Massachusetts Man Convicted Of Trafficking Four Tons Of Cocaine Hidden Inside Furniture

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction yesterday in Manhattan federal court of ABEL MONTILLA for his participation in a cocaine trafficking scheme between 2018 and 2021.  The jury convicted MONTILLA following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel.  Sentencing of MONTILLA is scheduled for March 22, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The unanimous jury verdict holds Abel Montilla accountable for his role in a widespread cocaine trafficking organization that flooded the streets with four tons of cocaine.  Montilla was a coordinator of the drug trafficking organization who traveled around the country to manage the delivery of the organization’s cocaine-filled furniture.  He now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence for his crime.”

According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial: 

Between 2018 and 2021, MONTILLA was a member of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) that engaged in a drug-trafficking scheme involving the concealment of cocaine inside custom-built furniture.  Between in or about September 2018 and June 2019, the DTO sent approximately 27 shipments of cargo from Puerto Rico to the continental United States.  The cocaine was concealed in more than approximately 70 custom cube-shaped coffee tables or other furniture.  The organization falsely represented that the cargo contained furniture, but that furniture in fact concealed hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine.  In total, the trafficking organization shipped approximately 4,000 kilograms of cocaine, worth at least $120,000,000 on the street.  Eight of the organization’s shipments were sent to addresses in the Southern District of New York, including in Yonkers and the Bronx.  Those eight shipments contained a total of approximately 775 kilograms (1,704 pounds) of cocaine.

Photographs introduced into evidence during trial of furniture containing cocaine and seized cocaine are below:

 

MONTILLA was a Massachusetts-based coordinator of cocaine shipments who managed the recipients of the organization’s deliveries of cocaine shipments and the distribution of the cocaine concealed inside the furniture.  At times, MONTILLA drove straight through the night from Massachusetts to Florida to be present for a cocaine delivery, then flew or drove back to Massachusetts to handle additional cocaine deliveries there.  In total, MONTILLA coordinated at least a dozen drug shipments in Massachusetts and Florida, and at least twelve of the 27 shipments were sent to addresses affiliated with MONTILLA.

MONTILLA, 49, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison. 

The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

This prosecution 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.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in this investigation.

Statement from New York City Council on Mayor Adams’ Comments to New York Post Editorial Board on Cutting Funds from Non-Profit Service Providers

 

In response to Mayor Adams referencing a letter his administration never delivered to the Council in his meeting with the New York Post editorial board that supposedly calls for 50% cuts to Council grants for non-profit organizations, the New York City Council released the following statement from a spokesperson.

“The Council has received no such letter from the administration. It’s disappointing that the Mayor’s word on a budget agreement seems to have decreasing value and he is attempting to renegotiate via the New York Post editorial board. At today’s hearing, the Council heard from numerous non-profit organizations filling the gaps of essential work for New Yorkers and asylum seekers in our communities without reimbursement from this administration – these are the recipients of Council funding. The mayor is starving city agencies of staff and resources, leaving non-profits to fill the gap without his support, and now he wants to take funding away from these non-profit service providers. When the mayor is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on for-profit contractors to construct tents that go unused but not investing in the non-profit organizations delivering services, it raises serious concerns. The Council will always prioritize New Yorkers and the organizations that serve them. We welcome the mayor sitting down with the Council to discuss the City’s overall budget priorities any day of the week.”

Bronx Borough Hall Menorah Lighting

 

It was a chilly Tuesday afternoon and would get colder as the sun set when the Bronx Borough Hall Menorah would be lit on this third day of Chanukah. Rabbi Michoel Mishulovin and his wife Chana Muhka Mishulovin of the Chabad of South Bronx located at 177 East 161st Street along with Johnathan Abramowitz who did the Chanukah Blessing as Rabbi Mishulovin lit the Middle lamp first, and then the three right lamps to symbolize the third day of Chanukah. 

