Tuesday, December 22, 2020
MAYOR DE BLASIO LAUNCHES NYC VACCINE FOR ALL CAMPAIGN
Governor Cuomo Announces Wadsworth Laboratory Has Begun Research of the New COVID-19 Strain - and COVID-19 Indicators for Dec. 22,2020
Wadsworth Laboratory Has Partnered With Six Hospitals Across the State to Obtain Additional Samples
To date, 50,000 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Administered in New York
Governor Calls on Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Medical Personnel to Continue Vaccinations Throughout the Holidays
6,661 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide
1,126 Patients in the ICU; 614 Intubated
Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.89%
139 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Wadsworth Laboratory has begun aggressive research of the new, highly contagious COVID-19 strain that has been discovered in the United Kingdom. Already, Wadsworth has looked at more than 3,700 virus sequences identified in New York, but has yet to find the U.K. variant present in any of the samples. Additionally, Wadsworth and the Department of Health have forged agreements with six hospitals from across the State to obtain additional samples and is continuing to make arrangements with other hospitals to do the same. Those hospitals with agreements already in place include:
- Montefiore
- Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Northwell Long Island
- University of Rochester
- Albany Medical Center
- Saratoga Hospital
The Governor also announced that to date, 50,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered throughout New York. The state has received 630,000 doses thus far and expects to receive another 300,000 doses next week. With Christmas and Kwanzaa rapidly approaching, the Governor also called on hospitals, nursing homes, and medical personnel to continue providing vaccinations throughout the holidays to ensure nursing home patients and front line health care workers are protected as quickly as possible.
"The U.K. variant is a real issue - not only is it believed to be 70 percent more contagious than previous strains, but there is a very real chance it is already here. Upon learning of this new variant, we immediately worked with airlines to ensure that anyone getting on a plane from the U.K. bound for New York tests negative, but we need federal action and we need it now," Governor Cuomo said. "We know that the virus originally got on a plane and came to New York from Europe in the spring. It's inexcusable that the federal government has failed to learn that lesson and we need them to do the smart thing and institute testing requirements for travelers entering the United States from any country. In the meantime, it's on the rest of us to be smart and continue fighting to stop the spread. Just remember -- celebrating smart stops shutdowns. So as everyone prepares to celebrate the holidays, do your part and socially distance, wear a mask and wash your hands."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Test Results Reported - 164,868
- Tested Positive - 9,716
- Percent Positive - 5.89%
- Patient Hospitalization - 6,661 (+330)
- Patients Newly Admitted - 801
- Hospital Counties - 55
- Number ICU - 1,126 (+31)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 614 (+1)
- Total Discharges - 96,185 (+406)
- Deaths - 139
- Total Deaths - 28,850
Comptroller Pleads Guilty To Embezzling From Manhattan Financial Publishing Company
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ERIC IAN WHITEHEAD pled guilty to wire fraud for his role in a years-long scheme to embezzle approximately $1.3 million from a financial publishing company (the “Company”), where he was then employed as comptroller. The plea was entered in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As he admitted in court today, Eric Ian Whitehead exploited his position of trust as comptroller of a publishing company to embezzle more than $1 million from the company. Now he awaits sentencing for his admitted theft.”
According to the Informationand other filings and statements at public court proceedings in the case:
From at least in or around 2015 through in or around 2020, WHITEHEAD used wire transfers and cash deposits from the victim Company to benefit himself without authorization from the Company. Specifically, WHITHEAD used Company assets to pay for personal credit card expenses, overpay personal credit cards to receive cash balance refunds, write checks to cash for deposit into personal bank accounts, and purchase precious metals to sell for his own profit. WHITEHEAD consistently embezzled Company funds from in or around 2015 through in or around 2020, for a total loss amount of approximately $1.3 million.
WHITEHEAD, 53, of Smithtown, New York, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. WHITEHEAD will be sentenced by Judge Abrams on April 9, 2021.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Attorney General James and State Police Acting Superintendent Bruen Announce Felony Conviction in Million-Dollar Construction Fraud Scheme
Owner of Upstate Construction Companies Convicted of Multi-Year Money Laundering Scheme That Defrauded Homebuyers Out of More Than $1 Million
New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen today announced the felony conviction of Shawn M. VanVeghten (39, of Saratoga Springs) for defrauding homebuyers, business owners, a financial lender, and the beneficiary of a special needs trust, between 2016 and 2020, out of more than $1 million to finance his own personal and business expenses. VanVeghten’s fraud not only left his victims in financial distress, but left many homebuyers across upstate New York without the ability to get into their homes when promised, if ever at all. Today, before the Honorable James A. Murphy, III in Saratoga County Court, VanVeghten entered a plea of guilty to Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony, and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony. VanVeghten faces up to 3 to 9 years in state prison.
