Corficolombiana to Pay $80M to Resolve Foreign Bribery Investigations

 

Corporación Financiera Colombiana S.A. (Corficolombiana), a Colombian financial services institution, has agreed to pay over $80 million to resolve parallel bribery investigations by criminal, civil, and administrative authorities in the United States and Colombia stemming from the company’s involvement in a scheme to pay millions of dollars in bribes to high-ranking government officials in Colombia. 

The U.S. Department of Justice’s resolution is coordinated with authorities in Colombia, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

According to court documents, Corficolombiana entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department in connection with a criminal information filed in the District of Maryland charging the company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Corficolombiana was majority-owned and controlled by Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A., a Colombian holding company and issuer in the United States.

According to court documents, between 2012 and 2015, Corficolombiana conspired to offer and pay more than $23 million in bribes to high-ranking Colombian government officials in order to win a contract to construct and operate a highway toll road known as the Ocaña-Gamarra Extension. Corficolombiana conspired with Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a global construction conglomerate based in Brazil, to pay bribes to Colombian government officials in the executive and legislative branches and to an executive at Colombia’s state-owned infrastructure agency, in order to win the rights to construct and operate the Ocaña-Gamarra Extension. To carry out the bribery scheme, Corficolombiana caused other entities to enter into fictitious contracts with companies associated with intermediaries that passed along the bribe payments to the Colombian government officials. Ultimately, Corficolombiana earned approximately $28.63 million in profits from the corruptly obtained business.

“Corficolombiana, together with its co-conspirators, agreed to pay more than $20 million in bribes to high-ranking government officials across the Colombian government to win a massive infrastructure project,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s resolution – the first-ever coordinated with Colombian authorities in a foreign bribery case – reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to working shoulder-to-shoulder with our foreign partners to combat transnational corruption and hold accountable companies that brazenly pay bribes for economic gain.”

“Corficolombiana has acknowledged its role in a significant foreign bribery scheme, and for that it is being held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Under the DPA, the company is paying a substantial criminal penalty and will continue to cooperate with the United States in criminal investigations relating to this conduct. My office is pleased to be part of this first-ever joint FCPA bribery prosecution with Colombian authorities.”

Pursuant to the DPA, Corficolombiana will pay a criminal penalty of $40.6 million. The Department has agreed to credit up to half of that criminal penalty against money that the company and its subsidiary, Estudios y Proyectos del Sol S.A.S. (Episol), paid to Colombia’s Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC), for violations of Colombian laws related to the same conduct, so long as the company and Episol drop their appeals of the SIC resolution. In addition, Corficolombiana will pay over $40 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest as part of a resolution of the SEC’s parallel investigation.

Corficolombiana also agreed to continue cooperating with the Department in any ongoing or future criminal investigations relating to this conduct. In addition, under the agreement, Corficolombiana agreed to continue enhancing its compliance program and providing reports to the Department regarding remediation and the implementation of compliance measures for the term of the DPA.

“Today’s resolution shows that justice has a steep price for those who attempt to bribe foreign government officials,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Schemes like these violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and are an attempt to fundamentally undermine the spirit of economic competition. The FBI is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the global marketplace, which means investigating bribes of any amount, and preventing the corruption of officials at all levels.”

The Department reached this resolution with Corficolombiana based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. Corficolombiana received credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which included (i) timely providing the facts obtained through the company’s internal investigation; (ii) making numerous detailed factual presentations that distilled certain key factual information; (iii) producing documents that the government may not otherwise have had access to in ways that did not implicate foreign data privacy laws; (iv) providing sworn testimony from Colombian criminal and administrative proceedings of relevant witnesses whom the government could not independently interview; (v) proactively identifying information previously unknown to the government; and (vi) collecting and producing voluminous relevant documents and translations, including documents located outside of the United States.

The company promptly engaged in extensive remedial measures including, among other things (i) conducting a root cause analysis of the conduct identified during internal investigations and promptly taking actions to enhance its corporate governance and controls at joint venture entities, as well as improving its oversight of non-controlled joint ventures and investments; (ii) overhauling its compliance program; (iii) enhancing its third-party intermediary risk management process; (iv) implementing a robust process for reporting and investigating allegations of misconduct; (v) establishing a disciplinary process overseen by a cross-functional ethics committee; (vi) conducting testing of its anticorruption compliance program; and (vii) engaging in a periodic review of and updating of its anticorruption compliance program. In light of these considerations, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 30% reduction off the bottom of the applicable guidelines fine range.   

