Recidivist Sex Offender Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Attempted Enticement Of 12-Year-Old And 9-Year-Old Girls And Attempted Receipt Of Child Pornography

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEVE ROSADO, a registered sex offender, was sentenced today by the Honorable Jed S. Rakoff to 20 years in prison for attempting to entice two minor girls to engage in illegal sexual activity, and for attempting to receive child pornography after having been previously convicted of sex offenses involving minors.  ROSADO was arrested in December 2020 and pled guilty to the charges in November 2021.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Steve Rosado tried to – and in some cases, did – prey on the most defenseless members of our community.  He attempted to engage in repeated sexual activity with multiple children, some of whom he believed to be as young as 9 years old, even after having been twice before convicted of sex offenses and required to register as a sex offender.  Crimes like this can have devastating and lasting effects on minor victims, and I once again thank the FBI and the NYPD for their work in investigating and arresting Rosado before he could harm any others.”

According to public court filings:

On November 29, 2020, an undercover FBI agent (the “UC”), posing as the mother of a 12-year-old girl and a 9-year-old girl, initiated a series of conversations with ROSADO, then 41 years old, via an online messaging service.  The UC and ROSADO later exchanged telephone numbers, and they proceeded to communicate over the next week via the online messaging service, text message, and lengthy telephone conversations that were recorded by the UC.

In hundreds of text messages, and hours of calls, ROSADO repeatedly expressed, in graphic and unambiguous terms, his desire to engage in repeated sexual activity with both children – including both oral and vaginal sex – as part of their “new routine together.”  To help alleviate any concerns the UC might have regarding ROSADO having sexual relations with her young children, ROSADO provided the UC with his recent test results for COVID-19 and HIV, and he discussed what he and the UC could do if he were to impregnate one of the children.

The UC and ROSADO arranged to meet at a bar in Manhattan on the evening of December 7, 2020, with the understanding that they would return to the UC’s apartment afterward and ROSADO would then engage in sexual activity with the children.  On the evening in question, ROSADO met the UC at the agreed-upon location.  After the two of them left the bar and began walking toward the UC’s purported apartment, law enforcement arrested ROSADO.  ROSADO was at the time in possession of gifts for the children – including dolls and a stuffed animal – and an overnight bag containing, among other things, lubricant.

That same day, law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices belonging to ROSADO.  Subsequent searches of those devices by law enforcement, pursuant to search warrants, revealed that ROSADO had for weeks been communicating online with several other individuals who purported to be minors – some purporting to be as young as 13 years old – in an ongoing effort not only to receive child pornography, but also to persuade the young victims to move to New York to live with him, so that he could engage in sexual activity with them, impregnate them, and eventually engage in sexual activity with their future children.  ROSADO’s electronic devices further revealed that during this same period, ROSADO was engaged in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female victim.

At the time he committed the aforementioned offenses, ROSADO was a registered sex offender, having twice before been convicted of sex offenses involving minors.  In 2004, ROSADO was convicted of possessing a sexual performance by a child, in violation of New York State Penal Law § 263.16; and in 2005, ROSADO was convicted of four counts of rape in the second degree, in violation of New York State Penal Law § 130.30(1), four counts of rape in the third degree, in violation of New York State Penal Law § 130.25(2), and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, in violation of New York State Penal Law § 260.10(1).  The 2004 conviction arose out of ROSADO’s stalking and attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old female victim he met online, and the 2005 conviction arose out of ROSADO’s having had sexual intercourse approximately 24 times with a 14-year-old female victim.  As a result of his prior convictions, ROSADO was incarcerated from December 2005 to October 2013.

In addition to his prison term, ROSADO, 42, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to lifetime supervised release.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI-NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

MAYOR ADAMS RECOGNIZES NYC SERVICE VOLUNTEERS FOR WORK THROUGHOUT COVID-19 PANDEMIC

 

Ceremony Honors Volunteers and Local Organizations That Went Above Call of Duty in 2021

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams today marked the end of National Volunteer Month by honoring volunteers through the “2022 Mayoral Service Recognition Program: Building Together for Tomorrow” for work done to help New Yorkers recover from the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year. At a virtual ceremony organized by NYC Service, Mayor Adams recognized volunteer and civic engagement efforts led by community-based organizations, businesses, and residents that have uplifted communities and fueled the city’s recovery.

