Friday, May 22, 2020

MAYOR DE BLASIO SURPASSES OPEN STREETS TARGET, ANNOUNCES 13 MORE MILES OF STREETS TO BE OPENED BY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND



New York City offers most open streets of any American city; exceeds 40-mile target by end of May

Open Streets will be visible on Google Maps

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that New York City will open 13 more miles of streets to pedestrians and cyclists for the Memorial Day weekend starting tomorrow, May 23rd. The new locations bring New York City's total to 43 miles of open streets since the program was first announced in April, surpassing its original target of 40 miles by the end of May.

Google has added the previous 30 miles of Open Streets into Google Maps, allowing drivers using online navigation to steer clear of these streets; today’s new Open Streets will be added to Google Maps in the coming days.

New York City now has more miles of open streets than any other city in America.

“New Yorkers deserve space to safely enjoy the outdoors in their own neighborhoods,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Thanks to hard work from a host of City agencies, we’ve beaten our Open Streets goal for this month – and made our city a national leader in expanding public space as we fight COVID-19.”

“As we reach a pivotal milestone in our Open Streets program, it has been heartening to see the positive responses from communities and New Yorkers across the City as they enjoy these open spaces safely,” said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. “We will continue to work with our local partners, elected officials, BIDS, and countless City agencies, to further identify streets and neighborhoods to help New Yorkers get outside while maintaining social distancing.”

Nearly nine miles of the new Open Streets will be placed in neighborhoods across the city and managed by local precincts; 1.8 miles will be managed by local partners; and another 2.7 miles will be adjacent to parks.

Local Partner Management
Partner                     Boro  Street      From             To    Mileage
Red Hook Initiative  BK   9th St    Henry St   Hicks St      0.08  
 9a-6p Sat
Village Alliance      MN University Pl. 13th St - 4th St     0.41
8:30a-1:30p Sun
Village Alliance    MN  MacDougal     4th St - 8th St      0.15
8:30a-1:30p Sun
Hudson Sq BID   MN Greenwich St   Canal - Spring      0.08
10a-4p all days
Alliance for 
Downtown NY   MN  Pearl St         State St - Cedar St  0.46
11a-3p all days
Chinatown District MN Doyers St  Pell St - Bowery     0.05
10a-7p all days
Alliance for 
Kips Bay       MN 2nd Ave Service Rd 33rd - 30th St   0.13
8a-8p all days
Bedford Stuyvesant 
Gateway BID  BK  Arlington Pl  Macon - Fulton St   0.07
Thurs 10-2p
Times Square 
Alliance      MN   Broadway      47th St -  53rd St      0.30
8a-8p all days
Times Square 
Alliance     MN   Broadway     42nd St - 41st St        0.05
8a-8p all days
Total mileage                     1.78

Local Precinct Management
Neighborhood  Boro     Street         From          To        Mileage




Bed-Stuy
BK
Somers St
Rockaway Ave
Fulton St
0.11
Williamsburg
BK
S 9th St
Berry St
Driggs Ave
0.17
Williamsburg
BK
Grand St
Roebling St
Marcy Ave
0.16
Prospect Heights
BK
Underhill Ave
St. Johns Pl
Bergen St
0.32
Prospect Heights
BK
Carlton Ave
Park Pl
Bergen St
0.18
South 
Richmond Hill
QN
120th St
94th Ave
Liberty Ave
0.53
Greenwich Village 
MN
Jones St
Bleecker St
W 4th St
0.09
East Village
MN
Ave B
6th St
14th St
0.39
Manhattan Valley
MN
103rd St
Broadway
Riverside Dr
0.16
Chelsea
MN
22nd St
8th Ave
7th Ave
0.16
Gramercy
MN
Irving Place
16th St
20th St
0.18
Kensington
BK
Chester Ave
Ft. Hamilton Parkway
Church Ave
0.32
Fort Greene
BK
Willoughby Ave
Washington Park St
Hall St
0.41
Crown 
Heights
BK
Park Pl
New York Ave
Kingston Ave
0.29
Crown 
Heights
BK
Troy Ave
St. Johns Pl
Eastern Parkway
0.10
Rego Park
QN
99th St
Horace Harding
66th Ave
0.52
Sunnyside
QN
50th Ave
48th St
44th St
0.19
Forest Hills
QN
66th Rd
110th St
Grand Central Pkwy
0.15
Prospect 
Heights
BK
Lincoln Pl
Washington St
Bedford Ave
0.41
Bed-Stuy
BK
Macon St
Arlington Pl
Tompkins Ave
0.40
Boerum Hill
BK
State St
3rd Ave
Smith St 
0.50
Homecrest
BK
16th St
Ave R
Moore Pl
0.11
Moore Pl
16th St
17th St
Brooklyn 
Heights
BK
Willow St
Middagh St
Pierrepont St
0.33
Seaport
MN
Front St
Beekman St
Peck Slip
0.08
Harlem
MN
117th
Morningside Ave
5th Ave
0.70
             