“Shawn VanVeghten stole and defrauded more than a million dollars from New Yorkers and left homebuyers, workers, and other victims in the lurch,” said Attorney General James. “For years, his victims scraped and saved to afford their dream homes, but VanVeghten’s crimes left them locked out. This conviction should send a clear message that my office will not hesitate to fight for New Yorkers as we protect their wallets at every turn. Those who attempt to steal and profit off the backs of New Yorkers will be held accountable. I thank the New York State Police for its continued partnership in bringing accountability and justice to such duplicitous schemes.”
“Shawn VanVeghten defrauded homebuyers and other businesses in an illegal scheme that netted him hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen funds, which he then used for his own benefit,” said Acting Superintendent Bruen. “We will not tolerate this type of reprehensible behavior, and I commend the outstanding work of our members and our partners in the Attorney General’s Office for obtaining a measure of justice for the victims.”
Today’s conviction was the result of a joint investigation between the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) and the New York State Police’s (NYSP) Financial Crimes Unit, with assistance from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department and both the Saratoga County and Warren County District Attorneys’ Offices. The joint investigation revealed that VanVeghten engaged in a money laundering scheme aimed at promoting his businesses at the expense of homebuyers, business owners, a financial lender, and the beneficiary of a special needs trust. According to the OAG’s felony complaint, VanVeghten laundered over $1 million through two construction companies he owned or operated — VanVeghten Construction, LLC and Union Modular Homes, LLC — both based in Wilton, New York.
VanVeghten was arraigned in Wilton Town Court in September 2020 on a series of felony and misdemeanor complaints before the Honorable Matthew Coseo. Subsequently, on December 8, 2020, VanVeghten was arraigned on the charges of Money Laundering and Scheme to Defraud, covering the time period from July 2016 through May 2020, also before the Honorable Coseo in Wilton Town Court.
As part of his guilty plea today, VanVeghten admitted that, from at least July 2016 to May 2020, he engaged in a scheme to defraud homebuyers and others and laundered monies embezzled from these victims. During this time period, VanVeghten received monies from homebuyers that were intended to build their dream homes, as well as from a lender in connection with other property development projects.
However, instead of using these funds for designated projects, VanVeghten diverted the monies for personal use, as well as to pay off business expenses. VanVeghten also engaged subcontractors and suppliers for labor and materials for various construction projects, while failing to pay them. Additionally, over a three-year period, VanVeghten misappropriated almost $200,000 from a special needs trust established for the benefit of a disabled family member. VanVeghten used these stolen monies to replenish more than $1 million in funds that he had previously misappropriated from homebuyers in order to satisfy his outstanding business debts, to repay loans, and to pay his own personal expenses. In total, VanVeghen diverted over $400,000 for his own personal use, including to purchase and renovate an investment property in Schenectady County, pay for office space in the Town of Wilton, pay down his personal mortgage, and cover various other personal expenses including dining, entertainment, and clothing.
In one instance, a homebuyer paid over $500,000 for the construction of a modular home in the Town of Adirondack, New York. Following numerous delays, in late 2018, the manufacturer finally delivered the components to the homebuyer’s property and found there was not even a sufficient foundation upon which to build. As a result, the homebuyer had to hire a subsequent contractor and still has yet to have his home built. In reality, this homebuyer’s funds were misappropriated by VanVeghten to further other projects where funds had been previously stolen. A NYSP audit of VanVeghten’s bank accounts revealed he conducted hundreds of similar transactions on a near-continuous basis, utilizing new funds received from homebuyers, a lender, and the special needs trust in a Ponzi-like scheme to replace previously embezzled funds. As a result, homebuyers were unable to get into their homes when promised, if ever at all.
On April 14, 2021, VanVeghten is scheduled to be sentenced to up to 3 to 9 years in state prison, with restitution ordered for all his victims. The final sentence the court will impose will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, how much up-front restitution will be paid to victims. The OAG asks any individual who may have been defrauded by VanVeghten and who has yet to be repaid in full to contact the NYSP’s Financial Crimes Unit by emailing FCU@troopers.ny.gov.
