Two California Men Sentenced For Insider Trading Using Information Stolen From Lumentum

 

Srinivasa Kakkera was Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison, and Abbas Saeedi was Sentenced to 5 Months in Prison, for Trading on Material, Non-public Information About Impending Corporate Transactions by Lumentum

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SRINIVASA KAKKERA and ABBAS SAEEDI were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods to 18 months and five months, respectively, for their participation in a scheme to commit insider trading based on material, non-public information (“MNPI”) that a third co-defendant, Amit Bhardwaj, misappropriated from Bhardwaj’s employer, Lumentum Holdings Inc. (“Lumentum”).  Judge Woods previously sentenced Bhardwaj to 24 months in prison and a fine of $975,000.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Srinivasa Kakkera and Abbas Saeedi traded on valuable material, non-public information about Lumentum’s planned acquisitions, knowing that their friend had stolen this information from his employer, Lumentum.  Kakkera and Saeedi used their informational advantage to make millions in combined illegal gains in the stock market.  But insider trading is not easy money: if you try to illegally profit from material, non-public information, there’s a price to be paid.”

cquisition.  Bhardwaj provided this information to KAKKERA, SAEEDI, and Ramesh Chitor, and these individuals all traded in Neophotonics securities.  KAKKERA also caused other friends and family to purchase Neophotonics securities.  When Neophotonics’ stock price increased substantially following the announcement of the Lumentum acquisition in November 2021, KAKKERA, SAEEDI, and Chitor closed their positions in Neophotonics securities and made collectively approximately $4.3 million in realized and unrealized profits.  In particular, KAKKERA made $2,453,687.99 and SAEEDI made $691,104.73.

After they were interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and served with federal grand jury subpoenas on approximately March 29, 2022, Bhardwaj, KAKEKRA, and SAEEDI took steps to obstruct the federal investigation of their conduct.  They met in person on multiple occasions and discussed, among other things, potential false stories that would conceal their insider trading scheme as well as creating false documents to buttress lies regarding payments that were, in reality, related to the insider trading scheme.

In addition to the prison sentence, KAKKERA, 48, of Pleasanton, California, was ordered to forfeit $2,453,687.99.  SAEEDI, 48, of Fremont, California, was ordered to forfeit $691,104.73. 

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI.  He also acknowledged the assistance of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which separately initiated civil proceedings against KAKKERA and SAEEDI. 

End of Continuous Medicaid Enrollment Requirement Poses Risks to State Financial Plan

 

