Bronx Tax Preparer Sentenced To More Than 7 Years In Prison For Stealing Millions Of Dollars From The U.S. Treasury Using Fraudulent Tax Returns

Flor Soto Oversaw Massive Identity Theft Ring That Filed False Tax Returns Under Names Of Identity Theft Victims, Earning Over $24 Million

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Kathy A. Enstrom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (“IRS-CI”), announced that FLOR SOTO, an associate of K&S Tax Solution, Inc. (“K&S”), was sentenced today to 87 months in prison by the United States District Judge Kimba M. Wood. Soto had previously pled guilty to theft of public funds in connection with her participation in a lucrative scheme to file fraudulent and false tax returns, so as to receive tax refunds in the form of checks and wire transfers. Together with others at K&S, SOTO successfully stole over $24 million in tax refunds by submitting false tax returns using stolen identities, most of which had been stolen from residents of Puerto Rico. To date, 14 employees and associates of K&S, in addition to SOTO, have been convicted in connection with this scheme.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Flor Soto and her co-defendants stole an astounding $24 million in tax refunds from the U.S. Treasury, using stolen identities to file false tax returns. Thanks to the hard work of the investigators at the IRS-CI and the prosecutors in this Office, 14 defendants charged with this audacious scheme have been held to account.”

IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Kathy A. Enstrom said: “Stealing identities and filing false tax returns is a serious crime that hurts innocent taxpayers as well as defrauding the government and the American taxpayers. Individuals like Flor Soto who commit identity theft and refund fraud of this magnitude will be held accountable and deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the Superseding Indictment, other documents filed in Manhattan federal court, statements made at sentencing and related court proceedings, and as established at the trial of SOTO’s co-conspirator Eliana Sarmiento, who was convicted on September 23, 2016:

Between 2008 and February 2013, SOTO and others at K&S perpetuated a large-scale fraud upon the IRS and the United States Treasury, through the filing of fraudulent and false tax returns, so as to receive tax refunds in the form of checks and wire transfers. Certain employees and associates of K&S obtained electronic filing identification numbers, or EFINs, for the purpose of filing hundreds of electronic tax returns. Those EFINs were obtained under the names and Social Security Numbers (“SSNs”) of the victims of the defendants’ identity theft scheme. SOTO and her co-conspirators used those EFINs to file tax returns bearing the names and SSNs of still more victims of identity theft. Finally, SOTO and employees of K&S used the stolen identities of children as false “dependents” on the tax returns of certain clients of K&S. SOTO acted as a recruiter of other scheme participants and a primary source of stolen identities.

In these ways, SOTO and others at K&S obtained millions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury. To date, and based on a subset of EFINs associated with SOTO and her co-conspirators at K&S, the IRS has identified $281,348,627 in attempted fraudulent returns.

In addition to the prison sentence, SOTO, 53, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Judge Wood also ordered SOTO to forfeit $24,719,724 in ill-gotten gains.

Mr. Bharara praised the IRS-CI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Bharara also expressed his appreciation to the United States Secret Service for its assistance in the investigation.

A.G. Schneiderman Investigation Results In Return Of $22.5 Million In Fees Overcharged To 47,000 Citi Customers

Resolution of Schneiderman’s Investigation Means Citi Agrees To Fully Reimburse All Overcharged Customers, With Interest, And Pay $1 Million Penalty To NY State

Schneiderman: Citi’s Cooperation With Our Investigation, Including Identifying And Repaying Overcharged Customers With Interest, Sets An Example For Financial Institutions

   Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the resolution of a four-year investigation of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (CGMI), a subsidiary of Citigroup, that revealed that CGMI had overcharged over 47,000 of its customers more than $22.5 million in fees.  After the Attorney General’s Office launched its investigation, CGMI revised its policies and procedures to address the fee overcharge issues uncovered in the investigation, and as a part of the agreement announced today, CGMI admits the findings of Attorney General Schneiderman’s investigation. 

