Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - MARCH 31, 2023

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections.

"Despite the warmer weather ahead, New Yorkers must continue to be vigilant and use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy this spring," Governor Hochul said. "Get boosted and stay up to date on vaccine doses, be sure to test before gatherings or travel and if you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from COVID-19. The Governor also continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters, which target both the original virus strain and circulating variants.

To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.

The New York State Department of Health is continuing its 12-week COVID-19 campaign on television, social media and streaming services to encourage New Yorkers with underlying medical conditions to recognize the importance of getting and staying up-to-date with the recommended bivalent booster to avoid serious illness or death. These conditions including being 65 or older, pregnant, obese, diabetic, or suffering from heart or lung disease, or having a weakened immune system.

Ahead of the federal government's planned expiration for the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, New York State's COVID-19/vaccine news release will be issued weekly on Fridays until further notice. The latest COVID-19 and vaccine data will continue to be available 24/7 on the New York State Department of Health's online tracker.

Additionally, the state Department of Health is assessing changes to COVID data collection and reporting in collaboration with local health departments and health care providers, to alleviate the burden on providers and leverage other data sources to maintain its ability to monitor the state of the disease and health care delivery system capacity. The agency remains committed to responding to the COVID-19 threat and continues to encourage New Yorkers to use the tools to protect against and treat COVID-19: Vaccines, boosters, testing and treatment.

The weekly COVID-19 data is summarized below:

• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 5.09
• Total Positive Cases Over Last 7 Days - 6,957
• Test Results Reported Over Last 7 Days - 291,509
• 7- Day Average Patient Hospitalization - 1,091
• 7- Day Average Patients Newly Admitted - 143
• 7-Day Average Patients in ICU - 126
• 7-Day Average Patients in ICU with Intubation - 52
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS over last 7 days - 70
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 62,212

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a New York State Department of Health data source that collects confirmed data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 79,181

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by the Department of Health and New York City 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 - 43,924,150
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 18,138
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed primary vaccine series - 85.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 90.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older who are up to date - 16.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed primary vaccine series - 74.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 76.4%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 who are up to date - 6.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed primary vaccine series - 40.2%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 41.1%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 who are up to date - 4.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 with completed primary vaccine series - 8.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 who are up to date - 8.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed primary vaccine series - 76.5%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 80.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers who are up to date - 14.2%

Each region's 7-day average of cases per 100,000 population: 

Region	Thursday, March 23
Capital Region	4.44
Central New York	5.47
Finger Lakes	7.43
Long Island	6.10
Mid-Hudson	4.93
Mohawk Valley	3.74
New York City	4.57
North Country	6.92
Southern Tier	5.19
Western New York	4.52
Statewide	5.09

Permits Filed For 66 East 177th Street In Mt. Hope, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a 12-story residential building at 66 East 177th Street in Mt. Hope, The Bronx. Located between Morris Avenue and Walton Avenue, the interior lot is near the Tremont Avenue subway station, serviced by the B and D trains. Aglin Zefi of A2Z Construction Group is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 112-foot-tall development will yield 36,201 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 55 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 658 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a cellar and a 58-foot-long rear yard.

Badaly Architects is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed in April 2022 for the three-story residential building on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

ADAMS ADMINISTRATION HOLDS FIRST EVER WOMEN'S HEALTH SUMMIT TO TAKE NEXT STEP IN MAKING NEW YORK CITY FUTURE OF WOMEN’S HEALTH

 

Adams Administration Convenes Over 100 Experts to Create New York City’s Women’s Health Agenda Following Mayor Adams’ Promise During January Address

The Adams administration today hosted the first ever Women’s Health Summit at Hunter College, convening more than 100 experts across sectors to shape New York City’s first ‘Women’s Health Agenda,’ set to be released this summer. The summit follows a citywide address New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered in January, where he, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, and others — both inside and outside the administration — outlined their vision for an agenda that aims to dismantle decades of systemic inequity that have negatively impacted the health of women across the five boroughs and, instead, make New York City a model city to support women’s health at all stages of life. Participants in today’s summit broke into working groups that focused on four key areas: chronic disease, birth equity, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health.

