Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - Community Resources & Updates

 

Dear Neighbor,

We want to thank everyone who participated in this year`s Bronx Week festivities! Many of you joined us last year as we celebrated the 51st anniversary of Bronx Week, and each year, we set out to make it bigger and better than the last.

From our Bronx Week Press Conference launch at the new Chase Community Center to our Labor Leaders Breakfast, Bankers Breakfast, Silent Disco, Health Day, Veterans Appreciation Luncheon, Centenarian Celebration, BX Factor Competition, and our Grand Finale Concert, Food and Arts Festival, and Parade - we are showing the rest of the city why we are exceptional, and why our borough is the best place to live, work, visit, and raise your family. However, our team could not do this work without you and without our amazing sponsors!

We hope you will also join us on Thursday, May 23rd, for our CCNY Studio Award Ceremony at Bronx Borough Hall and our 2nd Annual Prom Dress Giveaway Event on Friday, May 24th, at 730 Concourse Village West. Additional information on these events can be found in this week`s newsletter.

Thank you for all of your support, and we look forward to seeing you as we celebrate Bronx Week 2025!

In partnership,

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

IN THE COMMUNITY

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Annual Bronx Week Centenarian Event recognizing our older adults (90+) for their contributions to our communities.

Their wisdom has guided us for over 90 years as a borough, and we are eternally grateful.

Congratulations to the winners of the first-ever BX Factor competition during Bronx Week!

The inaugural winner is Gomez Design Studio and the two runner-up businesses were Bronx Native and Green Canvas Productions.

In the Bronx, our small businesses are essential to our communities and our continued economic growth. Thank you to the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, the New York Yankees, Santander Bank, and all of our other community partners for their support of this important event.

Bronx Week 2024 was a hit! Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Congratulations to this year’s Bronx Week 2024 Walk of Fame honorees:

Andrea Navedo (Actress and Entertainer)

Ozzie Virgil, Sr. (Baseball Legend)

Amadeus (Music Producer)

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez (Urban Health Plan CEO)

What an incredible Sunday in The Bronx! We danced, sang, laughed, and celebrated together. A thank you to all of our sponsors and everyone who joined us for our Annual Bronx Week Grand Finale Parade, Food & Arts Festival, and Concert!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Governor Hochul Announces $10 Million Grant Funding to Support Efforts to Reduce Domestic Terrorism and Targeted Violence

Grant Applications Now Available for New York State Counties

Every County in the State Now Has a Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plan

Governor Kathy Hochul announced $10 million in additional grant funding for state efforts to reduce domestic terrorism and targeted violence in the aftermath of the racist mass shooting that killed 10 people at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo on May 14, 2022. In the days after the attack, Governor Kathy Hochul issued Executive Order 18 establishing New York’s first-ever Domestic Terrorism Prevention Unit at DHSES and requiring each county in the state and New York City to develop plans to confront domestic terrorism. This included $10 million to support the development of local multi-disciplinary Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) teams in all 57 counties and New York City. The $10 million in grants secured by the Governor in this year’s budget has been made available to counties to further develop their TAM teams and update their prevention plans. Every county in New York now has an actionable Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plan. To date, New York City and 43 of the 57 counties outside of New York City have TAM teams, and the remaining 14 counties are taking steps to create theirs. Grant applications and information can be found here.

“My home city has been deeply impacted by domestic terrorism and my administration and I have been working continuously to reduce targeted violence in the aftermath of it,” Governor Hochul said. “It is time we provide communities with the resources needed to confront threats and attacks and keep their constituents safe.”

Each county and the City of New York are eligible to receive up to $172,413 to support these efforts. The TAM teams bring together law enforcement, mental health professionals, school officials, and other community stakeholders to identify, assess, and manage threats of targeted violence, which includes terrorism. Funding can be used to cover local planning, training and personnel costs related to TAM efforts, and to support the development and delivery of exercises to determine the viability of local Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plans.

More than half of the new TAM teams are already meeting and collaborating. These teams have collectively intervened in over 1,200 cases. In one case, after a young person made a threat of violence towards their school, the local TAM team coordinated transportation, counseling, addiction, and employment services for the individual and their family. Prior to Executive Order 18, there were only three county-based TAM teams statewide, which were supported through grants from DHSES.

