Wednesday, November 10, 2021

53 Days and Counting 'What Are You Going to Do'?

 


You know Ruben you really should have put Robert Press on Community Board 11, with all his experience on Homelessness, Land Use Matters, Education, Police, NYCHA, and come to think of it he beat me up on almost every topic. Are you going with a developer like your predecessor, this way you don't have to tangle with him on the Land Use matters there? 


What has Mayor Elect Eric Adams offered you so far? Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez is going to make out, and I wonder if he will have a higher position than you, and more influence than you also. After all Ydanis comes from Manhattan, and you Ruben, well you come from the Bronx, and you let me do just about whatever I wanted to do in the Bronx. It was that Pesky reporter Robert Press who kept asking me questions I didn't want to answer, so when we went virtual, I had a list of reporters not to call on and he was at the top of the list.

Permits Filed For 2187 Ryer Avenue In Fordham Heights, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for an eight-story residential building at 2187 Ryer Avenue in Fordham Heights, The Bronx. Located between East 181st Street and East 182nd Street, the lot is one block from the 182nd-183rd Streets subway station, serviced by the B train. Mendy Tessler is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 75-foot-tall development will yield 26,826 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 51 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 526 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a cellar and a 37-foot-long rear yard, but no accessory parking.

Nikolai Katz Architect is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits will likely not be needed as the lot is vacant. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

Transcripts and Exhibits From Independent Investigation Into Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Former Governor Cuomo Begin to Be Released

 

Transcripts of Former Governor and Complainants Released Today

Additional Transcripts and Exhibits to Be Released on Rolling Basis

 The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) today began the rolling release of transcripts and corresponding exhibits from its investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. On August 3, 2021, after nearly five months of investigating, the independent investigators appointed by New York Attorney General Letitia James — led by Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark — released their report concerning the multiple allegations of sexual harassment by Cuomo. Following the release of the report, multiple district attorneys asked that the OAG refrain from publicly releasing transcripts and other evidence so that their offices could first investigate and determine whether to file criminal charges against Cuomo.

However, following the filing of a criminal complaint against Cuomo on October 28, 2021 in Albany County, the Albany County District Attorney’s Office informed the OAG that it would begin releasing evidence to Cuomo to comply with New York state’s discovery laws. These laws state that once someone is charged with a crime they must be furnished transcripts and other evidence in their case. As these materials are now being released by the Albany County District Attorney’s office — and in an effort to provide full transparency to the people of New York  — the OAG has informed local district attorneys that it will immediately begin releasing, on a rolling basis, all transcripts and corresponding exhibits compiled during the investigation, pending redactions to protect the privacy of individuals, as appropriate.

The investigation was conducted after, on March 1, 2021, the Executive Chamber made a referral, pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 63(8), for Attorney General James to select independent lawyers to investigate “allegations of and circumstances surrounding sexual harassment claims made against the governor.” Kim and Clark were chosen to lead the investigation on March 8, 2021.

The transcripts and exhibits being released today include:

Subject of Investigation

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo:
Transcript
Exhibits Part 1
Exhibits Part 2
Exhibits Part 3
Complainants
Charlotte Bennett
Transcript
Exhibits
Lindsay Boylan
Transcript
Exhibits
Brittany Commisso
Transcript
Exhibits
Kaitlin
Transcript
Exhibits
Virginia Limmiatis
Transcript
Exhibits
Ana Liss
Transcript
Exhibits
Alyssa McGrath
Transcript
Exhibits
State Entity Employee #1
Transcript
Exhibits
State Entity Employee #2
Transcript
Exhibits
Trooper # 1
Transcript
Exhibits

  • Additional transcripts and exhibits will be released as they are available.

Top Lev Tahor Leaders Convicted At Trial Of Child Sexual Exploitation And Kidnapping

 

Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner Convicted of Scheme to Kidnap 14-Year-Old Girl and Return Her to Sexual Relationship with Adult “Husband”

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NACHMAN HELBRANS and MAYER ROSNER were convicted in White Plains federal court of child sexual exploitation offenses and kidnapping following a four-week jury trial.  The defendants, leaders of an extremist Jewish sect called Lev Tahor, masterminded a scheme to kidnap a 14-year-old girl (“Minor-1”) and a 12-year-old boy (“Minor-2”) from their mother in Woodridge, New York.  The defendants then smuggled the children across the U.S. border to Mexico, where they reunited Minor-1 with her adult “husband” to allow him to continue his illegal sexual relationship with Minor-1. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner brazenly kidnapped two children from their mother in the middle of the night to return a 14-year-old girl to an illegal sexual relationship with an adult man.  Today’s verdict makes clear that our Office – and our law enforcement partners – will not be deterred from achieving justice for victims of child sexual exploitation.”     

