Council Member Marjorie Velázquez - What's Happening in District 13

 

Dear Neighbor,

Here in our community, there has been a growing request for youth-centered programs, particularly in the arts and life sciences. As I’ve spoken with community members and local leaders, I’ve learned two things: 1) Our students enjoy exploring the visual arts, and 2) There is a growing interest in marine life and the future of our environment. Both disciplines are highly requested, and I’m excited to share that organizations across the Bronx are listening! Our ‘Youth’ section has grown tremendously, and I invite you to scroll down to learn more about the programs and opportunities available here in the Bronx.

Over the next few weeks, you will see an increase in family and youth programs, which includes science and the arts. I encourage you to share this information with anyone you think may be interested or would benefit from these programs; you never know whose life you’ll change. Our youth are our future, and we must ensure they have access to information, education, and critical resources to support their development and futures.

In this week’s email, you will also find information about our upcoming Kosovo Independence Day celebration, NYC & Company’s Tourism Ready Program, the Department of Small Business Services’ Opportunity Fund, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s tax preparation services, as well as events around the community. I’d also like to remind community-based non-profit organizations, that the deadline for the FY 2024 Discretionary Funding Expense Application is quickly; to learn more, please scroll to the ‘Budget Corner.’ If you have any questions or need assistance, a member of my staff will be happy to help you.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call us at (718) 931-1721 or email us at District13@council.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,

Council Member Marjorie Velázquez

Kosova Independence Day

On Monday, February 13 at 6 PM, join me at City Hall for this year’s Independence of Kosova celebration. This year’s celebration is in partnership with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, Council Member Robert Holden, Council Member Joseph C. Borelli, Council Member David Carr, Council Member Oswald Feliz, and Council Member Vickie Paladino.

We had a wonderful time at our last celebration, and we are excited to share the beautiful culture and traditions of Kosova with you all on such a special day.

If you are interested in attending this year’s Independence of Kosova celebration, please call 212-482-4120 to RSVP.

Hammonds Cove - Dredging Update

This past December, I joined the New York City Economic Development Corporation for their water-breaking event at Hammonds Cove. Over the past several weeks, EDC successfully removed their goal of 2,000 cubic yards of material from the navigation channel! Water vessels now have six feet under keel draft, enabling them to have more consistent and safer access to Hammonds Cove marinas, regardless of the tide cycle. EDC is currently working on a project summary, which will be made available in the coming weeks. Thank you, EDC, for your hard work and for giving life back to our waterways!

Construction Advisories

The New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC), has also announced the below construction, which will take place through February 2023. Updates will be provided when made available by NYCDDC.

• Complete roadway restoration on Boston Road between Pelham Parkway Eastbound Main Road and North Service Road- work includes: the installation of new curbs, sidewalks, pedestrian ramps and islands, roadbases, and final pavement.

• Begin roadway restoration on Pelham Parkway North Service Road between Boston Road and Bronx Park East - work includes installation of new curbs, sidewalks, pedestrian ramps, roadbases, and roadway.

• Begin roadway construction on Pelham Parkway North Service Road between White Plains Road and Bronx Park East - work includes street lighting and traffic signal work (No Parking, Temporary Street Closures/Traffic Detours, Temporary Sidewalk/Crosswalk Closures).

• Begin roadway construction at the intersection of Pelham Parkway Westbound Main Road and White Plains Road - work includes street lighting and traffic signal work (No Parking, Temporary Street Closures/Traffic Detours, Temporary Sidewalk/Crosswalk Closures).

DCWP Resource Information Session

This month, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection and I will host two information sessions for community members. During the session, you will learn about DCWP’s free tax preparation services, financial counseling, and much more.