The FBI’s International Corruption Squad in Miami is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Colombia’s Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio, and the Fiscalía General de la Nación provided substantial assistance in the matter.

The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

Bronx Man Sentenced To 78 Months In Prison For Shooting Outside Of Bronx Deli

 

Demont Christian Shot at a Pedestrian in a Busy Intersection in Longwood

  Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DEMONT CHRISTIAN was sentenced today to 78 months in prison in connection with a shooting at the corner of Westchester Avenue and Faile Street in the Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, on October 7, 2022.  CHRISTIAN previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who also imposed today’s sentence, to one count of possessing ammunition after conviction for a felony.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “On October 7, 2022, Demont Christian pulled a loaded handgun from his pocket and opened fire on a pedestrian in front of a Bronx deli.  Christian perpetrated this senseless act of violence at a busy intersection filled with New Yorkers on nearby sidewalks and in passing vehicles.  Today’s sentence sends an important message that we will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute gun violence to the fullest extent of the law.”

As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in open court:

At approximately 10:24 pm on October 7, 2022, in the vicinity of a deli located at 1126 Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, CHRISTIAN, wearing a ski mask, pulled a gun from his pocket and fired four shots at a Victim using a .380 caliber handgun.  CHRISTIAN fired at the Victim from approximately two to four car lengths away as the Victim walked away across Westchester Avenue.  At the time of the first gunshot, the Victim had not even reached the yellow center line, while CHRISTIAN aimed his gun from the sidewalk.  Surveillance footage shows that CHRISTIAN took deliberate aim at the Victim while bystanders stood just feet away:

CHRISTIAN was not permitted to possess ammunition because of his prior New York State conviction for attempted assault in the second degree, for which he was sentenced to two to four years in prison.  CHRISTIAN has at least 15 prior criminal convictions.

In addition to his prison term, CHRISTIAN, 28, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department.

PUBLIC ADVOCATE WILLIAMS QUESTIONS 60-DAY SHELTER LIMIT FOR MIGRANTS IN COUNCIL HEARING

 

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams questioned the administration’s new 60-day shelter stay limit for adult migrants during a City Council Oversight hearing today, highlighting the need to uphold the right to shelter amid the crisis, and for the city to receive state and federal resources to support asylum seekers. 

“I recognize that the city was already in a preexisting housing crisis with a shelter system unequipped to accommodate over 100,000 people,” said Public Advocate Williams. “At the same time, these living conditions are unacceptable, and the mayor’s continued efforts to undermine the right to shelter, most recently illustrated in his 60-day limit on shelter stays, will not address the root of the problem. In 2022, the average length of stay in a shelter for single adults was 509 days. New York City needs help from the state and federal governments, as well as our neighboring communities—not to weaken a crucial safety net for some of our most vulnerable.”

Public Advocate recently visited the Roosevelt Hotel as migrants were forced to sleep outside, and previously traveled to Washington, DC this month to advocate for a series of federal actions to alleviate the mounting humanitarian crisis. He has continued to stress the importance of meeting the needs of our newest New Yorkers, rather than stepping away from our moral and legal obligations, while acknowledging the challenges of the moment and the need for all levels of government to provide aid.

“New York City cannot handle this crisis alone. We need assistance from the state and federal governments…” continued the Public Advocate, listing several policy requests before closing, “The right to shelter has been in place for over 40 years, and that right does not simply expire after 60 days in the face of a crisis. While the challenges of meeting this emergency are immense, so too is our obligation to do all we can for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses. We should be focused on helping create opportunities for people who come here seeking asylum, not preemptively deny that our city is home to opportunity itself.”

The Public Advocate’s full comments to the Committees on General Welfare and Immigration are below.

 

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS
TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON GENERAL WELFARE AND IMMIGRATION
AUGUST 10, 2023

Good afternoon,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chairs Ayala and Hanif and the members of the Committees on General Welfare and Immigration for holding this hearing.

