Wave Hill events April 18‒25

Thu, April 18

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, April 19

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, April 20

Family Art Project: The Earth on the Turtle’s Back

Come listen to the Iroquois story of how earth came to be. Honor the history of our planet, and all that it has given us, by screen-printing a turtle image and building layers of earth atop its shell, creating a printing plate using natural and upcycled materials. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sat, April 20

In The Shop: Spend $75, Receive a Free Pot of Bulbs!

Spend $75 in The Shop and receive the gift of spring bulbs!

Perkins Visitor Center, 10AM–4:30PM

Sat, April 20

Wave Hill History Walk

Discover the fascinating history of Wave Hill’s architecture and landscape on a walk with a Wave Hill Garden Guide. Hear about the people who once called Wave Hill home, among them Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, Bashford Dean and Arturo Toscanini. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Sat, April 20

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, April 21

Family Art Project: The Earth on the Turtle’s Back

Come listen to the Iroquois story of how earth came to be. Honor the history of our planet, and all that it has given us, by screen-printing a turtle image and building layers of earth atop its shell, creating a printing plate using natural and upcycled materials. Free with admission to the grounds.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sun, April 21

In The Shop: Spend $75, Receive a Free Pot of Bulbs!

Spend $75 in The Shop and receive the gift of spring bulbs!

Perkins Visitor Center, 10AM–4:30PM

Sun, April 21

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, April 22

Closed to the public.

Tue, April 23

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, April 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

Thu, April 25

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

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

SENATOR BIAGGI REPORTS ON THE STATE’S 2019-2020 BUDGET

  Senator Alessandra Biaggi (Bronx/Westchester) issued the following analysis of the 2019-2020 State budget:

On April 1, the legislature passed the $175.5 billion state budget, which included some extremely important reforms, but also some major disappointments. It was the first budget since the new Democratic majority took over the State Senate and the first I participated in. I was disappointed in the process and believe it needs to change, but I will have more to say on that soon. For now, here’s my view on the key results.

Criminal Justice Reform: How much money you have should not determine how you are treated by the criminal justice system. That’s not justice and these new reforms will result in major, long needed improvements in the fairness of our criminal justice system.

• There will be no cash bail for most misdemeanor and non-violent felony offenses. Now, too often too many people, usually the impoverished and people of color, who are accused but not convicted, can’t make bail and have to sit in jail for long periods, potentially losing their jobs and their homes. Now that changes.
• Changes to the discovery rules will mean that prosecutors will have to share evidence with the defense earlier.  Currently, the accused don’t know what the evidence is against them or how long they will have to wait for trial and too many are forced to plead guilty, whether they are actually guilty or not.
• Speedy trial provisions mean that trials will happen sooner and that no individuals will languish in prison for excessive amounts of time for crimes that they have only been accused of.

Voting: Earlier this year, we passed major reforms to make it easier for everyone to register and vote, which is essential to preserve our democracy, especially at a time when the right to vote is under attack in other areas of the U.S. The budget provided the funding to actually implement those reforms.

Funding to Fix Mass Transit.  The New York City metropolitan area doesn’t work without good mass transit. One of our most important tasks was to produce enough reliable funding to fix and expand our subways, commuter railroads and bus lines.

• We passed congestion pricing, which will establish tolls for driving into Manhattan south of 60th Street, excluding those just using the FDR or West Side Highways. Many of the details, such as exclusions and discounts based on, for example income or credit for bridge and tunnel tolls paid in the same trip, will be determined by a commission.
• An Internet sales tax will be imposed by Internet retailers such as Amazon on New Yorkers who buy items that would be taxed if bought in a store. That should both produce income and help small local businesses that are at a disadvantage when Internet sellers don’t collect sales tax.
• There was a proposal to tax expensive second homes owned by people who don’t live in New York City, the Pied-a-Terre tax. Those apartments will only maintain their value as long as New York City remains a good place to live and work, so it’s reasonable to ask that those super wealthy people contribute to maintaining the City. Unfortunately, that proposal was replaced with a tax on the sale of all homes above a certain value, starting with $3 million, and an increase in the mansion tax, starting with homes at $2 million. These taxes will fall on many New Yorkers who are not rich, and will produce less money to fix mass transit than the Pied-a-Terre tax. Sadly, the real estate industry used its power to push for the change, which will benefit only high-end developers and the super-rich, many of them foreigners. That’s a strong argument for campaign finance reform to get money out of politics. More on that below.   