Failure to Meet Projected Medicaid Enrollment Levels Could Add $1.5 Billion to Current Year State Budget   With federal legislation ending continuous Medicaid coverage in March 2023, New York state began the process of redetermining eligibility for every enrolled individual. An analysis by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found this “unwinding” may not meet projections in the Division of the Budget’s (DOB) Mid-Year Update to the Enacted Budget Financial Plan, adding costs to the state budget. “Increased enrollment in Medicaid is one of the key reasons New York has one of the lowest rates of uninsured individuals in the nation,” DiNapoli said. “Now that the federal continuous coverage requirements have ended, the state should account for those who are removed from Medicaid coverage and make every effort to help people renew their coverage in public and private plans. The state should also publicly account for any additional spending required to support elevated enrollment levels.” Prior to the pandemic, states were required to renew coverage for people with Medicaid at least once a year and to disenroll individuals who no longer qualified for coverage. Since early 2020, enrollees in New York Medicaid – as well as in the Child Health Plus and Essential Plan public health insurance programs – have not had to renew their coverage due to COVID-19 public health emergency continuous coverage requirements enacted by federal legislation. These requirements prevented states from terminating a person’s coverage, even if they no longer qualified. As a result, New York Medicaid enrollment rose from 6.1 million in January 2020 to just over 8 million in June 2023, an increase of 31.5%. Federal legislation ended the continuous coverage requirements as of March 31, 2023, and required states to begin the process of redetermining eligibility for every individual enrolled in Medicaid, referred to by the federal government as the “unwinding,” over a 14-month period. The state began sending renewal notices in the early spring to Medicaid enrollees with June 30, 2023 coverage end dates, and is sending renewal notices monthly to groups of enrollees, based on their enrollment end dates, through May 31, 2024. Renewal notices include the deadline for enrollees to take action to renew their insurance or risk having a gap in coverage. Since the Department of Health (DOH) began redetermining eligibility in the Medicaid program, enrollment has decreased by approximately 190,000 individuals (2.4%) – from a peak of 8 million in June 2023 to 7.8 million in August 2023. According to the DOH, approximately 82% of Medicaid enrollees are re-enrolling in Medicaid. Financial Plan Impact Enrollment projections included in DOB’s Mid-Year Update to the Enacted Budget Financial Plan for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023-24 reflect the anticipated impact of the unwinding process. This is projected to reduce the number of Medicaid enrollees to 6.9 million by April 2024 – a decrease of almost 888,000 enrollees within the SFY – and to 6.6 million by April 2025 and beyond. Monthly Medicaid enrollment figures and re-enrollment rates to date suggest that the state may not meet current Financial Plan projections. DiNapoli estimates that the state could face nearly $1.5 billion in additional state share Medicaid costs in SFY 2023-24 as a result of higher-than-anticipated enrollment levels. This estimate is based on two risks. First, assuming enrollment continues to decline at its current pace, it would reach 7,176,165 enrollees at the close of SFY 2023-24, 274,755 enrollees higher than DOB’s projection for the year. At a state share cost of $4,020 per enrollee, this would increase state share Medicaid spending by about $1.1 billion in SFY 2023-24. The second risk relates to individuals who fail to renew their Medicaid coverage – referred to as “renewals outstanding” in DOH’s monthly Public Health Emergency unwinding reports - but ultimately re-establish Medicaid eligibility at a later date. Through September, DOH’s monthly data indicate that 4.6% of each monthly cohort, on average, renews late. DiNapoli estimates that unanticipated state share Medicaid costs could grow by an additional $186.1 million, to nearly $1.3 billion in SFY 2023-24 if 5%, or 46,291 individuals, identified as renewals outstanding renew their Medicaid coverage at a later date. Unanticipated costs would increase by an additional $372.2 million to nearly $1.5 billion, if 10%, or about 92,592 of such individuals, eventually renew their coverage. Analysis "Unwinding" Continuous Enrollment in Medicaid Presents Coverage and Financial Risks Related Reports Health Insurance Coverage in New York State Medicaid: Enrollment Growth, COVID-19 and the Future

FROM TRASH TO TREASURE: AHEAD OF CITYWIDE CURBSIDE COMPOSTING, ADAMS ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS STATEN ISLAND COMPOST FACILITY

 

Expansion Increases Food Waste Capacity by Nearly 2,000 Percent

 

Additional Capacity Will Allow Facility to Manage Increased Incoming Tonnage From Citywide Composting Program

 

By End of 2024, All New Yorkers Will Have Access to Free, Weekly, No-Hassle Curbside Composting

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch today celebrated a major expansion of capacity at the DSNY Staten Island Compost Facility that includes new equipment — known as an aerated static pile — that will increase the facility’s capacity to turn food waste into compost by nearly 2,000 percent. In order for waste to be turned into finished compost, it must be exposed to waste and moisture over a period of time — six to eight months, previously. Aerated static piles expose all sides of pre-compost waste piles to air and moisture, vastly speeding up the composting process without the need for daily turning and repositioning.

 

“Getting food out of trash bags and into our nation-leading citywide composting program is a win-win-win — we’re depriving rats of food, keeping methane out of our atmosphere, and putting it all to beneficial use,” said Mayor Adams. “The expansion at DSNY’s Staten Island Compost Facility we’re announcing today will dramatically increase our ability to process compost, preparing us to get more material in the door as our citywide program expands to all five boroughs this coming year.”

 

“Increasing our composting infrastructure will be a gift that keeps on giving for New York,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Not only are we taking rat food off the streets — we’re also providing nutrients that go back into greenways citywide, making New York a more environmental, lush, and healthy city. I look forward to seeing the composting program expanded to all five boroughs, as we build our capacity to process it.”