It has been over a year since the first bus arrived at the Port Authority from Texas carrying migrants seeking refuge, safety, and a chance for a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Since then, over 95,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, and the majority have stayed. In the past year, the city has struggled to accommodate asylum seekers, and as a result, they have experienced violence, abuse, overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions, spoiled or no food, and lack of access to clothing, showers, and privacy. I recognize that the city was already in a preexisting housing crisis with a shelter system unequipped to accommodate over 100,000 people. At the same time, these living conditions are unacceptable, and the mayor’s continued efforts to undermine the right to shelter, most recently illustrated in his 60-day limit on shelter stays, will not address the root of the problem. In 2022, the average length of stay in a shelter for single adults was 509 days. New York City needs help from the state and federal governments, as well as our neighboring communities—not to weaken a crucial safety net for some of our most vulnerable. I think it’s important to mention that the day before the first asylum busses came, there were over 50,000 New Yorkers already in the shelter system, with an average time of over a year, which means this has been a crisis for a long time. Had we addressed the crisis then, we may not be where we are now.

Following Mayor Adams’s legal request to limit the right to shelter in New York City, the administration announced a 60-day limit on shelter stays for adult migrants. If, after 60 days, the person does not have housing, they must re-apply for shelter, and case managers will discuss “options and next steps” with the person seeking shelter. However, the administration has not provided any further concrete plan for housing people who reach the 60-day limit. Just in the last week, the number of people affected by this new rule totals over 800. While the mayor claims the goal is not to force people onto the street, we already see it happening: migrants are sleeping on sidewalks, in parks, and under bridges and highways, including large encampments under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. We need a clear plan detailing what happens when a person reaches the 60-day limit, what their housing options are, and their immediate next steps. 

New York City cannot handle this crisis alone. We need assistance from the state and federal governments, including expedited work authorization granted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, so asylum seekers can generate income to move into more permanent housing. We also need more humane, healthy temporary housing options, such as FEMA-supported direct temporary housing sites created on federal land, including Transportable Temporary Housing Units or Manufactured Housing Units. We also need to invest in permanent affordable housing as well as the social structures that prevent homelessness, including reversing the systematic disinvestment from NYCHA and a local implementation of President Biden’s Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Lastly, we must ensure language access in our city’s social and legal services, including Indigenous and African dialects relevant to incoming groups. Black immigration usually gets left out, and I’ll continue to remind folks of migrants from places like Haiti.

The right to shelter has been in place for over 40 years, and that right does not simply expire after 60 days in the face of a crisis. While the challenges of meeting this emergency are immense, so too is our obligation to do all we can for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses. We should be focused on helping create opportunities for people who come here seeking asylum, not preemptively deny that our city is home to opportunity itself. 

Again, I’m hoping that the federal government in particular, and even the state, will help us better coordinate, and I hope the state realizes that the right to shelter is statewide, not just the city, and the governor steps in to assist. We cannot handle this alone, I want to make that clear. I do know that right to shelter is at some point a sustainability issue — we haven’t reached that point yet, but we do need assistance. I will end by hoping that the administration, as we move forward, will support policies that the Council supported like Good Cause Eviction and revenue raising in the state. Opposing those things, putting people on the Rent Guidelines Board that are raising rent, actually helps make this situation worse.

Thank you.

MS-13 Gang Leader Convicted of Racketeering Charges Including the Murder of 16-Year-Victim in Alley Pond Park in Queens

 

Melvi Amador-Rios, a.k.a. “Letal” and “Pinky,” Also Convicted of Ordering a Non-Fatal Shooting That Left Victim Paralyzed and Participating in Multiple Armed Robberies

 A federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Melvi Amador-Rios, a leader of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (“CLS”) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, on 17 of the 18 counts of a third superseding indictment.  Amador-Rios was convicted of racketeering, murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the May 16, 2017 fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Julio Vasquez in Queens, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in-aid-of racketeering, assault-in aid-of racketeering, firearms offenses and four counts of Hobbs Act robbery.  The verdict followed a three-week trial before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner.  When sentenced, Amador-Rios faces a mandatory term of life in prison.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.  

“With this verdict, an extremely dangerous MS-13 gang leader aptly nicknamed “Letal,” or “Lethal,” has been brought to justice for his murderous racketeering crimes and now faces a mandatory life sentence,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “The outstanding work of our prosecutors, along with members of the FBI and the NYPD, underscores this Office’s continuing efforts to make our communities safer by dismantling violent gangs.” 

“With the guilty verdict today, Amador-Rios has rightly been found responsible for these senseless and heinous violent crimes carried out by MS-13 in Queens.  MS-13 relies on violence and fear for control, but the verdict serves as reminder that their actions will not be tolerated.  The FBI New York Safe Streets Task Force remains steadfast in our efforts to remove the threat of this violent and dangerous gang from our communities,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Curtis.

