East Bronx communities and with it, more economic opportunity for New Yorkers," Governor Hochul said. "In partnership with Senator Schumer, Representatives Torres, Ocasio-Cortez, and Bowman, and Amtrak, Penn Station Access will not only drastically reduce commute times, but it will also help connect hundreds of thousands of residents and boost local economies. I'm thankful for MTA's partnership to get this project off the ground, and I look forward to seeing the completed project to help ensure all New Yorkers have access to the modern public transportation that they deserve."

The four new stations will be in Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-Op City and will be accessible to all in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The expansion will use Amtrak's Hell Gate Line to access Penn Station, optimizing existing infrastructure and minimizing the construction impact on surrounding communities. Metro-North trains stopping at the four new Bronx stations will serve as an extension of the New Haven Line from the New Rochelle Station, offering transit options in the East Bronx to Midtown Manhattan as well as points in Westchester, Connecticut and inversely.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "Penn Station Access is a game changer for a huge and transit-deprived swath of the Bronx. 500,000 residents live within just a mile of the four new Metro-North stations, and many more when you look at the entire service area. This project means dramatically shorter commutes and life-changing access to jobs, education, health care and everything else New York has to offer."

The infrastructure improvements along the Hell Gate Line will also improve service reliability and on-time performance for Amtrak, who is contributing $500 million toward the project, thanks to the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. Amtrak has also agreed to pay the costs of delay if they fail to meet commitments to provide outages or workforce. The total cost of the project is projected at $3.18 billion, following a Capital Plan amendment announced in July to include additional funding for expansion of the New Rochelle Yard.

Project Benefits

• Significantly cuts down travel time. East Bronx passengers traveling to Penn Station can save up to 50 minutes each way, and those traveling to Connecticut can save up to 75 minutes. As an example, from the proposed Co-Op City station to Penn Station it takes about 75 minutes to reach Penn Station, with completion of Penn Station Access, the travel time is expected to be only about 25 minutes. Current New Haven Line riders with destinations on the west side can save up to 40 minutes per day.
• Increase in reverse commuting opportunities. Reverse commuters will be able to more easily travel from Penn Station to Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, Co-op City, Westchester and southern Connecticut.
• Local economy benefits and improved sustainability. Improving access to the East Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut will benefit local educational campuses, medical institutions, and retail centers. By greatly reducing travel times, Penn Station Access will make public transit a viable, attractive travel alternative, encouraging drivers to switch to mass transit, reducing traffic congestion and emissions.
• Improved regional connections. With the additional options, Bronx residents and also those coming from the greater New York City area, Westchester, Connecticut, and the Northeast region, will be able to more easily reach destinations throughout the Northeast with connections to NJ Transit, LIRR, PATH, Amtrak, and NYCT subways.

Project Details

In addition to four new ADA stations, the project will turn the existing 2-track railroad into a largely 4-track railroad, with over 19 miles of new and rehabilitated track work. This expansion to a 4-track railroad will provide service flexibility to support the increase in Metro-North and Amtrak trains expected to operate through the area and allow for workarounds in the event of a service disruption.

The additional service necessitates an expansion of Metro-North's New Rochelle Yard in Westchester, along with modernization of signal, power and communication infrastructure. This will consist of four new interlockings, five new substations, reconfiguration of the Pelham Bay interlocking and upgrade of two existing substations.

The project also includes rehabilitation work to repair and strengthen the following four bridges to carry additional train traffic: Bronx River Bridge, Eastchester Road Bridge, Bronxdale Avenue Bridge and Pelham Lane Bridge.

Project Timeline

In September 2021, the Federal Transit Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, allowing the project to proceed. On December 29, 2021, the MTA awarded the Design-Build contract to the joint venture of HalmarInternational, LLC and RailWorks.

One of the first project elements to take place will be the construction of the Leggett interlocking, one of the four new interlockings. The Leggett interlocking will be located south of the proposed Hunts Point Station. Construction of actual passenger rail stations is expected to begin 2024. The anticipated completion date for the Penn Station Access Project is 2027.

Team AOC - Stand with NYT Guild workers

 

Fans of the New York Times end up accessing several of their products a day, from Wordle to podcasts, recipes and, of course, breaking news. But the New York Times Guild has announced a 24-hour walk out until 11:59pm TONIGHT, Thursday, December 8th, and we don’t cross picket lines — not even digital ones.