 

“Health is wealth, and women need both,” said Mayor Adams. “New York City has been shaped by tireless generations of women and today’s Women’s Health Summit brought us one step closer to making this city the nation’s leader when it comes to women’s health. This entire administration is committed to building a city that is here for all women and girls, and I am grateful to everyone who joined the summit today for stepping up to make this vision a reality across all five boroughs.”

 

“No matter the race, gender identity, body type, and more — all women deserve health care that meets their needs,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “I look forward to continuing to be part of this deeply needed and long overdue change alongside so many dedicated and accomplished women.”

 

Today’s summit focused on the biggest drivers of mortality and morbidity for women in both New York City and across the United States, such as chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, mental health, and maternal health, as well as sexual and reproductive health including menopause. The summit was centered on equity, inclusion, and intersectionality, centering voices and experiences of women, gender nonconforming and other members of the LGBTQ+ community in New York City.

 

Takeaways from today’s summit and future convening will inform New York City’s Women’s Health Agenda, a report set to be released later this year. The administration will continue to develop this agenda through future sessions and research to include as many voices as possible. The agenda will include recommendations to promote women’s health that leaders across sectors can implement in their workspaces and steps the city will take to make New York City the national model for supporting women’s health.

 

Major focuses of today’s summit included:

• Expanding access to high quality maternal health care, including the use of doulas and midwives, to eliminate disparities in maternal mortality and reduce mortality overall;
• Building a mental health care system designed for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community to best serve their needs;
• Ensuring the city’s sexual and reproductive health care system provides comprehensive care to women and girls including menopause care, fibroids, infertility, birth control, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) care;
• Substantially reducing the rates of, and deaths from, chronic diseases, including heart disease — the number one killer of women in New York City — among women.
• Promoting awareness of top women’s health issues among New Yorkers and efforts to prevent issues before they start;
• Developing cross sector partnerships and collaborations to promote all aspects of women’s health, including the technology, business, health care, community, nonprofit, and other sectors;
• Developing women-friendly workplaces that promote health and wellness through space accommodations and policy reforms; and
• Expanding research into women’s health issues and reducing disparities in medical research.

“Hunter College is honored to partner with Mayor Eric Adams on this summit and his courageous plan to undo decades of inequity that have negatively impacted the health of women across the five boroughs,” said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab. “Hunter has always put the education of women first, and, as a result, is the only college to have two female Nobel Prize winners in medicine. On top of that, our alumna Evelyn Lauder fearlessly broke down barriers in breast-cancer research. Her husband Leonard’s $52 million gift to Hunter’s School of Nursing in her honor that, in lockstep with Mayor Adams’ vision, will help us train the next generation of nurses and nurse practitioners who will serve communities across New York City.”

 

“By emphasizing digital health, New York City is enabling women to access the care they deserve,” said Dr. Neel Shah, chief medical officer, Maven Clinic. “We are proud to partner with the mayor to build an ecosystem of innovation that can be a model for the nation."

 

“The female body shouldn’t be a medical mystery,” said Priyanka Jain, co-founder & CEO, Evvy. “As a femtech company based in New York City, we are honored and grateful to be partnering with Mayor Adams, the city of New York, and leaders across all sectors — medicine, research, policy, and technology — to finally close the gender health gap for good.”

Swiss Executive Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud Conspiracy

 

  Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Stuart M. Goldberg, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and James C. Lee, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), announced that DANIEL WÄLCHLI pled guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to help wealthy American clients conceal more than $60 million in income and assets held in undeclared offshore bank accounts and evade U.S. income taxes.  WÄLCHLI was a member of the executive board of a Swiss holding company that owned, among other entities, a Zurich-based private bank called Privatbank IHAG Zurich AG (“IHAG”).  WÄLCHLI pled guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods. 

