NEWS FROM ASSEMBLYMAN SEPULVEDA

   State Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda today called the final budget numbers hammered out for school funding in the city and across the state "Good news for our children."

The $25.6 billion funding agreement, which came in the final hours of extended budget talks in Albany, will see statewide education spending grow by $1.1 billion, while taxpayers will continue to see their support for schools capped at 2 percent.

"This new budget will mean an additional $386 million for schools in the Bronx and the rest of the city," said Assembly Sepulveda. "That's good news for our children, especially in the Bronx where many of our schools in poorer districts are struggling to provide decent education."

Sepulveda noted that the delay in finalizing a state budget has also put pressure on school districts to put together their own spending plans, not knowing what funding will be coming from Albany.

"We can now get on with the business of giving our children the education they deserve," said Sepulveda.
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Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, a member of the Assembly Committee on Correction, hailed the breakthrough in Albany budget negotiations that will bar 16- and 17-year olds from being tried as adults.

     "This is an historic reform in the criminal justice system," Sepulveda said of the legislation, known as the Raise the Age bill.

     Once signed into law by Governor Cuomo, as expected, it will leave North Carolina as the only state in the nation that tries 16- and 17-year olds as adults.

    "And that state is now working to change the law, hopefully by the end of this year," the Assemblyman noted.

    "We've been arguing with a host of other legislators that medical and psychological evidence overwhelmingly points to adolescents in this age range lacking the judgmental and other skills when it comes to criminal behavior," said Sepulveda.

   "Throwing them in - and that's what it is - with adult offenders can damage them almost irreparably, and turn many into hardened criminals," said Sepulveda.

    "It can also leave a stigma on those convicted of non-violent crimes who will find themselves struggling to get ahead in life, for a job, for school or an apartment when they have a criminal record. This bill allows them, at some point, to apply to the courts to have their criminal record sealed," he noted.

   "This legislation will go a long way to curb a number of serious issues and hopefully save young lives."

William T. “Billy” Walters Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court Of Insider Trading

   Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that WILLIAM T. WALTERS, a/k/a “Billy,” was found guilty on all 10 counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud charges after a four-week trial before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel relating to his scheme to commit insider trading from 2008 through 2014, principally relating to securities of Dean Foods Company (“Dean Foods” or the “Company”). 

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “Today, Billy Walters lost his bet that he could cheat the securities markets on a massive scale and get away with it scot-free. As a unanimous jury swiftly found, Walters received inside information about Dean Foods for years – directly from one its board members – and illegally traded on it, netting over $43 million. Armed with his illegal edge, Walters made huge, perfectly-timed trades, at times accounting for over a third of the trading volume in Dean Foods stock. In engaging in his years-long stock fraud scheme, Walters underestimated law enforcement’s resolve to pursue and catch those who cheat the market. The integrity of the American financial markets is a bedrock principle upon which our economy and justice system relies, and this Office and our partners at the FBI are as committed as ever to protecting it.”

According to the allegations in the charging documents and statements made in court proceedings:

From 2008 through 2014, WALTERS and Thomas C. Davis, among others, participated in a scheme to commit insider trading principally related to securities of Dean Foods, a Fortune 500 company that is the largest processor and distributor of fresh milk in the United States.  Davis pled guilty to insider trading, perjury, and obstruction of justice charges on May 16, 2016 and has been cooperating with the investigation.

From 2001 until August 7, 2015, Davis served as a member of the Board of Directors of Dean Foods (the “Board”), and regularly possessed material, nonpublic information about Dean Foods, including about the Company’s financial performance and results, comprising quarterly earnings results; contemplated and actual corporate transactions; and other significant corporate and strategic developments (the “Inside Information”).  In furtherance of the scheme, Davis violated his duties of trust and confidence to Dean Foods by providing Inside Information to WALTERS in advance of public announcements.  WALTERS, knowing that Davis owed duties of trust and confidence to the Company, used the Inside Information to execute profitable trades in Dean Foods stock.  In total, WALTERS’ trading on the basis of Inside Information netted realized and unrealized profits of approximately $32 million and avoided additional losses of approximately $11 million.  In return for Davis providing the Inside Information to WALTERS, WALTERS, among other things, provided capital to Davis for joint business ventures and made two loans to Davis for approximately $1 million in total, which Davis largely did not repay.

In furtherance of the scheme, and to avoid detection by law enforcement, WALTERS provided Davis with a prepaid cellular phone to use when passing Inside Information to WALTERS.  Moreover, WALTERS further instructed Davis to use code words when discussing the Inside Information, including by referring to Dean Foods as the “Dallas Cowboys.”

