Upcoming Holiday Events & More
Save the Date for Mechanical Reindeer Rides
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Great Holiday Events & More!
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Join us for our next Book Club Meeting on Wednesday, December 6th, 1-3pm at 505 West 236th Street to enjoy a light lunch and a discussion of M Train by Patti Smith. See below for book description and our 2024 Book Selections. |
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Defendant Caused IRS Tax Loss of Over $1.7 Million
A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to willfully failing to pay employment taxes withheld from his employees’ wages.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Francesco Illiano, of Mount Airy, owned and operated two restaurants and a property management company that employed over 100 people. Illiano was responsible for collecting, accounting for and paying the income and Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from the wages of employees of the three companies he controlled. From at least April 2014 to July 2016, Illiano did not pay the withholdings to the IRS. Illiano had previously been assessed a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty for not paying more than $1.4 million in taxes withheld from employees of five Green Turtle restaurants he owned in 2011 and 2012. In total, Illiano caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $1.7 million.
Illiano is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Shawn Noud of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jefferson Gray for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.
In advance of Giving Tuesday and the holiday season, New York Attorney General Letitia James today released her annual “Pennies for Charity: Fundraising by Professional Fundraisers” report. The report analyzes data from 2022 charitable fundraising campaigns submitted to the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Charities Bureau by professional fundraisers. The report looks at trends in the nonprofit sector, provides guidance and tips for donors, and gives charities information about fundraisers’ performance.
This year’s report found that in 2022, professional fundraisers received nearly a quarter of every dollar donated to the charities that hired them — a total of more than $347 million in fees and expenses. An analysis of 572 campaigns conducted by professional fundraisers in 2022 found that charities received 77 percent of donations, a notable increase from the 73 percent return in 2021. Professional fundraisers are outside, for-profit contractors often hired by charities to run campaigns.
“New Yorkers who generously donate to charities should do so without any fear of their money being misappropriated or mishandled,” said Attorney General James. “With the holiday season and Giving Tuesday soon approaching, I encourage anyone looking to donate this winter to consult our tips for charitable giving and ensure that their gifts are put to good use. My office will continue to work throughout the season to protect New Yorkers from fraud and ensure transparency in the operation of charitable organizations.”
New York is home to many diverse charitable organizations and institutions, which like all parts of our society, faced many challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. The report found that charitable giving declined approximately $221 million from 2021 revenues. Other report findings include:
This year’s Pennies for Charity report is based on information from professional fundraisers’ reports filed with the Charities Bureau for campaigns conducted in 2022. Professional fundraisers must register with the Charities Bureau, and their financial reports must break down their campaigns’ earnings and expenses. The report and the searchable Pennies for Charity database containing the results of specific campaigns are posted on the Charities Bureau website.
The report also includes tips for donors to follow before donating over the phone, by mail, or online to ensure that their contributions reach the causes they intend to support. A link to the report and donor guide is above, but important tips to keep in mind include:
Defendant Allegedly Gave Seizure Medicine to Daughter Who Never Had Epilepsy
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx woman has been indicted for Assault and Reckless Endangerment for allegedly deliberately giving her 3-yearold daughter anti-seizure medication the child did not require.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly caused her young daughter to become ill, by giving her an overdose of prescription medication to treat epilepsy, which the child did not have.”
District Attorney Clark said Tajanhae Brown, 24, of East 163rd Street, the Bronx, was arraigned today on Attempted Assault in the first degree, second-degree Assault, first degree Reckless Endangerment, Attempted Assault in the second degree, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Kim Parker. The defendant is due back in court on February 7, 2024. Electronic monitoring with supervised release conditions was continued.
According to the investigation, on or about and between May 2, 2023, and May 3, 2023, the defendant brought her then-3-year-old daughter to the Emergency Department at Montefiore Children’s Hospital and reported to medical staff that the child had not received her morning dose of anti-seizure medication prescribed to treat epilepsy. The child was admitted to the hospital and the level of anti-seizure medication in the child’s blood was found to be toxic. While in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Montefiore Children’s Hospital and after being informed that her daughter was toxic, the defendant allegedly gave the child additional anti-seizure medication which created the risk of exposing her daughter to serious medical complications.
According to the investigation, between her daughter’s date of birth on May 22, 2019, and May 8, 2023, the defendant endangered the child’s welfare by bringing her to 15 different medical providers on at least 190 separate occasions. The defendant allegedly falsified her daughter’s medical history and diagnosis and made factitious representations about the child’s physical and psychological signs and symptoms to staff at these various medical providers.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Julia Watson of the Bronx Child Abuse Squad for her significant work on the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Investment Complements Record Level of Funding by the Governor in the State Highway System
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $100 million in funding has been released to support the renewal of State roadways impacted by extreme weather. The funding supports repaving projects at 66 locations, totaling almost 568 lane miles of pavement, and complements a record level of investment by the Governor in infrastructure across New York State.
“From a devastating blizzard to historic flooding, we are living in a time of record-breaking weather events which have left many roads across New York State in need of repair and rejuvenation,” Governor Hochul said. “This $100 million will lengthen the lifespan of dozens of roads across the State, making them more resilient in the face of future extreme weather conditions.”