Existing teams have a strong level of multi-disciplinary representation. All teams have law enforcement representation, 98 percent of teams include mental health professionals, 89 percent have education representatives, and 75 percent have public health representatives. Other representatives on teams include social service organizations, religious and cultural institutions, and community businesses.

In November 2023, Governor Hochul announced $3 million to expand the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Domestic Terrorism Prevention Unit’s (DTPU) Threat Assessment and Management training to all colleges and universities in New York State to continue combating the ongoing rise in hate speech across New York.

The DTPU will conduct training for New York State colleges and universities; educate school administrators, professors, and staff on how to develop and maintain TAM teams; and provide constant training to supported entities. DHSES will also help connect existing networks that are currently operational within the SUNY and CUNY systems and ensure information sharing between college and university TAM efforts and the county-led multidisciplinary TAM teams being established across the state.  

Statement from Comptroller Brad Lander on Appellate Division’s Decision to Uphold Supreme Court Decision on Medicare Advantage

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released the following statement in response to the Appellate Division’s affirmation of the New York Supreme Court decision blocking the City from shifting retirees to a Medicare Advantage plan:

“This is yet another win for the many retirees fighting to keep the health care they worked for and were promised. When the Medicare Advantage contract was submitted to my office last year, we declined to register it knowing that litigation raised doubts about the City’s authority to enter into the contract. Multiple decisions by the courts show we were right to do so.

“As a matter of public policy, beyond the scope of our office’s specific Charter responsibility for contract registration, I was and remain seriously concerned about the privatization of Medicare plans, overbilling by insurance companies, and barriers to care under Medicare Advantage. It is vital that all seniors—and all New Yorkers—get quality health coverage as a basic human right.

“At the same time, given the growing costs of health care for both retirees and active employees we cannot ignore that there are real cost questions facing the City when it comes to health care. It is time for all parties to come to the table to identify creative and effective solutions.”

Attorney General James Applauds Decision Protecting Health Insurance Coverage for Abortion Care

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement after the New York Court of Appeals issued a decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany v. Vullo, upholding New York’s law that requires insurers to include health insurance coverage for abortion care in their plans:

“Millions of New Yorkers rely on their employer-provided health insurance for essential medical care for themselves and their families, including reproductive care. Today’s decision affirming abortion coverage must be included in insurance plans as outlined in state law is a win for all New Yorkers and for our most basic right to make decisions about our own bodies. Abortion care is health care, and my office will always protect our state’s residents and ensure our laws are respected and upheld.”

New York’s employer health insurance law requires insurers who provide hospital, surgical, or medical coverage to provide coverage for medically necessary abortion services. Today’s court decision affirms the constitutionality of the law.

Attorney General James has been a national leader in defending access to reproductive care and protecting reproductive freedom in New York and nationwide. Earlier this month, Attorney General James sued an anti-abortion group and 11 crisis pregnancy centers for promoting unproven abortion reversal treatment. In April, Attorney General James led a coalition of attorneys general in urging Congress to expand access to reproductive health services and pass the Access to Family Building Act. In January, Attorney General James led a coalition of 24 attorneys general urging the U.S. Supreme Court to protect access to mifepristone. In December 2022, Attorney General James secured a court order to stop militant anti-abortion group Red Rose Rescue from blocking access to abortion care in New York. 

Companies that Own and Operate Oil Tanker Plead Guilty to Environmental Crimes

Companies Agree to Pay $2M for Deliberate Dumping of Oil from Ship 

Two related companies that operated the motor tanker PS Dream – Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret – pleaded guilty to conspiracy, knowingly violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and obstruction of justice related to the falsification of the tanker’s Oil Record Book, which is a required log.

 

Exhibit 1 in U.S. v. Prive Overseas Marine, LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret, A.S., case number 24-cr-00074. Credit: USCG.

The guilty pleas were entered in federal court in New Orleans before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. If the court approves the plea agreement, the companies will be fined a total of $2 million and serve four years of probation. Separate charges have been filed against Captain Abdurrahman Korkmaz, a Turkish national who was the ship’s master.

The criminal case stems from the report of a crew member who, on Jan. 11, 2023, contacted the Coast Guard in New Orleans, which was the next port-of-call, and shared a video showing oil being pumped overboard and trailing behind the tanker. When the ship arrived in New Orleans two weeks later, this individual and another crew member blew the whistle and provided evidence to the Coast Guard. Video and photographic images were filed in court today by the prosecutors.