In cooperation with the Attorney General’s investigation, in October 2014 CGMI began reimbursing its customers in full with interest, for the overcharged fees.  The agreement announced today also requires CGMI to report fee overcharge issues to the New York Attorney General’s office for the next three years and to pay a penalty of $1 million to the State of New York. 

“Our investigation put $22.5 million rightfully back in the hands of customers in New York and across the country,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “We appreciate Citi’s cooperation with our investigation and its commitment to ensuring investors are paid back what they are owed – which sets an example for other financial institutions.”

The fee overcharges at issue in the investigation arose (1) when CGMI overcharged some of its customers more than the fees they had negotiated on their managed investment accounts, and (2) when CGMI overcharged customers by failing to rebate certain customers’ accounts after periods of inactivity when fees should not have been charged but were charged.  CGMI identified these overcharges as part of an internal review conducted in cooperation with the Attorney General’s investigation.

The Attorney General’s investigation of CGMI began in 2012 after a complaint from a Westchester resident led the Attorney General’s Office to investigate fee overcharge issues at CGMI. The investigation proceeded with CGMI’s cooperation, and will result in the repayment of more than $22.5 million in principal and interest for fees CGMI overcharged to more than 47,000 of its customers. The Attorney General oversaw CGMI’s review and remediation efforts.  As part of the agreement resolving the investigation, CGMI will provide the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York Attorney General’s Office, on a quarterly basis for the next three years, a detailed written report on overcharge errors that CGMI discovers in its United States-based advisory business.

As a result of the Attorney General’s investigation, CGMI initially identified more than 31,000 customers who were charged higher advisory fees than they negotiated on so-called “TRAK” accounts.  Customers with TRAK accounts typically pay a fee for advisory services ranging from 1% to 1.5%.  However, the fees were negotiable, and many customers were able to obtain a lower fee than the standard rate.  An inquiry into that process, though, determined that many customers were unaware that they were being charged higher-than-negotiated rates.  In an October 22, 2014 interim agreement between CGMI and the Attorney General, CGMI agreed to begin reimbursing its customers for those overcharges while the Attorney General’s Office continued to investigate.  CGMI overcharged the more than 31,000 TRAK customers a total of close to $17 million in principal and interest, which CGMI has now substantially repaid to affected customers.

As a part of the October 22, 2014 interim agreement, CGMI also agreed to continue to cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation and to conduct a wider review of other types of CGMI investment accounts to ensure that other account holders who were overcharged fees would also be paid restitution.  As part of CGMI’s wider review, CGMI discovered it also overcharged another 948 non-TRAK accounts for similar issues and repaid affected customers more than $1 million in principal and interest.

Citi’s continued cooperation and its wider review of customer accounts also identified more than 15,000 additional Citi customer accounts that were overcharged fees during frozen periods—that is, when a CGMI customer’s account was frozen during a period of inactivity.  CGMI’s review revealed that thousands of customers who were overcharged fees during frozen periods were not allocated rebates they should have received, either because they did not request a rebate or because CGMI did not have policies and procedures in place to determine when rebates were appropriate.  As a result of the Attorney General’s investigation, CGMI will repay more than 15,000 customers for the frozen account fee overcharges a total of more than $4.6 million in principal and interest.

A copy of the agreement with CGMI can be found here.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces 89-Count Indictment Charging 10 Individuals With Involvement In A Heroin Trafficking Ring Throughout New York City

  Investigation Seized Over 600 Glassines Of Controlled Substances, Including Heroin Laced With Animal Tranquilizer

Schneiderman: Dangerous Drug Trafficking Rings Like What We Have Allegedly Uncovered During Operation Times Up Threaten The Safety And Stability Of Our Communities

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill announced the indictment of 10 individuals for their alleged involvement in a heroin distribution ring operating in Kings County, Queens County, and surrounding areas in New York State. The network allegedly illegally trafficked heroin which was cut with ketamine – an animal tranquilizer—as well as cocaine, on a daily basis to various parts of New York City.