Plastic Bag Ban: The budget protects our waterways and environment by banning plastic carry out bags, and authorizing counties and cities to impose a five-cent fee on paper bags. If they choose to opt-in, 40 percent of the funds raised from the fee will help cities and counties purchase and distribute reusable bags, especially in low and fixed-income communities. The other 60 percent will go to the Environmental Protection Fund.

Health Care: To protect New Yorkers access to health care, with the Affordable Care Act under attack in Washington, the State made the federal Affordable Care Act and the New York Health Care Exchange into State law.

Education: Nothing is more important than ensuring that every student in every school in every zip code has access to an excellent education. In my campaign, I promised to fight for full funding for our schools, but we did not win that fight this year. This budget includes $27.86 billion in General Support for Public Schools, a $1 billion increase over the 18-19 school year, and a total of $18.4 billion in Foundation Aid, an increase of $622 million in Foundation Aid. Both the Senate and Assembly proposed double that amount. I’m determined to continue fighting for full funding of our schools. Clearly, it will take all of use working together to achieve that.

Campaign Finance Reform: As noted above on the issue of funding for mass transit, when big money is involved, decisions benefit them, not all of us. That’s why it’s essential that we implement a program of matching small donor contributions and lower the maximum contribution, which will require candidates to spend time talking to and asking for support from their constituents, not special interests. Instead of passing that program, the job has been given to a commission. It’s essential that we ensure that the people who are appointed to that commission fully support real reform. And that the commission is not used to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on the lines of more than one political party.

In my first three months as your Senator, there are some major accomplishments to point to in the legislation passed before the budget and in the budget itself. But clearly there are also fights yet to be won, for which I will need your support. One clear lesson already is that elections matter and your vote matters. Much of what we have been able to accomplish would not have been possible without the new Democratic majority in the Senate. So I urge everyone to register and vote. And with the new law allowing teens 16 and 17 to pre-register, make sure your children and family members also register and vote.

Bronx Man Sentenced To Life In Prison In Connection With Fatal Carjackings Of Two Livery Cab Drivers

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that TYRONE FELDER, a/k/a “Man Man,” was sentenced to life in prison plus 34 years for killing two livery cab drivers during fatal carjackings: Maodo Kane, whom FELDER killed in the Bronx on August 5, 2014, and Aboubacar Bah, whom FELDER killed in the Bronx on August 12, 2014.  FELDER was also sentenced for participating in two armed robberies in Yonkers on August 5, 2014, as well as firearms offenses related to the carjackings and the robberies.  A jury found FELDER guilty on September 6, 2018, after a trial before U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti, who also imposed today’s sentence. 

United States Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Tyrone Felder cruelly killed two innocent men who were simply trying to earn an honest living.  The swift action of the FBI, the NYPD, and the Yonkers Police Department stopped him before he could kill again.  Now Felder will spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Briccetti said he was “astonished by the audacity and brutality” of FELDER’s crimes.

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial:

On August 5, 2014, FELDER and three other men carjacked Maodo Kane in order to steal his cab.  FELDER and his crew forced Mr. Kane to drive to an isolated street near Hunter Avenue in the Bronx.  After another carjacker pulled Mr. Kane from his vehicle, FELDER shot Mr. Kane once in the back of his head, killing him.  FELDER’s crew then used the stolen car to commit two gunpoint robberies of businesses in Yonkers.

Subsequently, on August 12, 2014, the same crew carjacked Aboubacar Bah, again to steal his car to use in robberies.  When Mr. Bah resisted, FELDER shot him in the back of the head inside his vehicle on Bryant Avenue in the Bronx.  Mr. Bah’s vehicle careened down the street, crashing into parked cars before coming to a stop.  FELDER and his crew pulled Mr. Bah’s body from the car and drove off in the vehicle, intending to commit further robberies.   The carjackers soon abandoned the cab and their plans because they believed police were onto them. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Yonkers Police Department caught FELDER and his crew several days later.  Among other investigative techniques, the special agents and detectives working the case gathered surveillance video from dozens of cameras in the Bronx and Yonkers, piecing together the crew’s movements during their crimes.

