Saturday, May 20, 2017

Van Cortlandt bird walks



VAN CORTLANDT BIRD WALKS, THE BRONX

Saturdays, May 6-July 298-9:30am

Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy

Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, Contact Joseph A. McManus at mcmanus638@aol.com. No registration necessary. No limit. 
Free, Provided by a grant from Councilman Andrew Cohen.


Pedestrian Safety Enhancements Needed After Deadly Times Square Attack


TIMES SQUARE ATTACK SHOWS MAJOR NEED FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS ON PEDESTRIAN-FILLED CORRIDORS, PLAZAS 


Council Transportation Chair Rodriguez, NYS Senator Hoylman & Trans Alt's Paul Steely White Call for Pedestrian Safety Enhancements Along Corridors Vulnerable to Attacks Like Times Square Driver

The deadly attack in Times Square yesterday, which took the life of an 18-year old young woman and injured over 20 more, exposed a glaring safety gap in the heart of New York City. Today, Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez was joined NYS Senator Brad Hoylman and Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White to propose enhancements to pedestrian safety in Times Square and other areas with high numbers of pedestrians.

Council Member Rodriguez announced that he is working on introducing legislation in the near future to require metal bollards along heavily trafficked sidewalks. These bollards are apparently what stopped the car driven by Mr. Rojas in Times Square, likely saving countless lives. New metal bollards would aim to protect soft spots in our city where a reckless, drunk or terrorist driver could take many lives today.

Council Member Rodriguez discussed the possibility of placing such bollards at other locations including in front of schools and along the most dangerous corridors in the city, where crashes occur with the greatest frequency. 

"Be it a terrorist, a reckless or drunk driver or even someone who loses control at the wrong moment, many of our sidewalks remain terribly vulnerable to the type of tragedy we witnessed in Times Square yesterday," said Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez. "While we have taken great strides toward a more walkable city, the truth remains that even on sidewalks, pedestrians are vulnerable to being killed by a vehicle. To save more lives on our streets, we need to enhance safety measures that have already proven successful, such as the metal bollards that likely saved lives yesterday. I agree with Paul White of Trans Alt that this was no accident and to call it such removes the necessary accountability we must face as a city. We can and should do more to keep our residents and visitors safe on our streets and street design is the first place to start."

Council Member Rodriguez and Trans Alt's Paul White also called for the consideration of a Car-Free Times Square in the future, as so much has already been done to turn this treasured space into a pedestrian oasis in the heart of Manhattan. On April 22nd, this space was included as part of Car Free Day and was fully pedestrianized along Broadway to the delight of thousands. As the city works to create more open space, this area remains one that stands to benefit most.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We can not understand this grandstanding by Councilman Rodriguez and Transportation Alternatives after this tragedy. This was a terrible incident, and we should do away with all elected officials then since several (much more than one incident) have gone to jail for corruption.

We will have to look at Councilman Rodriguez's Campaign Financial Statements to see if and just how much contributions to it came from people associated with Transportation Alternatives.    

Bronx Council for Environmental Quality - ALERT: 5/22 Pier 5 Tour of Mill Pond Park 5-7 pm


ADVOCATES, COMMUNITY BOARD MEMBERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES
COME TALK WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND LEADERS ABOUT OUR NEED FOR PARKS

The Harlem River Working Group, the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, South Bronx Unite, and Community Board 1 & 4 Residents invite you to participate in a tour of the Pier 5 Site just south of Mill Pond Park.  This site is being developed for housing and renamed Lower Concourse North, for the purposes of the ongoing Uniform Land Use Review Procedure ((ULURP)and the accompanying Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS).
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Community members will show proposals and documentation that demonstrate that this property was designated as parkland for the community and share obstacles that should prevent the city from building housing on this site in its current proposal.
 
RAIN OR SHINE
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Join us at 5:00 pm, this Monday May 22nd
at 149th Street and Exterior Street, in front of Pier 5.  

Please be aware this location will be busy at this time due to the Yankee Game.