 

“Over the last decade, the Department of Sanitation has produced hundreds of millions of pounds of finished compost here on Staten Island, which today is in parks, gardens, and yards in every corner of the city,” said DSNY Commissioner Tisch. “The goal of New York City’s curbside composting program — the largest, easiest ever — is to create beneficial use for material that used to do nothing except feed rats and produce methane. As service reaches all New Yorkers this year, this new expansion means more food waste turned into usable compost — more plants, fewer rats.”

 

Previously, food waste brought to the Staten Island Compost Facility was processed in large piles known as windrows and took six to eight months to break down into finished compost. The expansion — an aerated static pile system set up across 16 temperature- and moisture-controlled concrete bays — cuts that time in half while boosting the facility’s capacity to process food waste from 3 million pounds per year to a total of 62.4 million pounds per year. As the Staten Island Compost Facility can also process 147 million pounds of yard waste per year, the new expansion brings the facility’s total capacity to 209.4 million pounds of incoming material per year.

 

The facility has produced about 42 million pounds of finished compost per year over the last several years. Historically, about 60 percent of that finished compost is sold to landscapers, and 40 percent is given away to community groups, parks, residents, and others. DSNY expects the amount of compost produced and given away to increase substantially with the facility’s massively expanded capacity.

 

This expansion of capacity is happening as the nation’s largest and easiest curbside composting program scales up citywide, fulfilling Mayor Adams’ commitment in his “Working People’s Agenda” to give all New Yorkers, in all five boroughs, access to simple, universal, weekly collection of leaf and yard waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper products. Currently available in all of Brooklyn and Queens, free and simple curbside collection of compostable material will be available across the entire city by October 2024.

 

Adrienne E. Adams Re-Elected as New York City Council Speaker

 

Adams, the Council’s first Black Speaker, will continue to lead historic women-majority and most diverse legislative body in city history, naming first Latina Majority Leader and all women in top leadership positions

At the New York City Council’s Charter Meeting, Council Members re-elected Speaker Adrienne E. Adams to lead the legislative body for a second two-year term. Speaker Adams will continue to lead the most diverse and women-majority New York City Council, which includes four new Council Members: Yusef Salaam of Council District 9, Kristy Marmorato of Council District 13, Chris Banks of Council District 42, and Susan Zhuang of Council District 43.

Council Members Diana Ayala and Selvena N. Brooks-Powers will continue to serve in their roles as the Council’s Deputy Speaker and Majority Whip, respectively. Council Member Amanda C. Farías was named Majority Leader, the first Latina to hold the position. It places another member that is not in their final term in the Council on the leadership team to prepare the institution for its next generation and expand representation. It also marks the first time the top leadership positions of the New York City Council will all be women, and all are women of color. 

“Leading this historic City Council is the honor of a lifetime, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving New York City and our diverse communities,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “I’m proud of the work we have accomplished together over the past two years to address long-standing issues through the lens of equity, and I look forward to building on this momentum to continue delivering for all. I thank our returning members for their support and commitment, and I welcome our new members who bring their diverse experiences and expertise to this legislative body. Together, this Council will continue to confront the challenges facing our city and make meaningful changes that prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of every New Yorker.”

See here for a copy of the Charter Meeting remarks, as prepared for delivery.

Under the leadership of Speaker Adams during the previous term, the New York City Council confronted major crises facing the city by advancing solutions and prioritizing equity through legislation and the budget. These include:

Prioritizing Women’s Health + Public Health Equity

• Enacted historic NYC Abortion Rights Act, 12 pieces of legislation that safeguard and expand access to abortion and reproductive health care (2022).
• Passed 11-bill legislative package to address persistent disparities in maternal and birthing health that disproportionately impacts the health and safety of Black and Latina women and birthing people (2022)
• Delivered $1 million Council allocation to provide access to abortion health care for people in need of financial assistance/support – the largest municipal funding commitment of any city in the nation to support direct access to abortion care (Began in 2022)
• Passed a bill to confront the historic racial disparities in treatment of sickle cell disease that primarily affects people of African descent (2023).
• Released the Mental Health Roadmap, first in May, to address existing challenges in the City’s mental healthcare landscape and strengthen the infrastructure and investments in evidence-based solutions to improve mental health outcomes for New Yorkers. 
  • The legislation affiliated with the first part of the roadmap was passed in June and July 2023, with an initial focus on increasing access to community-based preventative services and addressing the mental health workforce shortage. 
  • As part of the second part on the roadmap, released in November, legislation to address the mental health needs of veterans passed in December.
• Passed a package of legislation building on the previous efforts to protect children from the dangers of lead poisoning, including relating to lead-paint investigations and remediation in housing units
• Passed several bills to improve public health, including bills to increase access to vision testing for low-income individuals and require added sugar notifications for menu items in chain restaurants. (2023)
• Passed three pieces of legislation to address addiction and overdoses, including bills to establish a community-based working group to create plans that respond to the crisis holistically and with local solutions, prevent opioid overdoses in nightlife establishments, and track spending from the Opioid Settlement Fund, respectively. (2022)
• Passed several bills that expand education on and access to menstrual products in city facilities and change terminology to be gender inclusive with the goal of making the city safer, healthier, and more just for every New Yorker who menstruates (2023)

Addressing the Housing & Homelessness Crises

• The Council approved nearly 60 land use projects that will produce more than 14,500 units of housing,67% of which are affordable. Major projects include:
  • Innovation QNS – Over 3,100 housing units, 45% of which are affordable, and over 800 units reserved for extremely or very low-income households. It is the largest private affordable housing project in the history of Queens. Amenities include two acres of open space for the neighborhood, as well as community spaces for non-profit organizations, small businesses and startups. Additionally, the project includes a commitment of $2 million to fund free legal advocacy services for low-income tenants in the surrounding area to help protect against housing discrimination, displacement, and harassment (2022).
  • Hallets North – 1,340 total housing units, 335 of which are permanently affordable (the majority for extremely and very low-income households). Amenities include commercial space, community facilities, and public open space, including a waterfront esplanade. The development also provides $1 million to support NYCHA’s nearby Astoria Houses (2022).
  • Innovative Urban Village – 11 new mixed-use buildings with 1,975 affordable residential units, commercial areas, a performing arts center, and open space. Over 1,100 units are reserved for extremely or very low-income households (2022).
  • 1460-1480 Sheridan Boulevard – 970 units of 100% affordable housing. Amenities include commercial space, bike, and car parking spaces (2023).
  • 2560 Boston Road– 333 affordable housing units. Amenities include a new supermarket and community facility space (2023).
  • 521 East Tremont Avenue– 205 affordable units, including 61 units of supportive housing, with ground floor commercial and community space (2023).
• Passed CityFHEPS bill package that removes barriers to the rental assistance program that helps move people out of the shelter system more expeditiously and prevent evictions to keep people in their homes during eviction and homelessness crises (2023)
• Speaker released Planning and Land Use Guidelines Toolkit and Housing Agenda with a proposal to pass Fair Housing Framework legislation that would require targeted housing goals for each community district, ensuring that every neighborhood contributes fairly to affordable housing development production (2022).
• Passed Speaker Adams’ Fair Housing Framework Legislation, establishing targeted housing production goals for each Community District to help hold every neighborhood accountable for their role in equitably addressing the city’s housing crisis, with a focus on affordable housing. The legislation also creates a citywide fair housing assessment and plan every five years, a strategic equity framework that would report on obstacles and strategies to achieve the housing targets, and focuses on anti-displacement resources, and neighborhood investments for under-served communities (2023).
• Approved several bills designed to provide assistance for homeowners, including establishing a program to provide financial assistance for the purchase and installation of backwater valves, the creation of an office of the homeowner advocate within HPD, and eliminating permit and filing fees for green building projects (2022 and 2023).
• In FY23 budget:
  • $237 million to expand CityFHEPS to fully fund and increase the rental voucher rate to match Section 8 levels
  • $171.3 million to expand funding for Drop-in Centers, Safe Haven Beds, and Stabilization Beds to provide effective alternatives to congregate shelters for unhoused New Yorkers
  • $90 million to protect working and middle-class homeowners with a property tax rebate
• In FY24 budget:
  • Secured a historic $4 billion in capital funding for affordable housing, including $2.5 billion for HPD and $1.5 billion for NYCHA in the FY24 budget.
  • Allocated $300 million for housing and tenant assistance programs, including CityFHEPS, Partners in Preservation, and Emergency Housing Voucher Assistance Payments.
  • Secured a $46 million increase (and $30 million baselined) in support for legal service provides, including Right to Counsel
  • Reversed $32.9 million in cuts to NYCHA’s Vacant Unit Readiness Program to expedite availability of vacant apartments
  • Funded $11 million in HPD programs to support homeowners, including HelpDesk, HomeFirst, and HomeFix.

