Board of Directors, The Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Passing of Joseph Kelleher, Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

VCJC News & Notes 11/25/22

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Reminders Shabbos Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar. Here are the times you need:   Shabbos Candles Friday 11/25/22 @ 4:13 pm Shabbos morning services at 8:45 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely.  Shabbos Ends Saturday date @ 5:16 pm   Reminder - Membership Meeting 11/27!  There will be a membership meeting on Sunday, 11/27/22 at 10AM to vote on and, hopefully, approve sale of property in Suffolk County.  Only paid members for 2022-2023 may attend and vote. The meeting is set up for both in person and Zoom/phone attendance.  If you are a member, please make every effort to attend this important meeting.  It should be short.   Van Cortlandt Jewish Center 3880 Sedgwick Ave Bronx, NY 10463

Real Estate Developer and Attorney Both Admit to Multimillion-Dollar Mortgage Fraud Scheme

 

 A New Jersey real estate developer and attorney each admitted to conspiring to orchestrate a mortgage fraud scheme that led to over $3.5 million in losses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Victor Santos, aka Vitor Santos, 63, of Watchung, New Jersey, and Fausto Simoes, 69, of Millington, New Jersey, each pleaded guilty by videoconference to Count One of an indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From September 2007 through November 2008, Santos, a real estate developer, and Simoes, an attorney, conspired with each other and others to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans with a total value of more than $4 million. Santos orchestrated the scheme to recruit fake, or “straw” buyers to purchase 12 properties in Newark. Using the identity and credit of these straw buyers allowed Santos, Simoes, and their conspirators to conceal their identities from the lender as the actual purchasers of the properties. Santos and others induced people to be straw buyers by agreeing to pay each straw buyer at least $5,000, secure tenants to lease the purchased properties, and cover costs associated with the property, including fees associated with the real estate purchases and the mortgage payments on each of the fraudulently obtained mortgages. Santos, Simoes, and others also caused the submission of fraudulent and false loan applications and documents to the mortgage lender.

Simoes conducted the closings of 10 of the fraudulent transactions and helped perpetuate the fraud by falsely reporting that the straw buyers were providing the cash required at closing when, in fact, Simoes received those funds from a shell company controlled by Santos and another conspirator. For several transactions, Simoes also failed to disclose to the lender that the shell company controlled by Santos and another conspirator would receive a substantial payout from the loan proceeds.

Shortly after the properties were acquired, Santos and his conspirators broke their promises to pay the mortgages. The straw buyers, in whose names the mortgages were obtained and thus were responsible for the payments, did not have enough money to pay the fraudulently obtained mortgages and defaulted, which caused the lender, Fannie Mae, and insurers to lose more than $3.5 million. 

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain to the defendants or twice the gross loss to others whichever is greatest. Sentencing for Santos is scheduled for April 12, 2023, and for Simoes, April 13, 2023.

Two other conspirators previously pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak, and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE RESPONDS TO NEW POLL SHOWING WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FOR BANNING SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

 

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement in response to new polling that shows broad nationwide support for policies to restrict and end the use of solitary confinement. His bill with Committee on Criminal Justice Chair Carlina Rivera to create an enforceable ban on solitary in New York City has supermajority support in the City Council in spite of continued efforts to advance misconceptions and misinformation about the legislation.

"This new polling shows that there is nationwide bipartisan support for ending solitary confinement, a torture that is currently permitted and practiced within our city. Furthermore, this support falls in line with the framework our bill codifies – prohibiting the harm of isolation, while allowing for separation to ensure safety, de-escalation, and investigation of misconduct.

"Americans are united against continuing torture. Yet here in New York City, purported to be a progressive beacon, some still deny not just the need for an enforceable ban, but the existence of solitary confinement in our jails at all. If the city wants to ‘own’ the problems on Rikers, it has to admit that this problem still exists. Continuing to repeat falsehoods about solitary, and the bill to ban it, is harmful to people on both sides of the bars. 

"Our bill has supermajority City Council support, and it’s time to pass it. As elected leaders, we need to stand up for our values and stand behind the facts and data, not the hysteria and misinformation. Rikers is in crisis, and changing that status quo will require coming together to address the reality of the harm, not ignoring it."

Read the full poll and methodology from Data For Progress here.