 

“Service is what makes New York the city that it is, and, throughout the past two years, service has mattered more than ever,” said Mayor Adams. “Service has made our communities stronger and played a vital role in helping our city respond to and recover from the pandemic, and I want to thank every New Yorker who has served our city and helped their neighbors. And I know that by continuing to serve, we will move forward and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New York.”

 

“New York City overcame the darkest days of the pandemic because of the selfless work of everyday volunteers,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Sheena Wright. “When COVID-19 tried to tear us apart, volunteers kept us and our city together. Thank you to the brave volunteers who answered the call for the betterment of our city.”

 

“Service is central to what it means to be a New Yorker,” said New York City Chief Service Officer Laura Rog. “As we have seen in the last year, the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and over 3,000 AmeriCorps members serving in New York City made a critical impact on the city’s recovery efforts. We thank them for their time and their efforts to support our city when it has been needed most.”

 

The Mayoral Service Recognition Program is an annual citywide celebration of volunteers and service members, recognizing efforts to build solutions in response to community challenges and meet residents’ most urgent needs. Among volunteer efforts highlighted during this year’s event were food donation initiatives, park cleanups, neighborhood beautification projects, and recreational classes for communities.

 

NYC Service received more than 200 nominations for the four awards categories. The awardees completed service projects in 2021 that directly impacted communities hit hardest by the pandemic and were selected for excellence in building community through service.

 

The 2022 Mayoral Service Recognition Awardees honored for exceptional service in 2021 are:

• Nirmala Singh — Honored with the AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award for embodying the AmeriCorps spirit of “Getting Things Done” in New York City communities beyond their service year. Nirmala, an AmeriCorps Alum (’17-’18), and a native of Guyana, leverages her AmeriCorps experience and passion for serving the most vulnerable to address the rise of gender-based violence in the South Queens community. Recognizing how the pandemic would exacerbate gender-based violence, Nirmala and her sister activists founded South Queen's Women's March, a local gender justice nonprofit in South Queens. Through her organization, Nirmala has co-led monthly, culturally responsive, pop-up food pantries and essentials distribution, such as period supplies, masks, toys, and more to ensure resources are readily available and accessible to women in South Queens.

 

• El Centro del Inmigrante — Honored with the Community Impact Award for leveraging the power of volunteers in innovative and resourceful ways to strategically address community needs. El Centro volunteers supported vaccination efforts by organizing regular on-site COVID testing, outreach with public health resources, and vaccine distribution on Staten Island’s North Shore. Volunteers conducted targeted vaccine outreach, including campaigns for restaurant workers that resulted in 431 immigrant restaurant workers receiving their first vaccine, West African community campaigns, and a campaign to reach the unhoused population on Staten Island. El Centro and their volunteers also organized high school vaccine distributions and vaccine distribution to children under the age of 12. El Centro's volunteers have further helped to host a variety of engaging afterschool youth programs and cultural events to encourage safely distanced, outdoor events for children during COVID.

 

• S. Katzman Produce and DREAM — Honored with the Partnership Impact Award for an innovative partnership in service to a community. The partnership between S. Katzman Produce and DREAM brought access to healthy food to families impacted by the pandemic in the South Bronx and East Harlem. The partnership began shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City and continued through 2021, with S. Katzman Produce — assisted by volunteers from DREAM's community — donating and helping to distribute more than 10,000 bags of fresh fruit and produce to families in East Harlem and the South Bronx over the past two years. These distributions have leveraged DREAM’s ability to expand its family engagement practices and overall pandemic relief efforts.

 

• Shalom Task Force Youth Outreach Board — Honored with the Youth Impact Award for going above and beyond to create tangible impact in their community. Sarit Katz, Raffi Weil, and Noyah Shebshaievitz first started volunteering for Shalom Task Force  through the Purple Club Fellowship — the first leadership development program of its kind to empower Jewish high school students in ending dating and sexual violence. As part of their service with the board, Sarit, Raffi, and Noyah developed Purple Clubs in their respective high schools and engaged over 150 New York City high school students in workshops about domestic violence and their role in prevention efforts, helping to eradicate the stigma around these topics within the Jewish community.