Over the course of the investigation, which was led by the Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the New York City Police Department’s Brooklyn North Gang Squad, authorities seized over 600 glassines of controlled substances, including heroin and ketamine. Dubbed “Operation Times Up” after investigators seized glassines containing heroin and ketamine which were proprietarily branded with the stamp “Times Up.” These stamps, according to investigators, were Christopher Quinones’ calling card, who was the leader of the multi-county heroin trafficking ring. The branding signaled to buyers that these drugs came from him. Wiretaps caught the defendants discussing their drug transactions in a cryptic and coded manner in the hope of avoiding detection by law enforcement, referring to heroin as donuts and cocaine as cookies. 

“Dangerous drug trafficking rings like what we have allegedly uncovered during Operation Times Up threaten the safety and stability of our communities. We won’t hesitate to crackdown and prosecute drug kingpins to the fullest extent of the law when they fuel the vicious cycle of addiction across New York State,” said Attorney General Schneiderman.

“Heroin is killing Americans at an alarming rate. The ten arrests made this morning on heroin-related charges in New York City is the precision policing that saves lives,” said NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill.  “I want to thank the NYPD detectives and the investigators from the Attorney General’s Office for their work that led to today’s arrests.”

The 89 count indictment, unsealed today in court, charged three individuals, Raphael Rodriguez, Saul Drullard, and Melvin Nieves, with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II Felony, which carries a mandatory sentencing range of three to ten years determinate in state prison.  Additionally, all defendants were charged with counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, class B felonies, which carries a mandatory sentencing range of one to nine years determinate in state prison, and with conspiracy in the Second Degree, also a class B felony. The central target in this conspiracy, Christopher Quinones, is facing 40 separate charges for Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance charges.

This narcotics ring included 10 people charged with Conspiracy to commit Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree: 

• Christopher Quinones, of Brooklyn, New York
• Melvin Nieves, of Staten Island, New York
• Raphael Rodriguez, of Queens, New York
• Pablo Rodriguez, of Queens, New York
• Walter Quinones, of Brooklyn, New York
• Jose Perez, of Brooklyn, New York
• Johnny Gonzalez, of Brooklyn, New York
• Victor Beltran, of Brooklyn, New York
• Saul Drullard, of Queens, New York
• Brian Estevez, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The investigation was conducted by OCTF Investigator Kyle Vitale-O’Sullivan, Supervising Investigator Brad Miller, Deputy Chief Investigator Christopher Vasta, together with NYPD Detective Michael Scoloveno, Sergeant Ryan Gillis, and members of the Brooklyn North Gang Squad unit, under the supervision of Captain Craig Edelman. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Dominick Zarrella.

The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Caitlin Carroll. Deputy Attorney General Peri Alyse Kadanoff runs the Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force.

The charges against the defendants are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Statement From A.G. Schneiderman On Volkswagen, and on Fiat Chrysler

 Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released the following statement regarding the settlement announced today between Volkswagen and the federal government. Last year, Attorney General Schneiderman announced a lawsuit against Volkswagen for selling cars equipped with illegal emissions control cheat devices and violating state environmental laws; that lawsuit is still pending.

“As described in our complaint, Volkswagen demonstrated a total disregard for the law and for the protection of public health and the environment.

“I am pleased that the company is finally admitting its wrongdoing and taking responsibility for its actions. But it must also take responsibility for the damage done to the environment in states across the country.”

 Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued the following statement on Fiat Chrysler:

“I am deeply troubled by evidence presented by the EPA today concerning Fiat Chrysler’s alleged attempts to undermine our nation’s clean air laws.  My office was proud to take a leading role in the multi-state investigation of Volkswagen that uncovered flagrant abuses of New York’s environmental laws and, in the case of VW, a culture of corruption that enabled blatantly illegal conduct to persist over many years. My office will not tolerate attempts by any company to evade our environmental laws and pollute the air we breathe. As such, my office will investigate the claims against Fiat Chrysler and stands ready to work with our state and federal partners to ensure that any violations are pursued to fullest extent of the law.”

