Mayor Bill de Blasio today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) advancing congestion pricing in New York City:
Bronx Politics and Community events
Mayor Bill de Blasio today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) advancing congestion pricing in New York City:
HernΓ‘ndez Participated in the Importation of At Least 185,000 Kilograms of Cocaine; Secured Millions of Dollars in Bribes to Honduran Officials; Used Heavily Armed Security Including Members of the Honduran Military and National Police; and Coordinated Tw
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Wendy C. Woolcock, the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today that JUAN ANTONIO HERNΓNDEZ ALVARADO, a/k/a “Tony HernΓ‘ndez” (“HERNΓNDEZ”) was sentenced to life in prison for cocaine-importation, weapons, and false-statements offenses. HERNΓNDEZ is a former Honduran congressman and the brother of Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez, the current president of Honduras. HERNΓNDEZ was convicted on October 18, 2019, following a jury trial before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel, who also imposed today’s sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Former Honduran congressman Juan Antonio HernΓ‘ndez Alvarado was involved in all stages of the trafficking through Honduras of multi-ton loads of cocaine destined for the U.S. HernΓ‘ndez bribed law enforcement officials to protect drug shipments, arranged for heavily armed security for cocaine shipments, and brokered large bribes from major drug traffickers to powerful political figures, including the former and current presidents of Honduras. HernΓ‘ndez was complicit in at least two murders. Today, Tony HernΓ‘ndez was rightly sentenced to life in prison.”
Special Agent in Charge Wendy C. Woolcock said: “Exploiting a high-ranking position in government to wield the power of the state to support drug trafficking is as nefarious as it comes. The conviction and sentencing of Tony Hernandez is a reminder there is no position powerful enough to shield you from facing justice when you violate U.S. drug laws by sending tons of cocaine to our country. As important as this conviction is to the people of the United States, it is also important to the citizens of Honduras who Hernandez purposely put in harm’s way for his own personal gain. Today’s sentencing is a victory for the rule of law and we are grateful to our federal and international partners who made this possible.”
As reflected in the Superseding Indictment, other filings in Manhattan federal court, evidence at trial, and statements made in court proceedings:
HERNΓNDEZ played a leadership role in a violent, state-sponsored drug trafficking conspiracy. Over a 15-year period, HERNΓNDEZ manufactured and distributed at least 185,000 kilograms of cocaine that was imported into the United States. HERNΓNDEZ commanded heavily armed members of the Honduran military and Honduran National Police; he sold machineguns and ammunition to drug traffickers, some of which he obtained from the Honduran military; he controlled cocaine laboratories in Colombia and Honduras; he secured millions of dollars of drug proceeds for Honduras’s National Party campaigns in connection with presidential elections in 2009, 2013, and 2017; and he helped cause at least two murders. HERNΓNDEZ made at least $138.5 million through his drug trafficking activities, money he was ordered to forfeit in connection with today’s sentencing.
HernΓ‘ndez’s Drug Trafficking Conduct
HERNΓNDEZ’s drug trafficking career started in about 2004 when he began providing sensitive law enforcement and military information to major Honduran drug traffickers Victor Hugo Diaz Morales, a/k/a “El Rojo,” and Hector Emilio Fernandez Rosa, a/k/a “Don H.” HERNΓNDEZ provided Diaz Morales with information about, among other things, operations of the Honduran Navy; efforts by the United States to train Honduran Air Force pilots to fly at night to conduct anti-narcotics operations; military radar capabilities so that cocaine plane shipments could avoid detection; and interdiction efforts by certain Honduran National Police officials. Over the course of their relationship, HERNΓNDEZ helped Fernandez Rosa and Diaz Morales distribute approximately 140,000 kilograms of cocaine.
By 2008, HERNΓNDEZ’s narcotics trafficking had expanded, and he was also manufacturing his own cocaine in a laboratory he controlled near El Aceitico, Colombia. HERNΓNDEZ told his co-conspirators that some of the cocaine manufactured at his laboratory was stamped with his initials “TH,” and a photograph of a kilogram of “TH” stamped cocaine was intercepted during the course of the investigation. HERNΓNDEZ supplied his co-conspirators with tons of cocaine that was produced at his laboratory.