In Person: Thursday, February 16 at 7 PM; 768 Brady Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462 (Corner of Antin Pl and Holland Ave)

Virtual: Thursday, February 23 at 7 PM

• Zoom Meeting ID: 856-7505-0619

• Passcode: 701401

Constituent Appointment Scheduling

Due to an increase in appointment requests, our office will be transitioning to an online scheduling system. To schedule an appointment, please follow one of the below links (click or copy and paste). If you would like to schedule an appointment for NYC Housing Connect (also known as Section 8), or need assistance scheduling an appointment, please call our office at 718-931-1721.

SCRIE/DRIE: https://calendly.com/bxcd13/scrie_drie

SNAP: https://calendly.com/bxcd13/snapbenefits

Homeowner Resource Fair

On Thursday, February 16 at 6 PM, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corp. (NIDC), and Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr., will host a virtual Homeowner Resource Fair. Participants will learn about:

• Home and residential building repairs and improvements

• Foreclosure prevention and legal assistance

• Managing household expenses

• Property tax abatements and exemptions

• Certificate of occupancy, architectural plans approval, elevator inspections, etc…

To register, please click here.

Zoom Meeting Information

• Join Zoom Meeting: bit.ly/3Hb1DWi

• Meeting ID: 897 2367 0619

• Password: 125815

CEO Of Cryptocurrency And Forex Trading Platform Pleads Guilty To Over $240 Million Scheme To Defraud Investors

 

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the guilty plea of EDDY ALEXANDRE, the leader of a purported cryptocurrency and foreign exchange (“forex”) trading platform called EminiFX, who solicited more than $248 million in investments from tens of thousands of individual investors after making false representations in connection with the EminiFX trading platform.  U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan accepted the defendant’s guilty plea.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Eddy Alexandre admitted to luring investors to his cryptocurrency investment scam by fabricating weekly returns of at least 5%.  In reality, Alexandre failed to invest a substantial portion of this investors’ money and even used some funds for personal purchases.  Alexandre’s scam caused investors to lose millions of dollars, and this case should serve as yet another warning to cryptocurrency executives that the Southern District of New York is closely watching and ready to prosecute any and all misconduct in the crypto markets.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and other filings and statements made in court:

From in or about September 2021, up to and including in or about May 2022, ALEXANDRE operated EminiFX, Inc. (“EminiFX”), a purported investment platform that ALEXANDRE founded, and for which he solicited more than $248 million in investments from tens of thousands of individual investors. ALEXANDRE marketed EminiFX as an investment platform through which investors would earn passive income through automated investments in cryptocurrency and forex trading.  ALEXANDRE offered his investors “guaranteed” high investment returns using new technology that he claimed was secret. Specifically, ALEXANDRE falsely represented to investors that they would double their money within five months of investing by earning at least 5% weekly returns on their investment using a “Robo-Advisor Assisted account” to conduct trading.  ALEXANDRE referred to this technology as his “trade secret” and refused to tell investors what the technology was.  Each week EminiFX’s website falsely represented to investors that they had earned at least 5% on their investment, which they could withdraw or re-invest.

In truth and in fact, and as ALEXANDRE well knew, EminiFX did not earn 5% weekly returns for its investors.  ALEXANDRE did not even invest a substantial portion of the investor funds entrusted to him, and ALEXANDRE sustained millions of dollars in losses on the limited portion of funds that he did invest, which he did not disclose to his investors.  Instead of using investors’ funds as he had promised, ALEXANDRE also misdirected at least approximately $14,700,000 to his personal bank account.  For example, ALEXANDRE used $155,000 in investor funds to purchase a BMW car for himself and spent an additional $13,000 of investor funds on car payments, including to Mercedes Benz.

ALEXANDRE, 50, of Valley Stream, New York, pled guilty to one count of commodities fraud and agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of $248,829,276.73, as well as restitution in an amount to be specified by the Court.  The offense of commodities fraud carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  Sentencing before Judge Cronan is scheduled for July 12, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also thanked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which brought a separate civil action.

