A.G. Schneiderman and 15 Other State A.G.'s Condemn President Trump's Un-American Executive Order, Vow Action

Joint Statement Issued By A.G.'s Of NY, CA, PA, WA, MA, HI, VA, OR, DC, CT, VT, IL, NM, IA, ME & MD

“As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump's unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith.

Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country and no president can change that truth.

Yesterday, multiple federal courts ordered a stay of the Administration’s dangerous Executive Order. We applaud those decisions and will use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order and preserve our nation’s national security and core values.

We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts. In the meantime, we are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created.”

NYPD SERGEANT CONVICTED OF RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL

Defendant Found Guilty of Abusing Girlfriend’s Daughter Three Times 

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a New York City Police Department sergeant has been convicted by a jury of raping and sexually abusing a 13-year old girl, who was his then-girlfriend’s daughter. 

District Attorney Clark said “The defendant horrifically abused the trust of this family and engaged in sexual acts with a child. He now faces prison time for his depravity and I hope his conviction reinforces the message that we do not stop until we get justice for the most vulnerable of victims.” 

District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Vladimir Krull, 39, a NYPD Sergeant in the Midtown North Precinct in Manhattan, was convicted today after a four-week trial before Acting Bronx Supreme Court Justice Lester B. Adler. After five days of deliberations, a jury found Krull guilty of two counts of second-degree Rape, two counts of second-degree Criminal Sexual Act, three counts of second-degree Sexual Abuse and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child involving three incidents. He faces up to 7 years in prison for each incident when he is sentenced on March 6, 2017.

 

According to trial testimony, Krull was involved with the victim’s mother for two years. His abuse of the teen started in September 2013, when he kissed her on the mouth. The abuse escalated and the defendant was found guilty of having sexual intercourse with her on two separate occasions, once at her residence and another time in his vehicle. The jury also found him guilty of a third incident, in June 2014, when he directed the teen to perform oral sex on him in his vehicle after a Father/Daughter breakfast for her eighth grade class.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Astrid Borgstedt, Trial Counsel with the Child Abuse/ Sex Crimes Bureau and Nancy Strohmeyer of the Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Joseph Muroff, Chief of the Special Victims Division. District Attorney Clark thanked Ana Pimentel of the Crime Victims Assistance Unit, Amy Pumo of the Center for Court Innovation and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau.  

Independent Democratic Conference Announces Immigrant Defense Coalition

After the Trump administration issued an un-American executive order and ramped up anti-immigration rhetoric and policies, the New York Senate Independent Democratic Conference announced a major initiative to protect immigrant communities across New York State.

Starting immediately, the IDC’s new Immigrant Defense Coalition will operate out of each member’s district office to provide legal services, resources and any assistance to immigrants and their families.

The new service in each of the eight offices represents real action and help for New Yorkers on a day when other Senate Democrats took a soft, indirect approach of attaching hostile amendments to Senate resolutions in protest.

“President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric came to life this weekend through his un-American executive order banning immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States and through his demonization of Mexicans with renewed vigor and plans to build a wall on our border. This level of intolerance starkly contrasts with the core values of our nation, one which has always embraced those who seek refuge here. All eight members of the Independent Democratic Conference will create the ‘Immigrant Defense Coalition’ to protect and defend immigrants in New York. Our offices will each offer services to immigrants who need assistance during this troubling time. Already, the IDC provided the Vera Institute of Justice’s New York Immigrant Family Unity Project with $250,000 to provide legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation, and this year the IDC will prioritize funding for other groups that provide similar services to immigrants in New York,” said IDC Leader Jeff Klein.

“It is against our country’s values to slam the door shut on immigrants seeking refuge. Our doors will be open to serve any immigrants who need help during this frightening time,” said IDC Deputy Leader David Valesky.

“The president’s executive order is antithetical to our nation’s values and we will not stand for it. I fight against the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies coming out of Washington and protect my district which is one of the most diverse places in New York City. My door will be open to help each and every person who needs a hand because that is the spirit of this country,” said Senator Jose Peralta.

“On inauguration day I protested President Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and was arrested. Now, his words are a real threat to the people I represent and these dangerous policies will not be tolerated. I came to this country as an immigrant and I will always protect the rights of those who seek refuge here. My district will be impacted by these anti-immigrant policies and I will keep my door open to protect residents. I will fight to the end to make sure that we protect the rights of everyone who seeks to be an American,” said Senator Marisol Alcantara.

“The executive actions on immigration taken by the Trump administration are unacceptable and un-American.  This country was built on the backs of immigrants who came here looking for a better life for them and their families, many of them fleeing persecution. I will continue to fight to fund programs that aid immigrants and ensure that any person who needs help or resources knows that my office door is open to assist them,” said Senator Tony Avella.