Beginning in about 2008, HERNΓNDEZ partnered with Amilcar Alexander Ardon Soriano, a former Honduran drug trafficker and mayor, under the protection of members of the National Party leadership. Testimony at trial established that HERNΓNDEZ and Ardon Soriano secured protection from investigation, arrest, and extradition through massive bribes paid to high-ranking politicians, including, among others, Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo Sosa and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez. In connection with the 2009 national elections, drug proceed bribes paid in exchange for protection included: (i) Ardon Soriano paying $2 million to support Lobo Sosa’s campaign for presidency and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez’s reelection campaign for a position in the Honduran congress; (ii) Diaz Morales paying $100,000 to HERNΓNDEZ to support National Party campaigns; and (iii) Ardon Soriano bribing three congressmen at the direction of Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez so that the congressmen would support Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez’s efforts to become president of the congress.
Juan Orlando Hernandez was named president of the congress in early 2010. HERNΓNDEZ, Ardon Soriano, and their co-conspirators, including co-defendant Mario Jose Calix HernΓ‘ndez, a Honduran deputy mayor, and codefendant Mauricio HernΓ‘ndez Pineda, a then-member of the Honduran National Police and HERNΓNDEZ’s cousin, took advantage of National Party protection to continue transporting huge quantities of cocaine. Once or twice a month in 2010, HERNΓNDEZ sent Ardon Soriano cocaine shipments consisting of approximately 300 kilograms; and once a month in 2011 and 2012, HERNΓNDEZ sent Ardon Soriano maritime cocaine shipments ranging in size from 700 to 1,600 kilograms.
In 2013, HERNΓNDEZ was campaigning to become a congressman and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez was campaigning to become president. Around this time, according to testimony at trial, Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez solicited $1.6 million in drug proceeds from Ardon Soriano to support himself and National Party campaigns. Also during the 2013 campaign, HERNΓNDEZ accepted $1 million from former Sinaloa Cartel leader JoaquΓn Archivaldo GuzmΓ‘n Loera, a/k/a “Chapo,” to support Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez’s presidential campaign. During meetings with Chapo in Honduras, HERNΓNDEZ promised to provide protection for members of their conspiracy and their cocaine shipments through Honduran territory if Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez was elected president.
In November 2013, HERNΓNDEZ was elected to the Honduran congress and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez was elected president. Between 2015 and 2017, per trial testimony, HERNΓNDEZ and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez continued to secure large sums of drug proceeds for National Party campaigns in exchange for protecting drug traffickers. For example, there was testimony at trial that approximately six months before the November 2017 national elections, HERNΓNDEZ and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez met with Ardon Soriano in CopΓ‘n, Honduras. During that meeting, HERNΓNDEZ and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez solicited $500,000 and 1.6 million Lempira in drug proceeds from Ardon Soriano to “finance” the National Party’s campaign in the CopΓ‘n and Lempira Departments.
In 2018, HERNΓNDEZ continued to engage in large cocaine shipments with Nery LΓ³pez Sanabria, another significant Honduran drug trafficker. Honduran authorities arrested and detained LΓ³pez Sanabria in connection with a traffic incident and recovered, among other things, several drug ledgers in a secret compartment of his car. One of the ledgers was labeled “Hard Work” 2018, and reflected a 650-kilogram cocaine shipment with HERNΓNDEZ. At least one of the other ledgers seized by Honduran law enforcement in 2018 contained references to “JOH,” initials used by Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez. LΓ³pez Sanabria was murdered in a Honduran prison, as described below, shortly after his drug ledgers were introduced at HERNΓNDEZ’s trial.
HernΓ‘ndez’s Weapons Possession and Acts of Violence
HERNΓNDEZ used firearms throughout his drug trafficking. HERNΓNDEZ’s personal weapons included a modified AR-15, an Uzi inscribed with the name of Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez, “Presidente de la RepΓΊblica,” and an M60 belt-fed machinegun. HERNΓNDEZ also sold machineguns and ammunition to drug traffickers. In 2010, Diaz Morales obtained between 4,000 and 6,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition from a member of the Honduran National Police who told Diaz Morales he obtained the ammunition from HERNΓNDEZ. In 2012, HERNΓNDEZ supplied 40 M16s to another drug trafficker.