According to the allegations in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made in Court:

From in or about 2009 to in or about 2014, WÄLCHLI and his co-conspirators defrauded the IRS by concealing income and assets of three wealthy U.S. clients with undeclared bank accounts at IHAG.  In order to assist the U.S. clients, WÄLCHLI and his co-conspirators devised and implemented a scheme dubbed the “Singapore Solution” to fraudulently conceal the bank accounts of the U.S. clients, their assets, and their income from U.S. authorities.  In furtherance of the fraudulent scheme, WÄLCHLI and his co-conspirators agreed to transfer more than $60 million from undeclared IHAG bank accounts of the U.S. clients through a series of nominee bank accounts in Hong Kong and other locations before returning the funds to newly opened accounts at IHAG in the name of a Singapore-based asset-management firm that WÄLCHLI helped establish.  The U.S. clients paid large fees to IHAG and others to help them conceal their assets and evade U.S. income taxes. 

WÄLCHLI, 55, of Switzerland, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as WÄLCHLI’s sentence will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of IRS-CI.  Mr. Williams thanked the Department of Justice’s Tax Division for their partnership on this case. 

Statement from NYGOP Chair Ed Cox

 

New York State Republican Chair Ed Cox released the following statement following news of the indictment of former President Trump:

 

“I reiterate what I said two weeks ago when this news first leaked: this is miscarriage of justice, an outrageous violation of democratic norms and a travesty for our politics at home and reputation abroad.  

"Both the Southern District of New York and Joe Biden's Department of Justice declined to pursue this matter. This is a blatant political scheme by Alvin Bragg to make a name for himself and play to his liberal Manhattan base by smearing, tearing down and demeaning former President Trump. 

 

“Alvin Bragg has already abdicated his basic responsibilities by releasing criminals back onto the streets to wreak havoc on New York’s citizens and minority communities in particular. He has brought further disgrace to his office with this political game. 

“The great Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is turning over in his grave.”

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE INDICTMENT OF DONALD TRUMP

 

"This is not a day of triumph, except for the rule of law which governs all of us, including disgraced former presidents. I commend Manhattan District Attorney Bragg for courageously leading a thorough investigation to this point.

"Donald Trump must be held accountable. Not only for the financial charges he’s been indicted on today, but for his efforts to undermine our democracy, which are still under investigation and which still reverberate dangerously throughout our country. We will now undoubtedly see conservative hypocrisy, lies, and dangerous rhetoric as some put not only party, but person, over the well-being of our country and the people within it.

"Today’s indictment is part of a process that will continue to move forward, uninhibited by the former president’s attacks or incitements to action, and unwavering in a commitment to justice for the unprecedented conduct of Donald Trump in his efforts to grab and hold onto power and relevance at the expense of any and all."

DiNAPOLI: WALL STREET 2022 BONUSES FELL 26% FROM PREVIOUS YEAR, RETURN TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS

 

$176,700 Average Bonus in NYC Securities Industry

Wall Street’s 2022 average bonus paid to securities employees dropped to $176,700, a 26% decline from the previous year’s $240,400, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s annual estimate. Rising interest rates and fear of a recession led to significantly less profits on Wall Street after a record year in 2021. As a result, bonuses returned to pre-pandemic levels, which will mean a decline in related income tax revenue, as anticipated by New York state and the city.

“Wall Street’s cash bonuses were expected to fall as several factors weighed on the securities’ industry profitability in 2022,” DiNapoli said. “A 26% decline brings the average bonus closer to what financial employees received prior to the pandemic. While lower bonuses affect income tax revenues for the state and city, our economic recovery does not depend solely on Wall Street. Employment in leisure and hospitality, retail, restaurants and construction must continue to improve for the city and state to fully recover.”