FELDER’s co-defendants, Kareem Martin, a/k/a “Jamal Walker,” Takiem Ewing, a/k/a “Mulla,” and Tommy Smalls, a/k/a “Tommy Guns,” previously pled guilty to participating in the fatal carjackings described above and await sentencing by Judge Briccetti. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD, the City of Yonkers Police Department, and the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force.

Bronx Man Sentenced In Manhattan Federal Court To 20 Years In Prison For Attempting To Provide And Conspiring To Provide Material Support To ISIS

Adam Raishani, a/k/a “Saddam Mohamed Raishani,” Attempted to Travel to Syria to Join ISIS and Facilitated Another Man’s Travel to Join ISIS

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced that ADAM RAISHANI, a/k/a “Saddam Mohamed Raishani,” was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”).  RAISHANI pled guilty to a Superseding Information on November 14, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who also imposed today’s sentence.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Adam Raishani may be a U.S. citizen, but he pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, the terrorist organization that seeks to destroy the ideals inherent to America.  In his efforts to show support to the organization, he helped another man make a trip to the Middle East so that he could join and train.  Then, a year later, Raishani decided to follow him, leaving Raishani’s wife and child behind in the United States.  Thankfully law enforcement was there to arrest him before he could make his dream of jihad a reality.  Now, Raishani will spend the next 20 years of his life behind bars for his treachery.”

Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said:  “Raishani tried to leave his young family to travel overseas to join ISIS.  Fortunately, he was arrested before he could leave the country.  Raishani is the latest in the long line of would-be terrorists whom we have arrested and prosecuted before they could accomplish their mission to provide material support to ISIS overseas.  I commend the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this result.”

According to the Superseding Information, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:

Beginning in the fall of 2015, RAISHANI conspired with another ISIS supporter (“CC-1”) to provide material support and resources to ISIS.  RAISHANI and CC-1 agreed to travel overseas to join and wage jihad for ISIS, with CC-1 to depart first.  On October 30, 2015, CC-1 departed from JFK Airport for Istanbul, Turkey, where he planned to cross into Syria to join and fight for ISIS.  RAISHANI helped coordinate CC-1’s transportation from the Bronx, New York, to John F. Kennedy International Airport (“JFK Airport”), and RAISHANI accompanied CC-1 from the Bronx to JFK Airport.

RAISHANI continued communicating with CC-1 following CC-1’s departure, using an encrypted email application in an effort to avoid law enforcement detection.  For example, on January 2, 2016, RAISHANI sent an email to CC-1 stating:  “Glad tidings brother. Its [sic] been some time since your voyage.  I pray to Allah The ALL MIGHTY to grant you success.  Until next time.”[1]  On April 1, 2016, RAISHANI sent another email to CC-1 stating:  “I hope Allah has bestowed you what you were seeking. . . . May Allah grant you sincere and clean intentions and make you among the righteous in Janatal Firdaus [a reference to Islamic paradise]. . . . Please return this email and respond to what we agreed upon before your departure.  Until next time.”  On May 3, 2016, CC-1 responded to RAISHANI, indicating that he had succeeded in joining the Islamic State.  CC-1 informed RAISHANI that CC-1 was “fine and well,” that CC-1 “wished you [RAISHANI] were here with me,” and that “here we are living with izza [honor].”

Also in May 2016, CC-1 posted content on a particular social media application (“Application-1”) indicating that CC-1 was living in the Islamic State and fighting on its behalf.  For example, CC-1 sent messages to another user of Application-1 stating:  “I’m living in the Islamic state safely and secure by the permission of Allah,” “[h]ere we are fighting the kuffars [non-believers],” and “I left the land of kuffars now I’m living in the khilafah [the caliphate].”  CC-1 also posted a photograph on Application-1 that shows CC-1 carrying an assault rifle and the flag of ISIS. 