Chelsea
MN
21st St
9th Ave
10th Ave
0.16
Hells Kitchen
MN
51st St
9th Ave
10th Ave
0.16
Harlem
MN
138th
Lenox Ave
Adam Clayton Powell Blvd
0.15
Williamsburg
BK
N. 3rd St
Kent Ave
Metropolitan Ave
0.32
Brownsville
BK
Williams Ave
Liberty Ave
Atlantic Ave
0.11
Castle Hill
BX
Pugsley
Bruckner Blvd
Turnbull Ave
0.20
Maspeth
QN
60th Street
Laurel Hill Blvd
47th Ave
0.12
Forest Hills
QN
Ascan Ave
Queens Blvd
Austin St
0.07
Park Slope
BK
Butler St
Gregory Pl
4th Ave
0.14
Gregory Pl
Baltic St
Butler St
Bay Ridge
BK
Colonial Rd
86th St
83rd St
0.16
Jamaica
QN
107th Ave
159th St
160th St
0.03
Jamaica
QN
108th Ave
159th St
160th St
0.03
Jamaica
QN
159th St
108th Ave
109th Ave
0.12
Jamaic
QN
109th Ave
159th St
160th St
0.03

Total mileage



                                     
8.76
Adjacent Park Roads
Park
Boro
Street
From
To
Mileage
Hunters Pt
QN
Center Blvd
57th Ave
Borden Ave
0.23
Green Central Knoll Park
BK
Noll St
Evergreen Ave
Central Ave
0.09
Plaut Triangle
QN
169th St
Northern Blvd
43rd Ave
0.03
Gorman Playground
QN
85th Street
25th Ave
30th Ave
0.13
Nicholas Naquan Heyward Park
BK
Wyckoff St
Bond St
Hoyt St
0.12
Charles Young Playground
MN
143rd St
Malcolm X Blvd
5th Ave
0.16
Stuyvesant Sq Park
MN
Rutherford Pl
15th St
17th St
0.09
16th Street
3rd Ave
Rutherford Pl
0.08
Morningside Park
MN
Morningside Ave
Manhattan Ave
116th
0.16
Yellowstone Park
QN
68th Rd
108th St
Yellowstone Blvd
0.10
Painter's Playground
QN
Dieterle Crescent
Alderton St
65th Dr
0.13
Carroll Park
BK
Carroll St
Court St
Smith St
0.10
McGolrick Park
BK
Russell St
Nassau Ave
Driggs Ave
0.17
Betsy Head Park
BK
Dumont Ave
Thomas Boyland St
Strauss St
0.14
Baisley Pond Park
QN
Barron St
116th Ave 
Foch Blvd
0.13
Lakeview Blvd E
118th Ave
122nd Ave
0.34
155th St
119th Ave
125th Ave
0.32
Lakeview lane
122nd Ave
Baisley Blvd
0.12
122nd Ave
Lakeview Blvd E
Lakeview Ln
0.08
Total mileage




2.72
In April, the Mayor and Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced that 40 miles of streets citywide would be opened by the end of May to allow greater social distancing, with a plan to expand to a total of 100 miles in the weeks and months ahead.

Under Open Streets, pedestrians and cyclists can use the roadbed of each street. No through traffic is permitted, with remaining vehicle traffic limited to local deliveries, pick-ups/drop-offs, necessary city service, utility, and emergency vehicles only. Such drivers are alerted to be hyper-vigilant and to drive at 5 MPH along these routes. Open streets hours will be from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM but may vary slightly depending on staff availability.

The City has also begun installing 9 miles of additional temporary dedicated cycling space, building on this March's addition of lanes on a section of Manhattan's 2nd Avenue and on Smith Street in Brooklyn. This week, crews began work on lower Broadway in Manhattan, 38th and 39th Streets in Manhattan, Crescent Street in Queens and Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. These temporary projects, which use barrels, signage, and other barriers, may be phased into permanent bike lanes as city resources come back online and as DOT gathers additional feedback from affected community boards and elected officials.

“As the beautiful spring weather arrives, we invite New Yorkers to now safely enjoy over 40 miles of Open Streets and new bike lanes in neighborhoods across the city, including Brownsville, Brooklyn, Jamaica, Queens, and Castle Hill in the Bronx,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We thank the NYPD and our sister agencies, BIDs and community groups as well as elected officials who have together helped us reach this point. We have more miles to come and continue to call on other neighborhoods that want an Open Street to let us know, even if you don’t have a formal community partner.”

Thursday, May 21, 2020

DOI ARRESTS HRA POLICE LIEUTENANT ON CHARGE OF CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A FIREARM


  Margaret Garnett, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced the arrest today of a City Human Resources Administration (“HRA”) Police Lieutenant on a charge of illegally possessing a firearm. DOI began this investigation earlier this week after HRA reported to DOI that the defendant had been observed carrying a firearm while on duty at HRA.  

WENDELL WRIGHT, 47, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was arrested today on a charge of Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E Felony. Upon conviction, a class E felony is punishable by up to four years in prison. The arrest charge is pending review by prosecutors at the Office of Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said, “This defendant disregarded the law by carrying an unlicensed gun, conduct that endangers others and is not tolerated by the City, especially by someone charged with ensuring public safety, according to the charge. I commend HRA for reporting this serious matter to DOI.” 

According to DOI’s investigation, the defendant was seen carrying a pistol in advance of his scheduled HRA shift today, May 20, 2020. The investigation found that he was carrying an unlicensed weapon, and that the weapon was loaded. In addition, HRA Police Officers are not authorized to carry firearms while on duty. WRIGHT was arrested outside his home this morning.

WRIGHT has been an HRA employee since September 2005 and is receiving an annual salary of approximately $62,320. 

He was suspended from HRA upon arrest; the weapon and his badge were confiscated from him. Commissioner Garnett thanked New York City Department of Social Services (“DSS”) Commissioner Steven Banks and his staff, in particular the DSS Office of Legal Affairs, for their prompt action and cooperation during this investigation. HRA is part of DSS. Commissioner Garnett also thanked Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and his staff for their assistance in this matter.

