MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT ON ONGOING PROTESTS AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to the ongoing protests occurring at Columbia University:

“I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus — like the example of a young woman holding a sign with an arrow pointing to Jewish students stating ‘Al-Qasam’s Next Targets,’ or another where a woman is literally yelling ‘We are Hamas,’ or another where groups of students are chanting ‘We don’t want no Zionists here’ — and I condemn this hate speech in the strongest of terms. Supporting a terrorist organization that aims is to kill Jews is sickening and despicable. As I have repeatedly said, hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law that is reported. Rest assured, the NYPD will not hesitate to arrest anyone who is found to be breaking the law.

“We will not be a city of lawlessness, and those professional agitators seeking to seize the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to sow chaos and division in our city will not succeed.

“I do, however, want to be abundantly clear: Columbia University is a private institution on private property, which means the NYPD cannot have a presence on campus unless specifically requested by senior university officials. The NYPD has an increased presence of officers situated around the campus to protect students and all New Yorkers on nearby public streets, and they stand ready to respond if another request is made by the university, as they did on Thursday, when the NYPD successfully cleared encampments on Columbia’s South Lawn without any injuries.

“I urge Columbia’s senior administration officials to improve and maintain an open line of communication with the NYPD to ensure the safety of all students and staff on campus, as well as for the safety of all New Yorkers.

“I know the conflict in the Middle East has left many of us grieving and angry. New Yorkers have every right to express their sorrow, but that heartbreak does not give anyone the right to harass or threaten others or to physically harm someone they disagree with.

“As mayor of the city with the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel, the pain these protests are causing Jews across the globe is not lost on me, especially as we start Passover tomorrow evening. I also see and hear the pain of those protesting in support of innocent lives being lost in Gaza.

“In this moment of heightened tension around the world, we stand united against hate.”

DEC Seeking Data on Vulnerable Species to Inform New Status Assessments

 

Scientific Input Sought for Planning to Assist State’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced it is seeking data on species status assessments for use in updating New York’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) for 2025-35. The SWAP guides management actions for New York’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and is a requirement for New York to participate in the federally funded State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. SGCN are species native to New York State currently experiencing threats likely to jeopardize the future of their populations if action is not taken within the next 10 years.

“The preservation of New York State’s iconic wildlife is critical to the long-term health of our environment,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “Data provided by the public to help inform the process of updating the State’s Wildlife Action Plan will bolster DEC’s ongoing efforts to conserve wildlife and protect habitats for the enjoyment of future generations of New Yorkers.”

The SWAP serves as New York State’s guiding document for managing and conserving species and habitats before they become too rare or costly to restore. Congress requires states and territories to develop a SWAP and update it every 10 years. As part of the SWAP public outreach process, DEC solicits input from partners and stakeholders on SGCN and strategies and actions to address threats to these species.

States may only spend grant funds on SGCN identified in their SWAP. Each SGCN listed in the 2015 action plan has a species status assessment (SSA) updated for the 2025 SWAP. DEC is seeking public input on additional sources of information on the status and distribution of New York’s SGCN, including new information on threats to these species.

Draft revised SSAs are available to download from the DEC website. The public can nominate a new SGCN, or propose a species be removed from the list. Anyone interested in providing data, updates, or other comments pertaining to the nomination of a new SGCN can download copies of a blank form from the website, populate one form per species, and send to nyswap2025@dec.ny.gov by June 17, 2024.

DEC will provide an opportunity for public comment on the draft SGCN list for the 2025 SWAP later this year. In addition, there will be an opportunity for public review and comment of the updated SWAP prior to its submission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

All input and data are due by June 17, 2024, and may be submitted by email to nyswap2025@dec.ny.gov. Please include “SGCN Feedback” in the subject line. Information may also be sent by mail to:

SWAP Coordinator

Division of Fish and Wildlife

NYSDEC

625 Broadway

Albany, NY 12233-4754

Questions about the status assessment process can be sent to the SWAP Coordinator at nyswap2025@dec.ny.gov or by phone at (518) 402-8858. For more information on New York’s State Wildlife Action Plan, visit the DEC website at https://dec.ny.gov/nature/animals-fish-plants/biodiversity-species-conservation/state-wildlife-action-plan  

Permits Filed For 710 Oakland Place In Crotona, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed to vertically enlarge a three-story structure into a four-story residential building at 710 Oakland Place in Crotona, The Bronx. Located between Crotona and Clinton Avenues, the lot is near the West Farms Square-East Tremont Avenue subway station, serviced by the 2 and 5 trains. Shaya Seidenfeld of Capstone Property Care is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 38-foot-tall development will yield 3,544 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have ten residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 354 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a 41-foot-long rear yard.

Lester Katz, Ncarb is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits will likely not be needed as the project calls for an expansion. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT ON STATE BUDGET AGREEMENT EXTENDING MAYORAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TWO MORE YEARS

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams released the following statement after New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced an extension of mayoral accountability for two more years:  

“With the inclusion of mayoral accountability in the state budget, our administration has now secured every single one of our legislative priorities in the budget. Every. Single. One. 