Newsroom employees and other Guild members — such as assistants, building security guards, ad sales workers, comment moderators, and virtual producers, among others — are striking in response to the protracted bargaining process that began in March 2021 when their last union contract expired. Management and Guild members have not come to an agreement after nearly 40 contract negotiation meetings, and yesterday the union announced today's one-day work stoppage via Twitter.¹

NYT Guild members, part of the NewsGuild of New York, are bargaining for better health and retirement benefits, clear remote-work policies, salary floors, and wage increases amidst rising inflation across the country.² The union has also asked for improvements to the rating system used by management to assess employee performance — which workers have pointed out tends to discriminate against Black and Latinx New York Times employees.³

A digital picket line is just as important as a physical one. Just as Team AOC has stood with workers at Hunts Point Produce Market, union railway workers, and baristas organizing for a better workplace at Starbucks, we’ll be avoiding all New York Times products until 11:59pm tonight to stand with NewsGuild workers in their fight to secure better working conditions — stand with us!

Labor solidarity is crucial to our movement. We wish the Guild workers luck with their negotiations!

In solidarity,

Team AOC

VCJC News & Notes 12/9/22

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Reminders Shabbos Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar. Here are the times you need:   Shabbos Candles Friday 12/9/22 @ 4:10 pm Shabbos morning services at 8:45 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely.  Shabbos Ends Saturday 12/10/22 @ 5:13 pm Kiddush given by Ceil & Larry Hartstein in honor of their grandson Marvin Ziggy.  He is the son of Brett Hartstein & Rachel Kohn.   Mazel Tov also to uncles, Matthew, Jeremy & aunt Dina. Board Meeting Tuesday 12/13

Attorney General James Announces Arrests in New York City Deed Theft Ring

 

Five Individuals Stole Homes Owned by Elderly and Vulnerable Residents in Southeast Queens

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment of five members of a deed theft ring for allegedly stealing three homes worth more than $1 million in total from elderly, vulnerable homeowners in the Queens neighborhoods of Jamaica and St. Albans. The defendants impersonated the real homeowners of these properties by using forged driver's licenses and social security cards. They then used that forged information at contract signings and closings on the properties and forged the real owners’ signatures on deeds and real estate contracts.

“No one should face the nightmare of having their home stolen from them without any warning, knowledge, or reason,” said Attorney General James. “Deed theft is a merciless crime that targets seniors, and often people of color, who are asset rich but cash poor, and reliant on their homes as a stabilizing force for their families and loved ones. My office will continue our work to combat deed theft until we can ensure no other New Yorker is forced to endure this heartbreaking, life-altering loss.”

“I thank Attorney General Letitia James as well as our agency and law enforcement partners for their diligent efforts on behalf of New Yorkers,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “Deed fraud is an increasingly pervasive crime that robs homeowners of their single most valuable asset. Though it is a growing challenge throughout Queens County, those who choose to victimize others for their own financial gain will be held to account in this borough.”

“Deed Fraud continues to be a priority of our office that victimizes the most vulnerable homeowners of New York City,” said New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda. “Perpetrators prey upon the elderly, the financially disadvantaged, and the medically infirmed through deception and a variety of nefarious schemes. The Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation will continue to coordinate our effort to protect homeowners and investigate these horrific thefts along with all of our law enforcement partners in the city. We commend the actions of the New York Attorney General’s Office Real Estate Enforcement Unit for their investigation which resulted in today’s arrests and thank them for their continued efforts in this area.”

The five individuals indicted are:

•    Marcus Wilcher, 47
•    Stacie Saunders, 51
•    Anyekache Hercules, 47
•    Jerry Currin, 66
•    Dean Lloyd, 61

Beginning in September 2019, Wilcher located homes in Jamaica and St. Albans, Queens in poor or run-down condition with absentee owners. Saunders then marketed the homes to investors at prices significantly below market rate for quick sales. After an investor expressed interest in purchasing a home, Wilcher would secure personal information about the real owners, including social security numbers and birth dates, to create falsified drivers’ licenses, social security cards, and bank cards. Wilcher and Saunders then found people to impersonate the true owners of the properties at contract signings and closings.

Hercules created certain forged legal documents used in the theft of the homes. As she was disbarred and could not practice law in New York, Hercules fraudulently used a practicing attorney’s email and name on legal correspondence. Lloyd or one of three other individuals that have yet to be apprehended would appear at the closings with forged deeds and contracts. Currin appeared at the closing on his family home with an individual who pretended to be his sister, the executor of the family estate. This person has not yet been apprehended. Currin also submitted a false affidavit in support of a second estate sale for a different stolen property, written as a long-time family friend.