HERNΓNDEZ also coordinated at least two drug-related murders. In 2011, HERNΓNDEZ and Ardon Soriano caused the murder of a rival drug trafficker named Franklin Arita in the CopΓ‘n Department. HERNΓNDEZ directed Juan Carlos “Tigre” Bonilla Valladares, the regional Honduran National Police chief responsible for the CopΓ‘n Department at the time, to arrange for Arita’s murder, which was executed by assassins using two 40-millimeter grenade launchers, M16s, and Israeli-made Galil assault rifles. In 2013, HERNΓNDEZ worked with other drug traffickers, including Ardon Soriano, to murder a drug trafficker named Chino because HERNΓNDEZ was concerned that Chino might cooperate with law enforcement.
HernΓ‘ndez’s Obstruction and Other Efforts to Influence the Investigation
HERNΓNDEZ made false statements to law enforcement and the Court during the course of this investigation and prosecution, and he obstructed justice. HERNΓNDEZ (i) traveled to the United States in 2016 and made false statements to law enforcement about his drug trafficking activities; (ii) made false statements about his assets during a January 2019 bail hearing; (iii) caused sensitive witness information to be disclosed in Honduras in violation of a protective order in October 2019; and (iv) made false statements about his assets during an application for appointed counsel in February 2020.
Eight days after the jury found HERNΓNDEZ guilty, on October 26, 2019, LΓ³pez Sanabria – the drug trafficker from whom were seized the ledgers bearing HERNΓNDEZ’s name and Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez’s initials – was murdered at a maximum security prison in Honduras. LΓ³pez Sanabria’s attorneys confirmed to the media that: one of HERNΓNDEZ’s family members and an investigator hired by HERNΓNDEZ’s family had made unauthorized visits to LΓ³pez Sanabria prior to HERNΓNDEZ’s trial; LΓ³pez Sanabria had rejected their efforts to obtain information about whether he was cooperating with the DEA; and LΓ³pez Sanabria had planned to cooperate with the DEA against Juan Orlando HernΓ‘ndez and HERNΓNDEZ. Leaked surveillance video of the murder shows LΓ³pez Sanabria talking to the warden of the facility, Pedro Ildefonso Armas, while a masked man walks past and unlocks a nearby door. Several individuals who are believed to be prisoners then storm through the door and shoot and stab LΓ³pez Sanabria to death. On December 9, 2019, a group of unknown assailants murdered Jose Luis Pinto, a lawyer who represented LΓ³pez Sanabria. Three days later, on December 12, 2019, a group of unknown gunmen on motorcycles murdered Ildefenso Armas, the warden of the facility in which LΓ³pez Sanabria was murdered, in Tegucigalpa.
HernΓ‘ndez’s Co-Conspirators
On August 8, 2019, Fernandez Rosa was sentenced in this District to life in prison for, among other things, his participation in HERNΓNDEZ’s cocaine importation conspiracy and for committing 18 murders. Several of HERNΓNDEZ’s other co-conspirators, including, among others, HernΓ‘ndez Pineda, Calix HernΓ‘ndez, Bonilla Valladares, Arnaldo Urbina Soto, Carlos Fernando Urbina Soto, and Miguel Angel Urbina Soto, are also charged in this District with firearms and drug trafficking offenses based on, among other things, their participation in HERNΓNDEZ’s cocaine importation conspiracy. On February 12, 2020, HernΓ‘ndez Pineda surrendered in this District and he is awaiting trial. On March 22, 2021, HERNΓNDEZ’s co defendant and co-conspirator Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez was convicted at trial in this District of drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Fuentes Ramirez’s sentencing is scheduled for June 22, 2021.
In addition to the prison term, HERNΓNDEZ, 42, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, OCDETF New York Strike Force, and Tegucigalpa Country Office, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
April 1 Kicks Off Trout Season and Implementation of New York State Trout Stream Management Plan
1.8 Million Catchable-Size Trout to be Stocked in New York Waters
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that trout fishing season in New York State opens on Thursday, April 1. In preparation for opening day, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is stocking 1.8 million catchable trout in waters across the state. In addition to larger size fish being stocked this year, some stream reaches will receive four stockings of trout.
"Every year, thousands of New Yorkers head outside on the opening day of trout season, and 2021 should be no exception, especially with a new trout management plan in place to improve access for anglers of all ages," Governor Cuomo said. "This is a longstanding and much-beloved tradition for generations of families, and I encourage New Yorkers to get outside, continue practicing safe behaviors like social distancing, and experience all the great fishing the Empire State has to offer."
New York State offers a diverse set of fishing opportunities for wild and stocked trout. Under the State's new Trout Stream Management Plan, DEC has grouped stream fishing opportunities into five distinct categories for improved management and easy-to-understand regulations to help make fishing more accessible and enjoyable for all anglers, from novice to expert.