An arrest charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Chinese National Arrested For $20 Million Scheme To Fraudulently Obtain Loans Intended To Help Small Businesses During COVID-19 Pandemic


MUGE MA, a/k/a “Hummer Mars,” Lied that His Phony Companies Had Hundreds of Employees and Paid Millions in Wages to Receive COVID-19 Loan Funds; MA’s Company Also Fraudulently Held Itself Out as Representing New York State in Procuring COVID-19 Supplies

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Kevin Kupperbusch, Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge of the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), announced today the arrest of MUGE MA, a/k/a “Hummer Mars,” a Chinese national residing in Manhattan, for a fraudulent scheme to obtain over $20 million in Government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.  In connection with loan applications for relief available from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) Program, MA falsely represented to the SBA and five financial institutions that his companies, New York International Capital LLC (“NYIC”) and Hurley Human Resources LLC (“Hurley”), had hundreds of employees and paid millions of dollars in wages to those employees, when, in fact, MA appears to have been the only employee of his companies.  MA’s company NYIC also fraudulently represented that it was representing New York State in procuring COVID-19 test kits and personal protective equipment to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  MA was arrested this morning and will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Muge Ma, a/k/a ‘Hummer Mars,’ allegedly attempted to secure over $20 million in Government-guaranteed loans intended for businesses devastated by the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.  In furtherance of the scheme, Ma allegedly falsely represented in his applications to banks and the SBA to own two companies with hundreds of employees to whom he paid millions in wages.  As alleged, Ma described one of the companies as a ‘patriotic American’ firm, and said of the other company that it would ‘help the country reduce the high unemployment rate caused by the pandemic by helping unemployed American workers and unemployed American fresh graduates find jobs as quickly as possible.’  In truth, Ma appears to be the only employee of either company and had no legitimate claim to the funds for which he applied.  Ma’s alleged attempts to secure funds earmarked for legitimate small businesses in dire financial straits are as audacious as they are callous, and now he now faces federal prosecution.  Small businesses are facing uncertainty and unprecedented challenges, the least of which should be opportunists attempting to loot the federal funds meant to assist them.  This Office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to vigilantly protect the integrity of those critical loan programs.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr said:  “There are many people in desperate need of federal money right now to get them through an unbelievably difficult time. The last thing they need to hear is that a fraudster allegedly tried to steal millions of dollars for his own selfish use. We hope this serves as a demonstration to other criminals plotting a similar scam – we are acting and investigating in real time to stop anyone using this crisis as a means to rip off the federal government and the tax payers who fund that government.”
SBA OIG Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kupperbusch said:  “Providing false statements to gain access to SBA’s programs will be aggressively investigated by our office.  SBA OIG and its law enforcement partners are poised to root out fraud in SBA’s programs and bring wrongdoers to justice.  I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”  
IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen said:  “As many American businesses are struggling to survive during these difficult times, it is alleged that Mr. Ma sought to steal millions of dollars in loans intended to assist legitimate businesses. Make no mistake about it, IRS-CI is committed to investigating and bringing to justice those individuals who defraud coronavirus relief programs.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the SBA’s PPP.  Pursuant to the CARES Act, the amount of PPP funds a business is eligible to receive is determined by the number of employees employed by the business and their average payroll costs.  Businesses applying for a PPP loan must provide documentation to confirm that they have previously paid employees the compensation represented in the loan application.  The CARES Act also expanded the separate EIDL Program, which provides small businesses with low-interest loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing due to COVID-19.  To qualify for an EIDL loan under the CARES Act, the applicant must have suffered “substantial economic injury” from COVID-19.
From at least in or about March 2020 through at least on or about May 15, 2020, MA applied to the SBA and at least five banks for a total of over $20 million in Government-guaranteed loans for the his companies NYIC and Hurley (together, the “Ma Companies”) through the SBA’s PPP and EIDL Program.  In connection with these loan applications, MA represented, among other things, that he was the sole owner and executive director of the Ma Companies, that the Ma Companies were located on the sixth floor of his luxury condominium building in New York, New York, and that NYIC and Hurley together had hundreds of employees and paid millions of dollars in wages to those employees on a monthly basis.  In fact, however, MA appears to have been the only employee of NYIC since at least in or about 2019, and Hurley does not appear to have any employees.  In order to support the false representations made by MA in the loan applications about the number of employees at, and the wages paid by, the Ma Companies, MA submitted fraudulent and doctored bank records, tax records, insurance records, payroll records, and/or audited financial statements to five different banks, and also provided links to the Ma Companies’ websites, which describe them as purportedly “global” companies.  In the course of these loan applications, MA also misrepresented that he was a United States citizen, when, in fact, he is a Chinese national with lawful permanent resident status in the United States.
Before the discovery of the fraudulent conduct by MA, the SBA approved a $500,000 EIDL Program loan for NYIC and a $150,000 EIDL Program loan for Hurley, and at least a $10,000 loan advance was provided to NYIC.  In addition, a bank approved and disbursed over approximately $800,000 in PPP loan funds for Hurley, which were frozen in connection with this investigation.  As a result, MA sought to withdraw his loan applications from the banks and return the funds.
MA and individuals purporting to work for NYIC have also fraudulently represented to a COVID-19 test kit manufacturer and a medical equipment supplier that NYIC is representing the New York State Government and the Governor of New York in procuring COVID-19 test kits and personal protective equipment (“PPE”) to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Among other incidents, in a recorded call that took place on or about May 18, 2020, MA represented, in substance and in part, that his company NYIC was a registered vendor for New York State, among other state governments, and that NYIC had a big team working on a deal for the State.  NYIC is not, however, an authorized vendor of New York State, nor has NYIC been authorized to represent New York State in connection with the procurement of COVID-19 supplies.
MA, 36 of New York, New York, is charged with one count of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of making false statements to a bank, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, one count of major fraud against the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of making false statements to the SBA, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Any businesses or individuals who believe they may have been a victim in this investigation or have information regarding this investigation should call the FBI’s 24/7 Cyber Complaint Center at (855) 292-3937.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the FBI’s Financial Cybercrimes Task Force, SBA-OIG, and IRS-CI, and noted that the investigation remains ongoing.  Mr. Berman also thanked the New York City Police Department, the Office of the New York State Comptroller, and the New York State Department of Labor for their assistance with the investigation.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Sagar K. Ravi is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
 [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