After the sales were finalized, the defendants opened bank accounts in the names of the homes’ real owners using the impostor sellers’ forged drivers’ licenses and social security cards. He and his co-conspirators then used these bank accounts and other entities and LLCs they controlled to funnel more than $1 million in proceeds to themselves.

The stolen properties are:

•   161-14 121 Avenue, Queens, New York
•   112-39 176 Street, Queens, New York
•   168-11 119 Avenue, Queens, New York

Saunders, Hercules, and Currin were arraigned yesterday before Supreme Court Judge Evelyn Braun in Queens County. The defendants, as detailed in the indictment, have been charged with the following crimes: Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony; Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony; Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class D felony; Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony; Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony; Practice of Law by an Attorney Who Has Been Disbarred, Suspended or Convicted of a Felony, a class E felony; Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony; Forgery in the Second Degree, a class E felony; Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class E felony; and Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor. The maximum sentence on the top count is 15 years.

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

While three members of the deed theft ring have been arraigned, another five remain at large: Wilcher, Lloyd, and three individuals that have yet to be identified. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is now seeking the public’s help in bringing them to justice.

The above three individuals impersonated homeowners and have yet to be found. Images have been taken from falsified identification cards.

The OAG encourages anyone familiar with one or more of the co-conspirators at-large to contact OAG’s Public Integrity Bureau confidentially by calling (212) 416-8090 or emailing public.integrity@ag.ny.gov.

The OAG thanks the New York Department of State for the criminal referral and its assistance with this investigation and prosecution. The OAG also thanks the New York City Department of Finance for its help. The OAG also thanks the Yeadon Pennsylvania Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, and the New York City Police Department. 

“Deed theft is a shocking and highly lucrative criminal scheme that preys on some of New York’s most vulnerable communities,” said K. Scott Kohanowski, Director of Homeowner Stability Project, City Bar Justice Center. “It can have a devastating effect on New Yorkers resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars, often of inter-generational family wealth in a way that worsens the racial wealth gap. We applaud the Attorney General’s efforts to hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable and put their like-minded copycats on notice.”

Former Government Official Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Defraud Government Program For Disadvantaged Small Business Owners

 

 The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on December 8, 2022, James A. Coccagna, age 67, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson to a criminal information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit violations of the Major Fraud Act.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between 2003 and 2014, Coccagna, then Chief of the Engineering and Planning Division in the Directorate of Public Works at Letterkenny Army Depot, in Chambersburg, worked with a number of unnamed coconspirators to defeat the rules and purpose of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program. Coccagna admitted to steering federal government contracts to certain participants in the 8(a) Program, knowing that those companies and their existing employees, if any, were not playing any meaningful role in performing contracts awarded to them.

The 8(a) Program requires socially and economically disadvantaged individuals to exercise unconditional control over their own companies. It also requires these companies to commit to performing at least 15% of the cost of any contract with their own employees. When companies meet these criteria, they can enter the 8(a) Program for a period of up to nine years and then bid on contracts reserved for companies in the 8(a) Program. These reserved contracting opportunities are often referred to as “set-aside” contracts.

Coccagna admitted to conspiring with three individuals who worked in the field of construction—known in the information as coconspirator 1, coconspirator 2, and coconspirator 3—to get set-aside contracts at Letterkenny awarded to a series of 8(a) Program participants controlled by the three unnamed individuals. These 8(a) Program participants included a company known as 8(A) company 1, which was affiliated with another unnamed individual known as coconspirator 4 in the information.

Starting around 2007, Coccagna and coconspirators 1, 2, 3, and 4 began conspiring to obtain 8(a) Program set-aside construction contracts at Letterkenny Army Depot, a facility under the command structure of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. Coccagna recommended that the Letterkenny contracting office select 8(A) company 1 for a series of contracts because he knew of 8(a) company 1’s affiliation with coconspirator 1, coconspirator 2, and coconspirator 3. Coccagna made similar recommendations for several other 8(a) Program participants, likewise on the basis of their affiliation with coconspirator 1, coconspirator 2, and coconspirator 3.

