Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance Eighth Annual Dinner

The six honorees in the front row (L-R) Beverly Michael Executive Director Einstein Campus of Montefiore Hospital, Maureen Carvin Branch Manager Ridgewood Savings Bank, Detective Danny (Giuseppe) Cannova, Detective Janine Varela, Roger BomBace (standing in for his brother Joe Bombace), and Joseph McManus State Committeeman. The Executive Board of the VNNA with Councilman Ritchie Torres are in the back row. 

  One-Hundred people in all came to Maestro's Friday night to celebrate the Eighth Annual Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance Dinner. Several of the local elected officials were on hand to speak or present one of the awards to an honoree. Bernadette Ferrara President of the VNNA spoke of the changing neighborhood and the groups effort's to improve the area. At the dinner were members of other neighborhood organizations who are working along side of the VNNA to make a better Bronx. 

Elected officials on hand included (L - R) State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, Assemblywoman Karines Reyes, and Councilman Ritchie Torres who are with the Executive Board of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance.

Above - City Councilman Ritchie Torres and State Senator Gustavo Rivera with VNNA President Bernadette Ferrara. 

Below - Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez is with Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association President Edith Blitzer, and Louisa Benedetto formerly of Councilman Torres's office.

Above - State Senator Rivera with Tony Signore the Vice-President of Morris Park Community Association, and Al D'Angelo President of the MPCA.

Below - Andrea Siegel, Steve Glosser, and Edith Blitzer of the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association.

Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez Opens New Office on Williamsbridge Road.

Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez stands tall in front of her new assembly office located at 1812 Williamsbridge Road.

  It was the Open House Gran Re-Opening of the Office of Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez at 2018 Williamsbridge Road. That address had been the former campaign office of State Senator Jeff Klein and Councilman Mark Gjonaj, but now it was going to be put to a better use. Over fifty people were in attendance to see the ribbon cut on the new office which is around the corner from her old assembly office.

Above - The ribbon is in place, as Assemblywoman Fernandez waits for the cue to cut. Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Councilman Mark Gjonaj, and others wait for the ribbon to be cut.

Below - The ribbon is being cut on the new office of Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez. 

Wave Hill events May 23‒May 30

Thu, May 23

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Fri, May 24

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Sat, May 25

Family Art Project: In the Flow

Wave Hill overlooks the Hudson River, a tidal estuary where salty sea water meets fresh water running off the land. Use wax resist and inks to find your flow as you make artwork inspired by this bountiful ecosystem. Play with textures as you emulate the brackish water of the river that flows both ways. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sat, May 25

Gallery Tour

Tour Glyndor Gallery with Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow or Gallery Greeter to get an insider’s view of current exhibitions. Here We Land features three, former Winter Workspace artists Camille Hoffman, Maria Hupfield and Sara Jimenez who return explore narratives about contested space that draw on personal and cultural touch points in their immersive installations. Rachel Sydlowski fills the Sunroom Project Space walls with complex, screen-print collages of flora and fauna, architectural details and decorative motifs from Wave Hill, Inwood Hill Park and other surrounding green spaces. Free with admission to the grounds.

Glyndor Gallery, 2PM

Sun, May 26

Family Art Project: In the Flow

Wave Hill overlooks the Hudson River, a tidal estuary where salty sea water meets fresh water running off the land. Use wax resist and inks to find your flow as you make artwork inspired by this bountiful ecosystem. Play with textures as you emulate the brackish water of the river that flows both ways. Free with admission to the grounds.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sun, May 26

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 2PM

Mon, May 27

Memorial Day Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights on this special holiday Monday. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 2PM

Tue, May 28

Gallery Tour

Tour Glyndor Gallery with Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow or Gallery Greeter to get an insider’s view of current exhibitions. Here We Land features three, former Winter Workspace artists Camille Hoffman, Maria Hupfield and Sara Jimenez who return explore narratives about contested space that draw on personal and cultural touch points in their immersive installations. Rachel Sydlowski fills the Sunroom Project Space walls with complex, screen-print collages of flora and fauna, architectural details and decorative motifs from Wave Hill, Inwood Hill Park and other surrounding green spaces. Free with admission to the grounds.