Governor Hochul Announces Impaired Driving Enforcement Campaign During Super Bowl Weekend

Stepped Up Enforcement Campaign Period to Run February 10 Through February 13

More than 900 Arrests for DWI and 26,000 Tickets Issued During 2022 Campaign

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that State and local law enforcement agencies throughout New York will be stepping up patrols and targeting impaired driving over the Super Bowl weekend. The enforcement campaign will run from Friday, February 10, 2023, through Monday, February 13, 2023. This safety initiative is designed to reduce alcohol and drug-related traffic crashes. It is sponsored by STOP-DWI with funding from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

"We want everyone on New York's roads to be safe as you get together with friends and family to watch the Super Bowl, and that's why law enforcement will be out looking for impaired and dangerous drivers," Governor Hochul said. "Make a plan - hire a taxi, have a designated driver to avoid the deadly consequences of impaired drivers and keep your fellow New Yorkers safe."

During the 2022 campaign, law enforcement throughout the state issued 27,398 tickets for vehicle and traffic law violations, including 919 arrests for DWI. Full breakdown here:

Violation	Number of Tickets
Impaired Driving	919
Distracted Driving	859
Move Over Law	102
Other Violations	18,898
Seatbelt	694
Speeding	5,926
Grand Total	27,398

A major component of New York's efforts to combat impaired driving is the STOP-DWI program. STOP-DWI stands for "Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated." The state's STOP-DWI program is the nation's first self-sustaining impaired driving program. The program's efforts are funded from fines paid by convicted impaired drivers. Importantly, the program's coordinators are comprised of diverse professional backgrounds, including law enforcement and non-law enforcement.

The STOP-DWI program was created to empower counties to coordinate local efforts to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes. All 62 counties have opted to participate. Some examples of programs funded by STOP-DWI are specially trained police units dedicated to DWI enforcement; hiring of special prosecutors and probation officers to handle the caseload; monitoring ignition interlock devices; supporting rehabilitation services; and developing public information and education campaigns tailored to communities within their respective regions. To learn more, visit www.stopdwi.org.

In addition to STOP-DWI, the GTSC supports training for Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). DREs are specially trained officers utilized by law enforcement when a driver appears to be impaired, but police have ruled out alcohol as the cause or sole cause of impairment. A DRE receives extensive training that has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The training allows officers to observe and document signs and indicators of impairment within each of seven drug categories including illicit and prescription drugs.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state's toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).

Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website.

For more information about GTSC, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov, or follow the GTSC conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Statement from Speaker Adams on NYC’s Record-High Rents in January 2023

 

“With rents now reaching record highs, the time to act with urgency to address this housing crisis through comprehensive solutions is now. We must prioritize the production and preservation of affordable housing, while addressing the backlogs in housing development caused by agency understaffing and underinvestment. These were all priorities outlined in my housing agenda released last December. The Council will continue to contribute to solving this crisis through the Land Use process, legislative oversight, and my Fair Housing Framework that will establish local housing production targets for every district. There must be a focus on developing more housing in a responsible and equitable way, while deepening affordability, preserving and expanding homeownership, and protecting tenants. New Yorkers cannot afford inaction on these critical solutions, as the recent report that nearly 200,000 Black New Yorkers departed our city over the past two decades illustrated.

Attorney General James Leads Multistate Coalition to Defend and Protect Access to Medication Abortion

 

Coalition Argues that Revoking FDA Approval of Medication Abortion Would Endanger Lives Nationwide

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a multistate coalition to defend and protect safe access to medication abortion nationwide. In an amicus brief filed in Alliance of Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a case pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Attorney General James and the coalition of 22 attorneys general ask the court to reject a challenge brought by anti-abortion groups seeking to revoke the FDA’s approval of the medication abortion drug, mifepristone. The brief warns that withdrawing federal approval for mifepristone would drastically reduce access to safe abortion care and miscarriage management for millions of people across the country, including in New York. A ban on mifepristone would affect states where abortion is legal, like New York. Attorney General James and the coalition are urging the court to reject this baseless attempt to undermine the FDA’s authority, upend decades of medical practice, and disrupt the rule of law. 