WALTERS, 70, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, four counts of securities fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and four counts of wire fraud.  Count One carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  Counts Two through 10 each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The charges also carry a maximum fine of $5 million, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence for WALTERS will be determined by the judge.  WALTERS will be sentenced by Judge Castel on July 14, 2017.

Mr. Kim praised the work of the FBI and the Postal Inspection Service, and thanked the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) for their assistance.  He also thanked the Las Vegas offices of the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces Indictment Of NYC Landlord Dean Galasso For Mortgage Fraud

Arrest Follows Investigation By Joint State-City Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force

 Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced today that Dean Galasso, a New York City landlord with multiple properties in Manhattan and Queens, was indicted on six felony charges stemming from an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain a multi-million-dollar mortgage to finance the purchase of a rental building. This indictment results from an investigation led by the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force (“Task Force”), the multi-agency task force, which was announced by Attorney General Schneiderman, Mayor de Blasio, and Governor Cuomo in February 2015.

According to the indictment and papers filed in court Galasso allegedly submitted false mortgage documents to Investors Bank, including a falsified rent roll, to obtain a $5,025,000 mortgage to finance the purchase of 43 Essex Street, a 10-unit rental building in Manhattan. Galasso also allegedly forged certain leases for units in his building in an effort to support the false information contained in the rent roll, which Investors Bank relied upon to approve of its mortgage.

“Bad landlords are now on notice: if you attempt to break the law, we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Our task force will continue to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who try to game the system.”

Governor Cuomo said: “Today's actions send a strong message that any form of tenant harassment would not be tolerated in New York.  Our state’s Tenant Protection Unit will continue to use every legal means necessary to pursue and prosecute any landlord that blatantly violates our laws to ensure every tenant is protected.  

“We will use every tool at our disposal, including the criminal courts, to go after bad landlords who abuse their authority and hurt tenants,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “I thank Attorney General Schneiderman, DOB and HPD and our agency task force partners as we move to clean up the fraud and greed that hurts New York families.”

NYS Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said; “Once again, our Governor’s Tenant Protection Unit has exposed egregious wrong doing on the part of a bad landlord. TPU continues to operate on the forefront of proactive enforcement to protect the rights of rent regulated tenants. Thanks to our initial investigation, the help of Asian Americans for Equality and Manhattan Legal Services, and the hard work of the state and city Tenant Harassment Task Force, the residents at 43 Essex Street can rest assured that justice will be done on their behalf.”

“DOB is proud to work with Attorney General Schneiderman and all our Task Force partners to fight tenant abuses aggressively. Last year alone, the Task Force inspected 2,179 properties with complaints of tenant harassment, and we issued 2,163 violations and 276 stop-work orders. Where possible, we also make immediate repairs to keep tenants in their homes,” said NYC Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler, PE.

“This latest Task Force arrest shows that when we say bad landlords won’t be tolerated, we mean business,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “The joint City and State Task Force was created to aggressively target any building owner who attempts to skirt the law. I want to thank the Attorney General’s Office, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, and the New York City Department of Buildings for their continued partnership as we work to prevent harassment and ensure the safety of New York City residents.”

According to the unsealed indictment, Galasso, 49, faces one count of Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a Class B Felony, two counts of Forgery in the Second Degree, Class D Felonies, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, Class D Felonies, and one count of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a Class E Felony. If convicted, Galasso faces up to 25 years in prison.

The arrest is the result of a joint investigation into 43 Essex Street by the Task Force that resulted from tenant complaints of harassment and unsafe conditions. The Task Force inspections resulted in a referral of the criminal case to the Attorney General’s Office from the New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal, via its Tenant Protection Unit (“TPU”).

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces $100,000 Settlement With TRUSTe Over Flawed Privacy Certification Program For Popular Children’s Websites

TRUSTe's Failures Left Visitors To Popular Children's Websites Vulnerable To Illegal Tracking Technology 

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Imposes Major Restrictions On Online Tracking Of Children Under Age 13  

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a settlement with True Ultimate Standards Everywhere, Inc. (“TRUSTe”), in connection with the company's failure to adequately prevent illegal tracking technology from surfacing on some of the nation's most popular children's websites. TRUSTe's failure to adequately assess its customers’ websites, which included Roblox.com and Hasbro.com, left underage visitors to those websites vulnerable to illegal tracking prohibited under the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). 