No. 202.32: Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws Relating to the Disaster Emergency


No. 202.32
E X E C U T I V E  O R D E R

Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws
Relating to the Disaster Emergency  

WHEREAS, on March 7, 2020, I issued Executive Order Number 202, declaring a State disaster emergency for the entire State of New York; and
WHEREAS, both travel-related cases and community contact transmission of COVID-19 have been documented in New York State and are expected to continue; 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 29-a of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, do hereby continue the suspensions and modifications of law, and any directives, not superseded by a subsequent directive, made by Executive Order 202.23 and each successor Executive Order up to and including Executive Order 202.27, for thirty days until June 20, 2020.

IN ADDITION, I hereby temporarily suspend or modify the following for the period from the date of this Executive Order through June 20, 2020, the following:
  • Subdivision (1) of section 576-b of the Public Health Law and section 58-1.7 and 58-1.8 of Title 10 of the NYCRR, to the extent necessary to, in furtherance of Executive Order 202.30 and any extensions thereof, allow clinical laboratories to accept and examine specimens for COVID-19 testing, from personnel of nursing homes and adult care facilities, as such personnel are defined in Executive Order 202.30, without a prescription or order from an authorized ordering source, and to report the results of such tests to the appropriate operators and administrators of the nursing home or adult care facility for which the person for whom the test was performed provides services; provided that, to ensure appropriate follow-up with patients who test positive for COVID-19, the facility administrator shall contact the local health department to ensure all facility personnel who test positive are provided appropriate clinical guidance as well as appropriate isolation orders; and
  • Section 6530 of the Education Law, to the extent necessary to allow physicians to order COVID-19 tests, authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for self-collection, without otherwise having an initial physician-patient relationship with the patient.

IN ADDITION, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 925-a of the Real Property Tax Law to extend during a State disaster emergency the period for paying property taxes without interest or penalties upon request of the chief executive officer of an affected county, city, town, village or school district, I do hereby extend by twenty-one days the period for paying, without interest or penalty, property taxes that are due in the following localities that have requested such an extension: Village of Antwerp, Jefferson County; Village of Asharoken, Suffolk County; Village of Bainbridge, Chenango County; Village of Bayville, Nassau County; Village of Bronxville, Westchester County; Village of Canastota, Madison County; Village of Cedarhurst, Nassau County; Village of Chester, Orange County; Village of Chittenango, Madison County; City of Corning, Steuben County; Village of Coxsackie, Greene County; Village of Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County; Village of Delhi, Delaware County; Village of Deposit, Broom-Delaware County; Village of Dexter, Jefferson County; Village of Dryden, Tompkins County; Town/Village of East Rochester, Monroe County; Village of East Rockaway, Nassau County; Village of Flower Hill, Nassau County; Grand-View-on-Hudson, Rockland County; Village of Granville, Washington County; Village of Great Neck, Nassau County; Village of Great Neck Estates, Nassau County; Village of Haverstraw, Rockland County; Village of Herkimer, Herkimer County; Village of Holland Patent, Oneida County; Village of Holley, Orleans County; Village of Huntington Bay, Suffolk County; Village of Kings Point, Nassau County; Village of Irvington, Westchester County; Village of Lynbrook, Nassau County; Village of Massapequa Park, Nassau County; Village of Massena, St. Lawrence County; Village of Menands, Albany County; Village of Mexico, Oswego County; Village of Mill Neck, Nassau County; Village of Millport, Chemung County; Village of Naples, Ontario County; Village of Nassau, Rensselaer County; Village of New Hartford, Oneida County; Village of New York Mills, Oneida County; Village of Old Westbury, Nassau County; Village of Orchard Park, Erie County; Village of Oyster Bay Cove, Nassau County; Village of Pawling, Dutchess County; Village of Poland, Herkimer County; Village of Pulaski, Oswego County; Village of Quogue, Suffolk County; Village of Roslyn, Nassau County; Village of Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County; Village of Saranac Lake, Franklin-Essex Counties; Village of Saugerties, Ulster County; Village of Scottsville, Monroe County; Village of Sea Cliff, Nassau County; Village of Sidney, Delaware County; Village of Spencerport, Monroe County; Village of Sodus, Wayne County; Village of South Glens Falls, Saratoga County; Village of Trumansburg, Tompkins County; Village of Tuckahoe, Westchester County; Village of Upper Nyack, Rockland County; Village of Warwick, Orange County; Village of Wesley Hills, Rockland County; Village of West Haverstraw, Rockland County; Village of Westbury, Nassau County; Village of Whitehall, Washington County; Village of Whitesboro, Oneida County; Village of Williston Park, Nassau County; Village of Valley Stream, Nassau County; Village of Floral Park, Nassau County; Village of Schoharie, Schoharie County; and the County of Suffolk.. 

