Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Become a Sponsor: Springtime Shindig!

 

We invite you to our Springtime Shindig, a benefit supporting the work of Van Cortlandt Park Alliance.

Join us on Thursday, May 16, 2024, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Van Cortlandt Golf House. 

Become an Event Sponsor!

 

Or to purchase tickets, click here!

This year, we are proud to honor VCPA’s founding co-chairs with our annual Betty Campbell-Adams Park Angel Award: 

Nina Habib Spencer 

Carol J. Samol

 

Our annual Cultivating the Bronx Award will be presented to the team involved in NYC’s largest green infrastructure project to date, Daylighting Tibbetts Brook: 

NYC Parks, Natural Resources Group 

Department of Environmental Protection 

Hazen and Sawyer 

Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects & Planners 

Bronx Council for Environmental Quality 

For more information, please contact Leslie Lannon at 718-430-4626 or leslie@vancortlandt.org. We look forward to seeing you in the park on May 1

Warmly,

Stephanie Ehrlich Executive Director

Proceeds from the Springtime Shindig support Van Cortlandt Park Alliance’s Education programs for Bronx kids and teens; ecological restoration and research; and community stewardship programs in Van Cortlandt Park.

 

Painting above is part of the  “Daylighting Tibbetts en Plein Air” by Noel Hefele.

Attorney General James Secures More Than $650,000 from Debt Collection Law Firm for Preying on New Yorkers

 

Firm Required to Pay $595,600 in Restitution to more than 4,000 New Yorkers and $60,000 in Penalties

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office secured more than $650,000 from a debt collection law firm, Tromberg, Morris, & Poulin, LLC (TMP), and its subsidiary, Stephen Einstein & Associates, P.C. (SEA), for filing frivolous lawsuits and harming vulnerable New Yorkers. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that TMP and its subsidiary often sued tenants on behalf of landlords in New York City Civil Court on issues that were already resolved in Housing Court, burdening vulnerable New Yorkers with unnecessary and costly lawsuits. The OAG also found that TMP illegally continued to pursue consumers for debts that were already paid or partially paid, and sometimes garnished wages for judgments that were completed. As a result of a settlement with OAG, TMP is required to pay $595,600 in restitution to more than 4,000 affected New Yorkers, $60,000 in penalties, and stop its frivolous and predatory behavior.

“Preying on vulnerable New Yorkers using frivolous lawsuits is immoral, illegal, and unacceptable,” said Attorney General James. “The law firm and attorneys who filed these suits bullied tenants and consumers and clogged our courts solely to line their pockets at the expense of others. The justice system should not be used to prey on vulnerable New Yorkers, and those with expertise in the law must not be allowed to use their knowledge to harm others.”

TMP and its subsidiary are law firms that represent creditors, including landlords and third-party debt buyers. The OAG opened an investigation into TMP’s debt collection practices following reports of mishandled lawsuits against consumers. The OAG found that the law firms failed to review prior court history before filing lawsuits against New Yorkers, and illegally sued tenants in New York City Civil Court on matters that had already been resolved in Housing Court. The OAG concluded that TMP and its subsidiary filed at least 374 unpaid rent cases in New York City since at least 2017 without noting on their internal forms whether or not there had been prior litigation. These actions forced New Yorkers to reappear in court on cases that had already been resolved.

The OAG also found that TMP pursued consumer debts that were already paid or partially paid and kept meritless cases on the docket, which could pressure consumers into a settlement.

As a result of this agreement, TMP is required to pay up to $595,600 to eligible consumers as well as $60,000 in penalties to the state. TMP will notify eligible consumers of their right to restitution and how they can obtain their refunds, either online or by mail. TMP must also review its unpaid rent lawsuits from the past six years and refund consumers who already made payments but were improperly pursued again by TMP. TMP is also required to reform its practices to stop its predatory behavior. A consumer is eligible if they paid off a judgment held by TMP’s client, but TMP failed to file notice of that with the court within twenty days, as required by law.

New Yorkers who wish to report an issue with a debt collector may file an online complaint with OAG’s Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau or call 1-(800) 771-7755.

Founder Of New York Narcotics Delivery Service Sentenced To 150 Months In Prison For Causing Three Overdose Deaths

 

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOSE LUIS TEJADA AYBAR was sentenced to 150 months in prison for operating the Cab Louie Delivery Service, an on-demand drug courier service that delivered fentanyl-tainted cocaine to customers in September 2019.  The deadly mix caused the overdose deaths of Marsha Clarke of the Bronx, New York, and Martin Banks and Edward Lynch of Yonkers, New York, as well as the hospitalization of Clarke’s husband.  TEJADA was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr.  Co-defendants ALLEN ALEXIS ABISADA GUZMAN and MARTIN PEREZ were previously sentenced to 98 months and 70 months in prison, respectively. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The sentencing of Jose Luis Tejada Aybar marks a crucial step in bringing justice to the victims not only of the Cab Louie Delivery Service but also those victims of fentanyl and other lethal drugs.  The devastating consequences of Tejada’s operation underscore the importance of dismantling criminal enterprises like this, and this prosecution reaffirms our unwavering commitment to combating organized crime and protecting our communities from the dangers of drug trafficking.” 