Between January and June of 2017, RAISHANI had a series of meetings with individuals who were, unbeknownst to RAISHANI, a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement and an undercover law enforcement officer.  In the course of those meetings, RAISHANI admitted that he had previously helped another person (CC-1) travel overseas to join ISIS, and stated that he intended to travel overseas to join ISIS himself.  During those meetings, RAISHANI also downloaded and viewed violent ISIS propaganda videos, and expressed his desire to wage jihad on behalf of ISIS and his belief that the Quran can be read to justify the violence, including beheadings, perpetrated by ISIS.   

By April 2017, RAISHANI was actively planning to travel abroad to join ISIS.  RAISHANI indicated that he aspired to join ISIS in Syria and that he aimed to travel before the end of Ramadan, an Islamic holy month that ran from approximately May 26 through June 24 of 2017.  In June 2017, RAISHANI made preparations to leave, including by paying off debts and purchasing clothing that he intended to wear for training with ISIS overseas.  RAISHANI indicated his intention to meet an ISIS member in Turkey, who would facilitate RAISHANI’s joining the terrorist organization in Syria.  In the course of communications with an undercover law enforcement officer, RAISHANI conveyed that he was prepared to die, to martyr himself, for ISIS.  On June 21, 2017, RAISHANI attempted to board a flight bound for Turkey (via Portugal) at JFK Airport, at which point law enforcement officers arrested him.

Following RAISHANI’s arrest, the FBI searched RAISHANI’s Bronx residence pursuant to a search warrant.  Among the evidence recovered was a letter from RAISHANI addressed to members of his family, which the FBI found in a safe in RAISHANI’s bedroom.  In the letter, RAISHANI – who left behind his wife and young son when he attempted to travel to Syria to join ISIS – advised his wife that she could still choose to “[j]oin” him in the Islamic State, and he expressed regret that she did not share his radical views and that he had been unable to convince her to accompany him to join ISIS.  RAISHANI also wrote:  “Do Not Divulge this document and other documents that I have giv[en] to you to the authorities.  Do not believe their plots.  Do not divulge my absences but instead say I went to do volunteering outside the country with my medical skills and health background.”          

In addition to the prison term, RAISHANI, 32, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 20 years of supervised release.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD, and the NYPD’s Intelligence Division.  Mr. Berman also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, as well as the New York Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

[1] Communications and conversations discussed herein are described in substance and in part.

Bronx High School Teacher Charged With Possession And Distribution Of Child Pornography

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Angel M. Melendez, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the arrest of JONATHAN SCHWEITZER for possession and distribution of child pornography.  SCHWEITZER was arrested today and presented before United States Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, Jonathan Schweitzer received, possessed, and distributed child pornography, including depictions of young children.  The allegations are particularly disturbing in light of Schweitzer’s position as a school teacher.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect children.”

Special Agent-in Charge Angel M. Melendez said:  “Schweitzer works in a position of trust, responsible for teaching the young people of New York City for more than a decade.  Yet, he is alleged to have shared and received child pornography in various dark-web chatrooms.  The abuse and exploitation of children for viewing pleasure is abhorrent, and we will seek to arrest those predators so that they face justice for their actions.”

Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said:  “This individual allegedly violated his professional trust as a teacher to commit one of the most heinous crimes imaginable.  I’d like to thank our local, state and federal law enforcement partners involved in this case for their hard work and diligence to ensure that one less person allegedly responsible for these egregious offenses is held accountable for their actions.” 

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

Between at least February 2019 and March 2019, SCHWEITZER, who is employed as a teacher at a high school located in the Bronx, used a peer-to-peer file sharing network to share approximately 10 unique video files known to contain child pornography.  The child pornography included depictions of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity with other children or adults.  On April 3, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at SCHWEITZER’S apartment and recovered his laptop computer, which contained numerous files containing child pornography.

SCHWEITZER, 41, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of distribution and receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 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 the judge.

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

Mr. Berman praised the New York City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for their outstanding investigative work. 

 [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.

Leader Of ‘Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods’ Pleads Guilty To Racketeering And Narcotics Offenses In Manhattan Federal Court

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JAMEL JONES, a/k/a “Mel Murda,” pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to racketeering and narcotics offenses as part of his participation in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods (“Nine Trey”).  U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer presided over the defendant’s guilty plea.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Today, Jamel Jones admitted in open court to his involvement in Nine Trey and distributing drugs for the gang.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and vigorously investigate and prosecute those who bring violence and drugs into our communities.”