Glyndor Gallery, 2PM

Wed, May 29

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Thu, May 30

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Thu, May 30

Spring Gala 2019

Named “New York’s Most Loved Cultural Organization” by Time Out Magazine two years in a row, Wave Hill is a leading arts venue in the Bronx. With ecological and social consciousness as a grounding for art, Wave Hill nurtures an appreciation for both creativity and conservation. Through innovative arts programming—including site-specific commissions, installations, performances, one-of-a-kind artists’ residencies and the signature Family Art Project—nature and culture are brought together in authentic ways, to provide truly meaningful and unforgettable experiences for all. Buy tickets today.

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS – Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–5:30PM, March 15–October 31. Closes 4:30PM, starting November 1.

ADMISSION – $10 adults, $6 students and seniors 65+, $4 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES – Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

  

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. - Dominican Heritage Celebration

Safer School Zones

On Mother's Day, Governor Cuomo signs legislation reinstating the New York City speed zone camera program, extending its hours, and expanding the number of authorized school speed zones. Governor Cuomo signs legislation reinstating the New York City speed zone camera program, extending its hours, and expanding the number of authorized school speed zones.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation (S.4331/A.6449) to reinstate the speed camera program in New York City and expand the number of authorized school speed zones from 140 to 750. The bill also expands the hours of the program to weekdays between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

"Something as simple as walking to and from school can be the most dangerous part of the day, especially in this city with this complexity and this density. We have learned it the hard way. We have lost too many people, especially too many young people. We have to do better and we can do better," Governor Cuomo said. "This bill will increase the number from 140 to 750 speed cameras in the city, extend the hours of operation of the speed cameras and will mandate that the city prioritize placement of the cameras by speed and crash data. It's common sense. It works and it is the right thing to do."

Former Executive Director Indicted for Embezzling Hundreds of Thousands Of Dollars From Queens-Based Non-Profit

Defendant Allegedly Used Stolen Funds to Pay for Vacations, Cosmetic Surgery and Luxury Cars

  In federal court in Brooklyn, a nine-count indictment was unsealed charging Semeo Doe, the former Executive Director of the Action Center for Education and Community Development, Inc. (Action Center) in Far Rockaway, Queens, with embezzling, and conspiring to embezzle, hundreds of thousands of dollars from that charity for his personal use.  Doe was also charged with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy in connection with misrepresentations he made to the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.  Doe was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.   

       

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Margaret Garnett, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.

 As is alleged in the indictment, between 2010 and May 2019, Doe served as a Director, and as the Executive Director, of Action Center, a not-for-profit organization that provided services to children and young adults, and provided meals to individuals in need.  Doe allegedly embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars of Action Center funds to pay for personal expenses including international vacations, jewelry, luxury cars and cosmetic surgery.  As part of the scheme, he also caused Action Center to submit reimbursement requests for costs that were not incurred — including financial compensation for two employees for work allegedly performed after their deaths.  Doe concealed his scheme in part by forging the signatures of Action Center employees on checks he had issued in the employees’ names, and then endorsed the checks and deposited them into his personal bank account. 

“As alleged, Doe stole money that was supposed to feed the hungry and provide children with after-school services, and used it to finance his lavish lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “Today’s indictment serves notice that those who steal from charities to line their pockets will pay the price in the end.”  

“It’s difficult to imagine a justification for embezzling money slated to provide services for children and adults in need, but Doe was able to excuse this behavior—at least in some part—in exchange for luxurious personal items and international travel,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.  “Corrupting city-funded nonprofits isn’t just disgraceful, it’s also a federal crime.”

“This defendant allegedly diverted funds meant for youth and adult programming in Queens into his own pockets, using hundreds of thousands of public dollars he funneled through a shell corporation to pay for expenses for himself and his family, according to the charges,” stated DOI Commissioner Garnett.  “Fraud involving City nonprofits robs New Yorkers of programming that enriches lives and provides opportunity.  DOI is proud to work with the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate these crimes and hold accountable individuals who corrupt City-funded nonprofits for personal gain.”