IN ADDITION, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 925-a of the Real Property Tax Law, I do hereby retroactively extend by twenty-one days the period for paying without interest or penalty the property taxes that were due by April 1, 2020, in the Village of Head of the Harbor, Suffolk County, and the Village of Russell Gardens, Nassau County. 

IN ADDITION, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 29-a of Article 2-B of the Executive Law to issue any directive during a disaster emergency necessary to cope with the disaster, I do hereby issue the following directives for the period from the date of this Executive Order through June 20, 2020:
  • Any licensee or franchisee of a racetrack in the State is hereby permitted to operate such racetrack as of June 1, 2020, provided such racetrack does not permit any visitor or fan into the facility, and allows on site only essential personnel; and provided further that such licensee or franchisee of a racetrack, and all essential personnel adhere to any directive or guidance issued by the Department of Health and/or by the Gaming Commission.
  • Executive Order 202.10 (as later extended by Executive Order 202.18 and Executive Order 202.29) which prohibited all non-essential gatherings of any size for any reason, is hereby modified to permit a gathering of ten or fewer individuals for any religious service or ceremony, or for the purposes of any Memorial Day service or commemoration, provided that social distancing protocols and cleaning and disinfection protocols required by the Department of Health are adhered to, and provided further, that any drive-in or remote religious service may continue in excess of the ten person limit so long as there is no in-person contact between participants. Vehicle caravans are permitted. 
  • The authority of the Commissioner of Taxation and Finance to abate late filing and payment penalties pursuant to section 1145 of the Tax Law is hereby expanded to authorize abatement of interest and penalties for a period of up to 100 days for taxpayers who were required to file returns and remit sales and use taxes by March 20, 2020, for the sales tax quarterly period that ended February 29, 2020.

IN ADDITION, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 29-a of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, I hereby suspend or modify the following provisions included in Executive Order 202.22,  for the period from the date of this Executive Order through June 20, 2020, unless an earlier date is specified below:
  • Article 5 of the Real Property Tax Law, and analogous provisions of any other general or special laws that require a tentative assessment roll to be filed on or before June 1, 2020, to allow the tentative and final assessment rolls to be filed, at local option, up to 30 days later than otherwise allowable, to allow an assessing unit to set a date for hearing assessment complaints that is at least 21 days after the filing of the tentative roll, to allow notice of the filing of the tentative roll to be published solely online so long as the date for hearing complaints is prominently displayed, to suspend in-person inspection of the tentative roll, and to allow local Boards of Assessment Review to hear complaints remotely by conference call or similar service, provided that complainants can present their complaints through such service and the public has the ability to view or listen to such proceeding;
  • Section 1212 of the Real Property Tax Law, to the extent necessary to allow the commissioner of taxation and finance to certify final state equalization rate, class ratios, and class equalization rates, if required, no later than ten days prior to the last date set by law for levy of taxes of any municipal corporation to which such equalization rate, class ratios, and class equalization rates are applicable;
  • Section 1512(1) of the Real Property Tax Law and Sections 283.291 and 283.221 of the Laws of Westchester County, are suspended to allow the County Executive to negotiate with any town supervisor or mayor of any city, to accept a lesser percentage of taxes, special ad valorem levies or special assessments which are otherwise due on May 25, provided that in no event shall any town or city be required to pay more than sixty percent. The County Executive is empowered to determine whether or not penalties for late payment or interest are able to be waived dependent on whether or not such town or city applies the County Executive’s criteria for determining hardship due to COVID-19;
  • Section 283.221 of the Laws of Westchester County is further suspended to the extent necessary to require the supervisor of a town, to waive payment of penalties for late payment of county and county district taxes under section 283.221 up to July 15, 2020, and waive payment of penalties for late payment of town and town district taxes and assessments in the same manner, provided such town applies the County Executive’s criteria for the determination of hardship due to COVID-19;
  • Section 1512(1) of the Real Property Tax Law and any penalty provision of the tax code of a city within Westchester County is further suspended to the extent necessary to allow the mayor of that City to waive the payment of penalties for late payment of county and county district taxes and to further waive payment of penalties for late payment of city and city district taxes and assessments in the same manner, provided such city applies the County Executive’s criteria for the determination of hardship due to COVID-19;
  • Section 5-18.0(2) of the Nassau County Administrative Code, to the extent necessary to allow the Nassau County Executive to extend until June 1, 2020, the deadline to pay without interest or penalty the final one-half of school taxes upon real estate in such county.

G I V E N   under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State in the City of Albany this twenty-first day of May in the year two thousand twenty.

BY THE GOVERNOR         

Secretary to the Governor

Governor Cuomo Announces Summer School Will Be Conducted Through Distance Learning This Year


 Extends Sales Tax Filing Deadline to June 22, 2020

State is Investigating 157 Reported Cases & 3 Deaths Related to COVID Illness in Children with Symptoms Similar to an Atypical Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome

Rockland County is Now Eligible to Resume Elective Surgeries and Ambulatory Care

New Yorkers Should Call the Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 if They Believe Their Employer is Not Following PPE, Hygiene or Social Distancing Guidelines

Reminds New Yorkers to Look Out for Calls from "NYS Contact Tracing"

Confirms 2,088 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 356,458; New Cases in 44 Counties

Governor Cuomo: "We will issue guidelines in the beginning of June on what schools would need to do to come up with a plan to prepare to open. ... we don't want to make that decision until we have more facts. As the facts keep changing, prudence dictates that you don't make a decision until it's timely so you have the most recent facts to make a decision."

  Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo earlier today announced summer school will be conducted through distance learning this year to help reduce the risk of spread. Meal programs and child care services for essential employees will continue. School districts must also develop a plan for students with disabilities who participate in extended summer school year programs over the summer to ensure they receive instruction. The state will make a determination on the fall semester and issue guidelines in June so schools and colleges can start to plan for a number of scenarios. K-12 schools and colleges will submit plans for approval to the state in July.

Governor Cuomo also announced the state is extending sales tax interest and penalty relief through June 22, 2020. The state previously provided relief through May 19th for returns due March 20th. This extension could provide interest and penalty relief for up to 89,000 vendors who had returns due in March. These small businesses file their taxes quarterly and annually, and have taxable receipts of less than $300,000 in the previous quarter.

The Governor also announced the state is currently investigating 157 reported cases in New York where children - predominantly school-aged - are experiencing symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome possibly due to COVID-19. The illness has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers, including a 5-year old in New York City, a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County. To date, 13 countries and 25 other states have reported cases of this COVID-related illness in children.

Governor Cuomo also announced that Rockland County is now eligible to resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care. The Governor previously announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term, and a total of 51 counties can now resume elective surgeries (4 counties do not have hospitals).

The Governor also encouraged New Yorkers to call the Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 if they believe their employer is not following PPE, hygiene or social distancing guidelines as more businesses begin to reopen.
The Governor also reminded New Yorkers to look out for calls from "NYS Contact Tracing" and to answer those calls as the state begins to implement its contact tracing program.

Attorney General James Announces Arraignment of NYPD Officer on Murder Charge


Errick Allen was off-duty when he allegedly shot Christopher Curro

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest and arraignment of Errick Allen, 27, of North Massapequa, on the charge of murder in the second degree in connection with the shooting death of Christopher Curro, 25, of West Babylon. The Attorney General’s Office serves as a special prosecutor in matters relating to the death of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement officers, pursuant to New York Executive Order 147. Errick Allen is an officer with the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Allen was arraigned today before Judge Anthony Paradiso of the Nassau County District Court. The Attorney General’s Office requested that the defendant be remanded into custody, and the judge granted that application. Allen is due back in court on May 26, 2020. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
“We trust our police officers to protect the safety of New Yorkers, but instead, this individual allegedly betrayed that duty and used his service weapon to end another man’s life,” said Attorney General James. “My office is committed to ensuring justice is served and that no individual is above the law.”
Allen and Curro were longtime, childhood acquaintances. On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, shortly after 8:00 pm, during an encounter on a residential street in Farmingdale, Allen is alleged to have shot Curro five times, including twice in the head, at close range with his NYPD service weapon, causing Curro’s death. Allen initially fled the scene, but returned some time later in the evening. Allen was off-duty at the time of the shooting.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.

MAYOR DE BLASIO on COVID-19 - May 21, 2020


  Mayor Bill de Blasio: A few days ago, a letter was passed along through one of our food delivery providers. These are these folks out every day making sure New Yorkers who are hungry have food in the middle of this crisis, helping people, many cases who never thought they'd ever have to ask for food. And want to start by appreciating, thanking all the folks out there every single day who are bringing food to people in need. What a beautiful act of kindness, and compassion in the midst of this challenge. So, a letter gets passed along to one of them from a woman named Sylvia in Sheepshead Bay. I should let you know that Sylvia is 97 years old chronologically. She's a great grandmother of 13, and she receives senior kosher meals through our food program. And in the letter she sent, there is a poem of gratitude. I want to share it with you for it's simple beauty. It says, “Had to write you about your food. For a 97-year-young was in the mood to thank you for all your days preparing food in different ways. Thank you. Thank you. I praise you all. Be gone virus, do not stall”. So wonderful that Sylvia was moved to thank all the great people who put together those meals, and delivered them, and to think about what they do and how much it matters to every-day New Yorkers. I love her poetic ability, and the way she puts it all together so nicely, but it's important to think about a second meaning I see in Sylvia's poem, and it's the fact of Sylvia's life – she's 97. She's writing a poem full of gratitude in the midst of this crisis. If she's 97, do the math, she was born just a few years after the pandemic of 1918. So, Sylvia is someone who grew up in the aftermath of a crisis. The only crisis, in fact, we can compare to what we're going through now. And she grew up and she grew strong, and with a strong and good heart, and she's still with us here today. I think there's an incredible affirmation of life in her very existence, but even more so in her willingness to thank others for all they are doing.

So, think about the people who count on these meals, because that's what we have to do every single day when we think about why we are doing this work. Don't think of just numbers, and don't think about some abstract idea of helping our fellow human beings, think of the people in need. Think of a 97-year-old who made it this far, but needs that food to keep going, and how much we have to honor and love and appreciate our elders as I talked about yesterday. Think about the working people, hardworking people, middle class people, people who were doing everything right and suddenly their job wasn't there anymore, and they don't have that paycheck, and they don't have enough money to feed their family. Think about parents. Number-one thought in the morning, last thought at night is how they protect their kids. Think about the pain they feel when they don't know if there's going to be a meal for their child. That's why we do the work we do to help each and every one of them, and everyone liked them to make sure they never have to wonder where their next meal is coming from.