According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment, other court filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

NACHMAN HELBRANS and MAYER ROSNER are U.S. citizens and senior leaders of Lev Tahor, an extremist Jewish sect that has been located in several different jurisdictions, including New York, Israel, Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala.  HELBRANS became the leader of Lev Tahor in or about 2017 and ROSNER served as a top lieutenant.  After HELBRANS and his leadership team took over, they seized tight control over the group and embraced several extreme practices, including child marriages and underage sex.

In or about 2017, HELBRANS arranged for his then-12-year-old niece, Minor-1, to be “married” to a then-18-year-old man.  They were religiously “married” the following year, when Minor-1 was 13 and her “husband” was 19, and immediately began a sexual relationship with the goal of procreation.  They were never legally married.  Lev Tahor leadership, including HELBRANS and ROSNER, required young brides to have sex with their husbands, to tell people outside Lev Tahor that they were not married, to pretend to be older, and to deliver babies inside their homes instead of at a hospital, to conceal the mothers’ young ages from the public.

In or about October 2018, the mother of Minor-1 determined that it was no longer safe for her children to remain in the Lev Tahor community in Guatemala.  The mother escaped from the group’s compound and arrived in the United States in early November 2018.  Also in November 2018, a Brooklyn family court granted her sole custody of the children and prohibited the children’s father, a leader within Lev Tahor, from communicating with the children.

After the mother fled and settled in New York with her children, the defendants devised a plan to return Minor-1, then 14 years old, to Guatemala and to her then-20-year-old “husband” so that they could resume their sexual relationship and procreate.  Then, in December 2018, they kidnapped Minor-1 and her brother in the middle of the night from a home in upstate New York and transported them through various states and, eventually, to Mexico.  The defendants used disguises, aliases, drop phones, fake travel documents, an encrypted application, and a secret pact to execute on their kidnapping plan.  At the time of the kidnapping, Lev Tahor leadership was seeking asylum for the entire Lev Tahor community in the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Following a three-week search involving hundreds of local, federal, and international law enforcement entities, Minor-1 and Minor-2 were recovered in Mexico and returned to New York.  Then, in or about March 2019 and March 2021, members of Lev Tahor again tried to kidnap the children.

NACHMAN HELBRANS, 39, of Guatemala, and MAYER ROSNER, 45, of Guatemala, were convicted of (1) conspiring to transport a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; (2) conspiring to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; (3) two counts of international parental kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count; and (4) one count of conspiring to commit international parental kidnapping, to unlawfully use a means of identification, and to enter by false pretenses the secure area of an airport, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  HELBRANS was also convicted of an additional count of international parental kidnapping in connection with an attempt to kidnap Minor-1 in March 2019. 

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, United States Customs and Border Protection, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, the Village of Spring Valley Police Department, Special Agents with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Department of State, the Transportation Security Administration, and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, and Israel.

Governor Hochul Announces Energy Efficient Upgrades for Affordable Housing Units

 

$5 Million Offered in Second Round of $30 Million RetrofitNY program 

Program Expected to Create Jobs, Build Tech-Savvy Workforce and Advance Cost-Effective Replicable Solutions 


 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the availability of $5 million for a second round of pilot projects under the $30 million RetrofitNY program. This program will help to advance whole-building deep energy efficiency upgrades that will substantially lower emissions from multifamily affordable housing. Projects funded through this initiative will support modernizing building renovation by demonstrating technology-based construction solutions that are expected to help create jobs, foster a tech savvy workforce in New York State and advance cost-effective replicable solutions, as part of the state's growing green economy. Today's announcement supports the State's nation-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050, as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).

"Buildings contribute approximately one third of harmful emissions across the state," said Governor Hochul. "This holistic approach to transforming the building renovation industry will ensure New York State's building stock is cleaner, greener and healthier for all residents. Through the support of innovative digital technologies and construction and manufacturing processes, New York is further cementing itself as a leader in the utilization of clean energy."