 

“In the 22 years since mayoral accountability was implemented, New York City’s public schools have transformed — increasing our students’ reading scores, math scores, and graduation rates; reducing the racial disparity gap; allowing the implementation of critical initiatives like ‘NYC Reads’ and universal dyslexia screenings, and ensuring a seamless and timely coordination with partners to welcome, enroll, and support thousands of newly-arriving students and their families on a citywide scale.  

 

“The continuation of mayoral accountability is important to New York City families, students, teachers, and the entire school community, and we thank Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Heastie, and the Legislature for delivering for our students and allowing me and Chancellor Banks to continue to provide bold and necessary programs for the betterment of our children. 

 

“We will continue to partner with the nearly 1 million students, their families, my colleagues in government, the unions representing school personnel, and the entire New York City community to provide an education system free from bureaucracy and one that allots them the certainty they deserve, provides historic investments in our schools, and changes the way we approach learning in New York City.” 

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) - Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet Performance: "From Tradition to the Future"

 

BRONX RIVER ART CENTER 

Celebrating 37 Years of Bringing Arts & Cultural Programs to the Bronx

Five Boroughs Music Festival and Bronx River Art Center co-present

Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet:

"From Tradition to the Future" 

Saturday, April 27th at 4:30PM

BRAC is proud to partner with Five Boroughs Music Festival to present Latin GRAMMY Award winner Pedro Giraudo and his Tango quartet in a lively performance of Tango music composed by some of the world's most renowned Tango composers. Pedro Giraudo is internationally acclaimed for his compelling and emotional music that celebrates the works of the great Astor Piazzolla. However, he is also an active ambassador of the continuing evolution of Tango into new territories. With immense respect for its roots and rich musical past, his virtuoso tangos have thrilled audiences at both classical and jazz venues, and at festivals nationwide

The Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet includes Pedro Giraudo on compositions and bass, Nicolás Danielson on violin, Rodolfo Zanetti plays bandoneón and Ahmed Alom on piano.

The performance at BRAC will include selections from great tango masters from the 1930s to the present: e.g., Alfredo Gobbi, Francisco Canaro, Osvaldo Pugliese; the revolutionary Astor Piazzolla and— evolving even further—Pedro Giraudo. In this program, the ensemble offers the audience insight into how tango evolved from marginal venues, then cafes and dance halls, and finally to prominent concert halls. The musical journey will be accompanied by short anecdotes about the main figures in the history of tango, as well as some explanation of the principal rhythms of the genre (milonga, waltz, and tango).

The combination of Pedro's own innovative compositions and arrangements, as well as his interpretations of the great tango masters from Pugliese to Piazzolla, along with the impeccable musicianship of the members of his quartet, make for an exceptional, enriching experience.

Tickets:

$10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors, $5.00 for Students with ID, and pay what you can for currently enrolled BRAC students

SNAP Discounts will also be available.

Get Tickets for Pedro Giraudo Performance

Pedro Giraudo: Bio

As a composer and arranger, Latin GRAMMY Award winner Pedro Giraudo leads his own jazz and tango ensembles and has been hailed by critics as one of the most creative and daring bandleaders on the scene today. His compositions combine his love of classical forms, Argentine tango and folk music, and the spontaneity of jazz improvisation. The band, which boasts some of New York’s finest musicians, has performed regularly in the most prestigious jazz clubs in the New York City area, including the Jazz Standard, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, Blue Note, Joe’s Pub, as well as abroad. John Murph of Downbeat described Giraudo’s music as “an opulent listening experience of modern, orchestral jazz, brimming with passionate improvisations, deliberate contrapuntal melodies and plush harmonies. Pedro Giraudo has also conducted the world renown WDR Big Band and Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra.

It was his album ‘Vigor Tanguero‘ that won a Latin GRAMMY award in 2018 for “Best Tango Album.” In 2014 Ruben Blades’ CD “Tangos” on which Pedro recorded bass won two Grammy Awards. Pedro has collaborated with Pablo Ziegler, Paquito D’Rivera, and Dizzy Gillespie’s protégé William Cepeda, as well as ‘Tango meets Jazz’ guests: Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Regina Carter, Nestor Torres, Miguel Zenon among many others. He has also collaborated as a performer and arranger for The New York Philharmonic and has played the bass for the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He has also been the musical director of Tango for All’s ‘Blind’, Mariela Franganillo Company’s “Tango Connection” and “Tango Recuerdo” and performed with U.S.’s most prominent tango ensembles including ‘Forever Tango’, Hector Del Curto’s ‘Eternal Tango’ and Daniel Binelli’s ‘Tango Metropolis’. He has participated in numerous jazz and music festivals throughout the North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, and performed in venues such as The Blue Note (Japan & USA), Birdland (Austria), London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Jazz Festival Royale in Thailand, Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Iridium, Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (NYC).

YouTube links that support the theme of the program (tradition to the future):

"Canaro en Paris" (Caldarella & Scarpino)

Prepárense (Astor Piazzolla)

Ávido (Pedro Giraudo)

And Pedro's YouTube channel if you'd like to see more!