 

NYC Service builds partnerships to deepen and expand civic engagement through volunteer and service programs, creating sustainable change for the city's greatest needs. Over the last year, NYC Service united New Yorkers in service for a more equitable and inclusive city by connecting New Yorkers, community-based organizations, businesses, AmeriCorps members, and other institutions to address the most urgent issues communities experience. NYC Service directly supported hundreds of community-based organizations across the five boroughs by providing volunteer engagement capacity through a cohort of 100 AmeriCorps members, technical assistance, and tools, as well as more than 20 free trainings for nonprofit staff.

 

Fostering the importance of volunteerism as a strategy to support the city’s recovery and to rebuild communities hardest-hit by COVID-19, NYC Service infused 20 community-based organizations with $10,000 in funding for volunteer efforts and engaged 45 corporate employees at four partnering companies in skills-based volunteering campaigns to support 26 small businesses in addressing organizational capacity needs.

 

“South Queens Women’s March is a volunteer-led and intersectional organization working to foster women’s empowerment by dismantling patriarchy and gender injustice hyper-locally,” said Nirmala Singh, co-founder, South Queens Women’s March (SQWM). “We take to the streets to unify women and gender expansive people in our community and connect them to the tools and resources necessary to empower their own lives and thrive. I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition for SQWM, and commit to continue our fight to curb gender-based violence and promote gender equity in South Queens.”

 

“El Centro's devoted staff and volunteers make our work possible. With full hearts, we all stand alongside our community, doing whatever necessary to uplift, engage, grow with, and learn from the people we serve,” said Michelle Molina, co-executive director, El Centro Del Inmigrante. “There is no greater motivation than the prosperity of our community.”

 

"DREAM is incredibly grateful to be able to shine a light on all the work S. Katzman Produce has done for our communities throughout the pandemic,” said Richard Berlin, co-CEO, DREAM. “Their partnership, swift mobilization, and acts of service through the past two years provided our families with a sense of security and allowed us to further commit to the health and wellness of our students. Stefanie and the Katzman team continue to champion food access for the communities who need it most and we are proud to partner with them."

 

“As one of the largest produce wholesaler/distributors in the Northeast, our mission is to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for New Yorkers,” said Stefanie Katzman, executive vice president and fourth generation in her family’s business, S. Katzman Produce. “It’s a privilege to partner with DREAM to feed the students and their families, introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables at an early age, and instill good eating habits early to promote good health.” 

 

“Throughout the pandemic there has been a tragic increase in domestic violence cases,” said Sarit Katz, chair, Shalom Task Force Youth Outreach Board. “I am thankful to my fellow chairs on the Shalom Task Force Youth Outreach Board for their help and aid in preventing these cases. Together, we can make an impact, and it all start

 

NYC Comptroller Lander and Trustees Announce Agreements Reached on Key Sustainability and Climate Issues With Leading Energy and Industrial Companies

Agreements Reached on Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Climate Lobbying in Alignment with the Paris Agreement, Prompting Withdrawal of Shareholder Proposals.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and trustees of three of New York City’s public pension funds today jointly announced several agreements reached with leading energy and high-tech industrial companies to improve disclosure of climate-related lobbying and capital expenditures.

The Office of the New York City Comptroller, on behalf of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), and Board of Education Retirement System (BERS) successfully engaged with General Electric Company (GE), Duke Energy Corporation, and Dominion Energy, Inc., beginning late December. The funds filed shareholder resolutions at each company last fall and agreed to withdraw them based on the agreements reached.

“Climate change presents a clear and significant risk to our economy,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Energy companies have an especially critical role to play in ensuring we are confronting those risks head on. I applaud General Electric, Duke Energy, and Dominion Energy for providing investors with critical information on their lobbying activity and capital expenditure plans – so that investors can assess their efforts in relation to the urgent need to transition to a low carbon future.”

