GUN TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR SELLING 73 FIREARMS TO UNDERCOVER OFFICER

Defendant Brought Firearms from Tennessee By Bus; Weapons Included 59 Loaded Guns, 40 High-Capacity Magazines 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking 73 weapons and high-capacity magazines to the Bronx and Manhattan, where they were sold to an undercover NYPD officer.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant, who was a college student at the time in Tennessee, trafficked semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines from the south to New York City. He brought some of the weapons in duffle bags by bus and then sold them to an undercover NYPD officer. The illegal influx of guns threatens the safety of Bronxites. I thank our partners at the NYPD for intercepting these guns before they ended up on our streets.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Shakor Rodriguez, 23, originally from the Bronx, who was attending Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee at the time, was sentenced today by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Albert Lorenzo to 10 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision for first-degree Criminal Sale of Firearm, and received a 1 to 3 years indeterminate sentence for fourth-degree Conspiracy, to run concurrently. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the charges on September 19, 2022.

 According to the investigation by the NYPD Firearms Investigations Unit and the Bronx District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau, dubbed “Operation Overnight Express,” Rodriguez, also known as “Sha,” trafficked 73 firearms to the Bronx and Manhattan and sold them to an undercover NYPD officer between July 17, 2020 and December 22, 2021. Of the 73 weapons sold were 59 loaded firearms. He also sold 40 high-capacity magazines, including multiple “drum” magazines. The officer typically paid between $1,000 and $1,500 per gun.

 Rodriguez sold most of the weapons near his former home in the vicinity of Weeks Avenue and Nelson Avenue in the Bronx, and multiple sales occurred on Allen Street in Manhattan. The investigation found the defendant transported guns in duffle bags and in some instances traveled with them by bus.

 District Attorney Clark thanked the NYPD’s Firearms Investigations Unit for their work in the investigation, specifically Detective Gustavo Medina, Sergeant Brian O’Hanlon, Lieutenant Michael Raso, Captain Jeffrey Heilig and Inspector Brian Gill.

New York Veterinarian And Racehorse Trainers Sentenced To Prison In Federal Doping Case

 

Veterinarian Louis Grasso and Standardbred Racehorse Trainers Richard Banca and Rene Allard Sentenced For Their Roles In Racehorse Doping Scheme

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendants LOUIS GRASSO, RICHARD BANCA, and RENE ALLARD were sentenced to 50 months in prison, 30 months in prison, and 27 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in distributing adulterated and misbranded drugs in service of a racehorse doping scheme.  Each defendant previously pled guilty to felony drug misbranding and adulteration charges.  U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel imposed the sentences in Manhattan federal court.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Illegally doping racehorses is animal abuse in the service of greed.  Such corruption threatens the health of racehorses and undermines the integrity of the sport.  Today, three defendants have been sentenced for their roles in perpetuating, and profiting from, the mistreatment of animals.  The sentences each defendant received appropriately reflects the seriousness of these offenses in the eyes of the law.”

According to the statements in the Superseding Indictment, charging instruments, other filings in this case, and statements during court proceedings:

The charges in the Grasso case arise from an investigation of widespread schemes by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, distributors of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses competing at all levels of professional horseracing.  By evading PED prohibitions and deceiving regulators and horse racing officials, participants in these schemes sought to improve race performance and obtain prize money from racetracks throughout the United States, all to the detriment and risk of the health and well-being of the racehorses.  GRASSO, a veterinarian, not only accepted payment in exchange for prescriptions for powerful and medically unnecessary PEDs, but he also created, distributed, and administered custom-made PEDs that were all misbranded and adulterated substances designed solely to improve racehorse performance.  Through this fraudulent scheme, GRASSO helped corrupt trainers collect over $47 million in ill-gotten purse winnings.  As standardbred racehorse trainers, BANCA and ALLARD purchased and administered adulterated and misbranded drugs to racehorses under their control, and as a result of their crimes, their horses earned approximately $16 million and $25 million in purse winnings, respectively.  BANCA and ALLARD stood to profit from the success of racehorses under their control by earning a share of their horses’ winnings and by improving their horses’ racing records, thereby yielding higher trainer fees and increasing the number of racehorses under their control. 

