Friends of Van Cortlandt Park's
February 2017 Enewsletter
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Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Friends of VCP's February 2017 Enewsletter
Bronx Chamber of Commerce BUSINESS AWARDS 2017 GALA CELEBRATION March 9, 2017
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Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz Calls Upon New York Senators Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gilibrand to Oppose the Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the long vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz calls upon New York Senator and Democratic Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gilibrand to oppose the nomination of ultra-conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Justice Scalia, who passed away in early 2016, left a vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court eleven months before the end of Barack Obama’s Presidency. President Obama nominated the moderate Merrick Garland to be his replacement, however Garland was not even granted a confirmation hearing.
U.S constitution empowers Presidents to nominate Supreme Court Justices whether or not partisan opponents want the President to fulfill his constitutional duty.
That fact did not stop Senate Republicans, outspoken proponents of “Strict Constructionism,” from refusing to even give Garland a confirmation hearing. Apparently interpreting the U.S. Constitution in it strictest sense is only a priority when a strict interpretation aligns with Republican’s obstructionist right-wing political agenda and court stacking efforts.
“During Barack Obama’s presidency, the Senate Republicans, in an unprecedented and outrageous political act, ensured that the Supreme Court seat would be empty for well over a year and refused to even give a hearing to Merrick Garland, the moderate judge nominated by President Obama,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “They did something which has never happened in American History: they stole a Supreme Court seat in the hopes of securing a conservative majority on the Supreme Court in a gross act of politicization. “Trump could have been a bridge builder and unifier by re-nominating Judge Garland. But instead he chose to go with a hard-right judge to satisfy the extremists who dominate his party. Shame on him”.
The Democrats in Congress now have an opportunity to show that they have the guts to stand up to the Republican President who lost the popular vote and the Republican controlled Senate who stole the Supreme Court seat.
Assemblyman Dinowitz maintains his confidence that Senators Schumer and Gilibrand will fight tooth and nail to oppose any extremist nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.
640 West 238th Street - Developer Up to His Old Tricks
No it is not a junk yard, but a New York City Street. It seems that the developer of 640 West 238th Street thinks that a city street is a perfect place to leave building materials, equipment, and garbage, especially on a snowy day. The permit given to the developer has specific guidelines which appear to be ignored. The developer also told Community Board 8 that all materials and equipment would be on the footprint of the property being developed. The building can be seen on the right behind the orange and black protective fencing which abuts the sidewalk. Other photos will show more violations that were seen on January 31st 2017. The building is months behind schedule, and I was told by one worker known as the site supervisor that the money for the building is running out. it also appears that there are no more than 3 or 4 workers on site working on the building at 650 West 238th Street, which included national holidays like Thanksgiving, New Years Day this year, and Martin Luther King Day.
Above - There is suppose to be a flagman at each side of the street which is closed, but there is none at the Independence Avenue and West 238th Street corner that is closed.
Below - You can see that this trailer has been left with materials still on it, blocking half of the one open sidewalk, and that snow has managed to gather on the trailer as well as the sidewalk.
Above - Materials are placed across the street as they are either unloaded or even loaded on to the trailer. Notice the amount of snow on the top of the pile.
Below - In case of an emergency this unhooked trailer can not be moved quickly especially as it creates a fire hazard near the hydrant on the street.
Here you can see how close the unhooked trailer is to the fire hydrant, and you can also see how much snow has accumulated on the support straps which hold materials on the trailer as they lay in the street.
The developer knew how hard it would be to build this eight story building where a one family house once stood, even placing the fire hydrant on the wrong side of the street (by accident?) in the street closure plan.
Does This Light Pole Need to Be Replaced?
One local businessman is worried that this pole on the corner of Greystone Avenue and West 238th Street is leaning to one side and that the wood pole may snap under the weight of the heavy wires it has to support. When snow occurs the burden on this pole is greater by the added weight of the snowfall. Also there are nicks at the bottom of the pole where delivery trucks have hit this pole while parking. He is worried that should this pole break that it would create a huge blackout which could cripple the immediate businesses and residents for days until repairs are made.
Rep. Engel Statement on The President’s Nomination of Neil Gorsuch For The Supreme Court Rep. Engel Statement on The President’s Nomination of Neil Gorsuch For The Supreme Court
Congressman Eliot L. Engel issued the following statement on the President’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court Justice:
“Tonight, the President shocked no one by picking Neil Gorsuch, a Supreme Court nominee with a regressive record who could only appeal to the furthest reaches of the extreme right-wing.
“Conservative ideologues will laud this pick, as it represents everything they have come to stand for— an anti-women, anti-civil rights, pro-gun agenda that can only serve to turn back the clock on American progress. The addition of Gorsuch to our highest court could spell doom for a woman’s right to choose, worker’s rights, gun safety, environmental protections, voting rights, and a whole host of other safeguards that protect working Americans.