Shareholder advocacy with corporations in the pension funds’ portfolio is one part of the New York City Retirement Systems’ comprehensive effort to confront the climate crisis and finance a just transition. As one of the country’s largest institutional investors, NYCRS uses a range of tools to advance the transition to a green economy – including divesting from fossil fuel reserve owners, investing in climate solutions like renewable energy and resiliency projects, engaging with corporate actors to bring about more ambitious climate action across the economy, and deploying municipal finance to invest in green infrastructure. Read more about our comprehensive climate finance strategy here.

General Electric Company: Paris-Aligned Climate Lobbying Reporting

General Electric has expressed clear support for the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting greenhouse gas emissions, but investors have not received necessary information on GE’s lobbying activity which may contradict the goals of the Paris Agreement. Corporate lobbying activities inconsistent with meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels present regulatory, reputational, and legal risks to companies, and systemic risks to economies and markets.

In response to constructive engagement on a shareholder proposal submitted by the three New York City Retirement Systems — which serve as lead investors at GE on behalf of the Climate Action 100+ — GE agreed to provide reporting during 2022 on its climate-related lobbying activities. The report will describe whether GE’s lobbying activities are aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement’s aspirational goal of limiting average global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and how the company plans to mitigate risks presented by any misalignment.

The Climate Action 100+ is an ambitious global investor collaboration through which 700 global investors with more than $68 trillion in assets across 33 markets encourage the world’s 166 highest emitting companies — responsible for an estimated 80% of global emissions — to take necessary action on climate change. Focus companies are assessed on their net zero transition using the Climate Action 100+ Net Zero Company Benchmark, which includes a climate policy engagement indicator, including whether the company has a Paris Agreement-aligned climate lobbying position and all of its direct lobbying activities are aligned with it.

The three Systems own 1.72 million shares in GE, valued at $164.3 million as of February 28, 2022.

Duke Energy Corporation and Dominion Energy, Inc.: Paris-Aligned Capital Expenditures

The Comptroller’s Office negotiated agreements with two of the country’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters to disclose detailed information about planned capital expenditures that will enable investors to assess whether the companies are on track to meet their net zero goals. While net zero goals are important steps that address climate-related financial risks, clear and transparent reporting is critical to ensuring that a company’s future capital expenditures will allow it to adequately invest in proven low-carbon technologies to meet these goals. Near-term investments in natural gas assets with long useful lives can lead to stranded assets, a significant risk for investors, and impede progress towards the long-term goal of net zero emissions.

Following negotiations, Duke Energy agreed to include additional disclosures in its earnings materials, upcoming climate report and ESG investor day materials. Dominion Energy agreed to include in its climate report a narrative discussion on its capital allocation evaluation process related to the company’s climate goals and its planned and projected investments.

These steps will meaningfully enhance the companies’ climate-related financial disclosures and provide investors with decision-useful information necessary to assess the alignment of the company’s capital expenditures with its decarbonization goals.

As of February 28, 2022, the three Systems own more than 982 thousand shares in Duke Energy, valued at $98.7 million, and more than 886 thousand shares in Dominion Energy, valued at $70.5 million.

The trustees of those systems are as follows:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Preston Niblack (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Borough Presidents: Mark Levine (Manhattan), Donovan Richards (Queens), Antonio Reynoso (Brooklyn), Vito Fossella (Staten Island), and Vanessa L. Gibson (Bronx); Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Tony Utano, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; and Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Appointee Philip Dukes; Chancellor’s Representative, Lindsey Oates, New York City Department of Education; and Debra Penny (Chair), Thomas Brown and David Kazansky, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

Board of Education Retirement System (BERS): Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, Represented by Lindsey Oates; Mayoral: Tom Allon, Vasthi Acosta, Gregory Faulkner, Dr. Angela Green, Anthony Lopez, Alan Ong, Gladys Ward, Karina Tavera; Thomas Sheppard (CEC); Geneal Chacon (Bronx), Tazin Azad (Brooklyn), Kaliris Salas-Ramirez (Manhattan), Jaclyn Tacoronte (Staten Island), and Deborah Dillingham (Queens); and employee members John Maderich of the IUOE Local 891 and Donald Nesbit of District Council 37, Local 372.

MANHATTAN MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING THAT WOUNDED A MAN AND SENT TWO CHILDREN RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES

 

Viral Video Showed Young Siblings Cowering in Fear 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that an alleged gang member from Manhattan has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for Attempted Murder in the second-degree for shooting at a Bronx man as two children struggled to get away on a Mount Eden street in broad daylight.

