News From Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz

Dinowitz Named Chair of Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

  Veteran Bronx Assembly Member tapped to lead influential committee tasked with oversight of Metropolitan Transportation Authority, state's telecommunications and energy infrastructure

 

Dinowitz pledges "full accountability" of MTA

 

  Looking to build upon ongoing efforts to improve the lives of Bronxites and all New York residents and hold government agencies accountable, Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz this week was named the Chair of the State Assembly's Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. Dinowitz is pledging to use the influential new post to increase oversight and accountability of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which falls under the committee's purview, in light of the recent LIRR train derailment in Brooklyn, and ongoing concerns over limited public transportation options, particularly in the outer boroughs.

"I'm honored that Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie has entrusted me with this enormous responsibility," said Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz. "The work of the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions touches the lives of every New Yorker, from the trains we ride to the phones in our pockets and the utilities we pay for. I intend to use this new role to ensure full accountability of the MTA and all the public entities we rely on every day."

 

Assembly Member Dinowitz received word of the new committee assignment as legislators gathered in Albany this month for the start of the 2017 legislative session. The Bronx official replaces outgoing Chair James Brennan, who in May announced his retirement. Dinowitz most recently chaired the Assembly's Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee.

 

As Chair of the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Dinowitz will have jurisdiction over the laws concerning private, not-for-profit and public corporations in the state. This includes both the Public Service Commission, which monitors New York telecommunications and utilities, and, most notably, the MTA and its many sub agencies.

 

Dinowitz' appointment comes at a critical time for the nation's largest transit system. The MTA continues to face criticism following the derailment of a Brooklyn-bound Long Island Rail Road train that injured more than 100 commuters last week. Meanwhile, the agency is weathering the fallout from a report late last month that the engineer involved in the deadly 2013 Metro North crash in Dinowitz's Bronx district was given a lifetime pension. In the aftermath of both incidents, Dinowitz is pledging to apply rigorous oversight to the MTA.

 

Dinowitz also intends to use the new post to address the persistent transit woes in the borough widely considered to be a transportation desert. A major component of the committee's work in recent years has been the oversight of the ongoing 2015-2019 MTA Capital Program. While the agency recently saw the successful on-time opening of Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway, questions linger about funding for future extensions of the line, as well as other big-ticket transit projects in the city.

Assemblyman Dinowitz Applauds Decision to Close Indian Point

            Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz(D-Bronx), a longtime opponent of Indian Point Nuclear facility, applauds the recent deal made with Entergy Corporation, the facilities operator, to permanently close it by 2021.

Problems and incidents have plagued the facility, located in Westchester, for years including one as recently as February 2016 when a leak in the facility was revealed after radioactivity was detected in the groundwater beneath the plant. Governor Cuomo was forced to make a statement that this leak posed no immediate danger to public health and had not migrated off site, but this incident was merely the latest in a string of mishaps and problems that have occurred at Indian Point since it began operating in 1974.

Assemblyman Dinowitz has long opposed the plants continued operation given the facility’s problems and its proximity to the one of the most populous metropolitan areas on the planet.  In 2012, the Assemblyman opposed Entergy being granted an exemption from fire safety requirements  by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission without a public hearing, and filed a brief in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

“I have never opposed nor do I now oppose the use of nuclear energy or nuclear power plants. However, the consistent problems that Indian Point has had, the proximity of the facility to New York City, and concerns over safety procedures have caused me to oppose the continued operation of the plant. I am pleased that Entergy has made the decision to close the plant,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

SENATOR JEFF KLEIN AND ASSEMBLYMAN LUIS SEPULVEDA HOST 4TH ANNUAL THREE KINGS CELEBRATION

In celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany, Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, hosted their Fourth Annual Three Kings Day event with District Leader Julia Rodriguez on Saturday. Nearly 200 participants enjoyed lunch, a magic show, chorus music, and a performance of the Nativity scene by the Holy Family Church choir.  Children in attendance received special toys, such as art sets doctor kits, stuffed animals, toy cars, puzzles, sporting equipment, and board games.

“Every year I look forward to hosting this celebration, which has become a cherished tradition for our Bronx families. Today we joined with our family, friends, neighbors, and community leaders to celebrate Three Kings Day and reflect on its significance.  I wish everyone health, joy and prosperity in the New Year,” said Senator Klein.