As part of the settlement, TRUSTe will pay a penalty of $100,000 and adopt new measures to strengthen its privacy assessments. Today's settlement is the first time any state or federal law enforcement agency has taken action against the operator of a privacy certification program for children’s websites.

“Companies entrusted with protecting children’s privacy online have a responsibility that my office takes seriously – now, more than ever before,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “TRUSTe failed to meet its obligations to keep children safe from the prying eyes of online trackers and its customers within the parameters of the law.  My office is committed to protecting children online and will continue to hold accountable those who violate this or any other online privacy statute.”  

The settlement announced today concerns TRUSTe’s Children’s Privacy Program, a “safe harbor program,” designed to assess website operators’ compliance with COPPA. COPPA encourages operators of children’s websites to participate in such programs by providing a safe harbor from enforcement actions to operators that comply with safe harbor program rules.

As the operator of a COPPA safe harbor program, TRUSTe is required to conduct a comprehensive review of website operators’ policies, practices, and representations at least once per year to assess operators’ compliance with COPPA. The Attorney General’s office found, however, that TRUSTe’s annual reviews failed to adhere to the company’s own policies in the following critical respects:

• Although TRUSTe conducted electronic scans of customers’ websites for third-party tracking technology prohibited by COPPA, in many cases TRUSTe omitted most or all of its customers’ children’s webpages from its scans. TRUSTe therefore could not determine whether unexpected third party tracking technologies were present on these customers’ children’s websites.
• In many cases, TRUSTe failed to provide its customers with relevant results from its electronic scans, including some of the third party tracking technologies that TRUSTe had detected.  This deprived TRUSTe’s customers of an opportunity to analyze the results to identify tracking technologies that violate COPPA.
• TRUSTe accepted customers’ representations that third party tracking technologies found on their children’s websites did not violate COPPA instead of independently determining whether the tracking technologies violated COPPA. 

These failures allowed COPPA violations to continue on children’s websites. The settlement requires that TRUSTe implement a more rigorous privacy assessment process for its COPPA safe harbor program, including: 

• TRUSTe must conduct electronic scans of a substantial portion of each of its customers’ children’s websites for tracking technologies prohibited by COPPA.  Only dedicated employees with expertise and experience operating TRUSTe’s scanning software may conduct the scans. After scans have completed, employees must verify that each scan was conducted properly.
• TRUSTe must disclose to its customers every third party tracking technology identified through TRUSTe’s scans.  
• TRUSTe must require that its customers provide information about the third parties operating on the customers’ children’s websites, including the types of information each third party collects and how that information is used.  
• TRUSTe must review the information that customers provide to determine whether each of the identified third party tracking technologies violates COPPA.
• TRUSTe must maintain a database of third party tracking technologies to assist in its determination of whether identified third party tracking technologies violate COPPA.

The Office of the Attorney General thanks the Federal Trade Commission for its assistance in this case.

This is the second announcement made in connection with “Operation Child Tracker,” the Attorney General’s ongoing investigation into the illegal tracking of children’s online activity by marketers, advertising companies, and others.  In September 2016, the Attorney General announced that his office had entered into settlements with four companies that had violated COPPA by allowing illegal third-party tracking technologies on some of the nation’s most popular kids’ websites, including websites for Barbie, Nick Jr., My Little Pony, American Girl, Hot Wheels, and dozens of others.  Those companies agreed to pay penalties totaling $835,000 and to adopt comprehensive reforms to protect children from improper tracking and the collection of children’s personal information in the future.

Ten Members Of Westchester-Based Crew Charged In White Plains Federal Court With Robbery And Firearms Offenses, Among Other Crimes

Crew members are alleged to have committed at least nine robberies and over 50 commercial burglaries in the greater New York City area.

   Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr., District Attorney for the County of Westchester, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging ten individuals with participating in a conspiracy to commit robberies, including at least nine robberies and attempted robberies that occurred in Westchester County and the Bronx, New York. The indictment also charges certain defendants with carrying, brandishing, and discharging firearms in connection with the robbery conspiracy, as well as other theft-related offenses.

Seven of the defendants charged were taken into custody today. Three defendants, JASON AUZA, GUILLERMO FERNANDEZ and KASEAN GALLOWAY, were already in state custody on other charges. All of the defendants arrested today will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison in White Plains federal court this afternoon.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “As alleged, the ten defendants charged today went on a brazen crime spree across Westchester and the Bronx, robbing and attempting to rob at least nine businesses and drug dealers, often armed with guns. We are grateful to all of our law enforcement partners for their work in bringing the dangerous alleged crimes by this determined crew to an end.”

Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, JR. said: “I applaud the outstanding police work that enabled us to apprehend these dangerous criminals. This inter-agency collaboration is critical to our efforts to bring down these gangs who have been terrorizing our citizens over the past two years.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. said: “As we allege, robberies and burglaries were the profit making ways of the 10 members of a loosely organized criminal charged group today. Sometimes armed, sometimes not, this crew varied their targets from commercial establishments to drug dealers. Getting criminal groups off our streets is the mission of the Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and I’m proud to say today’s arrest meets that mission. I commend the FBI agents and the task force detectives and officers on their hard work and collaboration in bringing this investigation towards prosecution.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and other publicly filed documents[1]:

From at least 2012 to in or about December 2016 ALEX AYALA, a/k/a “Al Bundy,” JASON AUZA, DENNIS BROWN, a/k/a “Bundles,” NELSON CARTAGENA, ANDRE EMILIEN, a/k/a “Dre,” ELBIO ESPAILLAT, a/k/a “LB,” GUILLERMO FERNANDEZ, a/k/a “Chino,” KESEAN GALLOWAY, a/k/a “K,” JOHN NASSAR, a/k/a “Mush,” a/k/a “Big Johnny,” and PAUL VALLARO, were members of a loosely organized criminal crew based primarily in Westchester County, New York (the “Crew”). Members of the Crew worked together to enrich themselves and their fellow Crew members through thefts, burglaries, and robberies, both armed and unarmed. From 2015 to December 2016, members of the Crew burglarized over 50 commercial establishments in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Fairfield (CT) Counties. With respect to robberies, members of the Crew targeted both commercial establishments and drug dealers. Additionally, members of the Crew worked together to sell drugs, including drugs stolen from drug dealers during robberies and other thefts, and shared in the profits from those sales.

Count One of the Indictment charges AYALA, AUZA, BROWN, CARTAGENA, EMILIEN, ESPAILLAT, FERNANDEZ, GALLOWAY, and VALLARO with conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robberies. Count Two charges FERNANDEZ and NASSAR with robbing a pizzeria employee at gunpoint in the vicinity of Morsmere Avenue in Yonkers on October 5, 2012. Count three charges AYALA, AUZA, CARTAGENA, FERNANDEZ, GALLOWAY, and VALLARO with using and carrying firearms, some of which were brandished and discharged, during and in relation to the robbery conspiracy charged in Count One. Court Four charges FERNANDEZ and NASSAR with using, carrying and brandishing firearms during and in relation to the robbery charged in Count Two. Count Five charges CARTAGENA with transporting over $25,000 in stolen goods across state lines in connection with a commercial burglary in Connecticut on December 2, 2016. Count Six charges GALLOWAY with committing a carjacking in Yonkers on February 21, 2016.

Charts containing the names, ages, residences, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The 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. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of agents and investigators from the FBI, the United States Probation Office, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the New York City Police Department, the City of Yonkers Police Department, the City of Peekskill Police Department, and the Mount Vernon Police Department.

Mr. Kim also thanked the following law enforcement agencies for their assistance: the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Bedford Police Department, the Irvington Police Department, the Greenburgh Police Department, the Yorktown Police Department, the Mount Pleasant Police Department, the Village of Pleasantville Police Department, the Clarkstown Police Department, Town of Kent Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the New York State Police, the Ridgefield (CT) Police Department, and the Danbury (CT) Police Department.

The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Martin and Scott Hartman, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Abinanti, of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, 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.

UNITED STATES v. AYALA, ET AL., 17 Cr. 202 (___)

DEFENDANT	AGE	CITY OF RESIDENCE	CHARGES	MAX SENT.
AYALA, ALEX a/k/a “Al Bundy”	37	Bronx,      NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924	20 Years   Life
AUZA, JASON	27	Yonkers,    NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924	20 Years   Life
DENNIS BROWN a/k/a “Bundles”	36	Yonkers,    NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951	20 Years
NELSON CARTAGENA	30	Yonkers,  NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924 Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property 18 U.S.C. § 2314	20 Years   Life     10 Years
ANDRE EMILIEN a/k/a “Dre”	33	Yonkers,  NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951	20 Years
ELBIO ESPAILLAT a/k/a “LB”	42	Bronx,   NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951	20 Years
GUILLERMO FERNANDEZ a/k/a “Chino”	43	Yonkers,  NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Hobbs Act Robbery 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924	20 Years   20 Years   Life
KASEAN GALLOWAY a/k/a “K”	20	Yonkers,  NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924 Carjacking 18 U.S.C. § 2119	20 Years   Life   15 Years
JOHN NASSAR a/k/a “Mush” a/k/a “Big Johnny”	42	Yonkers,  NY	Hobbs Act Robbery 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924	20 Years   Life
PAUL VALLARO	39	Elmsford,  NY	Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy 18 U.S.C. § 1951 Firearms Offense 18 U.S.C. § 924	20 Years   Life