The $33.7 billion bonus pool for 2022 was 21% lower than the previous year’s record of $42.7 billion — the largest drop since the Great Recession. The fall to pre-pandemic levels mostly reverses the pool’s dramatic growth of 25% in 2020 and 15% in 2021. In 2022, Wall Street’s pretax profits fell 56% from the previous year due to deep declines in investment-banking fees, which were driven by the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate hikes, inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wall Street bonuses have a significant impact on tax revenue in the state and city budgets. DiNapoli estimates that the securities industry accounted for approximately $22.9 billion in state tax revenue, or 22% of the state’s tax collections, for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2021-22, and $5.4 billion in city tax revenue, 8% of total tax collections for City Fiscal Year (CFY) 2022.

In 2021, bonuses drove income tax gains of $282 million for the state and $128 million for the city compared to the prior year. DiNapoli projects the 2022 bonuses in New York City’s securities industry will generate $457 million less in state income tax revenue and $208 million less for the city when compared to the previous year. However, the state and city anticipated these significant declines, minimizing a fiscal shock to their budgets in the short-term. The Governor’s proposed budget assumed bonuses in the broader finance and insurance sector would decrease by 25.2% in SFY 2022-23, while the CFY 2023 financial plan assumed a decrease of 35.6% for the securities industry.

The securities industry also has a significant impact on the city’s employment and overall economy. In 2022, the sector employed about 190,800 people, the highest level in more than two decades. DiNapoli estimates that 1 in 11 jobs in the city is either directly or indirectly associated with the securities industry. While the city remains the capital of the U.S. securities industry, its share of jobs has been declining over time as large firms have left the city. Sector employment in 2022 was 5.1% lower than in 2000, which represented the peak for securities employment in the city. 

More securities employees are back in the office, which contributes to increased spending in the city and subway ridership. Financial services firms reported 59% of employees were in the office on a given day in January 2023, compared to 52% for all firms in the city, according to the Partnership for New York City’s survey. Additionally, 43% of securities employees ride the subway, a higher rate than the citywide average for workers. DiNapoli estimates Wall Street was responsible for 16% of all economic activity in the city in 2021, and thus the financial sector’s ability to generate revenue and turn profit is critically important to New York.

Methodology

DiNapoli’s office releases an annual estimate of bonuses paid during the traditional December through March bonus season to securities industry employees who work in New York City. Bonuses paid by firms to their employees located outside of New York City, whether in domestic or international locations, are not included. The Comptroller’s 2022 estimate is based on personal income tax withholding trends and includes cash bonuses paid for work performed in 2022 and bonuses deferred from prior years that have been cashed in. The estimate does not include stock options or other forms of deferred compensation for which taxes have not been withheld.

Charts

Bonus Pool Chart from 1993 to 2022

Annual Profits and Employment Chart

 

Related Work

Report The Securities Industry in New York City, October 2022

Dashboard Securities Sector Industry Dashboard

Southern District Of New York Court Employee And Practicing Attorney Charged With Bribery And Making False Statements

 

Courthouse Employee Referred Clients to Criminal Defense Lawyer in Exchange for Illegal Compensation, and Both Defendants Lied to Federal Agents

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the unsealing of charges against DIONISIO FIGUEROA, a/k/a “Dionicio,” an employee of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (“the SDNY District Court”), and TELESFORO DEL VALLE, JR., a/k/a “Ted,” a criminal defense attorney practicing in the SDNY District Court and elsewhere, for their participation in a scheme in which FIGUEROA referred criminal defendants to DEL VALLE and encouraged those defendants to retain DEL VALLE as counsel in exchange for cash payments from DEL VALLE to FIGUEROA.  FIGUEROA was arrested, and DEL VALLE surrendered earlier today, and both will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in the SDNY District courthouse in White Plains, New York.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The public, the Court, and the bar all rely on the integrity and honesty of the professionals who work for the Court and the lawyers who appear there.  For years, Figueroa and Del Valle allegedly violated their duties and undermined the fair administration of justice, all for their personal gain.  This Office will do its part to uphold the high standards of conduct expected of all those who play a role in the criminal justice process.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment:[1]