“This guilty verdict is the next step toward delivering justice for the victims of this violent criminal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban.  “The NYPD, in close collaboration with our law enforcement partners at the FBI and the Eastern District of New York, will continue to conduct aggressive, precisely-directed investigations like this that stanch the violence – an essential step toward healing gang-plagued communities and fulfilling our duty to protect all New Yorkers in every neighborhood.”

Murder of Julio Vasquez

Beginning in fall 2016, the CLS clique, led by Amador-Rios decided to kill a CLS chequeo, or low-level MS-13 members, (referred to in the superseding indictment John Doe 3) who had been violating the clique’s rules, including by associating with members of the rival 18th Street gang.  Amador-Rios ordered Julio Vasquez, also an MS-13 chequeo, to carry out the killing of John Doe 3.  Vasquez was tasked with killing John Doe 3 because he too had been violating the clique’s rules and was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement.  After Vasquez failed to kill John Doe 3, Amador-Rios ordered Vasquez be killed. On May 16, 2017, Vasquez was lured to a wooded area of Alley Pond Park where co-conspirators Josue Leiva and Luis Rivas stabbed him more than 30 times, killing him. Vasquez’s body was discovered by a bird watcher in the park on May 21, 2017.  Leiva and Rivas pleaded guilty on July 14, 2023 to racketeering charges, including Vasquez’s murder. They are awaiting sentencing.

2016 Attempted Murder

In October 2016, Amador-Rios ordered a CLS chequeo to kill a member of the rival 18th Street gang.  The chequeo targeted a boy that he believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang (referred to in the superseding indictment as John Doe 1).  In the early morning hours of October 23, 2016, in the vicinity of 179th Street and 90th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, the CLS chequeo, accompanied by two others, confronted John Doe 1, who was 16 years old at the time.  At Amador-Rios’s direction, the chequeos beat John Doe 1, shot him in the head, and attempted to shoot him a second time as he lay on the ground.  The gun malfunctioned, but, as a result of the gunshot wound, John Doe 1 was permanently paralyzed.  Following the arrests of the chequeos for the shooting, Amador-Rios informed them in a prison call that “you guys already have the pass, you know, to be homeboys, you know,” indicating that they would be promoted in the gang for committing the attempted murder.  The three chequeos have each pleaded guilty to their participation in the assault and attempted murder of John Doe 1, including variously assault in-aid-of racketeering, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

 Amador-Rios participated in the armed robbery of a money transfer business in which an employee was pistol whipped, three armed robberies of convenience stores all in Jamaica, Queens, as well as related firearms offenses.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF

This conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13. The MS-13’s leadership was based in El Salvador and Honduras, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 45 murders in the district and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by our law enforcement partners including the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, comprising agents and officers of the FBI and NYPD.

On Eve of Court Hearing, Comptroller Lander Releases Oversight Report Detailing Abysmal NYC Jail Performance Over the Past Year

 

Since August 2022, NYC Comptroller’s Office has published monthly Department of Correction data to dashboard with metrics on jail population, staffing rate, violent incidents and more

Lander was the first citywide elected official to call for federal receiver at Rikers Island

After a year of publishing monthly updates on key indicators regarding the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) and one day ahead of a court hearing that may consider placing management of New York City’s jails under the control of a federal receiver, City Comptroller Brad Lander released a report on the state of city jails, which finds little progress addressing inhumane conditions over the last year.

“Based on a year of closely watching the data on the Department of Correction, this much is clear: without dramatic changes to management, dysfunction and violence at Rikers will persist. The City of New York has proven unwilling or unable to overhaul its jail operations on its own. Without real change, the costs of injustice and mismanagement to New Yorkers, their loved ones, and our city will only grow,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

The Comptroller’s office began publishing metrics on jail conditions and operations to a public dashboard in August 2022. A review of the trends over the past year indicates that:

• While slashings, stabbings, and assaults against staff trended downwards in recent months after peaking in 2021, fights spiked significantly and incidents of excessive use of force remain alarmingly high.
• One-in-five people in custody have a serious mental illness with the number of incarcerated people with serious mental illness doubling since before the pandemic.
• People in custody missed 21% more medical appointments than in August 2022, as of the most recently available data.