Through sustained investment in transportation infrastructure, New York State is making highways safer and more efficient while encouraging local commerce and tourism. The current $32.9 billion State Department of Transportation five-year capital plan, inclusive of federal formula funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides historic funding for road and bridge repair and modernization, and this critical infrastructure funding will help restore hundreds of lane miles of highway impacted by extreme weather.
A complete list of paving locations, which will begin next spring, is available below:
Capital Region ($8.7 million)
North Country Region ($8.8 million)
Mohawk Valley Region ($6.4 million)
Central New York Region ($2.6 million)
Finger Lakes Region ($11.5 million)
Western New York Region ($12.9 million)
Southern Tier Region ($19.5 million)
Mid-Hudson Region ($17.4 million)
Long Island Region ($8 million)
New York City Region ($4 million)
Adams Administration Task Force Warns Landlords and Building Owners of Potential Eviction and Fines if Unlawful Cannabis Sales Continue
Building Owners Receiving Warnings Have Had More Than $7 Million in Imposed Civil Penalties, Illegal Products Seized
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today opened a new front in the Adams administration’s efforts to combat the proliferation of illegal, unlicensed smoke shops and protect the health and well-being of consumers and young New Yorkers put at risk by unregulated cannabis and tobacco products. The New York City Sheriff’s Office Joint Compliance Task Force to Address Illegal Smoke Shops has sent letters to landlords and owners of 50 buildings across the five boroughs warning that they could be legally liable for the continued unlicensed sale of cannabis or tobacco products by their tenants. At these 50 locations alone, the task force has already imposed more than $7 million in penalties — including an estimated $3.9 million in illegal product seized and nearly another $3.2 million in civil penalties issued.
This new effort builds on the Adams administration’s partnership with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., other local law enforcement, and elected officials to combat the rise of illegal smoke shops in Manhattan. Now, expanded citywide, the initiative will target landlords and building owners at locations where the city has taken enforcement actions and issued violations. The task force will send letters warning of potential evictions, fines, and other penalties if tenants continue to engage in unlawful behavior.
“Our administration is using every tool available to protect young people and all New Yorkers from dangerous, illegal cannabis and tobacco products, while sending a clear message that anyone helping these illegal, unlicensed shops spread throughout our communities will be held accountable,” said Mayor Adams. “To support the emerging, legal cannabis market, we must go after the bad actors who are breaking the law. Our interagency task force is coming together to keep our communities safe.”
“The proliferation of unlicensed smoke shops across our city must stop,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “Today, we are putting landlords on notice of their responsibility to ensure their property is not being used to sell illegal cannabis or tobacco. The letter is intended to educate property owners about the significant consequences they will face for flouting the law.”
“This administration is taking a hard line cracking down on the proliferation of smoke shops illegally selling tobacco, vaping, and cannabis products across the city,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phillip Banks III. “While New York’s public safety agencies will continue to visit these establishments to ensure they are following the law, we are making it clear to landlords today that they have an important role to play in this process, and if illegal products are being sold on their property, they will be held accountable.”
“While there is no single solution to the proliferation of illegal smoke shops, the landlord letter is one more tool that provides an opportunity for correction,” said New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda. “Landlords are informed of their obligations and potential liability, as well as how to take corrective action and the support available for them.”
“The New York City Police Department is committed to eradicating the unlicensed, illegal smoke shops that destabilize an emerging business interest and pose significant public safety and health risks in neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs,” said New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “The NYPD remains focused on our city’s mission to protect New Yorkers and ensure that cannabis and tobacco regulations are properly recognized, accepted, and enforced.”
The letter explains to landlords and owners that they could face “an injunction and penalties up to $1,000 a day,” and that the city “is empowered to request that the building owner or landlord initiate an action to remove tenants from the property.”
Over the coming weeks, the task force — which consists of the Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD, and the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement — will review unlicensed smoke shops that have received violations for unauthorized cannabis sales and other illegal activity and then notify landlords of their requirement to comply with the law.
Today’s announcement builds on the Adams administration’s ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal smoke shops and dangerous vape products posing a harm to New Yorkers. In addition to actions taken with Manhattan District Attorney Bragg earlier this year, this past summer, Mayor Adams and New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds Radix filled a federal lawsuit against four major distributors of flavored disposable e-cigarettes — the most popular vaping devices among middle-school children and high school youth — for unlawfully distributing exotically flavored disposable e-cigarettes to retail vape and smoke shops, convenience stores, and directly to consumers in New York City through online sales. Two distributors have agreed to stop selling e-cigarettes in New York City while the remaining two are facing a preliminary injunction from the New York City Department of Law.
Additionally, last year, the Adams administration formed a joint task force that included the Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management to conduct enforcement against unlicensed establishments selling cannabis, cannabis-infused edibles, illegal vaping products, illegal cigarettes, and other illegal tobacco products. Since forming, the task force has imposed more than $63 million in penalties — including an estimated $40.5 million in illegal product seized and over $23 million in civil penalties issued — and conducted more than 1,300 compliance and intelligence inspections.