 District Attorney Clark said, “A 13-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother were caught in a hail of bullets when the defendant fired a dozen shots at a Bronx man. Now, the defendant will pay the consequences for his intentions to kill and his blatant disregard for the lives of the children he endangered. They still suffer trauma from that horrific day.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Michael Lopez, 28, last of 1430 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision, with a waiver of right to appeal, by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio. The defendant pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the second degree on January 28, 2022.

 According to the investigation, at 4:43 p.m. on June 17, 2021 near 1551 Sheridan Avenue, the defendant got off a scooter and chased a 24-year-old man up the block, firing at least 12 shots at him. Video shows Lopez’s target running into a 13-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother, knocking them to the ground. The defendant continued to fire shots at the man at close range next to the children as the girl shielded her brother.

 The victim was struck once in the back and once in each leg. He sustained nerve damage and is still unable to walk. The children and other innocent bystanders were not injured, but the children still suffer from trauma. During his guilty plea, the defendant admitted he had a firearm and shot the man with the intent to kill him that day.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Curtis Cato of the 44th Precinct for his work in the investigation.

Governor Hochul Signs Executive Order Requiring the Adoption of Gender-Based Violence Workplace Policies

 

Executive Order Follows Newly Issued Inspector General Report on Domestic Violence Incident Involving Two State Employees

Expands on Current Requirements for Domestic Violence Policies to a Gender-based Violence Policy Covering Violence, Stalking and Sexual Assault  

Will Require Annual Training for Supervisors, Domestic Violence Agency Liaisons, and HR Staff  

Will Require Every Agency to Have a Domestic Violence Agency Liaison

 Governor Kathy Hochul today signed an Executive Order directing all New York State agencies and authorities to have a workplace policy on gender-based violence. The Executive Order expands on a previous order, which required domestic violence policies, and strengthens these policies while expanding New York State’s protections to include stalking and sexual assault. The Executive Order—issued today following a newly released Inspector General report detailing a deadly incident of domestic violence involving employees from two state agencies—will require agencies to formulate and issue a Gender-based Violence and the Workplace policy that will include mandatory annual training for supervisors, Domestic Violence Agency Liaisons, and Human Resources staff. The policy also has an explicit requirement for agencies to designate a Domestic Violence Agency Liaison, whose role is providing agency staff with resources and information.

The Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence will also be required to formulate sample written procedures for the implementation of the revised Model Gender-based Violence and the Workplace Policy.  

“My administration has received the Inspector General’s report, and my heart is with the family that is still living with this tragedy,” Governor Hochul said. “Domestic violence is a serious issue that is very personal to me, as my mother opened a home for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. As Governor, I will work to make New York State a safer place for all by requiring state agencies to adopt policies that protect employees and create a safe workplace environment for survivors. By setting these requirements, we are supporting the needs of individuals and families throughout the state in a survivor-centered, trauma informed and culturally responsive way. Additionally, I will closely review the Inspector General’s recommendations alongside the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and we will continue to fight for the safety of victims and survivors, and for all New Yorkers.”

The new policy will also focus on assisting employees experiencing gender-based violence by providing resources and explaining protections and benefits in the law about time off from work to handle court appearances or medical issues, as well as workplace accommodations that are available to protect employees, including from adverse employment actions. 

Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Executive Director Kelli Owens said, “Domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence don’t stop when someone gets to work. Victims and survivors may be stalked or harassed at the office or come to work with signs of physical abuse from the night before. We should use every opportunity to educate people to recognize what gender-based violence looks like, learn how to help survivors, and make it easier for survivors to get resources. I’m proud to serve a Governor who takes the issues of domestic and gender-based violence so seriously. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for working so hard to increase safety for all New Yorkers and ensuring protections and resources for your workforce.”