 

Good news has been in short supply in recent days. Hatred has been rearing its ugly head on social media and in real-world violent attacks. Many of us are entering this Thanksgiving holiday with a heaviness of heart. We have no choice but to directly confront the great challenges of this moment—and the good news is that we can. Through policies that protect vulnerable communities. By directly challenging bigotry and intolerance wherever it’s spread. By standing with open arms to welcome and support all New Yorkers regardless of where they come from or what background they have.  New York City at its best does these things better than anywhere else in the world. We’ve proven it again and again. It’s something to be truly thankful for, today and every day. I hope that those of you who are celebrating this holiday are able to share and receive love with your family, your community, and all those around you. May that spirit guide us in our important work ahead. Happy Thanksgiving, Mark

Release of BWC Footage from an officer involved shooting that occurred July 9 2022 in the confines of the 113rd Precinct

 

The NYPD is releasing body-worn camera footage from an officer-involved shooting that occurred on July 9, 2022, in the confines of the 113th Precinct.

The video includes available evidence leading up to the incident as well as during the incident. The NYPD is releasing this video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident.

All NYPD patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras. The benefits of cameras are clear: transparency into police activity, de-escalation of police encounters and accountability for police officers, through an independent account of interactions between the police and the citizens they serve. Body-worn cameras serve as a vital part of ongoing efforts to increase trust between the police and all New Yorkers.

You can find the video here

Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation into Civilian Death in Nassau County

 

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of Miguel Romero, who died on November 19, 2022, in a motor vehicle incident involving members of the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD).

On the evening of November 19, Mr. Romero was walking near the intersection of Front Street and New York Avenue in Uniondale when he was struck by an NCPD vehicle. Mr. Romero was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person, by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change. 

U.S. Attorney Announces Agreement With New York University To Increase Accessibility Of Student Housing Facilities

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced a voluntary compliance agreement under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) with New York University (“NYU” or the “University”) to increase the accessibility of NYU’s student housing facilities for individuals with disabilities.  The agreement covers all of NYU’s student housing facilities in the New York metropolitan area.

Title III of the ADA requires that privately owned places of public accommodation, including colleges and universities, remove physical barriers to access to existing facilities where it is readily achievable to do so, comply with accessibility standards for new construction and alterations, and modify policies and practices where necessary to ensure full and equal enjoyment of services and facilities.

The out-of-court agreement resolves a compliance review during which the U.S. Attorney’s Office identified various aspects of NYU’s student housing facilities that were not in compliance with Title III of the ADA and the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, including violations of the new construction provisions of the ADA and barriers to access to existing facilities. 

NYU’s New York-area campuses include student housing facilities in Manhattan, in Brooklyn, and on Long Island for the University’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools.  The agreement covers a total of more than 4,000 student housing units, which are located within 22 NYU-owned student housing facilities and 10 facilities leased in full or in part by the University.

NYU has agreed to prepare a plan under which it will survey and make alterations to its student housing facilities within five years, update its student housing emergency preparedness plans, and improve the accessibility information related to student housing on its website.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The ADA requires colleges and universities to ensure that no individual is discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of their services and facilities.  We are pleased that NYU has committed to improving accessibility within the University’s student housing facilities and hope that other colleges and universities will follow suit and increase access to their facilities for individuals with disabilities.”

Under the agreement, NYU will:

• Conduct architectural surveys and seek public comment from the University community and then submit an accessibility plan for review to this Office, outlining how the University will comply with the agreement.
• Ensure that an appropriate number of accessible student housing units (and bathrooms serving those units) are available to students with disabilities and are dispersed throughout the University’s student housing facilities which serve NYU’s (i) general student population, (ii) graduate student population, (iii) Grossman School of Medicine, (iv) Long Island School of Medicine, (v) law school, and (vi) Brooklyn campus.
• Ensure that each student housing facility in which accessible housing units required by the agreement are located has accessible features, including accessible entrances, approaches, bathrooms, and signage; and that an appropriate number of additional housing facilities have an accessible entrance, first floor common area, and bathroom.
• Update its student housing emergency evacuation, sheltering, and shelter-in-place plans for individuals with disabilities after seeking public comment from the University community.
• Update its website to identify accessible entrances, routes, and transportation options for its student housing facilities; identify newly added or renovated accessible features of the student housing facilities; and provide information to assist students and prospective students with disabilities in securing and utilizing accessible housing and housing accommodations at NYU.