The OAG recommends practicing the following tips to protect against becoming a victim of a home improvement scam:
- Shop around: Get at least three estimates from reputable contractors that include specific information about the materials and services to be provided for the job.
- Get it in writing: Insist on a written contract that includes the price and description of the work needed.
- Don't pay unreasonable advance sums: Negotiate a payment schedule tied to the completion of specific stages of the job. Never pay the full price up front.
- Get references: Check with the Better Business Bureau, banks, suppliers, and neighbors. Always contact references. Residents of New York City, or Westchester, Nassau, or Suffolk Counties can check their local consumer affairs office.
- Know your rights: Consumers have three days to cancel after signing a contract for home improvements. All cancellations must be made in writing.
Any New York resident who believes they have been scammed as part of a home improvement contract, should submit a complaint to the OAG immediately with as many details as possible.
The OAG wishes to thank the Financial Crimes Unit of the NYSP for their invaluable assistance and audit work throughout this case, as well as their help in the investigation. The OAG also wishes to thank the Wilton County and Saratoga County Sheriff’s Departments for their help in this investigation.
VISION ZERO: DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION TO INCREASE TRAFFIC SAFETY MEASURES, CALL ON STATE TO APPROVE OVERNIGHT AND WEEKEND SPEED CAMERA ENFORCEMENT
- Latest data shows that speeding has been reduced on average by over 70% at locations where speed cameras are installed.
- Injuries are down 17% at these same locations.
- Two-thirds of vehicle owners who received a notice of liability in 2019 did not receive another within the calendar year.
- “Legit and Alive” – Vision Zero agencies are working with the Motorcycle Advisory Council to encourage safe and legal riding. Motorcyclists will be offered safe driving tips and encouraged to license and fully register their vehicles. As the City prepares for increased ridership of motorcycles and other forms of micro-mobility in the coming year, safe operation of motorcycles will be even more critical.
- “Move Over for Stopped and Emergency Vehicles” – This campaign will remind New Yorkers that under New York State law, when a vehicle is disabled or otherwise stopped on the roadway, drivers are legally obligated to move as far away as possible in a moving lane from the stopped vehicle, including police and emergency vehicles.
- “Everybody, Every Seat” – A new campaign will continue to remind drivers that in November, New York State began mandating that all motor vehicle passengers, including adults, must buckle up, no matter where they sit within the vehicle.
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Happy Holidays from NYC Parks - Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver
NYC Parks wishes you a healthy, joyful holiday season and a new year filled with peace and happiness. |
Monday, December 21, 2020
Governor Cuomo Announces British Airways and Delta Airlines Agree to Test All Passengers Before Entering New York State, and COVID-19 Indicators DECEMBER 21, 2020
Asks Virgin Atlantic to Join British Airways and Delta Airlines in Voluntarily Testing Passengers Before Boarding Flights to New York
6,331 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide
1,095 Patients in the ICU; 613 Intubated
Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.75%
109 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that in the wake of a new, highly contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus found in the United Kingdom, British Airways and Delta Airlines have voluntarily agreed to require a COVID-19 test before allowing passengers to board planes traveling from the United Kingdom to New York. With this move, New York joins the list of 120 countries with a similar requirement on flights from the U.K. The Governor has asked Virgin Atlantic, the other airline that runs flights from the U.K. to New York, to do the same. The Governor is also continuing to call on the federal government to impose enhanced travel restrictions, as 120 other countries have done, to avoid the same grave mistakes of the spring where the virus entered New York from Europe with no warning.
"When you do not require flights from the U.K to be tested, you are allowing thousands of U.K. passengers to arrive here every day and based on New York's experience in the spring, I believe this new, highly contagious strain of COVID-19 is already here," Governor Cuomo said. "This is another disaster waiting to happen and all efforts must be placed into averting another crisis. Now, it's on the federal government to do its job, correct the wrongs of the past and take swift action to impose enhanced travel restrictions just as 120 other countries have done."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Test Results Reported - 156,510
- Tested Positive - 9,007
- Percent Positive - 5.75%
- Patient Hospitalization - 6,331 (+146)
- Patients Newly Admitted - 700
- Hospital Counties - 55
- Number ICU - 1,095 (+50)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 613 (+13)
- Total Discharges - 95,779 (+472)
- Deaths - 109
- Total Deaths - 28,709