Advancing Public Safety for All

• Passed the “Support Survivors” package during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, two pieces of legislation requiring city agencies to establish a housing stability grant assistance program for crime survivors and create an online portal and resource guide for survivors (2022).
• Created a new Speaker’s Initiative of $5.1 million in Council funding – Community Safety and Crime Victims Services Initiative – to provide each Council district with $100,000 to expand crime victim services and community safety programs (Began in 2022).
• Established New York State’s first four Trauma Recovery Centers in New York City to support underserved victims of crime and stop cycles of crime in neighborhoods experiencing high rates of violence (Began in 2022).
• Approved several pieces of legislation addressinggun violence, examining the flow of illegal firearms, defining Times Square as a sensitive area, requiring City training and operational support for violence prevention programs in the Crisis Management System, and evaluation of criminal justice programs. (2022).
• Approved 6 pieces of legislation addressing fire safety, in the wake of the Twin Parks fire that took the lives of 17 New Yorkers, including eight children (2022).
• Passed 6 bills to begin addressing the fire hazard posed by lithium-ion battery-powered devices, including city’s first battery swap program to remove uncertified batteries from circulation (2023).
• Approved several bills with the goal of safely reducing the population of individuals detained on Rikers Island, ensuring people make it to court so lengths of stay aren’t inflated, protecting TGNCNBI detainees, banning solitary confinement and increasing transparency (2023).
• Reappointed the Independent Rikers Commission to strengthen the roadmap to closing Rikers and work with stakeholders on successful implementation (2023).
• Passed several police transparency laws that provide more complete data, facilitate increased trust, and enhance accountability to improve public safety.
• Passed bills to advance street safety for all road users, including bills to require DOT to implement daylighting at 100 dangerous intersections, install traffic calming devices at senior pedestrian zones, prioritize equity in street safety investment, report on motor vehicles with unreadable license plates, creating off-street parking for tractor trailers, developing a map of bike infrastructure conditions, and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy in the processes for bike lane projects (2023).
• Enacted four bills related to citywide swim access and safety, following through on a proposal outlined in the Speaker’s most recent State of the City address. The bills established water safety instruction to New York city’s public school children at no cost and mandated a DOHMH report on drowning deaths in the city, among other things (2023). 
• Secured $86 million in FY24 budget for Crisis Management System (CMS) and violence prevention programs
• Secured $121.2 million in FY24 budget for Alternatives to Incarceration and Detention programming
• Secured $5 million in the FY23 city budget to prevent and respond to hate crimes for community-based programs.

Expanding Opportunities for New Yorkers

• Passed Industrial Development Strategic Plan Law to require creation of a citywide plan for investing in the industrial sector to cultivate its growth for our city to achieve its green energy goals and expand equitable economic opportunities for New Yorkers (2023).
• Created first-ever CUNY Reconnect Initiative in FY23 through a $4.4 million pilot program to bring back 10,000 working-age students who left CUNY with credits but no degree – majority of whom are people of color and women. The program surpassed its goal in the inaugural year, bringing back over 16,000 former students to CUNY. It was expanded in the FY24 budget to $5.8 million and the program has enrolled over 26,000 students in total thus far, the majority of whom are women and people of color (2022-2023).
• Enacted 8 childcare bills to expand access for working families and advance professional opportunity for women (2022).
• Passed a 5-bill package to increase thediversity of FDNY’s firefighters through recruitment and retention policies that support women and people of color being firefighters – the strongest effort to date by the City to address historic discrimination and lack of diversity in the FDNY (2022).
• Passed legislation to expand access to Civil Service careers by establishing a Civil Service Ambassador Program, codifying the Public Service Corps, and creating pipelines to the civil service for marginalized communities and populations (2022).
• Approved legislation to expand opportunities for persons with disabilities, relating to workforce development (2023).
• Passed legislation requiring SBS to provide information on Community Development Financial Institutions, which can provide M/WBEs with access to capital (2023).
• Created a new permanent outdoor dining program that is accessible and inclusive to more restaurants, while addressing concerns for more orderly and uniform regulation (2023).
• Provided legal authorization for the City to establish pilot programs to support guaranteed income programs for eligible low-income families and individuals (2023).
• Amended the City’s Human Rights Law to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of a person’s height or weight (2023).
• Improved the Salary Transparency Law for successful implementation, helping to give clarity to job seekers and help eliminate inherent bias in setting employee salaries (2022).
• Secured $75 million in baselined annual funding for Fair Fares to support subsidized public transit access for low-income New Yorkers in FY23 and expanded the program to $95 million baselined with wider eligibility for low-income New Yorkers in FY24.