After the Chanukah lamps were lit there was dancing as Chanukah is a joyous holiday of the miracle that the oil in the lamp in the story of Chanukah lasted for not just one day, but it lasted eight days, thus the eight days of Chanukah. After the dancing everyone went inside to have traditional Chanukah food of Jelly Donuts and Potato Lakes, with hot cocoa or water. 

Chana Muhka Mishulovin tells the story of Chanukah and the story of Bronx Borough President. 

It was time to light the menorah as Rabbi Mishulovin lights the middle lamp as Johnathan Abramowitz (right) says the Chanukah prayer. Bronx Borough President Gibson looks on.

The three lamps are lit, and now it is time to dance.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson (right with the red hat) joined in dancing to the light of the menorah.

One final photo before everyone went inside to enjoy the traditional Chanukah Jelly donuts, Potato Lakes, and Hot Cocoa. 

The crowd inside the Bronx Borough Rotunda enjoying the Jelly Donuts, Potato Lakes, and Hot Cocoa. 

Two Men Arrested For Conspiring With Russian Nationals To Hack The Taxi Dispatch System At JFK Airport

 

Hackers Charged Taxi Drivers to Cut the Taxi Line

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and John Gay, the Inspector General of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (the “Port Authority”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging DANIEL ABAYEV and PETER LEYMAN with two counts of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions.  The Indictment charges that ABAYEV and LEYMAN hacked the electronic taxi dispatch system (the “Dispatch System”) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (“JFK”).  Taxi drivers are required to wait in a holding lot at JFK before they are dispatched to pick up a fare.  A computer system ensures that taxis are dispatched in the order in which they arrived.  ABAYEV and LEYMAN conspired with Russian nationals to hack the Dispatch System and move certain taxis to the front of the line, in exchange for payment.  ABAYEV and LEYMAN were arrested this morning in Queens, New York, and will be presented this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged in the indictment, these two defendants — with the help of Russian hackers — took the Port Authority for a ride.  For years, the defendants’ hacking kept honest cab drivers from being able to pick up fares at JFK in the order in which they arrived.  Now, thanks to this Office’s teamwork with the Port Authority, these defendants are facing serious criminal charges for their alleged cybercrimes.”

Port Authority Inspector General John Gay said: “This sophisticated, internationally coordinated conspiracy allegedly targeted hard-working taxi drivers trying to earn an honest living.  The Port Authority has zero tolerance for bad actors violating the law at our facilities.  We thank Damian Williams and the Southern District for their partnership as we continue our relentless commitment to detecting and disrupting illegal behavior at our facilities across the region.”

As alleged in the Indictment:[1]

From at least September 2019 through September 2021, ABAYEV and LEYMAN, who are U.S. citizens residing in Queens, New York, and Russian nationals residing in Russia (the “Russian Hackers”), engaged in a scheme (the “Hacking Scheme”) to hack the Dispatch System at JFK. 

At all relevant times, taxi drivers who sought to pick up a fare at JFK were required to wait in a holding lot at JFK before being dispatched to a specific terminal by the Dispatch System.  Taxi drivers were frequently required to wait several hours in the lot before being dispatched to a terminal and were dispatched in approximately the order in which they arrived at the holding lot.

Beginning in 2019, ABAYEV and LEYMAN explored and attempted various mechanisms to access the Dispatch System, including bribing someone to insert a flash drive containing malware into computers connected to the Dispatch System, obtaining unauthorized access to the Dispatch System via a Wi-Fi connection, and stealing computer tablets connected to the Dispatch System.  The members of the Hacking Scheme also sent messages to each other in which they explicitly discussed their intention to hack the Dispatch System.  For example, on or about November 10, 2019, ABAYEV messaged the following to one of the Russian Hackers in Russian: “I know that the Pentagon is being hacked[.].  So, can’t we hack the taxi industry[?]”