“Deliberate pollution from ships, intentional falsification of records and obstruction of justice are serious environmental crimes that will be vigorously prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Maritime laws regulating pollution from ships are intended to ensure that ocean waters are not used as a dumping ground.”

“This case involved deceit and willful pollution, and this prosecution is intended to hold both the corporations and individuals accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Criminal prosecutions are needed to deter deliberate efforts to circumvent our Nation’s anti-pollution laws. Importantly, $500,000 of the criminal penalty will go toward environmental protection of the marine environment in our area.”

“This outcome sends a powerful message: those who falsify logs and take deliberate actions to conceal pollution will face significant consequences,” said Captain Greg Callaghan, Deputy Commander of U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New Orleans. “The Coast Guard and our partners remain steadfast in our shared commitment to safeguarding our waters and holding accountable those who threaten our marine ecosystems. We encourage individuals to continue reporting any suspicious activities, as each report plays a crucial role in protecting the marine environment."

“It is long past time for the maritime industry to meet its obligations under international law and stop illegal pollution from ships,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Illegal ocean dumping and falsifying records to conceal those violations will not be tolerated by EPA and our federal law enforcement partners.” 

The falsified logs, presented to the Coast Guard during its inspection, were intended to conceal the fact that the crew had dumped oil-contaminated waste overboard on the voyage to New Orleans and was not complying with MARPOL Annex I, an international treaty regulating oil pollution from ships. According to court documents, the ship’s master ordered crew members to pump overboard from the residual oil tank, which contained oily waste. A portable pump placed inside the tank and connected to a long flexible hose was used to discharge directly into the ocean without any required pollution prevention equipment or monitoring. The waste oil, including sludge, originated in the engine room and had been improperly transferred into the residual oil tank on the deck of the ship by a prior crew. Senior managers at Prive Shipping were aware that the oil-contaminated waste remained in the tank and were informed by the ship’s master that it had been dumped overboard.

The proposed $2 million criminal penalty includes $500,000 in organizational community service payments that will fund various maritime environmental projects in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Those projects will be managed by the congressionally established National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. The court also has authority to award up to $500,000, half of the APPS portion of the fine, to the whistleblowers that provided evidence leading to conviction.

Prive Overseas Marine is based in Dubai and Prive Shipping is based in Turkey. The corporations were charged with four felonies: conspiracy, an APPS violation and two counts of obstruction of justice. Captain Korkmaz was charged with two counts: a violation of APPS and obstructing the Coast Guard’s inspection of the ship.

The Coast Guard Investigative Service and the EPA Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case with assistance from USCG Sector New Orleans.

Former Professor Charged With Obstructing Justice By Falsifying Records

 

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the filing of a Criminal Information charging MATTHEW QUEEN with falsification of records in connection with falsified notes Queen produced to the FBI related to an ongoing federal investigation.  QUEEN was arraigned on the Information before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Matthew Queen attempted to interfere with a federal grand jury investigation by creating false notes in an attempt to corroborate his own lies.  The criminal obstruction charge announced today should exemplify the seriousness of attempts by any individual to manipulate or interfere with a federal investigation.” 

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said: “Matthew Queen, an interim Provost, allegedly failed to inform the FBI of a conspiracy to destroy evidence related to the ongoing investigation of sexual misconduct and instead produced falsified notes to investigators.  Queen’s alleged actions deliberately violated a court order and delayed justice for the sexual abuse victims.  The FBI will never tolerate those who intentionally lie and mislead our investigation in an attempt to conceal their malicious behavior.”

According to the allegations in the Information filed today in Manhattan federal court and other public statements made in court:[1]

Since approximately 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (“U.S. Attorney’s Office”) and the FBI have been investigating allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct related to a national religious denomination (the “Denomination”) and its affiliated entities, and the alleged cover-up of such allegations by individuals and entities associated with the Denomination.  In October 2022, as part of that investigation, a grand jury subpoena was issued to a seminary that is affiliated with the Denomination (the “Seminary).  Among other things, the subpoena required the production of all documents in the Seminary’s possession related to allegations of sexual abuse against anyone employed by or associated with the Seminary.