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of the embezzlement charge, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  If convicted of conspiracy to embezzle public funds, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.  If convicted of wire fraud or conspiracy to commit bank fraud, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years.  If convicted of aggravated identity theft, the defendant faces a mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment.

Member Of Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods Pleads Guilty To April 21, 2018, Shooting Inside The Barclays Center

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that FUGUAN LOVICK, a/k/a “Fu Banga,” pled guilty in Manhattan federal court to a shooting that he committed inside the Barclays Center on April 21, 2018, as part of his participation in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods (“Nine Trey”).  U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer accepted the defendant’s guilty plea.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Today, Fuguan Lovick admitted to a brazen and dangerous act of violence.  While inside the Barclays Center with Tekashi 6ix 9ine and other Nine Trey gang members, Lovick fired a gun to intimidate rival gang members.  We continue our daily work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and to vigorously investigate acts of violence committed by gang members.”

As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in open court:

Nine Trey was a criminal enterprise involved in committing numerous acts of violence, including shootings, robberies, and assaults in and around Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Members and associates of Nine Trey engaged in violence to retaliate against rival gangs, to promote the standing and reputation of Nine Trey, and to protect the gang’s narcotics business.  As admitted in open court today, on April 21, 2018, LOVICK discharged a firearm inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in order to scare rival gang members. 

LOVICK, 42, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.  LOVICK is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Engelmayer on August 19, 2019.

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by Judge Engelmayer.           

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  He also thanked the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the investigation.

South Carolina Man Charged With Trafficking 25 Handguns Into New York City

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John B. Devito, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the arrest of TORRIE JOHNSON, a/k/a “Torrie Terrel Johnson,” a/k/a “Black,” for trafficking 25 firearms from South Carolina into New York City, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  JOHNSON was arrested and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang in the Southern District of New York.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, Torrie Johnson traveled from South Carolina to sell more than two dozen firearms illegally to an undercover officer in New York in the span of less than four months.  Stopping the flow of illegal guns into New York is essential to keep our city safe, and arresting alleged prolific gun traffickers is fundamental in that effort.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito said:  “As alleged, Johnson was responsible for transporting over two dozen firearms to the streets of New York.  Illegal firearms trafficking often has a nexus to a host of other violent crimes in our community.  Thanks to the efforts of the ATF/ NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force a trafficking scheme that could have put many at risk was dismantled and destroyed.  ATF and its law enforcement partners stand committed to ridding our communities of these illegal guns and those responsible for putting them on the streets.  I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in prosecuting this case.”

NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said:  “While New York City continues to see record reductions in gun related violence, we must remain ever vigilant against illegal firearm trafficking in order to protect the people and communities we serve.  This arrest demonstrates that the cooperation with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners is producing real results that keep people safe, and ensure they feel safe too.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today:[1]

On at least five occasions between January 23, 2019, and May 9, 2019, TORRIE JOHNSON, a/k/a “Torrie Terrel Johnson,” a/k/a “Black,” sold firearms to an undercover NYPD detective (the “UC”).  In total, JOHNSON sold 25 firearms to the UC in Manhattan and the Bronx, including a variety of 9 millimeter, .32, .38, .40, .45, and .380 caliber pistols and revolvers, as well as hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunition.

JOHNSON purchased the firearms in South Carolina, and transported them to New York for the purpose of selling them there.  On at least two occasions, the UC specifically told JOHNSON that he was planning to transport the firearms that JOHNSON had sold him to a foreign country, and resell them there for a profit.  JOHNSON also told the UC that he was attempting to obtain for sale to the UC a Century Arms Mini Draco AK-47 semi-automatic pistol.

JOHNSON, 41, of Sumter, South Carolina, has been charged with one count of firearms trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(a)(1)(A) and 2, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) (2), which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations, and JOHNSON is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the ATF, the NYPD, and the Joint Firearms Task Force.

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