So, what we set out to do was feed everyone. Enormous mission, feed them quality food, feed them safely, make sure everyone was safe in the process, the folks who prepare the food, the folks who deliver the food, the folks who are receiving the food. And it's a huge endeavor, and every day we're trying to make it better, but what has happened in just the last few weeks, this was all put together in a matter of weeks is quite remarkable and something New Yorkers should be proud of as another example of the spirit, the energy, the entrepreneurship, the creativity that exists in this amazing place. I'm going to turn in a moment to our food czar, Kathryn Garcia, to give you a quick report on where we stand, but let me give you this important fact. Since the middle of March when this crisis went into higher gear, we have distributed, the city of New York has distributed 32 million meals to New Yorkers who needed food, and this effort is growing every day. By next week, over a million meals will be delivered per day. Delivered to people directly per day. Over half a million grab and go meals will be handed out per day at our Department of Education food sites. 500 sites across the city.

I want to thank our colleagues in the media. We get together every day or six days a week, I should say. And a lot of times our colleagues in the media pointed out specific problems that have helped us make the food program better, address a problem, make the program better, realize something that needs to be fixed. That's one of the great virtues of the free press, is the ability to see things and hold government accountable. So, I want to thank four members of the media who have really focused on this issue – Juliet Papa of 1010 WINS; Sydney Kashiwagi of the Staten Island Advance; Marcia Kramer, CBS New York; and Julia Marsh of the New York Post. They've all raised really helpful, important concerns and we followed through on each of them, and we will keep following through on each concern is raised, because we need to get this right. So, now I'm going to turn to our food czar with great thanks for her effort and the team she's put together. And Commissioner Garcia has answered the call many times when the city needed something special and something important done, and I can't think of anything more important than making sure New Yorkers have food every day. Obviously, the folks at Department of Education, all those folks working in the kitchens and that those food sites, 500 sites around the city. Our colleagues Department for the Aging who long ago were providing meals to seniors things like meals on wheels and have been building and building since then, reusing senior centers and new ways to make sure that they can help get food out to seniors who need it. Now, anyone who needs a meal, a reminder, if you need to find out where you can get a meal at the community-based sites you can go to nyc.gov/getfood. If you needed a delivery, you can call 3-1-1. But the bottom line is we will not let any New Yorker go hungry. So, if you need food, go online or pick up that phone and we will get it to you.

Obviously, with warmer weather, there's a lot of things that are going to start to change people's lives and behavior and a lot of that is good. That means we're moving the right direction, but it also means that a lot of the patterns of life will start to restore and we have to recognize the implications of that. So, in this crisis, one of the things that was so obvious on the issue of safety, clearly during the heart of this COVID crisis, we saw an extraordinary drop in crime and no one ever wanted the coronavirus here, but at least something happened with crime that was in the right direction. We saw less crime, but we know as things get even begin to get back to normal and as the weather gets warmer, we have to guard against any increase in crime. So, we are trying to make sure that everything we do, that we're focused on safety again today and what's going to happen in the weeks and months ahead. For that reason, we are going to use the strategy we have used the last summers effectively to keep crime down and that's called Summer All Out. It's an NYPD operation where officers who work in office settings in different specialized areas of the department go out to neighborhoods and work at the grassroots level. It's been very successful, very effective, we're going to do it again now. Why? Because over the years we learned that business as usual wasn't working, there were too many years going back decades where there was an assumption in this town that the summer was going to get more violent.

So, Summer All Out this year will involve about 300 officers, be 300 officers across 10 commands and you can see them on your screen. These are communities that have been hardest hit by gun violence, we want to make sure gun violence does not reassert as this crisis starts to wane, let us pray. And the officers are very visible presence in the community, they get to know the community. Again, those neighborhood policing principles make all the difference in the world because they help us do a lot more and we're going to do that again this summer with summer all out.

We also are learning new strategies and when it comes to homelessness, we have seen something extraordinary happen because of the innovation of shutting the subways for a few hours late at night to get them really clean, really safe for our central workers, but also to disrupt the historic pattern of homeless folks just staying on the subways and not connecting with services and shelter and we have been working together with the state, with the MTA, NYPD homeless services, everyone working together, lots of outreach workers who spend their lives helping homeless folks and helping them in off the streets. We have two full weeks now of results and I want to go over them. The first week, 201 unique individuals, meaning we cross check to make sure that it wasn't just the same people each day, but how many total people were affected by the outreach effort. 201 accepted placement of shelter for some of time and every time someone who's permanently street homeless goes into shelter even for a night, it's a step in the right direction. It's a beginning of convincing them to come in and accept a better reality that we can give them to keep them healthy and keep them safe. 102 of those individuals were still in shelter by the end of that first week, meaning that we were maximizing our chance to keep them in shelter and help them on the pathway to a new and better life. The second week, 181 unique individuals accepted placement and shelter for some period of time. 113 we're still in shelter by the end of week two. So these numbers, they may seem to some like a small number in the context of New York City, but when you remember that the total number of people living on the streets and subways is estimated by the federal government at about 3,500 to 4,000 people on any given day in New York City. When you see a hundred people in a week come in to shelter and stay there, that's actually a major step towards reducing permanent homelessness once and for all and ending it once and for all. So, we'll put these numbers together and over the past two weeks, over 1,400 unique individuals have accepted help, 378 accepted placement and shelter 211 remain in shelter, 301 accepted hospital care. Thank you to all our partners, thank you to our outreach workers. This is a huge step in the right direction.