Attorney General James Sues U.S. Postal Service For Failing to Consider Environmental Impact of New Trucks

 

USPS Used Faulty Environmental Analysis to Justify Purchase of New Gas-Powered Vehicle Fleet

 New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta today led a multistate coalition in suing the United States Postal Service (USPS) for failing to consider the environmental impact of its new fleet of mail trucks. The USPS purchased a new fleet of vehicles without first holding the mandatory environmental review, a violation of National Environmental Policy Act's (NEPA) most basic requirements. The review failed to consider and evaluate fleets that included electric vehicles, instead opting to replace up to 165,000 of its delivery vehicles with 90 percent gas-powered vehicles. The coalition’s suit seeks a court order to block USPS from moving ahead with the purchase until it fully complies with NEPA.

“Louis DeJoy’s choice to ignore the law and buy an almost entirely gas-fueled fleet of 165,000 vehicles is fiscally and environmentally irresponsible,” said Attorney General James. “This decision will have lasting and devastating consequences for our environment, and the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers. I stand with my colleagues across the country in opposing USPS’s fatally flawed decision-making, and we will fight to ensure our laws are followed and our communities are protected.”

The USPS has one of the largest civilian vehicle fleets in the world, consisting of more than 212,000 vehicles. While these vehicles play a critical role in delivering the nation’s mail, they also emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases and other hazardous air pollutants. Neighborhoods that host USPS facilities are often located in low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and indigenous communities — those already overburdened by pollution. A recent analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists showed that emissions from cars, trucks, and buses are a leading source of harmful air pollution in New York, with Black, Latino, and Asian New Yorkers exposed at higher rates than their white counterparts.

Due to the transformational nature of updating its fleet and its significant environmental and public health implications, USPS was obligated to assess the impacts of its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle Acquisitions program under NEPA. Instead, USPS chose a manufacturer, signed a contract, and made a substantial down payment for new, almost entirely gas-powered vehicles before publishing a mandatory environmental review. Through this environmental review, USPS failed to consider and evaluate vehicle fleets with more electric vehicle options.

In the lawsuit, the coalition argues that USPS's Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) violated NEPA and should be set aside because:

• USPS violated well-established legal precedent by signing contracts with a defense contractor to procure the vehicles before releasing its draft environmental review;
• USPS failed to consider reasonable alternatives to its proposed action and arbitrarily rejected any consideration of vehicle fleets with a greater percentage of electric vehicles;
• USPS’s environmental review failed to properly consider air quality, environmental justice, and climate impacts of purchasing a primarily gas powered fleet;
• The Final EIS failed to ensure the scientific integrity of its analysis by relying on unfounded assumptions and failing to provide the source of the data it considered; and
• The Final EIS is inconsistent with state policies to reduce fossil fuel consumption and to encourage the development and use of clean vehicles.

Joining Attorney General James and Attorney General Bonta in filing the lawsuit are the attorney generals of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the City of New York and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Robert Lenard Booth Convicted Of Defrauding Investors Of Nearly $2 Million

 

Jury Convicts Robert Lenard Booth for Conspiracies to Commit Securities Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering

 Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ROBERT LENARD BOOTH, a/k/a “Trevor Nicholas,” was found guilty on all counts of a three-count Indictment that charged him with defrauding victim investors in countries around the world and laundering the proceeds of the fraud. The verdict followed a six-day jury trial in Manhattan Federal Court before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Robert Lenard Booth stole his victims’ lifesavings and moved the money around the world to hide his elaborate fraud. He thought he could get away with it. Today the jury showed him he was wrong.”

According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:

From at least June 2019 through August 2021, BOOTH ran, and conspired with others to run, a boiler room operation that impersonated Manhattan-based brokerage firms and sold investors nearly $2 million in securities that they never received. To deceive investors, BOOTH and his co-conspirators created fake identities and false and misleading webpages, email addresses, and phone numbers. On phone calls with investors, BOOTH and others pretended to be licensed brokers, lied, and used high-pressure tactics to pitch stocks for American companies. They followed up by sending the victims false paperwork to confirm the alleged stock purchases and trades.

The victims were directed to wire payments—sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars—to shell company accounts in New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The funds were laundered and distributed to BOOTH and his co-conspirators.

BOOTH was convicted of conspiracies to commit securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss from the offense.