“The pick is even more troubling when you remember what happened to Merrick Garland, a highly qualified jurist who drew universal praise from across the political spectrum. Senate Republicans stonewalled his nomination for a year – not for any legitimate reason, but just to deny President Obama his right to appoint a Supreme Court Justice. Their conduct was disgusting, and the abdication of their Constitutional duty set a precedent that I believe should not soon be forgotten. Senate Democrats would be wise to remember the example their Republican colleagues set when it comes to the Supreme Court nominating process.”
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Arrival Of Four Defendants From Kenya Charged With Trafficking In Massive Quantities Of Heroin And Methamphetamine
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Raymond Donovan, the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), today announced that four individuals charged with participating in a narcotics importation conspiracy arrived in New York from Kenya.
BAKTASH AKASHA ABDALLA, a/k/a “Baktash Akasha,” IBRAHIM AKASHA ABDALLA, a/k/a “Ibrahim Akasha,” GULAM HUSSEIN, a/k/a “Hussein Shabakhash,” a/k/a “Hadji Hussein,” a/k/a “Old Man,” and VIJAYGIRI ANANDGIRI GOSWAMI, a/k/a “Vijay Goswami,” a/k/a “Vicky Goswami,” were arrested in Mombasa, Kenya, on November 9, 2014, pursuant to a United States request, based on charges filed in the Southern District of New York arising out of their participation in a conspiracy to import kilogram quantities of heroin and methamphetamine into the United States. On November 10, 2014, a superseding Indictment was returned also charging the defendants with narcotics importation offenses based on their delivery of 99 kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of methamphetamine in Kenya, which they intended would be imported into the United States. The four defendants will be presented and arraigned in Magistrate Court later today.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, the four defendants who arrived yesterday in New York ran a Kenyan drug trafficking organization with global ambitions. For their alleged distribution of literally tons of narcotics – heroin and methamphetamine – around the globe, including to America, they will now face justice in a New York federal court.”
DEA Special Operations Division Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan said: “DEA pursues the most dangerous global drug traffickers who pose a direct threat to safety and stability around the world. We are relentlessly pursuing these criminal groups and their facilitators at every level with our law enforcement partners and we value and appreciate the work of our Kenyan counterparts. It is critical that we attack these dangerous networks before they can do even more damage worldwide and threaten innocent lives.”
According to the allegations in the superseding Indictment[1]:
From in or about March 2014 through the date of their arrests, BAKTASH AKASHA, IBRAHIM AKASHA, HUSSEIN, and GOSWAMI conspired to import kilogram-quantities of heroin into the United States. During the same period, BAKTASH AKASHA, IBRAHIM AKASHA, and GOSWAMI conspired to import kilogram quantities of methamphetamine into the United States.
BAKTASH AKASHA is the leader of an organized crime family in Kenya (the “Akasha Organization”) responsible for the production and distribution of ton quantities of narcotics within Kenya and throughout Africa. Moreover, the Akasha Organization’s distribution network extends beyond the African continent to include the distribution of narcotics for importation into the United States. IBRAHIM AKASHA is the brother and deputy of BAKTASH AKASHA. GOSWAMI manages the Akasha Organization’s drug business, including the production and distribution of methamphetamine and the procurement and distribution of heroin. HUSSEIN – a resident of Pakistan and a long-time associate of GOSWAMI – heads a transportation network that distributes massive quantities of narcotics throughout the Middle East and Africa, and has acknowledged responsibility for transporting tons of kilograms of heroin by sea.
Over the course of several months, during telephone calls and meetings in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya, the defendants agreed to supply, and in fact did supply, multi-kilogram quantities of heroin and methamphetamine to individuals they believed to be representatives of a South American drug-trafficking organization, but who were in fact confidential sources (the “CSes”) working at the direction and under the supervision of the DEA. BAKTASH AKASHA, IBRAHIM AKASHA, and GOSWAMI negotiated on behalf of the Akasha Organization to procure and distribute hundreds of kilograms of heroin from suppliers in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region and to produce and distribute hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine, which they understood would ultimately be imported into the United States. At the same time, HUSSEIN agreed to transport heroin from the Akasha Organization’s supplier in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region to East Africa, so that it could be delivered to the CSes.
During a meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, in April 2014, BAKTASH AKASHA introduced a CS via Skype to one of his heroin suppliers in Pakistan, who said he could provide 420 kilograms of 100 percent pure heroin – which he called “diamond” quality – for distribution in the United States. Thereafter, in June 2014, GOSWAMI began discussing with the CSes his ability to procure methamphetamine precursor chemicals and to establish labs to produce methamphetamine for importation to the United States. In a meeting in Mombasa in September 2014, BAKTASH AKASHA introduced HUSSEIN as a narcotics transporter from Afghanistan who moves ton quantities of narcotics using ships. BAKTASH AKASHA and GOSWAMI described the supplier of heroin for their deal with the CSes, to whom they referred as “the Sultan,” as the top supplier of white heroin in the world.