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the RetrofitNY funding announced today seeks to support owners of eligible affordable housing buildings up to seven stories. The program helps building owners planning substantial renovations in their roofs, windows, and/or heating system replacements within the next two years. Owners of qualifying buildings may also be eligible for up to $100,000 in design incentives. Eligibility will be determined through submission of a building renovation scope of work. Owners may also be eligible for up to an additional $40,000 per dwelling unit, with a cap of $1.6 million per building, subject to funding availability, to cover incremental costs for all electric, whole-building upgrades that put buildings on a path to carbon neutrality. This incremental funding is meant to bridge the gap between financing from other sources such as regulated housing agencies, bank loans and tax credits used for business-as-usual renovations. It allows building owners to seek renovations that achieve high performance and low carbon solutions with the goal of reaching fully carbon neutral renovation solutions in the future. 

Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, "To achieve our climate goals, more than 200,000 buildings a year need to be retrofitted across the state from now through mid-century and to do achieve this we need to identify innovative solutions that work for building owners and occupants. We are incentivizing building owners to go beyond making the usual renovations to undertake carbon neutral solutions that can create replicable processes for renovating whole buildings that both reduce building emissions and increase occupant comfort."

Whole-building retrofits incentivized under this program upgrade the building exterior through the use of off-site manufactured, panelized façade systems and other building efficiency upgrades to lower building energy use, as well as upgrading the mechanical systems to efficient all electric heat pump-based systems for heating, cooling and domestic hot water, including energy recovery ventilation, and integration of solar PV systems. 

Benefits of whole-building retrofits through RetrofitNY include:

  • Minimized occupant relocation during renovations due to use of building components manufactured off-site to shorten on-site construction times;
  • Lower utility costs and other building operating expenses;
  • Improved building resiliency during power outages;
  • Enhanced indoor air quality through electrification and improved ventilation;
  • Decreased outside noise penetration;
  • Enhanced aesthetic appearance of buildings; and
  • Compliance with building related local laws.

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND MAYOR’S FUND ANNOUNCE COMPLETION OF 50 SOCCER PITCHES BUILT IN NEW YORK CITY IN 5 YEARS

 

 
New York City Soccer Initiative transforms city landscape, brings soccer and safe play space to thousands of youth in all five boroughs

 Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray today announced the completion of the 50th soccer pitch built as a part of the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), a project of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The new mini-pitch, located at PS 184 Shuang Wen in Manhattan, was completed on schedule along with the 13 mini-soccer pitches that were built around the city this year.
 
“Investing in recreational spaces for our children builds stronger communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I am grateful to the Mayor’s Fund and our partners for their commitment to provide more youth with opportunities to participate in sports and programs where they can develop life skills to succeed on and off the pitch."
 
“These soccer pitches are a tremendous contribution to the mental and physical fitness of our young people. The skills they learn and the games they play provide opportunities for them to learn teamwork and empathy,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “I thank the Mayor’s Fund and community partners for fulfilling a promise to bring 50 new soccer pitches to neighborhoods all across New York City."
 
The new mini-pitch is one of 13 installed this calendar year, marking the completion of 50 mini-pitches installed across all five boroughs in just five years–even amid the many challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the new play spaces, NYCSI is enabling more than 10,000 New York City youth to have free access to soccer programming in historically underserved communities—including the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success program run by the Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) and New York City Football Club’s (NYCFC) City in the Community (CITC) Foundation soccer programming.
 
Launched in 2016, NYCSI is a first-of-its-kind $3 million public-private partnership between the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, NYCFC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, adidas, and Etihad Airways to create and maintain 50 mini-pitches across the City and expand free soccer programming to the next generation of New Yorkers. The initiative helped spur other cities– including Chicago and Newark–to launch their own initiatives to create mini-pitches and expand access to free, high-quality soccer programming. For more information on NYCSI and pitch locations visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/fund/initiatives/city-soccer.page.
 
“After five years of dedicated partnership, the New York City Soccer Initiative delivers its promise of building 50 soccer pitches on which young New Yorkers can play, learn, and grow into future leaders," said Daniele Baierlein and Jorge Luis Paniagua Valle, Co-Executive Directors of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. "Thanks to the unwavering support of the New York City Football Club, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, adidas, Etihad Airways, Astoria Energy, the Staten Island Foundation, and countless community partners across the five boroughs, thousands of children will receive free soccer programming on these pitches for years to come." 
 
“Since our inauguration, we have been working to build a Club that is part of the fabric of this great City and one that will leave a lasting, tangible and positive impact across the five boroughs,” said Brad Sims, CEO of NYCFC. “Along with our incredible partners, we’ve made a significant step in realizing this vision by completing this ambitious 50-pitch project that will provide safe spaces for all New Yorkers to learn and play soccer. After just five years, we are tremendously proud to fulfill our promise, see these 50 pitches already having a huge impact on local communities and to know that they will forever be a part of New York City.”
 