EX-NYPD LIEUTENANT PLEADS GUILTY TO OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT; 42nd PRECINCT INTEGRITY CONTROL OFFICER STOLE TIME FROM NYPD

   Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a former New York City Police Department lieutenant has pleaded guilty to Official Misconduct and agreed to repay compensation he received for claiming salary and overtime at his Bronx precinct when he was actually working a private detail at Yankee Stadium. 

    District Attorney Clark said, “What makes this crime by a police officer even worse is that the defendant served as his precinct’s Integrity Control Officer, who is supposed to root out corruption-prone officers. He has resigned from his job and will pay restitution of the few thousand dollars that was hardly worth disgracing his uniform.” 

   District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Archie Van Putten, 47, who was an NYPD lieutenant assigned to the 42nd Precinct in Morrisania, pleaded guilty today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Marc Whiten to Official Misconduct, an A misdemeanor. Van Putten has agreed to repay $3,453.62 in restitution. 

   District Attorney Clark said that, according to the investigation by the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, on at least 20 occasions from 2014 to 2016, Van Putten reported to the 42nd Precinct for work, but instead of completing an 8-hour shift, he would leave early and work for a private vendor, the Yankee Stadium Paid Detail. Three times, Van Putten also reported working overtime, when he was in fact working for a private vendor. 

   The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ann Lee and Allison Riesel of the Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Omer Wiczyk, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, and Wanda Perez-Maldonado, Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, and the overall supervision of Stuart Levy, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division and Jean T. Walsh, Chief of the Investigations Division.

NYPD OFFICER CHARGED WITH DRIVING PATROL CAR WHILE INTOXICATED ON DUTY

Defendant Responded to Radio Call While Allegedly Under the Influence 

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that an NYPD police officer has been indicted for Official Misconduct and driving while intoxicated while he was on duty and responding to a police call in the 52nd Precinct. 

  District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant was allegedly intoxicated while driving a patrol car to and from the scene of a complaint. Such irresponsible behavior is dangerous to the community he swore to protect, and will not be tolerated.” 

  District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Richard Evans, 44, a police officer for 15 years, was indicted on Official Misconduct and four counts of Operating a Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol. He was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett and released. He is due back in court on March 7, 2017. Evans faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted on the top charge.  

  According to the investigation, on December 8, 2016, during his midnight shift, Evans and his partner responded to a noise complaint on Webster Avenue near East 203rd Street. An individual at the scene called 911 to report that Evans appeared to be drunk, and Evans was observed slurring his words on video taken by another civilian at the scene. He drove back to the stationhouse, where two NYPD Sergeants and a Captain found him unfit to perform his duties. 

  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Stephen Knoepfler and Brian Connor of the Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Omer Wiczyk, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, and Wanda Perez-Maldonado, Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, under the overall supervision of Stuart Levy, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division and Jean T. Walsh, Chief of the Investigations Division. 

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES MAJOR PROGRESS HELPING NEW YORKERS AFFORD THEIR HOMES AND NEIGHBORHOODS

Three years into Mayor’s housing plan: 41,600 families see rent-protected and needed repairs, 20,800 new affordable homes coming online for New Yorkers to rent

Affordable housing in 2016 hits 25-year high

   Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that his Administration financed more affordable housing in 2016 than in any time in the past 25 years. Three years in, his team has extended affordability for decades to come at 41,600 homes and spurred construction of 20,800 new affordable apartments.

  

There are apartments to serve everyone from seniors on fixed incomes, to formerly homeless families, to the nurses, teachers and first responders that make New York City run, and rents are generally set at about one-third of the income of incoming tenants.

Apply for affordable housing at nyc.gov/housingconnect or by calling 311.

The housing plan’s impact will be felt in more and more communities this year as the newly-built affordable homes that got underway just after Mayor de Blasio took office finish construction and begin renting to New Yorkers, and as the City’s targeted preservation programs lock-in affordable homes in neighborhoods facing gentrification.