Three Kings Day commemorates the biblical story of the Three Kings, also known as the Three Wise Men, who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus.

“It’s both heartwarming and satisfying to see not only a great holiday tradition re-enacted so well, but also seeing the excitement and joy on children’s faces as they receive their presents. It makes all the effort that goes into this annual event so worth it. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes, and those who played all the characters in the production. Well done!” said Assemblyman Sepulveda.

“I am really happy that Senator Klein and Assemblyman Sepulveda are doing this for our area.  Despite the weather, many families came to enjoy a great day and organized event,” said District Leader Julia Rodriguez.

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND FIRE COMMISSIONER NIGRO ANNOUNCE FEWEST FIRE DEATHS EVER RECORDED IN 2016

48 Fire Deaths in City – Lowest in 100 Years

Serious Fires Decreased 9% in 2016 – Biggest One-Year Drop Since 2008

   Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro today announced that 48 people died in fires last year - the fewest fire deaths ever recorded in any calendar year dating back to 1916.  The city also saw a 9 percent decline in serious fires in 2016, the largest annual decrease since 2008.

The Mayor and Fire Commissioner also announced that response times to fires and life-threatening medical emergencies also improved last year – dropping 5 seconds for fires and 21 seconds for medical calls.

The Mayor and Commissioner also announced early completion of the nation’s largest smoke alarm giveaway/installation program – GetAlarmedNYC – with more than 100,000 combination smoke/carbon monoxide detectors distributed in 2016 to tens of thousands of New Yorkers. The $4 million citywide program was announced in October of 2015, and projected to take two years to complete but has reached and exceeded its goal with more than 113,000 alarms distributed as of last month. Along with partners from the City Council, the FDNY Foundation, the American Red Cross and device manufacturer Kidde, the program targeted communities most at risk for fires and fire-related injuries and deaths.

“Never has our city been as safe from the ravages of fire as we are today, thanks to the heroic work of our firefighters and all FDNY personnel,” said Mayor de Blasio.  “This record-breaking, historic achievement is the result of true teamwork by our fire and EMS first responders, fire marshals and dispatchers, as well as inspectors and fire safety educators who helped reduce serious fires by 9 percent this year. Together, these hard working FDNY members have made a tremendous impact on our city and ushered in a new era for fire safety for all New Yorkers.”

“We pushed ourselves to save even more lives in 2016 – embarking on a life-saving citywide smoke alarm program that has reached tens of thousands of homes – and we’ve seen the outstanding results with a historic 100-year low for fire fatalities in our city,” said Commissioner Nigro. “I’m very proud of all our fire and EMS members who worked hard this year to achieve this historic milestone, and – as we enter a new year – we commit again to doing all we can to protect, serve and educate New Yorkers to keep them safe from fire.”

"New York City’s Bravest provide lifesaving services to New Yorkers and this record decline in fire deaths and serious fires is a testament to the dedicated, around the clock work of all of our firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, and fire inspectors,”  said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “From conducting critical outreach to prevent fires, to quickly responding to emergencies and partnering with the City Council on the nation’s largest smoke alarm giveaway and installation program, I commend Commissioner Nigro and the FDNY for their heroic work to keep New Yorkers safe.”

"All of us owe thanks to the men and women of the FDNY for effectively reducing the tragedies caused by serious fires in the city,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen. “I hosted successful smoke/CO detector giveaways in my district during the past year and also awarded a citation to a well-trained veteran of the FDNY from my district who memorably saved a life with a heroic rope rescue during an Upper East Side fire in October.  It was a great year for the FDNY, indeed."

 “I commend Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro and the men and women of the FDNY for the tremendous accomplishments announced today,” said Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson. “Thanks to quicker emergency response times and a focus on fire education and prevention, New Yorkers are safer than they have been in over a century. I thank Mayor de Blasio and the Administration for supporting the FDNY and our ongoing efforts to improve the safety of all New Yorkers.”