According to the sentencing papers and the Court’s determinations at the sentencing hearing: 

In March 2018, JOSE LUIS TEJADA AYBAR (“TEJADA”) started the Cab Louie Delivery Service, which delivered cocaine to customers in the Bronx and Westchester County.  Customers would call or text one of the business’s rotating dispatch lines to place an order, and the Cab Louie Delivery Service would send a driver to deliver cocaine to the customer.  During its operation from March 2018 to September 2021, the Cab Louie Delivery Service sold, in total, more than 15 kilograms of cocaine — equivalent to nearly 24,000 bags of cocaine. 

As his business expanded, TEJADA hired employees for the Cab Louie Delivery Service.  Two of those employees were ALLEN ALEXIS ABISADA GUZMAN (“ABISADA”) and PEREZ, both of whom delivered cocaine for the business.  In addition to hiring employees, TEJADA led the Cab Louie Delivery Service by sourcing its cocaine, obtaining and operating the dispatch phones, and providing ABISADA with a car to deliver cocaine.  TEJADA profited from the business throughout its three-plus years of operation.

On September 19, 2019, ABISADA delivered cocaine on behalf of the Cab Louie Delivery Service to three different customers:  Clarke, Banks, and Lynch.  The cocaine was tainted with fentanyl.  Within two days, Clarke, Banks, and Lynch were found dead, and Clarke’s husband was found unresponsive.  Medical examiners determined that Clarke, Banks, and Lynch all died from acute intoxication by the combined effects of cocaine and fentanyl, among other drugs.  Clarke’s husband was hospitalized for a fentanyl overdose and in a coma for a period.  When he emerged from the coma, Clarke’s husband had to relearn how to speak, how to feed himself, how to use the restroom, and how to walk. 

Despite learning of the overdose deaths of Banks and Lynch through a local news article, which he saved on his phone, TEJADA continued operating the Cab Louie Delivery Service.  Between November 6, 2019, and February 13, 2020, a New York Police Department (“NYPD”) undercover officer made six controlled purchases of cocaine from the Cab Louie Delivery Service.  TEJADA personally made two of the deliveries, ABISADA made three, and PEREZ made one. 

In addition to the prison term, TEJADA, 41, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment.   

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) New York Strike Force, and the Complex Analytical and Social Media Enhancement Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.  Mr. Williams also thanked the Yonkers Police Department and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the case. 

The OCDETF New York Strike Force provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.  This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.  The specific mission of the New York Strike Force is to target, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, reduce the illegal drug supply in the United States, and bring criminals to justice.  The Strike Force is affiliated with the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA; NYPD; New York State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; New York National Guard; U.S. Coast Guard; New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision; Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; Fort Lee Police Department; Palisades Interstate Parkway Police; Teaneck Police Department; Hillsdale Police Department; Closter Police Department; Northvale Police Department; River Vale Police Department; Englewood Police Department; Saddle River Police Department; Bergen County Sheriff’s Department; Hawthorne Police Department; and Hackensack Police Department.

Pharmacy Owner and Operations Manager Convicted of $2.3M Ohio Medicaid Fraud

 

A federal jury convicted an Ohio pharmacist and his operations manager, a pharmacy technician, for conspiring to defraud Ohio’s Medicaid program.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathanael Thompson, 45, of Westerville, owned four pharmacies in Columbus, Ohio. Sanam Ahmad, 34, of Galena, managed the pharmacies. Thompson and Ahmad conspired to charge Medicaid for a particular manufacturer’s omeprazole, a type of proton pump inhibitor, which was reimbursable at a significantly higher rate than most omeprazole. In reality, the dispensed medication was generic omeprazole purchased at big-box warehouse retail stores. In addition, to maximize profits, Thompson’s pharmacies put in place certain protocols to dispense omeprazole as though a doctor had prescribed the drug even when there was no prescription.

The jury convicted Thompson and Ahmad of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of defrauding Medicaid. They face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and each health care fraud charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Mimura of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Region, Special Agent in Charge Jeff Krafels of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, and Director Steven W. Schierholt of the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy Executive made the announcement.

The DEA, FBI, HHS-OIG, USPS-OIG, Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Kathryn Furtado and Leslie Fisher of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.