“If you are worried about paying your rent, we are fighting for you every day. No matter how much it changes, this is still your city. It must be a place for everyone, or it won’t work for anyone. That’s why we are building and protecting the most affordable housing in a generation,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“This is about saving a mixed-income New York, and so we've held nothing back. We doubled the housing capital budget. We rewrote every term sheet to get more for the public in every housing project. We passed the biggest overhaul of City zoning in fifty years. And it is making a difference. Not since Ed Koch has this city built and protected as much affordable housing as we did in 2016. As we protect more buildings and our newly built apartments rent up, New Yorkers are going to see and feel a difference in their neighborhoods," said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen.

The mayor stood with residents of at Monsignor Alexius Jarka Hall on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, where a $19-million preservation project will keep all 63 senior apartments affordable for another 35 years, as well as repair the building’s roof, exterior, plumbing and electrical system, and renovate each apartment’s kitchen. This work is typical in preservation agreements the City secures with building owners who agree to keep their property affordable. While rents for a one-bedroom apartment Williamsburg average $3,000 per month, no unit at Jarka Hall charges more than $1,000.

“It is good to know that in this crisis of affordability, there are political leaders who are willing to step forward to protect low-income housing in our communities, particularly that of some of our most vulnerable residents. The People’s Firehouse, Inc., and our sister organizations in the Mobilization Against Displacement, are working to retain the diversity and vitality of our North Brooklyn neighborhoods, while supporting housing policies which address changing demographics and expanding the range of those we serve,” Daniel Rivera, Executive Director, The People’s Firehouse, Inc., which owns the residence said.

With a combined total of 62,506 homes financed since 2014, Mayor de Blasio’s housing plan will reach the goal of building and preserving 200,000 units on time.

“Affordable housing is the bedrock of New York City’s diversity. Three years in, we are delivering results on record scale to ensure New Yorkers at every income can find or stay in housing they can afford, in the neighborhoods they love. Each of the 62,000 affordable homes we’ve financed represents an opportunity: for working families, the homeless, and the lowest income New Yorkers – all of whom have been hit by rising rents,” said HPD Commissioner Vicki Been. “This is a massive enterprise, involving not just an unparalleled investment of resources, but the creative thinking and commitment of the entire HPD team and our partners at all levels of government and across the affordable housing community, working together to shape a stronger, more inclusive City for generations to come.”

New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) President Eric Enderlin said, “HDC applauds our many partners across government, private, and non-profit sectors who are dedicated to bringing the Mayor’s vision for a more equitable New York to reality. Creating and preserving more than 60,000 affordable homes since the inception of Housing New York is a great accomplishment, and certainly no easy task. This took a truly collaborative effort that has leveraged financing programs as diverse as the neighborhoods we serve to affect positive transformation and increased economic growth for our communities. I thank Mayor de Blasio for his leadership and dedication to improving the lives of all New Yorkers and look forward to even greater success in the coming years as we continue to work together to fulfill the goals of the Housing New York plan.”

New units financed under the Housing New York Plan are already starting to be available to come on line and families are starting to move into those homes. Nearly 10,000 newly constructed affordable homes have been made available to families in New York City since 2014 and the City estimates that another 3,500 new City-financed homes will be ready for families to move into in 2017.

In 2016, the City financed 21,963 homes: 6,844 newly constructed apartments and 15,119 preserved homes, representing a direct investment of $990 million by the City of New York, which leveraged more than $1.4 billion in bonds issued by the Housing Development Corporation, including $1.2 billion in Sustainable Neighborhood Bonds – the first social impact investment bond of its kind in the United States.

To meet the goals of Housing New York, the Mayor doubled the capital funding for HPD, and, most recently, in the ten-year capital plan included nearly $7.5 billion for affordable housing, and more than $1 billion in funding for the parks, libraries, road construction and other infrastructure necessary to support neighborhood growth and new housing opportunities.

Progress in 2016:

More senior housing: New programs, including the Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program have resulted in the new construction and preservation of 1,166 affordable apartments for a growing senior population, who too are often living on fixed incomes. This brings the total number of senior affordable apartments financed to date to more than 4,000. Significantly, the passage of Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) will allow for more and a broader range of senior affordable housing.