As a clerk in the SDNY Magistrate Clerk’s Office since in or about 2002, FIGUEROA was responsible for performing duties that included, among other things, making data entries regarding official case events in criminal cases; making summary entries of documents and proceedings on case dockets; and performing inquiries and furnishing information, either in person or by correspondence, regarding the status of cases.  FIGUEROA also played a role with respect to the intake of criminal cases, including by preparing appearance bonds, advising defendants and their family members about the conditions of the bonds, and ensuring that appearance bonds were signed by all parties prior to a defendant’s release. 

SDNY District Court personnel policies prohibited FIGUEROA from having outside employment that would pose a conflict of interest; receiving payments, gifts, or other benefits from persons having business before the SDNY District Court; and recommending particular attorneys to members of the public.  FIGUEROA also was subject to the United States Courts’ Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees (the “Code of Conduct”), which cautioned judicial employees that “[a] number of criminal statutes of general applicability govern federal employees’ performance of official duties.  These include: 18 U.S.C. § 201 (bribery of public officials and witnesses) ….”  The Code of Conduct likewise admonished, among other things, that “[a] judicial employee should never influence or attempt to influence the assignment of cases, or perform any discretionary or ministerial function of the court in a manner that improperly favors any litigant or attorney, nor should a judicial employee imply that he or she is in a position to do so.” 

DEL VALLE is a private attorney who has appeared in numerous federal criminal cases pending before the SDNY District Court.

Between at least 2011 and 2022, FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE engaged in a scheme whereby FIGUEROA used his position as an employee of the SDNY District Court to encourage criminal defendants to retain DEL VALLE to represent them in pending criminal cases.  In return, DEL VALLE paid FIGUEROA a portion of the fees clients paid to DEL VALLE.  Over the course of more than a decade, FIGUEROA referred at least 45 SDNY criminal defendants to DEL VALLE, and DEL VALLE paid FIGUEROA tens of thousands of dollars in referral fees.  DEL VALLE paid FIGUEROA directly and through an intermediary, who would pick up envelopes of cash for FIGUEROA from DEL VALLE’s law office. 

Many of the clients who ended up retaining and paying DEL VALLE were assigned free, court-appointed counsel.  Nevertheless, FIGUEROA encouraged those individuals to change counsel, including by vouching for DEL VALLE’s abilities as a lawyer.  For example, in July 2018, FIGUEROA told family members of one defendant (“Defendant-1”), in substance, that FIGUEROA knew a good attorney who was a specialist in similar cases and could get Defendant-1 out of trouble.  He then provided FIGUEROA’s contact information to Defendant-1’s relative.  Similarly, in February 2020, FIGUEROA told a family member of another defendant (“Defendant-2”), in substance, that if anyone could help Defendant-2 in Defendant-2’s case, it was DEL VALLE.  At the time, Defendant-2 was represented by court-appointed counsel.

FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE are also charged with making false statements to law enforcement during the investigation.  In November 2022, federal law enforcement agents separately interviewed both FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE.  After advising each that lying to federal law enforcement agents is a federal crime, FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE each made materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations in response to the agents’ questions.  In particular, FIGUEROA denied making any referrals to DEL VALLE, except on a small number of occasions concerning close relations or friends, and further denied ever having received payments from DEL VALLE for referrals.  As to DEL VALLE, upon being served with a federal grand jury subpoena requiring the production of records from his law firm, DEL VALLE denied having any records reflecting client referrals from, or payments to, FIGUEROA or anyone else.

FIGUEROA, 66, of New York, New York, and DEL VALLE, 65, of Leonia, New Jersey, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to bribe a federal employee and pay illegal compensation to a judicial employee, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison; one count of bribery of a federal employee, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison; one count of illegal compensation to a judicial employee, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison; and one count of false statements, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison.

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

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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