"This year opening day represents the beginning of a new era in trout stream management for New York," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "After more than two years of committed work with our angling public, DEC will begin implementing the new Trout Stream Management Plan. In addition to new and fewer types of special regulations, we have made significant progress toward achieving our fish production objectives to stock larger yearling fish and seed all stockings with some fish 12 inches or larger. Best of all, anglers can continue to enjoy our trout stream resources through the fall and winter months thanks to the creation of a new catch and release season."
This fall, anglers will be able to fish for trout throughout the state due to the creation of a statewide catch and release season that will run from October 16 through March 31. While year-round trout fishing has been enjoyed in many areas of the state, the season will provide an opportunity for anglers who have otherwise had to wait for spring. DEC will select a suite of streams and conduct a three-year study to evaluate the new regulation to ensure that the new season has no negative impact on natural trout production.
To prepare anglers for the 2021 trout season with the new management plan in place, DEC will host virtual outreach events in the coming weeks, including "how to" Facebook Live segments where viewers can learn about beginner trout fishing techniques. To access additional information about how and where anglers can find their preferred type of trout angling opportunities, DEC launched an interactive Trout Stream Fishing Map to provide a one-stop-shop for information about stocking, fishing access, season dates, and regulations on the DECinfo Locator. Links to the Trout Stream Fishing Map and a User Guide are available here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/122444.html.
New York State is reminding anglers to stay smart when fishing:
New York State's PLAY SMART * PLAY SAFE * PLAY LOCAL campaign encourages residents to engage in responsible recreation during the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and DEC recommendations for getting outside safely incorporate guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health for reducing the spread of infectious diseases. PLAY SMART * PLAY SAFE * PLAY LOCAL encourages New Yorkers to recreate locally, practice physical distancing, show respect for all outdoor adventurers, and use common sense to protect themselves and others. Wear a mask, even when visiting the outdoors. For more information about how to PLAY SMART * PLAY SAFE * PLAY LOCAL, visit DEC's website.
DEC's streamlined fishing regulations guide, which includes a summary of the laws and regulations anglers need to know before hitting the water, will soon be available at License Issuing Agents statewide and is available at https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html to download and print.
“Scammers are out there, and they are continuing to find a slew of new and shameful tactics to exploit this pandemic,” said Attorney General James. “These cyberattacks are just the latest example of unscrupulous individuals capitalizing on health and economic suffering, and it is crucial that New Yorkers remain vigilant to ensure they do not fall victim to these illegal activities. Promises to skip the vaccine line or receive additional stimulus payments are lies, plain and simple, and New Yorkers need to remain alert. I encourage all New Yorkers to follows these safety tips and report suspected scams to my office. We remain committed to protecting consumers’ health and wallets and rooting out fraud.”
There have been recent reports of scammers posing as the “IRS Rescue Plan Dept” and attempting to steal people’s personal and financial information through malicious messages, known as phishing emails. To make these scams even more deceiving, the emails may include the IRS logo to establish credibility, and often could have an official sounding subject line, like “IRS Rescue Plan Act.” In other instances, the subject lines have read: “Joe Biden Rescue Plan Act,” “IRS Rescue Plan Form,” or “President’s Rescue Plan Act,” among others.
Many individuals seeking to defraud Americans are doing so by promising stimulus payments in addition to the up to $1,400 eligible adults may qualify for and up to $1,400 eligible children could receive, as well as other financial aid while New Yorkers and Americans nationwide continue to suffer through the economic recession. At this time, no additional payments have been authorized by Congress. Bad actors are also preying on New Yorkers’ desire to get vaccinated quickly. Earlier today, all New Yorkers 30 and older became eligible for the vaccine and, in one week, all New Yorkers 16 and older will become eligible. However, lines still remain long to get a vaccine, therefore anyone promising New Yorkers the ability to skip the line is doing so fraudulently.
Attorney General James today highlighted the following tips for New Yorkers to follow in an effort to protect themselves from these scams:
New Yorkers who believe they have been a victim of a scam should contact the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to file a complaint. New Yorkers can learn more about COVID-19 scams on the OAG website.