• While staff sick time usage declined from a dramatic peak in 2021, on average 17% of staff are reportedly out sick or on leave on any given day.
• Monthly overtime earned per employee skyrocketed from approximately $1,500 per month before the pandemic to $4,200 as of June 2023.
• DOC has 9% fewer staff since August 2022, but the ratio of DOC uniformed staff to people in detention is nearly four times the national average.
• The jail population grew to nearly double the planned capacity of the borough-based jails, which intend to replace Rikers Island facilities, raising concerns about the City’s plans to close Rikers Island, consistent with local law.

On Thursday, a federal judge will hold a status conference and hear arguments over whether the federal government should appoint a third-party receiver to take over management of the jails. Comptroller Lander was the first citywide elected official to call for federal receivership in October 2022, and reiterated that call today.

“While we sought to increase transparency of Rikers through our dashboard over the past year, DOC leadership moved in the opposite direction, failing to report the deaths of people in custody and reducing the Board of Correction’s access to camera footage and timesheets. Current leadership made little progress on persistent issues of jail conditions, forcing me to conclude that the City of New York is unwilling or unable to address the humanitarian and safety issues at Rikers. The judge should rule to appoint a federal receiver, who could implement reforms to operations that will improve accountability and conditions in New York City’s jails and work to get the City back on the path to close Rikers Island,” Lander said.

Read the full The State of NYC Jails report here.

See the latest DOC Dashboard update here.

NYC ANNOUNCES THE CREATION OF THE ASYLUM SEEKER LEGAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK, INVESTING $5 MILLION IN ITS EFFORTS

 

Immigration Legal Assistance Will Be Provided to Thousands of Asylum Seekers

New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro today announced that in the absence of a national strategy to support asylum seekers with their legal needs as they are admitted into the country, the City has launched the Asylum Seeker Legal Assistance Network (ASLAN), a $5 million investment to expand community capacity to provide immigration legal assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers. This is in addition to the over 65 million the city invests in legal services to support immigrant New Yorkers - the most of any municipality in the nation. 

 

“New York City continues to be a national leader when responding to this global humanitarian crisis and supporting newly arrived migrants,” said Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “Today, I am proud to announce the network compromised of on-the-ground partners across the City that will work to continue to support our newest New Yorkers. While we wait for a national strategy, our administration will remain committed to being a city of immigrants.”

      

Through this network, the city will expand access to immigration legal assistance for recently arrived migrants and asylum seekers. Services will be provided at community-based locations citywide in addition to the Asylum Application Help Center at the Red Cross building in midtown Manhattan, and remotely. 

 

The following network contracted partners have received city funding to provide a combination of orientation sessions, legal screenings, application assistance, pro se assistance clinics, self-help materials and workshops, and other services:

  

• African Services Committee 
• CUNY Law
• CUNY Citizenship Now!
• Catholic Charities Community Services
• Lutheran Social Services of New York 
• New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and their subcontracted partners, collectively referred to as PSPP+  
• African Communities Together (ACT)
• Catholic Migration Services (CMS)
• Central American Legal Assistance (CALA)
• Masa
• Unlocal

MOIA will provide central coordination of the network’s activities and regularly meet with contracted providers to share information and best practices in response to changing federal immigration policies and practices. 

 

As part of the network, the city is proud to announce a partnership with The City University of New York (CUNY) to support newly arrived asylum seekers by recruiting, training, supervising, and deploying students to provide asylum seekers with information sessions, screenings, and application assistance clinics designed and overseen by CUNY School of Law and CUNY Citizenship Now!. Services will be provided remotely, at CUNY School of Law, and at community-based organizations citywide serving as Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Centers. Additionally, students and faculty from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and the CUNY School of Medicine will collaborate to support the social and mental health needs of newly arrived asylum seekers.  

 

Additionally, the city will fund Catholic Charities Community Services as a network partner to expand the MOIA’s Immigration Legal Hotline to handle higher call volumes and provide tailored assistance and referrals for newly arrived asylum seekers. 

 

Services will be available to migrants and asylum seekers who arrived in the United States on or after January 1, 2022. Providers will prioritize services for individuals approaching critical dates, such as the one-year deadline to file for asylum. Information about accessing services can be found at www.nyc.gov/asylumseekers. 

 

The Adams administration also continues to strongly urge the federal government to immediately use every tool at its disposal to protect and support newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers – and the municipalities welcoming them – by expanding and expediting access to Humanitarian Parole, Temporary Protected Status, and asylum-based work authorization.   