"I'd like to thank Mayor de Blasio and FDNY Commissioner Nigro for their dedication to fire safety and the reduction of response times, particularly the drop of 21 seconds for emergency medical calls," said Council Member Donovan Richards. "In life-threatening situations, every second counts and could be the difference in a tragedy or a miracle. I'd also like to acknowledge GetAlarmedNYC, which ensured that more than 100,000 New Yorkers have brand new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors protecting their families when they go to sleep at night."

CIVILIAN FIRE DEATHS

The 48 fire deaths in 2016 represented a 19 percent decline from 2015, when there were 59 deaths, continuing a trend over the last decade with fewer than 100 deaths annually in the city. The deadliest year in New York City for fires was 1970, when 310 people died.

The causes of last year’s fire deaths, as determined by Fire Marshals, are as follows:

Electrical                     14        (power strips and/or extension cords accounted for fires in 9 deaths)

Smoking                      12

Cooking                      11       

Incendiary                   3

Open flame                 2

Incense                        2

Liquid/gas ignition       2

Hot object                   1

Under investigation    1

DECREASES IN SERIOUS, STRUCTURAL AND NON-STRUCTURAL FIRES

There were 2,313 serious fires in 2016 compared to 2015, when there were 2,545 (232 fewer for a decline of 9.1 percent). Serious fires escalate to the point of requiring a full one-alarm assignment or higher (i.e., multiple alarm), consisting of a dozen fire units to respond, conduct search/rescue operations and extinguish the fire.

There were 26,491 structural fires in 2016 – down 3.3 percent from 2015 when there were 27,403. Structural fires occur in buildings of all types and involve an incipient fire, without escalation to a serious fire, as described above.

Fire units responded to 18 percent fewer non-structural fires in 2016 compared to 2015 (14,734 in 2016 versus 18,073 in 2015) – or 3,339 fewer fires.

RECORD HIGH NUMBER OF EMS INCIDENTS

FDNY EMS responded to a new record high number of medical emergencies in 2016 - 1,440,268 – up slightly from 2015 when they answered 1,435,315 calls, or a 0.3% increase.

EMS responses fall into one of two broad categories – Segment 1-3 which include life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrest, unconscious and choking calls,  and Segment 4-8 incidents which are triaged as non-life-threatening incidents.

FDNY EMS responded to 562,382 Segment 1-3 calls in 2016 - down from 566,210 incidents in 2015, a less than 1 percent decline.

EMS responded to 877,886 Segment 4-8 incidents, up from 869,105 in 2015, a 1 percent increase.

FASTER RESPONSE TIMES

End-to-end Fire unit response times were 5 seconds faster on average to structural fires that are reported through the 911 system in 2016 than in 2015 (4:52 versus 4:57).

End-to-end EMS response times were 21 seconds faster on average to Segment 1-3 calls (8:59 in 2016 versus 9:20 in 2015).

End-to-end combined response times to Segment 1-3 medical emergencies (where either a fire unit or EMS ambulance responded) improved 18 seconds (8:08 in 2016 versus 8:26 in 2015).

Senator Diaz and Assemblyman Sepulveda Help Resolve Maintenance Fee Hikes for Parkchester Residents and Introduce Bill of Rights for Condo Owners

  Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda received a round of applause at a Town Hall Meeting with residents of Parkchester South Condominiums, ending a months-long battle over a 15.19 percent increase in maintenance fees for capital improvements.

During the January 5, 2017 meeting, a great majority of those present registered their public support for the pending lawsuit to be settled out of court. During an extensive question and answer period, condo-owners were satisfied to learn that those who are having financial difficulties will be able to extend this increased payments over a period of four years.

Parkchester residents were also relieved to learn that a Bill of Rights for Condominium Owners (Senate Bill 510) has been introduced this week by Senator Diaz, and is being carried in the Assembly by Assemblyman Sepulveda.

Senator Diaz stated: "I appreciate all of the legal work because we have prevented evictions.  We have also helped Parkchester residents who cannot handle an $80 - $120 a month increase over a 2-year period will now be able to have this increase stretched over time. I am delighted that so many Parkchester residents want us to hold more of these meetings. This will show Parkchester's Board that the people are paying attention, that transparency matters, and that the Board will be held accountable. Assemblyman Sepulveda and I realize that condo-owners who live in not-for-profit condos like the Parkchester South Condominiums need more protection.  As lawmakers, during this very first week of Session for 2017, we have submitted legislation called a Bill of Rights for Condo Owners."