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.  Members and associates of Nine Trey enriched themselves by committing robberies and selling drugs, such as heroin, fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, MDMA, dibutylone, and marijuana. 

JONES, 38, of Brooklyn, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy for his involvement in Nine Trey, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of participating in a narcotics distribution conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.  JONES’S sentencing has been scheduled for July 17, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Engelmayer.

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 the judge.           

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.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Return To Its Rightful Owners Of Old Master Painting Stolen By Nazis

The 1639 Painting by Salomon Koninck Titled “A Scholar Sharpening His Quill,” Was Looted by the Nazis from the Schloss Family During World War II

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the return to its rightful owner of a painting looted by the Nazis during World War II.  The piece, A Scholar Sharpening His Quill, painted in 1639 by Salomon Koninck (the “Painting”), was stolen from the children and heirs of renowned Jewish art collector Adolphe Schloss.  Schloss was a prominent Jewish art collector in Paris whose large collection of Old Master paintings (the “Schloss Collection”) was regarded as among the most significant private collections of Dutch and Flemish paintings assembled in prewar France.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said:  “The campaign of cultural plunder that the Nazis directed against millions of innocent Jews was sadistic and unjust.  That is why restitution in this case is more than returning a material good, but restoring a physical part of lost heritage.  After nearly 80 years of being lost, this painting has been found and we are returning it to the Schloss family.”

During World War II, the Nazis created a division known as the Einsatzstab Reichleiter Rosenberg (the “ERR”) in order to “study” Jewish life and culture as part of the Nazis’ propagandist mission against the Jews.  Principally, the ERR confiscated artworks and other cultural holdings of “the enemies of the Reich” on a massive scale, and registered and identified those artworks – even photographing them – thereby leaving behind a detailed record of the works that they stole.  ERR records and photographs of art and cultural artifacts looted by the Nazis are digitized and available in an online database created by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and this database includes a photograph of the Painting taken by the ERR during World War II.

Upon the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Schloss heirs moved the Schloss Collection from Paris to Chateau de Chambon, a township in Southern France, in an attempt to protect the collection from looting by the Nazis.  Due to its value and significance, the ERR made substantial efforts to locate and loot the Schloss Collection.  In 1943, the Schloss Collection was ultimately looted by the ERR from its holding place in Chateau de Chambon.  The Nazis took 262 paintings from the Schloss Collection, including the Painting, and transported them to a depot located at the Jeu de Paume, a prewar museum in Paris that was operated by the ERR during the war.  Ultimately, the Painting was selected by the Nazis to be transported to the the “Führerbau,” Hitler’s headquarters in Munich, from where it and many other paintings disappeared in the aftermath of the war.

The Painting resurfaced in November 2017, when a Chilean art dealer (the “Consignor”) attempted to sell the painting through a New York-based auction house.  When the Painting arrived in New York from Chile, it was determined that it was the same Painting that came from the Schloss collection and had been looted by the Nazis.  When the Consignor was informed of this, the Consignor stated that her father had purchased the Painting from Walter Andreas Hofer in Munich in 1952.  Hofer was Hermann Göring’s chief purchasing agent and as such was a key player in the confiscation and looting of Jewish art collections during the Nazi era.  In 1950, after being tried in absentia by a French military tribunal for his role in art plundering during World War II, Hofer was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The United States Attorney’s office filed a complaint seeking civil forfeiture of the painting on October 19, 2018, and Judge George B. Daniels entered a judgment of forfeiture on March 11, 2019.  The United States today returns the painting to the Schloss heirs, and welcomes two members of the family to New York to accept the painting.

Mr. Berman thanked the FBI’s Art Crime Team for their assistance.

Citywide Crime Continues to Decline in March 2019

Record-Breaking Low Crime in March Sets New Quarterly Low

The NYPD announced today that in March 2019 the city experienced the lowest number of reported index crimes of any March in the CompStat era, an achievement that propelled the city to the lowest first quarter index crime results on record and a new all-time low for any quarter in the modern era. Crime in New York in March 2019 was down in all of the seven major categories, when compared to 2018. Rapes increased by +9.5% in the first quarter of 2019, but are down -3.8% for the month of March.