 

“CUNY has a proud history of educating immigrants and first-generation families who have found in our classrooms a path to good-paying jobs and upward mobility. This partnership to assist asylum seekers is another opportunity for the University to support a new generation of New Yorkers whose success will benefit our City and State,” said City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.

 

“CUNY Law is proud to partner with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs’ ASLAN initiative. CUNY Law students, many of whom are immigrants or children of immigrants themselves, have fought for the rights of New York City’s asylum and immigrant communities for decades. Stepping up at this crucial moment to provide counsel, support, policy advocacy, and community education is not only the expertise of many of our students, faculty, and graduates—it’s also their calling,” states Sudha Setty, Dean of the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law.

 

“CUNY Citizenship Now!, the nation's largest university-based immigration law program, is proud to join the ASLAN partners to help newly arrived asylum seekers. Building on our nationally recognized, naturalization assistance model, we will tap our network of volunteer partner organizations to support the Emerging Needs Clinic of CUNY's School of Law. We thank the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs for creating the ASLAN network to assist eligible migrants in need,” said Monique Francis, Interim Executive Director, of CUNY Citizenship Now!

 

“Within the past year, Catholic Charities staff have seen tens and thousands of asylum-seekers, and their families, arrive in our city, seeking opportunity and legal assistance. We commend the City of New York for not only welcoming them but continuing to work to provide various resources to help these individuals create the lives they dreamed of,” said Beatriz Diaz-Taveras, Catholic Charities Community Services. “From week to week, we see a high volume of individuals who are seeking asylum and in need of legal help, we always need to keep in mind that the surge of asylum-seekers is a national problem needing strong attention, both by Congress and the President. We are grateful to work with New York City and our partner organizations through the Asylum Seeker Legal Assistance Network (ASLAN) to ensure those who have sought refuge in our city receive the resources they deserve.”

 

"African Services Committee is excited to be able to provide much-needed legal services to those NYC newcomers seeking asylum. We thank MOIA for their continued support,” said Amanda Lugg, Executive Director of the African Services Committee (ASC).

“Catholic Migration Services (CMS) welcomes Mayor Adams’ and the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs’ efforts to fund the provision of legal services to the community of new migrants arriving in our city,” said Magdalena Barbosa, Legal Director at Catholic Migration Services (CMS). “Our agency is proud to participate in the Pro Se Plus Program that will use this funding to provide our new neighbors with important legal information and pro se application assistance.”

"Lutheran Social Services of NY is pleased to partner with the City of NY and the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs in ensuring that the legal rights of asylum seekers are protected. As an organization originally founded more than 130 years ago to work with newly arriving German immigrants, this partnership is consistent with our founding principles. In light of the absence of a national strategy to address the increasing migrant issue in the city, we are pleased that the City has provided the funding necessary to protect and address the legal needs of those seeking asylum. The Asylum Seeker Legal Assistance Network will also provide the mechanism for collaboration and information sharing for those who seek to do so," said Dr. Damyn Kelly, President and CEO, of Lutheran Social Services of New York (LSSNY).

“NYLAG is proud to partner with immigrant communities and to welcome newly arrived immigrants to New York City. Working alongside the City, fellow legal services, and community-based organizations, including through the Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP) we aim to bring needed information, guidance, and legal assistance to newly arrived New Yorkers,” said Lisa Rivera, President and CEO of New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). “Through these partnerships, NYLAG hopes to share our expertise in asylum law and empower New York City’s asylum seekers and immigrant communities.”

MAYOR ADAMS APPOINTS DENISE C. CLAY AS CITY’S CHIEF EFFICIENCY OFFICER

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointment of Denise C. Clay as the city’s new chief efficiency officer. In her position, Clay will help ensure that city agencies operate as effectively and efficiently as possible by tracking their performance, assessing budgets and operation systems to find cost savings, and identifying opportunities to remove red tape and streamline regulations. Created early in the Adams administration, the chief efficiency officer is an integral part of Mayor Adams’ commitment to making government more effective and accountable to New Yorkers.

 

“From leading strategic initiatives at the Department of Finance to driving change at Fortune 100 companies, Denise brings the experience and expertise to make sure that our government is working for every New Yorker every day,” said Mayor Adams. “Inefficiencies lead to inequity, which is why one of our administration’s top priorities has always been to ensure that our agencies are run the right way. As our city’s next chief efficiency officer, Denise will work to fulfill that mission and build a smarter, stronger city government for all of New York’s residents."