Assemblyman Sepulveda stated: "We have shown the Parkchester board of directors that we will not stand idly by without protecting the rights of minority owners. This is only a first step in having our sway over our rights. We will be heard!"

He continued to speak on the Condominium Owners' Bill of Rights: "Hopefully, this will address the inequities surrounding condominium corporations controlled by large equity partners, and finally bring some fairness to individual owners who now find their voices unheard."

STATEMENT FROM BP DIAZ RE: Gov. Cuomo's 'State of the State'

  "Governor Cuomo laid out an aggressive agenda for our city and our state in his speech today, and his plan to support our middle class while also cementing New York’s place as a national progressive leader is something the people of my borough and I stand behind.

“I am also thrilled that Governor Cuomo has offered his support to major Bronx proposals and institutions, specifically the reconstruction of Orchard Beach and the future of the Kingsbridge Armory. These projects are top priorities of my administration and have the overwhelming support of Bronx residents. However, we continue to see a lack of partnership and enthusiasm for them from City Hall. Strong backing from Albany will allow them to prosper. We can only hope now that the administration will see the wisdom in bringing these projects to fruition.

“Governor Cuomo once again showed us today that he cares about the people of The Bronx. This borough is grateful to have such a friend in the governor’s mansion, and we look forward to working with Governor Cuomo to move these projects and his broader agenda forward for the benefit of our borough, our city and this state,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Owner Of Utah-Based Pharmaceutical Distributer Pleads Guilty To $100 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RANDY CROWELL, a/k/a “Roger,” pled guilty today before United States District Judge Edgardo Ramos to fraudulently distributing more than $100 million worth of prescription drugs obtained on a nationwide black market. CROWELL used a Utah-based wholesale distribution company to sell illicitly procured drugs to pharmacies, which in turn dispensed them to unsuspecting customers. As part of his guilty plea, CROWELL agreed to forfeit more than $13 million in personal profits from the scheme.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Randy Crowell perverted for profit a health care system designed to get safe and effective medications to patients who need them. He exposed people with life-threatening illnesses to medicines they had no idea had been diverted from the normal stream of commerce, all the while defrauding healthcare companies and government benefit programs like Medicaid. Crowell has now pled guilty to a federal crime and has agreed to forfeit more than $13 million he made from his criminal scheme.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceedings:

From early 2010 until at least July 2012, CROWELL, who was the owner and operator of a licensed wholesale distributor of prescription medications based in St. George, Utah (“Wholesaler-1”), participated in a sophisticated scheme to defraud health insurance companies and government programs such as Medicaid out of hundreds of millions of dollars by trafficking prescriptions through a nationwide black market. CROWELL, through Wholesaler-1, purchased more than $100 million worth of prescription medications from this black market at a fraction of the legitimate prices for these drugs, before selling the same as new, legitimate bottles of medication to pharmacies all over the country.

To maximize their profits, CROWELL and his co-conspirators focused on some of the most expensive medications on the market, including those used to treat HIV/AIDS. The profitable scheme was potentially dangerous to the tens of thousands of patients ultimately receiving and taking these prescription drugs. As detailed below, many of the bottles purchased through the underground market and then distributed as safe, legitimate medications by CROWELL and Wholesaler-1 had in fact been previously dispensed to others, including individuals based in the Southern District of New York. To conceal the fact that they had been previously dispensed, the bottles were typically “cleaned” with hazardous chemicals such as lighter fluid before being transported and stored in conditions that were frequently insanitary and insufficient to ensure the safety and efficacy of the medication.

THE SCHEME TO DEFRAUD

The fraudulent scheme charged in the Indictment operated by distorting the legitimate flow of medications from manufacturer to pharmacy. Rather than purchasing medications from manufacturers or legitimate authorized distributors at full price, scheme participants, including CROWELL, created and exploited an underground market for these same prescription drugs. Scheme participants targeted the cheapest possible source of supply for these drugs – Medicaid patients and other individuals who received these prescription drugs on a monthly basis for little or no cost, and who were then willing to sell their medicines rather than taking them as prescribed (the “Insurance Beneficiaries”).