"The day in day out hard work of the men and women of the NYPD across every community continues to drive crime down citywide," said Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill. "Through Neighborhood Policing, and our strengthened partnerships with the public, community leaders and other city agencies, we will continue to build trust and find solutions to address crime and violence."

"Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their home. While crime is at a historic low across the city, we are working to make this a reality in every zip code," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "We are doubling down on our efforts to bring these communities and police together to find new ways to fight crime and make our City safer and fairer."

Key highlights from this March crime statistics include:

• A -6.2% reduction in index crime in March 2019 (6,798), compared to March 2018 (7,248). March 2019 is the lowest March in the CompStat era.
• Transit crime down -5.5% in March 2019 (173) compared to March 2018 (183).
• Housing crime down -0.8% in March 2019 (388) compared to March 2018 (391).
• Murders fell -27.3%, rapes fell -3.8%, robberies fell -6.7%, felony assaults fell -0.4%, burglaries fell -17.5%, grand larcenies fell -4.4%, and grand larceny auto fell -18.8% in March 2019 compared to March 2018.

At the outset of March 2019, the NYPD implemented a five-point plan designed to take aim at precincts experiencing pockets of increased violence. This plan is addressing the uptick by: increasing personnel in four targeted precincts (34, 43, 79, 113 Precincts), strengthening gun prosecutions, expanding programs focusing on gang violence and potential recidivism, and focusing on domestic violence investigations. A month later, there have been double-digit reductions in overall crime in each of the selected precincts. While violence has not been fully stamped out, the 43 Precinct experienced both zero murders and zero shooting incidents, while the 113 Precinct recorded zero murders. The NYPD will continue to analyze and address obstinate pockets of violence through a combination of the previously mentioned resources.

Additionally, in January, Commissioner O'Neill announced the next iteration of Neighborhood Policing — a plan to focus on six precincts citywide where violent crime outpaced the rest of the city. These precincts include: the 40th Precinct in the South Bronx, the 41st Precinct in Hunts Point, the 42nd Precinct in Tremont, the 73rd Precinct in Brownsville, the 75th Precinct in East New York, and the 25th Precinct in East Harlem. Commissioner O'Neill and the executive NYPD team are holding targeted community meetings in each of these six precincts to identify strategies and resources that will be newly deployed to bring crime down in these communities to levels consistent with the rest of New York City.

Statistics on Index Crimes 2018-2019

Mar. 2019	Mar. 2018	Change	+/-%	Year-to-Date 2019	Year-to-  Date 2018	Change	+/-%
Murder	16	22	-6	-27.30%	69	60	9	15.00%
Rape	154	160	-6	-3.80%	438	400	38	9.50%
Robbery	872	935	-63	-6.70%	2690	3023	-333	-11.00%
Felony Assault	1589	1595	-6	-0.40%	4319	4508	-189	-4.20%
Burglary	713	864	-151	-17.50%	2355	2724	-369	-13.50%
Grand Larceny	3138	3283	-145	-4.40%	9252	9827	-575	-5.90%
G.L.A.	316	389	-73	-18.80%	971	1137	-166	-14.60%
TOTAL	6798	7248	-450	-6.20%	20094	21679	-1585	-7.30%

Additional Statistics on Crimes 2018-2019

Mar. 2019	Mar. 2018	Change	+/-%	Year-to-Date 2019	Year-to-Date 2018	Change	+/-%
Transit	173	183	-10	-5.50%	559	562	-3	-0.50%
Housing	388	391	-3	-0.8	1100	1120	-20	-1.80%
Shooting Incidents	56	46	10	21	150	141	9	6.40%

March Rape Breakdowns

CompStat Year	Count	Occurred Same Year	Occurred Previous Year	Occurred 2 Years Prior	Occurred 3 Years Prior	Occurred 4 Years Prior	Occurred 5+ Years Prior
2019	154	114	20	6	3	0	11
2018	160	110	23	4	7	3	13
2017	111	85	18	3	1	0	4
2016	101	83	13	4	0	0	1
2015	109	89	11	2	3	0	4
2014	101	78	7	2	2	1	11

Note: All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revisions, or change.