Last night, I met with a group of folks who are going to have a huge impact on the future of the city, our advisory council on construction, real estate and infrastructure. So many people who will be central to the restart of our economy and whose work is crucial to the future of the city beyond the coronavirus, because this is a city more than any in the entire country that has so much work to do on infrastructure, so much work to do on building for our future. They're going to apply those relationships to help us get what we need in New York City, which is that stimulus bill from the federal government. Everyone on the call understood, if we get the kind of stimulus that New York City deserves, the kind of stimulus the House of Representatives passed last week - we can actually get back on our feet. We can actually start building stronger; we can put a lot of people to work. By the way, we're talking about a stimulus just to make us whole again to make up for the vast lost revenue we've experienced, but think about the word stimulus. It's actually not just supposed to get you back to square one. It's supposed to help you move forward; it’s supposed to stimulate greater levels of activity. That's what these folks were talking about; all they're ready to build that will benefit New York City and they're going to help us get the stimulus done so we can do that.

We have to start to make adjustments accordingly. One example, I'm going to give you refers to a lifeline for this city; for folks who depend on the Staten Island Ferry it couldn't be more important in their lives. It's the way they get to their livelihoods; it's the way they connect with so many other important things in their life. Staten Islanders depend on the Staten Island Ferry in a very, very powerful way. Now, in the beginning of this crisis, ridership of course went down radically – a 90 percent drop in ridership on the ferry. So, we reduced service accordingly and the most we saw in a typical rush hour trip was 400-500 passengers, but now we actually see ridership starting to go up. We're seeing up to 600 passengers already and think it's going to keep rising, so we need to get ahead of that. And some good news this week as well on top of that for the Staten Island ferry, we have just heard from the United States Department of Transportation that we're getting a $21 million grant for the ferry and that is going to help us as we start to ramp back up service to pay for a lot of the costs associated with restarting, growing the service, and the additional cleaning we want to do to make sure that all Staten Islanders know that ferry is clean and healthy at all times.

I constantly come back to appreciating the folks who have helped us through this crisis. But you had a lot of help and you particularly had a lot of help from our friends at the Parks Department who led the way in terms of educating people, motivating people, showing people what social distancing looked like and how to do it, giving out face coverings. The Parks Department, this has been one of their finest hours. Parks workers not only kept the parks going, not only gave out the face coverings and helped us to make sure we were socially distancing; they help put together field hospitals, they helped to run those food distribution sites. As I mentioned, they gave out untold numbers of face coverings all over parks and beyond. So we want to thank them. So today is, “Go Green for Parkies Day,” and as you see on your screen, the Empire State Building will go green and here's an example, everyone going green. I want to show you the stylish, they have very good stylish equipment, clothing, whatever you want to say, caps - they have it all the Parks Department. But we all need to take a moment to appreciate our colleagues at the Parks Department. So when you're out there, say thank you to them, say thank you to all the different kinds of parks workers you meet – the folks in forestry, maintenance, operation, parks enforcement, patrol officers, the parks ambassadors who are out there with the education and the face coverings, the urban park rangers, all the park staff. They've really gone above and beyond. 

So, our parks workers have stepped up and they've been amazing and so many New Yorkers have stepped up and so many New Yorkers have said, I've heard it and I know all of you have heard it, they want to do more; they want to find a way to contribute, they want to help. And I believe them because people have done amazing things. So here is another important way to help - donate blood. We need New Yorkers who can give blood to give blood, it’s a very important moment in history because we're dealing with this crisis. It's disrupted all the normal blood donation drives that happen each year. We want people who can to do it. On the screen you see how you do that; you go to NYBC.org and make an appointment, or you call (800) 933-2566 the New York Blood Center – make an appointment. I'm going to give blood today along with Chirlane. We know it's important, so we're going to do it; I'm asking you to do that as well. And literally you could help save the life of a fellow New Yorker by giving blood at this crucial moment.

Okay, let's talk about our daily indicators. It's a pretty good day. Again, I want us to get to great days, but it's definitely a good day because two indicators down and one up by just a little. So, indicator one, daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19 – that is down from 63 to 60. And number two, daily number of people in ICUs across Health + Hospitals for suspected COVID-19 – that is down from 483 to 477. The only one that's up, again only up by one point, is the percent of people tested positive for COVID-19 – up from 8 percent to 9 percent. Here's something amazing; for more than a week we have been around or even below the annual average for folks admitted to hospitals for this broad kind of disease. On that third indicator, the percent of people testing positive citywide, again, you see a little fluctuation; you saw a little bit of fluctuation today. We've had several days in single digits, which we obviously didn't see before, but here's another big picture reality – the last 10 days have all been below 15 percent. So even though we see some fluctuation on the big picture, something very important has happened. We've gotten down below 15 percent for 10 days and stayed there consistently. So, again, this is remarkable progress. I'm going to go into more and more detail starting tomorrow and the days ahead about how we are taking this information and now using it to prepare for the steps we'll take in June and what we're looking for as we make our final decisions on restart and then how to sustain a safe restart. And again, we're talking about small smart steps. It will take a series of steps over time to get back to anything like normal. But something very good is happening because of your hard work and everyone in this town should feel good about that.