The following month, in November 2022, a Seminary employee (“Employee-1”) received a report alleging that a current Seminary student had committed sexual abuse.  Employee-1 immediately notified the campus police at the Seminary.  No further action was taken by the Seminary at that time, however, and the allegation was not reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

In January 2023, Employee-1 created a document describing the sexual abuse allegation Employee-1 received in November 2022, and the failure of the Seminary to take action regarding the allegation at that time  (the “Document”).  On January 26, 2023, Employee-1 met with MATTHEW QUEEN, the then-Interim Provost and professor at the Seminary, and a member of the Seminary’s executive staff (“Employee-2”).  During that meeting, and in QUEEN’s presence, Employee-2 directed Employee-1, in sum and substance, to destroy the Document.

In May 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI interviewed MATTHEW QUEEN in Fort Worth, Texas regarding the January 26, 2023 meeting with Employee-2 and Employee-1.  During that interview, QUEEN falsely stated that he had not heard Employee-2 direct Employee-1 to destroy the document.  Three days after the interview, QUEEN falsely stated to another Seminary employee (“Employee-3”) that he had just located a notebook in his office containing purportedly contemporaneous notes of the January 26, 2023 meeting.  The notes falsely stated that during the January 26, 2023 meeting, Employee-2 and Employee-1 merely discussed providing the Document to a different department at the Seminary, and omitted the fact that Employee-2 had directed Employee-1 to destroy the Document.  Queen provided the falsified notes to Employee-2 to produce in response to the grand jury subpoena.

In June 2023, MATTHEW QUEEN provided the U.S. Attorney’s Office with a copy of his notes.  On June 20, 2023, QUEEN met again with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in New York and produced the original notebook containing his notes.  During his second interview, QUEEN initially falsely stated that he had written the notes contemporaneously with the January 26, 2023 meeting, but then during the same meeting, QUEEN falsely stated that he instead had written the notes months later, in April 2023. In truth and in fact, QUEEN had written the notes following his initial May 2023 interview with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI.

On June 21, 2023, MATTHEW QUEEN testified under oath that he had in fact heard Employee-2 direct Employee-1 to make the Document “go away.”

QUEEN, 49, of Greensboro, North Carolina, is charged with one count of falsification of records, which carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI.  He added that the investigation is ongoing.   

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Kelly is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Information 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, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES NEW CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION

 

Appointments to Include Former Elected Officials, Civic and Faith Leaders, Community Members

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of a Charter Revision Commission (CRC), under chair Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, that will be tasked with reviewing the city charter and determining how to make New York City’s municipal government more responsive and transparent to the city’s residents.

 

The CRC will review the entire city charter to ensure that the city’s municipal government works efficiently and remains responsive to all New Yorkers. More specifically, Mayor Adams has asked the CRC to focus on how the charter can contribute to public safety and provide opportunities for greater community input and transparency when legislation is proposed that would impact public safety. Additionally, Mayor Adams has asked the CRC to focus on how the charter can better promote fiscal responsibility and support working-class New Yorkers. The CRC will have the ability to evaluate processes for determining the financial impact of proposed legislation on current and future fiscal years, whether the financial impact is funded, and making that information more transparent to the public.

 

Mayor Adams will announce the additional members of the CRC in the coming days.

 

“I extend my deepest gratitude to Carlo and this group of esteemed city leaders who will volunteer their time and expertise to serve on this commission,” said Mayor Adams. “Together, this group will look for ways to ensure that this city is working as efficiently as possible for all of our residents and delivering a city government that reflects the needs and aspirations of the millions of working-class New Yorkers who call the five boroughs home. Through careful examination and thoughtful reform, we will strengthen this city’s commitment to protecting public safety, rebuilding our economy, and creating a more livable city for everyday New Yorkers.”

 

“I am honored and grateful to be named chair of the New York City Charter Revision Commission by Mayor Eric Adams,” said Carlo Scissura, chair, Charter Revision Commission. “As a lifelong New Yorker, it is truly remarkable to get to continue to serve the city I love. Having served on two previous charter commissions, I am excited to work with my fellow commissioners and to listen to the voices of New Yorkers across the five boroughs.”

 

The CRC will be chaired by Carlo Scissura, who has participated in two Charter Revision Commissions in the past. Scissura currently serves as president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, a position he has held since January 2017. Previously, Scissura was president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the Brooklyn Chamber, Scissura served as both chief of staff and general counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for nearly five years.