“New York is a city of big ideas and I’m thrilled to see this big idea come to life in a way that transforms the soccer landscape and benefits thousands of young people across all five boroughs,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “I’m grateful for all our partners who helped make these 50 mini-pitches a reality over the past five years and who continue to ensure they are open for free play and high-quality programming at no-cost to children and their families.”
 
“Sport has the power to change lives, providing young athletes with the opportunity to learn valuable skills to support their future. Everyone should have a safe place for sport in their communities and we are incredibly proud of our partnership with the New York City Soccer Initiative to introduce the city’s next mini-pitch,” said Skate Noftsinger, Director of Soccer Sports Marketing at adidas.
 
“Etihad Airways is proud to be part of this initiative, and we hope these pitches will continue to bring to the children of New York City the joy of soccer and the valuable life lessons team sports teach for a long time to come," said Vincent Frascogna, Vice President, Americas, Etihad Airways.
 
“The New York City Soccer Initiative is near and dear to me, and it is with great joy that we celebrate with our partners the completion of this successful 5-year initiative and the 50th soccer pitch built as part of the program,” said Gabrielle Fialkoff, NYC Parks Commissioner. “Public private partnerships help change lives, and these new, vibrant fields are a testament to this successful collaboration, expanding recreational opportunities and improving health outcomes for some of the city’s most historically underserved. This latest addition at P.S. 184 advances greenspace equity in the Lower East Side, and will enhance the lives of city residents for years to come.”
 
“The NYC Soccer Initiative not only provides world class soccer pitches for our young people, but it is also a community-wide commitment to ensuring that our young people have caring adults and athletic programming that keeps them engaged in school and their community. We are so appreciative of all of the partners who came together to make this a reality,” said Chancellor Meisha Porter, NYC Department of Education.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - NOVEMBER 9, 2021

 COVID-19 Vaccine Vials

62,550 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours  

36 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

New State Website Providing Helpful Info About Child Vaccination 


 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.  

 "With temperatures dropping and New Yorkers spending more time inside, it's vital we all get vaccinated," Governor Hochul said. "With five to 11 year olds now eligible, all school-aged children are now able to get vaccinated and we are doing everything we can to ensure they do. Not only will it protect the community, but there are numerous incentive programs in place that provide added benefits of getting your shot."
 
Today's data is summarized briefly below:

  • Test Results Reported - 115,506
  • Total Positive - 4,108
  • Percent Positive - 3.56%
  • 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.65%
  • Patient Hospitalization - 1,878 (+84)
  • Patients Newly Admitted - 250
  • Patients in ICU - 378 (+2)
  • Patients in ICU with Intubation - 215 (-4)
  • Total Discharges - 210,208 (+148)
  • New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 36
  • Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 45,860

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

  • Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 58,413

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

  • Total vaccine doses administered - 27,863,643
  • Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 62,550
  • Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 548,874
  • Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 84.9%
  • Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 77.2%
  • Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 88.5%
  • Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 79.4%
  • Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 72.0%
  • Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 65.3%
  • Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 75.1%
  • Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 67.2%

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR FATALLY BEATING AND SEXUALLY ABUSING GIRLFRIEND’S ONE-YEAR-OLD CHILD

 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted on Murder and additional charges in the death of his girlfriend’s one-year-old son. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant, Keishawn Gordon, allegedly carried out monstrous acts against defenseless one-year-old Legacy Beauford. Gordon allegedly inflicted blunt force trauma on the child, leaving him with a lacerated liver, and allegedly sexually abused the infant. We will seek justice for the innocent child, who suffered so much.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Keishawn Gordon, 24, of 420 East 169th Street was arraigned today on two counts of second-degree Murder, first and second-degree Manslaughter, and first-degree Aggravated Sexual Abuse before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Efrain Alvarado. The defendant was is due back in court on January 24, 2022. 

 According to the investigation, between September 8 and September 9, 2021, the defendant was allegedly in the home he shared with his girlfriend and was babysitting her son, Legacy Beauford, 1, while the child’s mother was not home. The defendant allegedly violently squeezed the baby and threw him up in the air and hit him in the face because the child would not stop crying. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the child sustained multiple blunt force trauma injuries to the torso, which led to a lacerated liver and internal bleeding. The defendant also allegedly sexually abused the child with a toothbrush.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Michael Best of the 42nd Precinct Squad and Robert Cintron of Bronx Homicide Task Force.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.