In order to make it appear falsely that 8(A) company 1 was meeting the 15% self-performance requirement, coconspirators 1, 2, 3, and 4 moved actual laborers who were on site at Letterkenny Army Depot onto the 8(A) company 1 payroll. This same practice was also carried out with the other unnamed 8(a) Program participants dating back to 2003. Coccagna was aware of this practice and, more generally, was aware that coconspirator 4 and her existing employees, if any, were not performing on-site work. Furthermore, coconspirator 4 was rarely, if ever, present at Letterkenny Army Depot following an initial meeting with Coccagna and the other unnamed conspirators in 2007.

For several years starting around 2007, coconspirators 1, 2, and 3 were simultaneously affiliated with both 8(A) company 1 and one of the other 8(a) Program companies. Their representations about which company they were affiliated with depended on which contract a job fell under. From Coccagna’s perspective, however, the day-to-day performance of the work was unaffected by which company’s name coconspirators 1, 2, and 3 were operating under.

Coccagna also admitted that coconspirator 1 solicited, and Coccagna unlawfully provided to coconspirator 1, confidential information in order to help coconspirators 1, 2, 3, and 4 win a $60 million construction contract in 2009.

The total value of the contracts associated with this conspiracy exceeded $100 million. Coccagna understood that there was a financial benefit to the individuals who were, on paper, the heads of the various 8(a) Program participants to which he steered maintenance and construction contracts, such as coconspirator 4.  

The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

New York Man Convicted Of Robbery And Firearms Offenses In Connection With 14 Armed Robberies

 

Justin Hampton Robbed 14 Stores in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens Over Three-Week Span

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict yesterday against JUSTIN HAMPTON on robbery, armed robbery, and firearms counts.  HAMPTON is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2023, by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Justin Hampton terrorized hardworking New Yorkers with his three-week spree of gunpoint robberies, brandishing a loaded firearm and stealing cash, lottery tickets, and cigarettes.  A jury has now found Hampton guilty, and he faces prison time for his crimes.”

According to the superseding Indictment and the evidence at trial:

Between October 18, 2021, and November 10, 2021, HAMPTON and co-conspirators committed 14 robberies of dollar stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants. HAMPTON operated as the gunman for the robbery crew.  He entered each of the commercial establishments late at night or early in the morning, brandished a firearm at employees, and demanded cash, large volumes of lottery tickets, and cigarettes.  HAMPTON and his co-conspirators typically fled the scene in HAMPTON’s car and, on multiple occasions, cashed stolen lottery tickets to obtain lottery winnings shortly after the robberies.

After HAMPTON and his crew committed 12 robberies, law enforcement seized HAMPTON’s car and later recovered a gun hidden in the car’s ceiling.  Despite the seizure of his car and gun, HAMPTON went on to commit two additional robberies using a motorized scooter and a pellet gun that resembled a real gun. 

HAMPTON, 34, of New York, was convicted on one count of robbery conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; two counts of robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Joint Robbery Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the New York City Police Department.

Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation into Civilian Death in the Bronx

 

 The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of Daniel Rivera, who died on December 5, 2022, following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on December 4, 2022.

In the early morning hours of December 4, NYPD officers encountered Mr. Rivera near 161st Street and Summit Avenue in the Bronx. Mr. Rivera allegedly held a gun. Five officers discharged their weapons, and other officers were nearby. A total of 29 shots were fired. Mr. Rivera was then taken to a local hospital, where he died the following day. The NYPD recovered two guns at the scene.

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 caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change. 

Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Improve Safety Standards for Electric Space Heaters

 

Legislation (S.7863A/A.9181B) Requires Electric Space Heaters to Have Thermostats, Automatic Shut-Offs, and Additional Testing and Certification

Improves Safety Standards for Electric Space Heaters After Heater Sparked Deadly Bronx Twin Parks Fire

 Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation (S.7863A/A.9181B) to require electric space heaters to have thermostats, automatic shut-offs, and be certified by a testing and certification body recognized and approved by the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This measure comes less than a year after the tragic fire in the Twin Parks apartments claimed 19 lives. The bill is intended to prevent any more senseless deaths and injuries as New Yorkers heat their homes this winter.  

"After flames engulfed the Twin Parks apartments last year, we worked to help impacted families recover and vowed to never forget the tragedy and to protect New Yorkers," Governor Hochul said. "As the weather gets colder once again and we crank up the heat in our homes, this legislation will help prevent future disasters and keep New Yorkers safe as we ensure higher safety standards for all electric space heaters sold in our state."   

Legislation (S.7863A/A.9181B) amends the general business law to prohibit any retailer of electric space heaters from selling them in New York State without a thermostat, automatic shut off, and certification by a testing and certification body recognized and approved the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.