 

“Denise C. Clay brings decades of experience in making government work faster, smarter, and, most importantly, more efficiently,” said First Deputy Sheena Wright. “As chief efficiency officer, Denise will continue the work of making sure taxpayer resources are well spent and managed. I’m looking forward to working with Denise to find ways to streamline operations while maintaining our pledge to deliver quality services to all New Yorkers.”

 

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve New York City in the role of chief efficiency officer,” said Chief Efficiency Officer Denise C. Clay. “It is an exciting time to work in city government, and I look forward to leveraging my more than 20 years of process reengineering experience, including eight years leading Lean Six Sigma initiatives at the New York City Department of Finance, to help city agencies better serve their constituents and customers. New Yorkers deserve nothing less than the best from their city government, and we will continue to deliver results for the residents and visitors we have the privilege to serve.”

 

“Denise will be an excellent chief efficiency officer. During my tenure as commissioner of the Department of Finance, she was instrumental in restructuring our operations and implementing new initiatives in timely and cost-effective ways that helped make the agency more efficient and customer-centric,” said New York City Office of Management and Budget Director Jacques Jiha. “She has the knowledge, skill, and drive to work across agencies and help city government make more effective use of taxpayer dollars in order to better serve New Yorkers, and I look forward to working with her in the future.”

 

“Denise has unparalleled expertise in performance management, and during her eight years with the Department of Finance led many successful initiatives to improve city services, deliver budget savings, and bring innovative ideas to enhance customer service,” said New York Department of Finance (DOF) Commissioner Preston Niblack. “It is terrific that she is bringing her considerable skills and knowledge to benefit city operations more broadly in her new role as chief efficiency officer, and I am excited to see all she accomplishes to make city government more accessible and easier to navigate for all New Yorkers."

 

“Denise’s commitment to public service and focus on the use of data analytics to improve performance make her the perfect fit for this role,” said former DOF First Deputy Commissioner Michael Hyman. “As chief of staff to the commissioner of finance, Denise led initiatives that greatly improved DOF operations and provided important tools to help agency staff manage their units effectively. I know that she will bring that same ingenuity to the entirety of city government, and I look forward to her leadership as chief efficiency officer.”

 

Mayor Adams created a chief efficiency officer to monitor city agencies, make recommendations to improve performance, and help build a more dynamic and productive public sector. The position was formalized with Executive Order 13 last April, instructing the chief efficiency officer to develop metrics that track government performance, identify opportunities to improve the delivery of services and increase customer satisfaction, locate ways to reduce regulation and streamline procedures, and review the city budget to evaluate new needs and ensure public funds are being spent responsibly. City agencies regularly work with the chief efficiency officer as well as with the Mayor’s Office of Operations to set goals and make the delivery of services more productive, efficient, and timely for New Yorkers.

 

About Denise C. Clay

 

Before her appointment as chief efficiency officer, Clay served as chief operating officer for First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright at City Hall. In this role, she collaborated with various city agencies to streamline business functions while launching a new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and multiple Cash Assistance initiatives.

 

Previously, Clay spent eight years as chief of staff and senior advisor of strategic initiatives for the New York City Department of Finance, where she led COVID strategy and the agency’s ‘Return to Work’ initiative, reduced processing cycle times by 80 percent, and oversaw the rollout of the Office of the Parking Summons Advocate and Treasury & Payment Operations programs.

 

Clay previously worked with Sand Cherry Associates, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, and GE Capital. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her M.B.A. from Columbia University.

 

Clay will report to First Deputy Mayor Wright.

Housing Lottery Launches For Garden Towers Seniors Apartments In Morrisania, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for Garden Towers, a new affordable housing building for seniors, located at 1323 Boston Road and 1332 Clinton Avenue in Morrisania, Bronx. Designed by Newman Design Architects and developed by Foxy Management, the seven- and eight-story residential structures yields 150 residences total. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 104 units for residents at 50 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $0 to $63,550.

Garden Towers Seniors Apartments in Morrisania, The Bronx via NYC Housing Connect

Amenities include a shared laundry room, outdoor areas, security guard, green space, elevator, attended Lobby, laundry room, on-site social services, community rooms, computer lab, and bike storage. Residences include energy-efficient appliances, intercoms, and air conditioning. Tenants are responsible for electricity.

At 50 percent of the AMI, there are 78 studios with a monthly rent of $0 for incomes ranging from $0 to $56,500; and 26 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $0 for incomes ranging from $0 to $63,550.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than October 2, 2023.