Creating a Greener, More Sustainable City

• Passed legislation to make New York City the largest municipality in the nation to require its fleet to consist of zero emission vehicles, exceeding the goals of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in its international agreement (2023).
• Approved the “Zero Waste Act,” a legislative package that aims to advance the City’s efforts to divert organic waste from landfills, fight climate change and a create a more sustainable future (2023).    
• Decreased Unnecessary Plastic Waste by passing the “Skip the Stuff” bill to reduce the provision of plastic eating utensils, condiment packets, napkins and extra containers in food orders, and “water bottle” legislation requiring sporting venues to allow fans to enter with reusable beverage containers (2023).
• Enacted multiple bills pertaining to solar and green roofs, the tree canopy and urban forest plan (2023).
• Passed legislation to expedite the phase out of oil grade No. 4, the most harmful heating oil still used in city buildings, to create cleaner air and reduce negative health outcomes that are especially felt in environmental justice communities (2023).
• Enacted legislation to require the city’s first redesign of its truck route network in over four decades, with the goals of improving safety and health outcomes, increasing visibility, and reducing traffic congestion (2023).
• Passed legislation to measure and reduce noise pollution, as well as cap compensation on civilian noise complaints, with the goal of curbing New Yorkers’ exposure to excessive noise, which affects quality of life and has been linked to negative health outcomes and eliminate complaint incentives that are harmful to small businesses (2023)

Budget Highlights:

• FY23:
  • $60 million secured for long-sought wage adjustments to nonprofit human service workers
  • $277 million for the Summer Rising Program to provide free academic enrichment to students
  • $170 million to expand the Summer Youth Employment Program to a record 100K slots
  • $237 million to expand CityFHEPS to fully fund and increase the rental voucher rate to match Section 8 levels
  • $171.3 million to expand funding for Drop-in Centers, Safe Haven Beds, and Stabilization Beds to provide effective alternatives to congregate shelters for unhoused New Yorkers
  • $90 million to protect working and middle-class homeowners with a property tax rebate
  • First-time baselined allocation of $75 million for Fair Fares to support subsidized public transit access for low-income New Yorkers
  • $44.1 million for Parks Department Maintenance and Summer Workforce
  • $40 million to increase investments for cultural institutions
  • $22 million to support citywide 6-days/week, twice daily litter basket service pickup
  • $10 million for a new program to provide child care for undocumented children
  • Budget Transparency: Added a historic 18 new Units of Appropriation (U/As) as part of budget negotiations, including first-ever U/As added by Council to NYPD with six additions (nearly 50% increase in the departments total), four additions in DOC, four in HRA, and one each in DYCD, DOB, DOE, and ACS. The Council also secured terms and conditions on NYPD overtime reporting, DOC reporting on sick leave and unstaffed posts, information on city doula services, among other areas.