Formerly a resident of Brooklyn, New York, BOOTH, 68, relocated overseas and spent years operating his scheme from Thailand and Panama. In August 2021, BOOTH flew from Thailand into JFK International Airport and was arrested on arrival. Pending trial, BOOTH resided in Brooklyn, where he lived until his conviction today. Judge Rakoff revoked his bail and remanded him following the conviction.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and their partnership with the J5. The J5 works together to gather information, share intelligence and conduct coordinated operations against transnational financial crimes. The J5 includes the Australian Taxation Office, the Canadian Revenue Agency, the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs from the U.K. and IRS-CI from the U.S.

INVESTIGATION BY INSPECTOR GENERAL LUCY LANG REVEALS STATE AGENCIES FAILED TO FOLLOW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MANDATES

 

AGENCIES DID NOT FOLLOW THEIR ‘DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE WORKPLACE POLICY' IN A MANNER THAT WAS RESPONSIVE OR APPROPRIATE

IG ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE AUDIT WILL BE CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO ENHANCE STATE AGENCIES’ COMPLIANCE WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MANDATES

AGENCIES WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO FULLY COOPERATE WITH IG AUDITORS AND INVESTIGATORS WITH RESPECT TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE POLICY

 In a public announcement this morning at the NYS Crime Victims Memorial, New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang released results of an investigation by the OIG. The investigation revealed failures by senior leadership at state agencies to comply with their own domestic violence policies due to a lack of agency awareness of and sensitivity to domestic violence.

On August 22, 2019, a then OGS employee filed a complaint with OGS alleging that his wife, then an ITS employee, was misusing her State-issued cellular telephone.  At the time, the OGS employee was the subject of his own internal disciplinary action, and his termination was being sought by the agency.  On September 12, 2019, when ITS looked into the complaint, the ITS employee disclosed that she was the victim of domestic violence by her husband and was using her State-issued cellular telephone to document his abuse. Despite this information, and the agencies’ awareness that the wife had reported that she was a victim of domestic violence, senior employees in the Labor Relations and Legal Departments failed to respond appropriately. Almost a year later, the husband, who was by then no longer employed by OGS, killed his wife in their home before taking his own life.

The Inspector General’s investigation found that ITS’ failure to comply with its Domestic Violence Policy was due to a lack of agency knowledge of the policy, as well as a gap in staff’s understanding of unique traumas associated with domestic violence. OGS and ITS senior employees had little, if any, knowledge about their policy, resources available to assist victims, or even the identity of their OPDV Liaison.

“As seen here, even the best policies are only as good as the quality of their implementation.  By identifying where these agencies fell short, and making recommendations to increase awareness of domestic violence issues in the workplace, I hope that in the future victims will get urgently needed trauma-informed support from their workplaces,” said Inspector General Lucy Lang.

The report includes a series of comprehensive recommendations including:

• Requiring staff to read and verify that they understand their agencies’ Domestic Violence policy.
• Submitting certifications attesting to their awareness of the identity of OPDV liaisons.
• Thorough training on domestic violence policy should be required for every new hire during the onboarding process and should be ongoing for all employees.
• Partnering with OER and OPDV to provide trauma-informed training and support to OPDV liaisons regarding their roles and responsibilities.
• Educating staff about the impacts of trauma and encouraging staff to take a trauma-informed approach to supporting anyone who identifies as a survivor of domestic violence.
• Review the ITS Domestic Violence policy to ensure that the resources and training remain current and available to staff.

Inspector General Lang also announced that she is launching a comprehensive audit of all State executive branch agencies to assess compliance with State Domestic Violence and the Workplace mandates. The Inspector General’s Office will provide these findings to the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence who will work with these agencies to ensure compliance and provide training and resources.

The Inspector General thanked the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and NYSCADV for their partnership, and the NYS Office of Information Technology Services and the NYS Office of General Services for their cooperation in the investigation, and for the steps they have since taken to address the deficiencies identified and improve their internal practices.

 “I am here to say to this family still in mourning: New York State grieves alongside you and commits to making the change necessary to offer support to others who are suffering,” said Inspector General Lang. “And to all victims of domestic violence, I say that you do not have to suffer in silence. To New Yorkers suffering from abuse in the home, you do not have to struggle alone. And to all state employees, citizens, or others who identify fraud, corruption, or abuse in state government, the Offices of the Inspector General are here to serve you, our fellow New Yorkers.”