“Providing important services is taking action directly to community members who are affected by the president’s executive orders. I am proud to take these important steps towards protecting immigrant New Yorkers and I look forward to continuing to find innovative ways towards combatting these destructive actions from the President,” said Senator David Carlucci.

“Over the weekend I joined protests at JFK that erupted after the impact of President Trump’s executive orders were first seen. I felt outrage that our country, the land of the free, was not letting people in. It is incredibly important that immigrants know that there are resources available to them and I am immensely proud of the leadership of the IDC to create this coalition to bring them directly to our communities,” said Senator Jesse Hamilton.

“The administration’s poorly-written and hastily implemented executive order has caused confusion in regard to immigrants’ rights. My door is open to help everyone in my district,” said Senator Diane Savino.

Key elements of the Immigration Defense Coalition include the establishment of a toll-free number for those seeking assistance for themselves or those they know.

IDC member’s district offices will provide legal services from partner immigration organizations to assist immigrants one-on-one with immigration related issues such as visa, green cards, deportation and questions on the impacts of the President Trump’s immigration related executive orders. In addition, the IDC will again in this year’s budget prioritize funding for immigration groups that provide necessary services for New Yorkers.

Each IDC member will also hold a “Know Your Rights” workshop in their respective districts on the same day so that community members know the services that they are providing and that their Senate offices are a place to find help.

Senate passes bills to make Pokémon a no go near dangerous sex offenders

  The New York State Senate today passed two pieces of legislation sponsored by Senator Jeff Klein that protect children from high level sexual predators using Pokémon GO or other augmented reality games.

“While children believe they are out to catch a pokémon, what might really be lurking could be a predator instead of a Pikachu. There have been documented instances of sex offenders playing Pokémon GO as a means to locate children and it makes no sense at all to give these dangerous individuals a virtual road map to where our kids congregate. My legislation updates our law that already prohibits high level predators from using social media and holds game makers accountable from removing in-game features from within 100-feet of sex offenders,” said Senator Klein.

In late July, Senator Klein released an alarming investigative report, “Protecting Our Children: How Pokémon GO and Augmented Reality Games Expose Children to Sex Offenders.” The investigation, conducted in New York City, found that in the majority of cases either Pokémon materialized in front of the homes of sexual predators or in-game objectives were located within a half-block from a sexual predator’s home.

As the Pokémon GO craze continued, Senator Klein conducted investigations on Long Island and in Westchester/Rockland counties on sex offender residences and in-game objectives and the findings were similarly disturbing.

“There could be real-world consequences for children playing augmented reality games and we cannot let them linger in front of the homes of sex offenders. We devised simple solutions to the problem in light of our eye-opening investigation so our laws stay up-to-date as technology advances and today is an important step forward,” said Senator Savino.

“Augmented reality games like Pokemon GO have been an example of the potential value of new technologies but we have seen too many examples in our community of how close children can come to danger while playing them.  Parents should be able to let their kids enjoy games like these without the concern of coming into contact with sexual predators or other undesirable situations.  Passing this legislation will help prohibit sexual offenders from being able to play games like Pokémon GO and help make our community safer,” Said Senator Carlucci.

In light of the alarming findings, Senator Klein introduced legislation, which the Senate passed, to prohibit Level 2 and 3 sex offenders from playing augmented reality games. Many high-level sex offenders are already prohibited from using social media.

The Senate also passed legislation sponsored by Senator Klein, requiring game developers, like Pokémon GO creator Niantic, to regularly scour the Department of Criminal Justice website to obtain sex offender addresses and remove all in-game objectives within 100-feet of their residencies.

Bronx Borough President Invites you to celebrate Dominican Heritage Month

HISTORIC FOOD & HUNGER PROGRAM COMING TO NEW YORK

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. & Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, advocates and more 

Discuss new USDA program allowing SNAP users to purchase groceries online

Today, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney stood with hunger advocates and others at Part of the Solution (POTS) on Webster Avenue to discuss New York State’s participation in a new nationwide pilot program that will allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to purchase their groceries online.
Borough President Diaz and Congressman Maloney were instrumental in bringing this historic innovation to New York State. This pilot program will offer consumers greater access to affordable groceries, help combat food deserts, promote healthier diet choices and create billions of dollars in new business opportunities.
“This innovative public/private partnerships will help improve nutrition, fight hunger and offer consumers greater choices at competitive prices, all while expanding the marketplace,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.“This program is a national game-changer, and I am proud to have worked with Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, as well as advocates and business, to bring it to New York State. The Empire State has always been at the forefront of government innovation, and this pilot program puts our state at the intersection of health, technology and business.”
“Working hand-in-glove with Borough President Diaz, we delivered on our goal of bringing the SNAP program in New York State into the 21st century. This pilot will help make it easier and more efficient for New York families to put food on their tables. New York has always paved the way for new ideas and innovations – this pilot program does just that - and I am proud to stand here today and say that together we brought this program to New York,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