More apartments for the very lowest-income families: The federal government has historically provided housing support to the poorest households, while the City supported low-income working households. With Washington cutting back, the de Blasio Administration has stepped in with a new Extremely Low and Low Income Affordability (ELLA) program. In 2016, 19 percent of the homes financed were for New Yorkers making less than $19,050, or $24,500 for a family of three. Approximately 4,200 homes for extremely-low income families were financed last year, bringing the three-year total to 8,877.

New Rules for growth: Implemented the strongest Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program in the nation that requires developers to create permanently affordable housing as a condition of development in areas rezoned for growth. MIH is responsible for over 4,500 affordable housing units, 1,500 of which will be permanently affordable.

Stable housing for the formerly homeless: Through a coordinated, multi-agency strategy to help stem the homelessness crisis and return families to stable housing, the City financed 2,546 apartments for the formerly homeless in 2016, bringing the HNY total to 5,160.

Easier Access: Introduced new affordable housing lottery rules to make it simpler and fairer to apply. The changes prohibit owners from rejecting an applicant solely on the basis of credit history or housing court history; promote a streamlined interview process to reduce applicant no-shows; offer greater language access and accessibility for people with disabilities at all stages of the application process; consistency in how developers and marketing agents communicate with applicants; increased privacy protections; and increased transparency of the appeal process.

Construction Type	CY 2016 Starts	HNY Starts to Date
New Construction	6844	20854
Preservation	15119	41652
Total Plan To Date	21963	62506

Click here for full housing production fact sheet.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES NEW CENTER FOR FAITH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

   Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the creation of the Center for Faith and Community Partnerships to transform the way in which faith organizations and other community organizations access City services. The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships will serve as a direct line to City Hall, connecting local and citywide coalitions of leaders to services that increase equity and inspire civic engagement throughout our neighborhoods.

“Many New Yorkers flock to their faith and community leaders in search of guidance and comfort in times of need, not knowing where to access City programs and services that can help them,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The new Center for Faith and Community Partnerships will bridge this gap and support the valuable work our leaders already do.” 

The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships will be housed within the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit and led by Jonathan Soto. The office will hire new staff members, including borough coordinators.   

“In the past three years, the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit has worked to connect everyday New Yorkers to City initiatives aimed to address affordable housing, public safety and other quality of life issues,” said Marco Carrión, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit. “A one-stop-shop for resources, information and other supports is needed and I am happy to welcome the Center for Faith and Community partnerships to our office’s strategic outreach and engagement efforts.” 

"Since its inception, the Mayor's Clergy Advisory Council has catalyzed key partnerships between citywide and neighborhood-based community leaders, leading to initiatives that have improved the lives of many New Yorkers," said Jonathan Soto, Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Community Partnerships."The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships will broaden the impact of City Hall's existing initiatives, and we look forward to bringing all New Yorkers into this important work."

“It is with great enthusiasm that I applaud Mayor de Blasio's latest initiative to connect New Yorkers to resources that exist within City government. The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships will creatively engage and partner with the City's faith and community leaders to deliver these much needed resources,” said Reverend Michael A. Walrond Jr., Senior Pastor at First Corinthian Baptist and Chair of the Mayor's Clergy Advisory Council.

"As we address the city's critical need for affordable housing, it is imperative that we seize every opportunity to press land into service for affordable homes," said Vicki Been, Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.  "That is why HPD has been working closely with the Mayor’s Clergy Advisory Council and the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit to let faith-based institutions and other mission-driven organizations know about opportunities for the preservation and development of affordable housing, and work with them to provide their communities with tenant protection resources. We look forward to working with the Center for Faith and Community Partnerships to support the many faith and community based organizations with underused land that could help meet the need for quality, safe, affordable housing."

“Community and faith-organizations already help us to reach and serve New Yorkers from all walks of life,” said Michael Owh, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. “The new center will increase our capacity to find new partners and develop relevant programs to meet the needs of our diverse residents.”

"Supporting our faith and community leaders by better connecting them to City services is critical to ensuring neighborhoods across the city are plugged into those resources," said NYC Chief Service Officer Paula Gavin. "NYC Service is excited to support this effort to help catalyze civic engagement and we thank the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit for their leadership."