Insurance Beneficiaries had prescriptions filled for medications each month at pharmacies across the country, including in Manhattan and the Bronx, and then sold their medications to low-level participants (“Collectors”) in the scheme who worked on street corners and bodegas and would pay cash – typically as little as $40 or $50 per bottle. Every major health care benefit program, including Medicaid, expressly prohibits a beneficiary from seeking care under such circumstances, and health care benefit programs would not have paid for the medications issued by pharmacies to the Insurance Beneficiaries had these health care benefit programs known that the Insurance Beneficiaries were selling their drugs to others, rather than taking them as prescribed.

Because the ultimate goal of the scheme was to resell these medications as new at full price, Collectors and other scheme participants used lighter fluid and other potentially hazardous chemicals to remove the patient labels affixed when the bottles were initially dispensed to the Insurance Beneficiaries. This process, referred to as “cleaning” the bottles, was dangerous, as these hazardous chemicals could infiltrate the bottles, rendering the medication unfit for human consumption.

Collectors then sold these second-hand drugs to higher-level scheme participants (“Aggregators”) who bought dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of bottles at a time from multiple collectors before selling them to higher-level scheme participants with direct access to legitimate distribution channels, including corrupt wholesale companies like Wholesaler-1. The corrupt wholesale companies, including Wholesaler-1, then resold the bottles as new, at full price, to pharmacies, including potentially the very same pharmacies that initially dispensed these medications. In so doing, and as described below, CROWELL and other corrupt wholesale companies intentionally misrepresented where these medications were coming from and, in particular, concealed the fact that these prescription drugs had been obtained from an illegal and illegitimate black market.

CROWELL AND WHOLESALER-1

Central to the scheme’s success was the participation of corrupt, licensed wholesale distributors willing to buy the “second-hand” medications at a fraction of their legitimate price and then resell them as new to pharmacies that would in turn dispense these medications to unsuspecting patients. CROWELL and Wholesaler-1 were among the largest of these corrupt wholesalers.

Between 2010, when Wholesaler-1 was created by CROWELL, and July 2012, Wholesaler-1 had no legitimate sources of supply. Instead, CROWELL caused Wholesaler-1 to purchase exclusively from illegitimate sources – including the so-called “Aggregators” – who sold to CROWELL at substantially reduced rates, sometimes as much as 50 percent less than the price of acquiring these medications from legitimate sources. Consistent with their illegitimate origins, inbound shipments of prescription drugs frequently arrived at Wholesaler-1 improperly packaged in unsealed, unsecure cardboard boxes. On some occasions, bottles of medication arrived at Wholesaler-1 with the initial patient labels still affixed to them. On other occasions, bottles arrived having already been opened, or containing what appeared to be the wrong medication. At the direction of CROWELL, employees of Wholesaler-1 then inventoried these bottles, attempted to remove any bottles that still had patient labels affixed to them or were otherwise visibly used or damaged, and then arranged for the medications to be shipped out to Wholesaler-1’s customers – i.e., pharmacies all over the country, including pharmacies in Manhattan and the Bronx.

To effectuate the scheme – and, in particular, to convince pharmacies to buy these medications, and health care benefit programs to pay for them, CROWELL and others made false and fraudulent representations about the origins of these medications. Specifically, CROWELL and others acting at his direction created false and fraudulent documents known as “pedigrees” for these medications, which purported to document the legitimate movement of these medications bought and sold by Wholesaler-1 from a manufacturer to the pharmacy. In truth, none of the medications purchased or distributed by Wholesaler-1 had come from legitimate sources of supply, and the pedigrees created by Wholesaler-1 and signed by CROWELL were intentionally fabricated so that the medications could be sold, as new, to pharmacies and so that health care benefit programs would be duped into paying for these illegitimate second-hand drugs.

In order to evade detection, CROWELL took additional steps to conceal the unlawful nature of his activities, including using the name “Roger,” frequently changing or “dropping” the phones he used to communicate with co-conspirators, and paying co-conspirators through front or “sham” companies.