Borough President Diaz and Rep. Maloney were joined at the event by advocates for the program, including Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, and Christopher Bean, Executive Director of POTS, as well as Louis Vivarina, a Bronx resident who will be positively impacted by the new law.
“Hunger Free America strongly supports increasing low income people’s access to affordable food.  The new USDA online purchasing pilot program will enable low income people in both rural and urban communities, to have fresh affordable food delivered to their door, potentially in areas where fresh food had been previously unavailable to them,” said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America. “We hope to see this program expand to every state in America, so that no hungry person will have to travel long distances in order to get a fresh vegetable.”
“Part of the Solution (POTS) is excited to host Bronx Borough President Diaz and Congressman Maloney for this discussion. A core tenet of POTS is recognizing the dignity of all individuals seeking assistance. POTS believe this pilot is a dignified way to allow for greater access to affordable groceries for our Bronx neighbors,” said Christopher Bean, Executive Director of Part of the Solution.  

Borough President Diaz initially proposed such changes in his “State of the Borough” address in February 2016. In July 2016, Borough President Diaz participated in a conference on Capitol Hill to address the need for technological advancements for SNAP benefit users with Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan. The next month, the borough president authored a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack urging his department to select New York State for this pilot program.
Congressman Maloney was integral in drumming up support for the pilot program in Congress. In November, the congressman led his colleagues in the New York State delegation on a letter to Secretary Vilsack, in which they jointly called for New York’s selection in the pilot program.
As part of the pilot program, the USDA has selected two vendors—Amazon and FreshDirect—to serve customers in New York State. Both companies worked closely with Borough President Diaz to bring the pilot program to New York. In addition, FreshDirect launched a similar pilot program in The Bronx, in conjunction with the borough president, in 2012.

Assemblyman Sepulveda Introduces Resolution Calling on Assembly to Condemn President Trump's Immigration Actions, Call on Congressional Delegation and Gov. Cuomo to Oppose Them

  Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda  introduced a resolution on Monday, Jan. 30, calling on the state Assembly to condemn President Trump's immigration actions.

 The resolution calls on the state's congressional delegation to oppose the president's executive directive, and asks Gov. Cuomo to ban state resources from being used to enforce the order.

"I call on my colleagues to speak out as one body over this transgression of American justice and humanitarian concern," said Sepulveda, whose district is home to a large number of Muslims. "This is not who we are as a nation, not who we are as a people.

Trump on Friday, Jan. 27 blocked indefinitely refugees fleeing the slaughter in Syria and temporarily suspended immigration from six other predominantly Muslim countries as part of what he called a vetting plan to keep out "radical Islamic terrorists." He also set up a religious test for refugees from Muslim nation, ordering that Christians and others from minority religions take priority over Muslims for entry into the United States.

The order, which went into immediate effect, caused chaos at airports around the nation and overseas as students, visitors and green-card-holding legal permanent U.S. residents from the seven Middle Eastern countries named in the directive, and refugees from around the world were stopped, held and some sent back overseas.

Sepulveda noted that the President's action affects up to 320 State University of New York and 120 City University of New York students and an unknown number of students at New York's private colleges.

"This order is nonsensical," Sepulveda added, noting that "foreigners from the seven listed nations - Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - killed exactly zero Americans in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil between 1975 and the end of 2015, according to the Cato Institute."

 "I am calling on everyone to call the White House to voice their opposition, and to contact their elected representatives in Washington to urge them to oppose this horrible, shameful action," said Sepulveda. "This cannot and will not stand."

Assemblyman Sepulveda represents the 87^th Assembly District covering Parkchester, Castle Hill, West Farms, Van Nest and Stratton Park.

Congressman Adriano Espaillat Demands President Trump Reverse Hateful Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Refugee Executive Orders

  U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat issued the following statement to demand President Trump reverse the hateful and divisive anti-immigrant and anti-refugee executive orders establish last week:

“This weekend was eye opening and further proof of the horrific and devastating policies of the Trump Administration,” said Rep. Espaillat.  “Our actions to free detained individuals at JFK airport upon their return to the U.S., our efforts to speak out against building a divisive wall between the U.S. and Mexican border, our protest in solidarity in streets across the nation to protect civil rights and our liberties all serve as a window to the work that lies ahead if we are to ensure our American values are upheld.  This is a critical time for our country and the Trump Administration must do a better job than the reckless behavior and hazardous policies put into place these last few days.  We owe it to the American people, clear and unequivocally, to protect the liberties of freedom and opportunity that we hold dear as a nation.”