“Blocking access to this safe and effective medication is a dangerous attack on reproductive freedom and public health,” said Attorney General James. “Decades of medical and clinical research have proven that medication abortion is safe. Despite these facts and its widespread use, we know this is not a debate about science. Access to safe reproductive healthcare could be in jeopardy for millions of Americans because of a baseless lawsuit. We are taking action to protect the reproductive freedoms of people in every corner of the country, especially in vulnerable communities. Every time they try to chip away at our rights, we will rise up and fight back to protect access to safe abortion care.”

In 2000, the FDA approved mifepristone as a single-dose oral medication used for early-term abortions. Since its approval, mifepristone has been safely used by approximately five million persons to terminate a pregnancy and is used in more than half of all abortions today. Decades of clinical research and studies have confirmed mifepristone’s safety and efficacy.

If the district court orders the FDA to withdraw its approval for mifepristone, the medication would be removed from the market nationwide. In their brief, the coalition argues that requiring the FDA to withdraw its approval of mifepristone, despite the overwhelming clinical data demonstrating its safety and efficacy, risks undermining the integrity of the FDA’s approval process for other drugs.

The availability of the abortion pill has been particularly critical in providing access to abortion in low-income, underserved, and rural communities. The coalition also asserts that revoking the FDA approval of mifepristone would force millions to seek more invasive and expensive procedural abortions, which would disproportionately harm vulnerable, low-income, and underserved communities. Without access to mifepristone, demand for procedural abortions would significantly increase, leading to overburdened clinics, longer wait times, later and more risky procedures, and more complicated and costly logistics for many patients, especially those in low-income and rural communities. According to 2020 data, 89 percent of U.S. counties have no abortion clinic, and 38 percent of women of reproductive age reside in counties with no clinics. Moreover, lack of access to safe abortion care leads to worsened health outcomes and higher mortality, especially for Black women.

“At Planned Parenthood, we believe health care providers must be allowed to administer the most effective evidence-based and patient-centered health care available, and that includes providing the method of abortion care that works best for a patient’s circumstances,” said Georgana Hanson, Interim President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts. “Using mifepristone for medication abortion is extremely safe and effective, and has been used by more than five million people since the FDA approved it more than 20 years ago. We are extremely grateful for the leadership of New York Attorney General Letitia James and her coalition partners in working to address the nationwide threat of this case, and the potential impact it could have on the ability of people across the country to access abortion care. Attorney General James continues to show her strong commitment to combating politically motivated attacks designed to ban abortion, birth control, and other sexual and reproductive health care. Her voice is critical in the fight to ensure patients can access medication abortion with as few barriers as possible, both in New York and across the country.”

“On behalf of our members and the patients they serve, the National Abortion Federation applauds Attorney General James’ leadership in countering yet another attack on basic health care,” said Talcott Camp, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer, National Abortion Federation. “What the plaintiffs seek in this case would strike a blow to the evidence-based, patient-centered care our members provide and intensify the public health emergency SCOTUS precipitated in overturning Roe. We stand with all the attorneys general who stood up today for reproductive health, rights, and justice.” 

“Access to mifepristone is and has been an essential part of women's healthcare for decades,” said Sonia Ossorio, Executive Director, Women’s Justice NOW and NOW-NYC. “Attempts to ban FDA’s approval of this drug is an attempt to deny women the right to medication abortion across the entire country. The ruling in this case could have severe implications for women's ability to access safe and timely abortions and that's why attorney generals are joining Attorney General Letitia James in this critical legal fight.” 

“At the miscarriage and abortion hotline we talk with New Yorkers and people from around the country who are exercising their human rights by safely managing their miscarriages and abortions with mifepristone and misoprostol,” said April Lockley, DO, Medical Director, Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline. “It’s imperative that all people have access to these safe medications in order to practice their right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.” 

Joining Attorney General James in filing today’s amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C.