In September and October 2014, IBRAHIM AKASHA personally delivered one-kilogram samples of methamphetamine and heroin to the CSes in Nairobi on behalf of the Akasha Organization. Thereafter, during a telephone call in October 2014 between BAKTASH AKASHA, GOSWAMI, and one of the CSes, GOSWAMI reported that 98 “chickens” had arrived, referring to 98 kilograms of heroin. GOSWAMI said that the South American drug organization would only need to pay for half of the 98 kilograms of heroin because the Akasha Organization would cover the cost of remaining kilograms. Then, in early November, IBRAHIM AKASHA personally delivered 98 kilograms of heroin to the CSes in Nairobi on behalf of the Akasha Organization. A few days later, IBRAHIM AKASHA also delivered another kilogram of methamphetamine.
In the course these negotiations, the Akasha Organization provided a total of 99 kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of methamphetamine to the confidential sources, and agreed to provide hundreds of kilograms more of each. The defendants were arrested on November 9, 2014, in Mombasa, Kenya, prior to another planned meeting with the CSes.
BAKTASH AKASHA, 40, is a Kenyan national and a resident of Kenya. IBRAHIM AKASHA, 28, is also a Kenyan national and a resident of Kenya. HUSSEIN, 61, is a Pakistani national and a resident of Pakistan. GOSWAMI, 55, is an Indian national and a resident of Kenya. The defendants are charged with conspiring to import heroin into the United States (Count One), conspiring to import methamphetamine into the United States (Count Two), distributing heroin for unlawful importation into the United States (Count Three), and distributing methamphetamine for unlawful importation in the United States (Count Four). Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division’s Bilateral Investigations Unit. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance in bringing the defendants to the United States to face charges. Mr. Bharara also thanked the DEA’s Nairobi Country Office, the Government of the Republic of Kenya, the Kenyan National Police Services Anti-Narcotics Unit, and members of the Kenyan DEA Formal Vetted Unit.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Lockard and Emil J. Bove III are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the superseding Indictment, and the description of the superseding Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Wall Street Investment Analyst Found Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court Of Insider Trading
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOHN AFRIYIE, a former analyst at the Manhattan-based private investment fund (the “Fund”) was found guilty this afternoon in Manhattan federal court of securities fraud and wire fraud for committing insider trading. AFRIYIE made approximately $1.5 million in profits in connection with stock options he purchased based on material nonpublic information he misappropriated from the Fund about an impending acquisition of ADT Corporation (“ADT”).
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As a unanimous jury found today, John Afriyie, an investment fund analyst, made $1.5 million in illegal profits by trading in ADT stock, using inside information about ADT that he had obtained from the fund’s servers. To cover up his insider trading scheme, Afriyie destroyed incriminating emails and even claimed his own voice on a recorded call to his broker was actually his mother’s. The jury saw through Afriyie’s deception, and he now stands convicted of federal crimes.”
According to the Indictment other filings in Manhattan federal court and the evidence presented at trial:
In January 2016, Apollo Investment Management LLC (“Apollo”) contacted the Fund to discuss whether the Fund would provide debt financing for Apollo’s potential acquisition of ADT. The Fund entered into a non-disclosure agreement with Apollo and was granted access to confidential documents related to the ADT transaction. As an investment analyst at the Fund, AFRIYIE had access to the Fund’s network server, which maintained, among other things, electronic shared directory file folders containing material nonpublic information, including information about Apollo’s acquisition of ADT.
In violation of the Fund’s policies and in breach of his duties to the Fund, AFRIYIE repeatedly accessed material nonpublic information about Apollo’s pending acquisition of ADT in an electronic shared drive folder on the Fund’s network server. In approximately 28 separate transactions between January 28, 2016, and February 12, 2016, AFRIYIE purchased approximately 2,279 ADT call options for a total of $24,254.02 before the public announcement of that transaction. AFRIYIE purchased the ADT call options through a brokerage account in the name of AFRIYIE’s mother, which AFRIYIE controlled. AFRIYIE did not reveal his trades or the existence of the brokerage account to the Fund. As cover for his criminal scheme, AFRIYIE repeatedly pretended to be his mother in recorded telephone calls with his broker.
The public announcement of Apollo’s acquisition of ADT in February 2016 caused ADT shares to increase in value from $29.20 per share on the day AFRIYIE began purchasing ADT options to $39.64 per share, resulting in a corresponding increase in the value of the call options AFRIYIE had purchased. Upon subsequently selling the ADT options, AFRIYIE generated over $1.5 million in illicit profits.
In connection with his arrest, AFRIYIE lied to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) about his ADT options trades and falsely claimed that his own voice on a recorded call with his broker was really his mother’s voice. Following his arrest, AFRIYIE also attempted to delete the contents of an email account that he had used to communicate with his broker.
While the guilt phase of the trial has concluded, AFRIYIE has requested a jury determination as to whether certain assets are subject to forfeiture as proceeds of the offenses for which he was found guilty. That forfeiture proceeding remains ongoing and will resume tomorrow.
AFRIYIE, 29, of Freehold, New Jersey, was convicted of one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. AFRIYIE was remanded on January 23, 2016, after he refused to appear in court for trial, and he remains in custody. The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI and the Office’s Criminal Investigators. He also thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance.
The charges were brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has filed over 18,000 financial fraud cases against more than 25,000 defendants. For more information on the task force, please visitwww.StopFraud.gov.