At various times between November 2019 and November 2020, ABAYEV and LEYMAN, working with others, successfully hacked the Dispatch System.  They used their unauthorized access to alter the Dispatch System and move specific taxis to the front of the line, thereby allowing drivers of those taxis to skip other taxi drivers waiting in the line.  ABAYEV and LEYMAN charged taxi drivers $10 each time they were advanced to the front of the line.  Taxi drivers learned that they could skip the taxi line by paying $10 to members of the Hacking Scheme through word of mouth, and members of the Hacking Scheme offered some taxi drivers waivers of the $10 fee in exchange for recruiting other taxi drivers to pay the $10 fee to skip the taxi line.  The Hacking Scheme also used large group chat threads in order to communicate with taxi drivers.  For example, when the Hacking Scheme had access to the Dispatch System for the day, a member of the Hacking Scheme would message the group chat threads, “Shop open.”  ABAYEV also sent messages to large groups of taxi drivers on the chat threads instructing them how to avoid detection by law enforcement when using trips purchased from the Hacking Scheme, such as the following:

DEAR  DRIVERS  !!!! PLEASE !!!!

Do not wait at the gas station in JFK

Please do not go around the CTH [Central Taxi Hold] Lot 

Please do not wait at Rockway av 

You have to be very very carefully

ABAYEV and LEYMAN’s scheme resulted in large numbers of taxi drivers skipping the taxi line. Over the course of the scheme, they enabled as many as 1,000 fraudulently expedited taxi trips a day.

ABAYEV, 48, and LEYMAN, 48, both of Queens, New York, are each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.  The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Port Authority Office of the Inspector General.  Mr. Williams also thanked Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance in the investigation.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitutes only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - DECEMBER 20, 2022

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment

94 Statewide Deaths Reported from December 17 to December 19

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections that become more common in the winter season. 

"As New Yorkers gather to celebrate this holiday season, I urge everyone to remain vigilant and continue to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the flu and COVID-19 and reduce the patient burden on local hospitals. The Governor recently updated New Yorkers on the state's winter health preparedness efforts. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC also cleared the way for children six months of age and older to receive the bivalent booster shot to increase protection against COVID-19. Previously, these shots were only available to children ages 5 and older.   

As flu cases continue to climb across the State, the New York State Department of Health recently reminded New Yorkers to take preventive action, including getting a flu shot. A new report shows a 19 percent week-over-week jump in lab-confirmed cases across New York and a six percent increase in flu-related hospitalizations. The weekly flu report also confirmed a total of four influenza-associated pediatric deaths in the state.

Emergency department visits for patients with flu-like symptoms are also continuing to rise. The Department's most recent influenza surveillance report also found 79 lab-confirmed outbreaks in long-term and acute care facilities in the State for the same week.  

Governor Hochul previously launched a public awareness campaign featuring New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett speaking directly to New Yorkers about the three viruses now circulating in the state with similar symptoms and the potential to cause serious illness. Produced by the New York State Department of Health, the videos include a short clip and a longer version geared toward parents; and a version aimed specifically at health care providers. 

The Governor also asked New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations. 

In addition, Governor Hochul encourages New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccine as flu season is widespread across New York State. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system.   

The State Department of Health is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. Advertisements in both English and Spanish language began running last month. 

For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/. 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 22.71
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 28.28
• Test Results Reported - 48,349
• Total Positive - 4,438
• Percent Positive - 8.01%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 7.35%
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,792 (+294)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 1,423*
• Patients in ICU - 364 (+11)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 153 (+2)
• Total Discharges - 376,299 (1,035)*
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 94*
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 60,054*

 

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.   

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.   

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.  

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 76,452

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.       

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:     

Borough	Saturday,   December   17, 2022	Sunday,   December   18, 2022	Monday,   Dec.   19, 2022
Bronx	8.45%	8.57%	8.40%
Kings	4.82%	4.83%	5.62%
New York	7.49%	7.64%	7.40%
Queens	8.98%	8.99%	8.77%
Richmond	6.64%	6.70%	7.23%