• FY24:
  • $4 billion in capital funding for affordable housing, including $2.5 billion for HPD and $1.5 billion for NYCHA
  • $100 million baselined due to an additional $40 million for wage adjustments for nonprofit human service workers, plus an additional $50 million in the next fiscal year.
  • $46 million increase (and $30 million baselined) in support for legal service provides, including Right to Counsel
  • $20 million addition to the existing baseline for a total of $95 million baselined, with expanded eligibility for Fair Fares to serve more low-income New Yorkers
  • $32.9 million to reverse cuts to NYCHA’s Vacant Unit Readiness Program to expedite availability of vacant apartments
  • $47 million for supportive programs for K-12 students, including Mental Health Continuum, Community Schools, Immigrant Family Engagement, Restorative Justice, Arts Education, and Shelter-Based Coordinators
  • $16 million for Promise NYC to provide early childhood education services for undocumented families ($6 million increase)
  • $15 million to convert 1,800 school-day/school-year 3-K seats to extended day/extended year to better match supply with demand
  • $22.5 million for the Work, Learn, and Grow program to support young people in their careers
  • $32.4 million in restoration for CUNY programs, including Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE), Accelerated Study in Associate Programs, CUNY Reconnect, and Academic Advisors
  • $6.7 million for Adult Literacy programs
  • $86 million for Crisis Management System (CMS) and violence prevention programs
  • $121.2 million for Alternatives to Incarceration and Detention programming
  • Budget Transparency: Adopted 11 new Units of Appropriation and a record 62 Terms and Conditions, including spending on care for asylum seekers, emergency contracting, DOE payments to early childhood providers, and Restorative Justice programming

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the State of Texas Regarding Unconstitutional SB 4 Immigration Law

 

The Justice Department filed suit against the State of Texas to challenge Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and Foreign Commerce Clause. The Constitution assigns the federal government the authority to regulate immigration and manage our international borders. Pursuant to this authority, Congress has established a comprehensive framework governing the entry of noncitizens into the United States and the removal of noncitizens from the country. Because SB 4 is preempted by federal law and violates the U.S. Constitution, the Justice Department seeks a declaration that SB 4 is invalid and an order preliminarily and permanently enjoining the state from enforcing the law.

“SB 4 is clearly unconstitutional,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “Under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and longstanding Supreme Court precedent, states cannot adopt immigration laws that interfere with the framework enacted by Congress. The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its responsibility to uphold the Constitution and enforce federal law.”

“Texas cannot disregard the United States Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “We have brought this action to ensure that Texas adheres to the framework adopted by Congress and the Constitution for regulation of immigration.”    

As outlined in the complaint, Texas’s law would create two new state crimes that attempt to regulate immigration, with charges ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony. Additionally, SB 4 would give state judges the ability to order removal from the United States. The Supreme Court, in Arizona v. United States, has previously confirmed that decisions relating to removal of noncitizens from the United States touch “on foreign relations and must be made with one voice.” SB 4 impedes the federal government’s ability to enforce entry and removal provisions of federal law and interferes with its conduct of foreign relations.

The suit was filed on behalf of the United States, including the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.

New Rochelle Man Pleads Guilty To Bronx Shooting

 

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that TYRIEK SKYFIELD pled guilty to one count of illegally possessing ammunition after a felony conviction.  The charge of conviction arises from SKYFIELD’s firing two shots at an individual (“Victim-1”), one of which hit Victim-1, on a residential street in the Bronx on July 22, 2023.  SKYFIELD pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2024. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “On a summer night in the Bronx last July, Tyriek Skyfield fired two shots from a handgun at an individual from close range.  One shot struck the victim in the foot, injuring him.  This plea underscores an important priority of my Office: We will not tolerate gun violence in the Southern District of New York.” 

According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings:

On or about July 22, 2023, at approximately 9:56 p.m., TYRIEK SKYFIELD fired two shots with a handgun at Victim-1 near the intersection of Needham Avenue and East 223rd Street in the Bronx, New York.  Surveillance video from a building overlooking the scene showed SKYFIELD brandishing a firearm at Victim-1 seconds before shooting at him. 

Surveillance video then captured SKYFIELD fleeing down Needham Avenue and onto East 222nd Street.  During a canvass of the scene of the shooting on the following day, officers from the New York City Police Department recovered a 9mm Luger shell casing from one of the gunshots in the yard of a residential building near the shooting.

SKYFIELD was not permitted to possess ammunition because of prior felony convictions. 

TYRIEK SKYFIELD, 31, of New Rochelle, New York, pled guilty to one count of possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. 

The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York State Police and the Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and he thanked the New York City Police Department for its assistance.