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

BRONX LAWYER INDICTED FOR FAILING TO FILE STATE TAXES FOR THREE YEARS

Defendant Also Did Not Secure Workers’ Compensation for Employees; Owes NYS Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Taxes and Workers’ Comp Liabilities 

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx attorney who practices real estate law has been indicted on several economic crimes spanning six years, including repeatedly failing to file income taxes and failing to secure Workers’ Compensation for her employees. 

  District Attorney Clark said “For years, this defendant allegedly blatantly ignored several financial obligations. Such disrespect of the law is especially shocking coming from an attorney and it is ultimately a slap in the face of hardworking taxpayers.” 

  New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Nonie Manion said, “All New Yorkers are obligated to pay their fair share of taxes in a voluntary, timely manner. When that doesn’t happen, our agency, working with other law enforcement organizations, will take action. We thank the Bronx District Attorney for prosecuting this case.” 

  District Attorney Clark said that defendant, Kathleen Bradshaw, 53, of Ardsley, N.Y., was arraigned on April 6, 2017 before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. She is due back in court on May 10, 2017. She faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

  Bradshaw was indicted on Repeated Failure to File Personal Income and Earnings Taxes, first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing and three felony counts of Failure to Secure Workers’ Compensation and one misdemeanor count of Failure to Secure Workers’ Compensation. She owes the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and Workers’ Compensation liabilities. According to the investigation, 

  Bradshaw allegedly failed to file New York State taxes from 2009 to 2011. She also allegedly falsely reported information on a 2014 NYS-45 form. Furthermore, Bradshaw allegedly violated the Workers’ Compensation Law, failing to provide coverage for her employees from 2012 to 2015. 

  District Attorney Clark thanked the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance’s Criminal Investigations Division for their valuable assistance in this investigation.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt. 

Statement from Congressman Member Michael A. Blake on U.S. military strike against the Syrian government

Statement from Congressman Member Michael A. Blake on U.S. military strike against the Syrian government

Bashar Assad is a merciless dictator in Syria whose actions are barbaric and inhumane.  His latest chemical warfare attacks have taken the lives of many of his own people, especially innocent women and children.  This behavior in Syria has already lead to a strong response by the United States going back to 2014 under President Obama, where he sought Congressional approval.

While I do acknowledge that swift and decisive action is necessary, the need for Congressional authorization and oversight is equally critical.  Let us remember that in 2013, 183 Republicans voted against President Obama plan to take action.  In September 2014, as part of a Coalition campaign against ISIS, the U.S began launching attacks against ISIS in Syria under the leadership of President Obama.

The reports, that the Russian government appear to have had more information and at a much earlier time than our own Representatives in government, are of great concern. The U.S. Intelligence community has a duty to share its intelligence with the legislative branch so that they may make informed and impartial decisions on matters of national security.

Yes, Assad must be shown that his wanton disregard for human life will not continue without harsh response.  But, let us ensure that we live up to our values set forth by the Constitution, and respect all branches of government and the representatives we elect to serve.

If we are truly the compassionate and welcoming nation that we proclaim to be, we must welcome Syrian refugees fleeing violence in their country. To strike their country, which plays such a critical role in the displacement of these refugees while previously and continuously saying that they are not welcome is utterly inhumane and flies in the face of our values as Americans.

STATEMENTS FROM MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO AND BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT RUBEN DIAZ JR. ON STATE SUPREME COURT RULING

  STATEMENT FROM MAYOR DE BLASIO ON STATE SUPREME COURT RULING PROTECTING IDNYC INFORMATION

“With this decision the State Supreme Court protected the personal information of a million New Yorkers. IDNYC was created to protect people and connect them to vital services and today’s decision ensures it will continue to do just that. We applaud the ruling and will fight any attempt to appeal it.”

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ

RE: Court Ruling on IDNYC

“IDNYC is a critical resource for all New Yorkers, and today’s ruling is the correct decision. Given the dramatic changes we have seen in Washington regarding immigration and other issues it is important that the data of every New Yorker, be they undocumented or not, is protected. Today’s ruling will allow us to do just that,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.