In addition to their prison terms, LOUIS GRASSO, 65, of Pine Bush, New York, was sentenced to two years’ supervised release.  RICHARD BANCA, 47, of Middletown, New York, and RENE ALLARD, 35, of Canada, were each sentenced to one year of supervised release. LOUIS GRASSO was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $47,656,576.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation New York Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force and its support of the Bureau’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative.  Mr. Williams also thanked the Food and Drug Administration for their assistance.

Governor Hochul Issues Proclamation Celebrating Transgender Awareness Month in New York State

 

State Landmarks to Be Lit in Honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20

Public Service Announcement Highlighting Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming New Yorkers in the Workplace to Protect Against Discrimination Available Here

Read Proclamation Here

 Governor Kathy Hochul issued a proclamation declaring November Transgender Awareness Month to celebrate the trans community in New York State and across the country. The Governor also announced that New York State landmarks will be lit pink, white and light blue on Sunday, November 20 in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

"This November, I'm proud to celebrate Transgender Awareness Month to highlight the countless contributions that members of the transgender community have made to our state," Governor Hochul said. "Along with Transgender Day of Remembrance, this is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the discrimination and attacks transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary people face across the world. My administration will continue to stand with the transgender community as we fight to ensure all New Yorkers can live with the dignity and equality they deserve."  

Governor Hochul has been a steadfast advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In her first budget, Governor Hochul worked with the legislature to include a historic $13.5 million investment in LGBTQ+ health and human services funding and also required state agencies to make an "X" gender designation available to the public on state forms that collect such information. Governor Hochul has also signed major legislation to support LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, including creating the Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund and the Gender Inclusive Ballot Act.

Governor Hochul also announced today that the New York State Division of Human Rights has produced a public service announcement in collaboration with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner and the New Pride Agenda on the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the workplace to protect against discrimination. The PSA will run on social media platforms in honor of Transgender Awareness Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Additionally, in consultation with the Executive Chamber, the Office of Employee Relations has developed a new training video that examines issues faced in the workplace by transgender and gender nonconforming employees. This video will be used to educate and increase cultural competency regarding the trans community for the entire state workforce, which reaches people from Buffalo to Albany, North Country to New York City, and Long Island.  

Building on the information already available in the Office of Employee Relations' Gender Identity Toolkit on the Statewide Learning Management System, the new Gender ID in the Workplace video provides a more detailed look at issues such as pronoun usage, gender-neutral language, workplace confidentiality and exposure, and gender-based microaggressions in the workplace. The video is in its final production and the Office of Employee Relations looks forward to launching the new training as part of its mandatory training program for executive branch employees in calendar year 2023.

In January, the state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence will release applications for the LGBTQ+ Endorsement Program for Domestic Violence Providers. Announced by Governor Hochul in June, this year-long pilot program will help to address the unique struggles faced by the transgender community when there are instances of domestic violence.

The program is dedicated to reducing the barriers that LGBTQ+ survivors of gender-based violence face when seeking safety and will give participants the opportunity to be in the first cohort of endorsed programs, receive specialized training and technical assistance, and provide input on its development. To develop the program, the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence partnered with the New York City Anti-Violence Project and sought feedback from the LGBTQ+ and domestic violence provider community via a series of stakeholder listening sessions in this fall.

The voluntary initiative will give domestic violence programs the opportunity to be certified as LGBTQ+ affirming and inclusive in their services, policies and practices, and will establish a new commitment to the LGBTQ+ community statewide. To receive an endorsement, programs will need to show they meet a set of program standards including standards on serving trans- and gender-nonconforming survivors.

On November 20, in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, the landmarks to be lit include:  

One World Trade Center   

Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

Kosciuszko Bridge

The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building

State Education Building

Alfred E. Smith State Office Building

Empire State Plaza

State Fairgrounds - Main Gate & Expo Center

Niagara Falls

The "Franklin D. Roosevelt" Mid-Hudson Bridge

Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct

Albany International Airport Gateway

MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station

Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal  

Ten Charged With Crack Cocaine Distribution In Mount Vernon

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Frank A. Tarentino III, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Glenn Scott, Commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department (“MVPD”), and Terrance Raynor, Acting Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety (“WCDPS”), announced today the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment and a Complaint charging 10 defendants with narcotics distribution and firearm offenses in and around Westchester County, New York.  The defendants, ESTEBAN MORALES, TRAVIS SWAIN, BOBBY BROWN, ISHMAEL MORALES, JONATHAN LONG, SR., DAYSHAWN RIVERS, SHANNA LEWIS, DWAYNE HUDSON, SHONTEEA WALKER, and MICHAEL VEGA will be presented in federal court today before United States Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, these defendants trafficked crack cocaine, an addicting and potentially deadly product that devastates communities throughout the Southern District of New York, and used firearms to protect their operation.  Thanks to the FBI, the DEA, the Mount Vernon Police Department, and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the defendants are in custody and facing federal criminal charges.”

FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: "These small groups of drug dealers are contributing to the spike in violent crime across our communities.  The work being done by the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and our law enforcement partners is vital to stopping the vicious cycle of shootings, robberies, and illicit drug sales.  We are determined to bring these criminals to justice and make Mount Vernon a safer place." 

DEA Special Agent-in Charge Frank A Tarentino III said: “This investigation has shut down a violent drug trafficking organization based in Mount Vernon, New York.  Drugs and guns cause irreparable damage in our communities, and law enforcement is committed to keeping the public safe and healthy.”   

MVPD Commissioner Glenn Scott said: “The Mount Vernon Police Department is dedicated to solving violent crime and removing guns and drugs from our city streets.  This operation is an example of what we can accomplish when we utilize all of our law enforcement partners.  We thank our partner agencies in this operation, FBI Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Probation, and the Westchester County Police Department, and we look forward to continuing to work together to make Mount Vernon safer.”

WCDPS Acting Commissioner Terrance Raynor said: “Joint investigations with federal and local partners are one of the most effective tools we can use to take illegal weapons and narcotics off our streets.  I applaud the officers and agents involved in this case for the difficult and dangerous work that led to these indictments and arrests.  By sharing resources and working collaboratively, we can make Mount Vernon and Westchester safer for all.”

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and the Complaint unsealed today in White Plains federal court:[1]

From at least January 2022 until November 2022, ESTEBAN MORALES, TRAVIS SWAIN, BOBBY BROWN, ISHMAEL MORALES, JONATHAN LONG, SR., DAYSHAWN RIVERS, SHANNA LEWIS, DWAYNE HUDSON, and SHONTEEA WALKER conspired to distribute over 280 grams of crack cocaine.  In or about November 2022, MICHAEL VEGA possessed with intent to distribute over 1,500 grams of crack cocaine.  In addition, on occasions between March 2022 and June 2022, ESTEBAN MORALES, BOBBY BROWN, ISHMAEL MORALES, and DAYSHAWN RIVERS each possessed a firearm in furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy. 

A chart containing the names and ages of the defendants who were charged today, the charges, and the minimum and maximum penalties they face is attached.

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

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, the MVPD, the DEA, and the WCDPS.  The Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force comprises Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the FBI, U.S. Probation, New York State Police, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Westchester County DPS, Westchester County DAs Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Rockland County DA’s Office, New York City PD, Yonkers PD, Mount Vernon PD, Peekskill PD, Greenburgh PD, New Rochelle PD, White Plains PD, Clarkstown PD, and Ramapo PD. 

The charges contained in the Indictment and Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendant	Age	Charges	Minimum and Maximum Penalties
ESTEBAN MORALES	22	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Controlled Substance Offense	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of five years in prison (to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed); five years supervised release; $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss; $100 special assessment
ISHMAEL MORALES	22	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Controlled Substance Offense	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of five years in prison (to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed); five years supervised release; $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss; $100 special assessment
TRAVIS SWAIN	29	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison; five years supervised release; $10,000,000 fine; $100 special assessment
BOBBY BROWN	45	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Controlled Substance Offense	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of five years in prison (to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed); five years supervised release; $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss; $100 special assessment
JONATHAN LONG, SR.	53	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison; five years supervised release; $10,000,000 fine; $100 special assessment
DAYSHAWN RVERS	32	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Controlled Substance Offense	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of five years in prison (to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed); five years supervised release; $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss; $100 special assessment
SHANNA LEWIS	31	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison; five years supervised release; $10,000,000 fine; $100 special assessment
DWAYNE HUDSON	38	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Controlled Substance Offense	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of five years in prison (to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed); five years supervised release; $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss; $100 special assessment
SHONTEEA WALKER	22	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison; five years supervised release; $10,000,000 fine; $100 special assessment
MICHAEL VEGA	36	Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base	Life in prison; mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison; five years supervised release; $10,000,000 fine; $100 special assessment

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