News from Senator Gustavo Rivera

 

SENATOR RIVERA'S HEALTH COMMITTEE PASSES 10 BILLS

This week, the New York State Health Committee passed 10 bills, including Senator Rivera's bill to require valuable community input and strengthen state review for proposed hospital or unit closures. Legislators also passed Senator Rivera's bill to allow undocumented New Yorkers to receive kidney transplants.

 

 

SENATOR RIVERA ATTENDS THE RIVERDALE TEMPLE'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY GALA 

Senator Rivera attended the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Riverdale Temple. The Riverdale Temple is known for its wide spectrum of educational activities and cultural and social programs for people of all ages that make it a fixture of the Bronx.

In recognition of the Temple's impact, Senator Rivera presented a proclamation to this Riverdale institution for their outstanding service to our community. 

 

White Supremacist Leader Sentenced to 44 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Make Death Threats Against Brooklyn Journalist

 

Defendant Threatened Journalist’s Life For Reporting on Violent Extremist Group

At the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Nicholas Welker, also known as “King ov Wrath,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 44 months’ imprisonment for conspiring to make death threats.  Welker, the leader of Feuerkrieg Division (“FKD”), an international racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist (“RMVE”) group, which translates to “War Fire,” posted death threats against a Brooklyn-based journalist (the “Journalist”) so that the Journalist would stop reporting on the Neo-Nazi group.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence. 

“Welker tried to silence a journalist from reporting on his white supremacist group so that his fellow extremists could continue to commit violence against racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “There were real victims of this crime—the journalist and his news media organization.  Today’s sentence demonstrates that we will stand up for them and other journalists who bravely report on these violent hate groups.” 

Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies.  Mr. Peace also thanked the Estonian Internal Security Service and Prosecutor’s Office for their valuable support.

According to court filings, Welker’s threat included a photograph of the Journalist with a gun aimed at his head and the words “Race Traitor” over the Journalist’s eyes.  The threat stated, “JOURNALIST F[***] OFF!  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.”  The threat listed the Journalist and his employer by name.  Welker posted the threat to a public online forum.  Two under-aged FKD members tweeted the death threat directly at the Journalist’s social media handle so that he would see it.  Welker intended to frighten the Journalist into dropping his reporting on Welker’s hate group.

FKD members share a common goal of challenging laws, social order, and the government via terrorism and other violent acts.  The organization encourages attacks on racial minorities, the Jewish community, the LGBTQ+ community, the U.S. Government, journalists, and critical infrastructure.  FKD has members in the United States and abroad.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Two Florida Steel Traders Sentenced for Money Laundering and Russia-Ukraine Sanctions Violations

 

President of Metalhouse LLC Sentenced to Six Years in Prison and $160 Million Forfeiture

Co-Conspirator Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison and $4.7 Million Forfeiture

John Can Unsalan, aka Hurrem Can Unsalan, the president of Orlando, Florida-based steel trading firm Metalhouse LLC, was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering to promote violations of U.S. sanctions against Sergey Kurchenko, a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch. Unsalan’s former business associate, Sergey Karpushkin, a Belarusian national residing in Miami, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in the scheme. Unsalan pleaded guilty and was ordered to forfeit $160 million in proceeds from the offense. Karpushkin pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to commit international promotional money laundering and was ordered to forfeit $4.7 million in criminal proceeds.

Kurchenko was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2015 for his role in misappropriating state assets of Ukraine or of an economically significant entity in Ukraine. Two sanctioned companies – Kompaniya Gaz-Alyans OOO, based in the Russian Federation and controlled by Kurchenko, and ZAO Vneshtorgservis, based in the Russian occupied Georgian region of South Ossetia – were designated by OFAC in 2018 for acting on behalf of and providing material support to the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in the separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine.

As set forth in court filings, Unsalan and Karpushkin engaged in trade with these sanctioned individuals and entities to procure steelmaking equipment and raw material despite knowing that Kurchenko, Gaz-Alyans and Vneshtorgservis were subject to U.S. sanctions that prohibited U.S. persons and entities from doing business with them. No licenses from OFAC were applied for or issued for these payments or transfers.

As stated in court documents, between July 2018 and October 2021, Unsalan conspired with others to transfer over $150 million to Kurchenko and companies controlled by Kurchenko. Unsalan, acting through his company, Metalhouse, engaged in trade with sanctioned individuals and entities and received tens of thousands of tons of metal products from the companies. Between July 2017 and August 2020, Karpushkin conspired with Unsalan and other business associates, acting through Metalhouse, to enter into contracts and purchase orders for pig iron, steel billets, and wire rods from these sanctioned companies and agreed to share profits from these unlawful transactions. The co-conspirators intentionally concealed from U.S. banks and government officials the ultimate source and origin of the goods that they sought to acquire, knowing that they did not have the necessary authorization or license from OFAC to transact with Kurchenko and companies owned and controlled by Kurchenko.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

The FBI Tampa and Washington Field Offices investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt for the Middle District of Florida, Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorneys Sean O’Dowd and Sean Fern of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section prosecuted the case.

The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.