New Yorkers 30 Years of Age and Older Can Begin to Schedule Appointments and Get Vaccinated Beginning Tuesday, March 30
New Yorkers 16 Years of Age and Older Can Begin to Schedule Appointments and Get Vaccinated Beginning April 6
New York State Will Make Eligibility Universal Nearly a Month Earlier Than President Biden's May 1 Deadline
More Than 2 Million Total Doses Administered at New York State-Run and FEMA Assisted Mass Vaccination Sites
More Than 9 Million Total Doses Administered Across All Vaccination Sites Statewide
171,419 Doses Administered Across New York State in the Last 24 Hours
More than 1.3 Million Doses Administered Over Past Seven Days
30% of New Yorkers Have Received at Least One Dose
Vaccine Dashboard Will Update Daily to Provide Updates on the State's Vaccine Program; Go to ny.gov/vaccinetracker
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a new expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in New York. Beginning Tuesday, March 30 at 8 a.m., all New Yorkers 30 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Beginning April 6, universal eligibility goes into effect and all New Yorkers 16 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Additionally, the Governor announced more than 2 million total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered at New York State-run and FEMA-assisted mass vaccination sites. Statewide, more than 9 million total doses have been administered across all vaccination sites. 171,419 doses have been administered across the state's vast distribution network in the last 24 hours, and more than 1.3 million doses have been administered over the past seven days. Delivery of the week 16 allocation begins mid-week.
"Today we take a monumental step forward in the fight to beat COVID. Beginning March 30, all New Yorkers age 30 or older will be able to be vaccinated, and all New Yorkers age 16 or older will be eligible on April 6, well ahead of the May 1 deadline set by the White House," Governor Cuomo said. "As we continue to expand eligibility, New York will double down on making the vaccine accessible for every community to ensure equity, particularly for communities of color who are too often left behind. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but until we get there it is more important than ever for each and every New Yorker to wear a mask, socially distance and follow all safety guidelines."
New York's vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.
The 'Am I Eligible' screening tool has been updated for individuals with comorbidities and underlying conditions with new appointments released on a rolling basis over the next weeks. New Yorkers can use the following to show they are eligible:
Vaccination program numbers below are for doses distributed and delivered to New York for the state's vaccination program, and do not include those reserved for the federal government's Long Term Care Facility program. A breakdown of the data based on numbers reported to New York State as of 11 AM today is as follows.
STATEWIDE BREAKDOWN
Total doses administered - 9,056,970
Total doses administered over past 24 hours - 171,419
Total doses administered over past 7 days - 1,319,740
Percent of New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 29.6%
Percent of New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 16.8%
Let's give all our people a chance to run for elected office, there has to be someone better than the current governor, and someone is going to have to take over after me. The city Council members are going to have to be fair and honest next year.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
In 2017 13th City Council candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch challenged the other two Hispanic candidates in her city council race. It was found out in court that the person who did the challenging for Marjorie Velazquez Lynch was a college student from Ohio who went back to Ohio, and the one candidate who filed the court document was pot back on the ballot and she lost.
In 2021 it appears that 13th City Council candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch has challenged all three other Hispanic candidates, two females and the only male Hispanic who is a veteran of the armed forces, while being a single father, as well as the only Black Female candidate in her city council race. We will have to find out if Ms. Enilda Cancel (the challenger of the four other candidates) who has a previous address in Florida will not be moving back there as was the case four years ago, when the challenger of the two male Hispanic candidates moved back to Ohio after placing her challenges for candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch. Also why Ms. Cancel did not challenge Marjorie Velazquez Lynch and if she is indeed connected to candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch.
Enilda Cacel taken from Facebook
What do you think Mr. Mayor, or you the voters of the 13th council district?
A New York man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for participating in a scheme to buy and sell over $2 million in stolen property, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
James Olla, 29, of Brooklyn, New York, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to sell, receive or possess stolen goods. Judge Vazquez sentenced Olla today by videoconference.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2014 through June 2015, Olla and others procured stolen information related to credit cards belonging to various individuals, including victims living in New Jersey. Using this stolen information, Olla and his conspirators obtained gift cards from various retailers and then sold the cards on the streets of Brooklyn and elsewhere, often for large sums of cash. In total, Olla’s scheme resulted in losses to financial institutions of $2,041,977.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Vazquez sentenced Olla to three years of supervised release, ordered him to forfeit certain property, and pay restitution of $689,124.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins in Newark; and the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Cybercrime Unit Chief David W. Feder and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua L. Haber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.