CROWELL pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison. As a part of the plea, CROWELL also consented to the forfeiture of more than $13 million in scheme proceeds, including the full contents of Wholesaler-1’s primary operating account. CROWELL will be sentenced by Judge Ramos on May 11, 2017, at 12:30.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the New York FBI’s Health Care Fraud Task Force, which comprises agents, officers, and investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Insurance Fraud Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Inspector General, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, New York State Office of Medicaid Inspector General, New York Health and Hospitals Corporation Inspector General, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

A.G. Schneiderman And Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Felony Conviction Of Former CEO Of Multi-Million Dollar Energy Company

   Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Acting Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Nonie Manion today announced the plea and conviction of Gary Mole, 52, an Australian citizen and the former CEO of Glacial Energy Holdings (“GEH”), stemming from the underreporting of over $18.5 million dollars in taxable income by Glacial Energy of New York (“GENY”), a wholly owned subsidiary of GEH.  Mole pleaded guilty to Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree, a class C felony. Co-defendant GENY was previously convicted of the same crime after pleading guilty on December 3, 2015.

“By diverting millions in income, this defendant showed no regard for the integrity of our tax system or for the many New Yorkers who would be left footing the bill. No matter how elaborate the scheme, those who seek to avoid paying their fair share of taxes will be caught and punished,” said Attorney General Schneiderman.

“This guilty plea should send a powerful reminder to every business owner: those who attempt to evade their tax obligations through criminal schemes will pay a price,” said NYS Tax Department Acting Commissioner Nonie Manion. “We will continue to work with the Attorney General’s Office and all of our law enforcement partners to ensure that violators face justice.”

According to prosecutors, from 2006 through 2008, Mole was the CEO and sole shareholder of GEH, an energy service company incorporated in Nevada. In approximately 2006, Mole allegedly began personally investing taxable revenue of GENY in a mining operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”), Generales Des Mines Au Congo SPRL, known as “Gemico.” Between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008 Mole diverted over $18.5 million in taxable revenue from GENY to Gemico. Mole instructed subordinates to wire money to bank accounts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, South Africa, and China, among others, all for the benefit of Gemico.

Mole and GENY then improperly deducted the monies invested in Gemico as consulting expenses on GENY’s tax returns for years 2006, 2007 and 2008, thereby understating GENY’s New York State taxable income by millions of dollars. In order to conceal and justify the false accounting of the payments to Gemico as consulting expenses, in 2007, Mole and a former employee at GEH created and backdated a consulting agreement between Gemico and Glacial and fake invoices from Gemico to Glacial. As a result of the fraud, Mole and GENY evaded a total of over $670,000 in New York State income taxes.

Mole and GENY were indicted by an Albany County Grand Jury in September  2015 and charged jointly with three counts of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree, a class C felony, and three counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony.  GENY pleaded guilty on December 3, 2015 to the crime of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree, a class C felony, and agreed to pay full restitution to the New York State Tax Department. 

Today, Mole entered a plea of guilty to the crime of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree, a class C felony, in satisfaction of the pending indictment.  As a condition of his plea, he repaid $335,000 in restitution to the State of New York.  Mole, a citizen of Australia who is currently in the United States on a work visa, was sentenced to an unconditional discharge and agreed to satisfy the remaining restitution by entering a judgment against himself in favor of the New York State Tax Department. Mole pleaded guilty before Hon. Roger D. McDonough in Albany County Supreme Court.

This case arose out of a joint investigation by the Attorney General’s Taxpayer Protection Bureau and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The case was subsequently referred to the Attorney General’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau for criminal investigation and prosecution. The Attorney General’s Office thanks the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for its invaluable assistance.

The investigation was conducted by New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Criminal Investigations Division Forensic Tax Auditor II William Welch with the assistance of the Attorney General investigators, under the supervision of Deputy Chief Investigator Antoine Karam. The Attorney General’s Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Dominick Zarrella.

Bronx Job Fair Thursday Jan 12th

New York City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson and MidBronx Social Services will be hosting a job fair for dozens of employers and hundreds of job-seekers, Thursday, January 12 from 10 am – 3 pm.

The fair will be open to those looking for part and full-time employment in a wide variety of jobs.

Admission is free to those who bring two forms of ID, multiple copies of their resume and who dress professionally.

Employment opportunities with city agencies, nonprofits, businesses and unions will be available.

No pre-registration required. For more information contact Stacy @ (718) 410-6735;