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Friday, May 19, 2017

Anthony Weiner Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Transferring Obscene Material To A Minor


  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) announced that ANTHONY WEINER was charged with, and pled guilty to, transferring obscene material to a minor.  WEINER surrendered to the FBI in New York this morning, pled guilty before United States District Judge Loretta A. Preska, and was released on bail pending sentencing.  Sentencing has been scheduled for September 8, 2017, at 11 a.m.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “Today, former Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted and pled guilty to sending sexually explicit images and directions to engage in sexual conduct to a girl he knew to be 15 years old. Weiner’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but a federal crime, one for which he is now convicted and will be sentenced. We thank the FBI and the NYPD for their work in this investigation.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “We work every day in the FBI and law enforcement to stop adults from preying on vulnerable children. Our partnership with the NYPD cannot be stressed enough in this case, and we would like to thank the Special Victims Unit for all the work and effort they put into this investigation.”
According to the Information filed in Manhattan federal court today and statements made in Court during today’s plea proceeding, between in or about January and March 2016, WEINER used online messaging and video chat applications to communicate with a minor girl he knew to be 15 years old (the “Minor Victim”).  In the course of those communications, WEINER transferred obscene material to the Minor Victim, including directions to engage in sexual conduct and sexually explicit images. 
WEINER, 52, of New York, New York, has pled guilty to one count of transferring obscenity to a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Judge.
Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Victims Division of the New York City Police Department.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Anthony Weiners Wife Huma Abedin filed for a divorce shortly after this plea deal. 
It is widely believed that when the FBI seized Mr. Weiners computer shortly before the November Election, there were e-mails on the computer from Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to his soon to be former wife, which may of cost candidate Clinton the Presidency when an investigation was reopened on her.

Ramapo Town Supervisor, Christopher St. Lawrence, Found Guilty After Trial Of Conspiracy, Securities Fraud, And Wirefraud In Municipal Bond Securities Fraud Case


  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a federal jury today found former Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence guilty of 20 counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud in connection with municipal bonds issued by the Town of Ramapo (the “Town”) and the Ramapo Local Development Corporation (“RLDC”).  St. Lawrence was acquitted of one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud.  Today's verdict, which came after a four-week trial in federal court in White Plains, marks the first conviction for securities fraud in connection with municipal bonds.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kim said:  “As the jury found today after trial, Christopher St. Lawrence lied repeatedly to the investing public about the state of Ramapo’s finances. The integrity of the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market is of critical importance to both investors and municipalities that rely on this market. The verdict today in a case of public corruption meets securities fraud, stands as a victory for both honest government and fair financial markets.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial:
As of August 2015, the Town had more than $128 million in outstanding bonds that had been issued for various municipal purposes, while the RLDC, a corporation created and owned by the Town under state law, had issued $25 million in bonds to pay for the construction of Provident Bank Park, a minor league baseball stadium in Ramapo.
While the fraud predated the construction of the stadium, the Town's financial problems were caused largely by the $58 million total cost of the stadium.  The Town paid more than half of that cost, despite the rejection of the Town's guarantee of bonds to pay for construction of the stadium in a Town-wide referendum in 2010 and St. Lawrence’s public statements that no public money would be used to pay for the stadium.
The Indictment charged that St. Lawrence lied to investors in the Town’s and RLDC’s bonds in order to conceal the deteriorating state of the Town’s finances and the inability of the RLDC to make scheduled payments of principal and interest to holders of its bonds from its own money.  St. Lawrence lied to investors primarily by making up false assets in the Town’s General Fund. 
The General Fund is the Town’s primary operating fund.  The accumulated difference over time between how much money the Town receives in taxes and fees and how much it spends in a year is the fund’s balance.  The fund balance is a cushion that can be spent during difficult financial times.  The size of the fund balance relative to the amount of the fund’s revenue and trends in a town’s General Fund balance over time are the primary indicators of the town’s financial health. 
According to the Indictment and the evidence, St. Lawrence lied to the RLDC’s bond rating service in January 2013 when he told them in a telephone call that the 2012 fund balance would remain unchanged from the 2011 balance.  Immediately after that call ended, St. Lawrence told Town employees “to do [an upcoming] refinancing of the short term debt as fast as possible because . . . we’re going to have to all be magicians to get to some of those numbers.”
When the RLDC issued $25 million in bonds to build the stadium building itself in 2011, St. Lawrence inflated the size of the Town’s General Fund by including a false $3.6 million receivable in the General Fund.  The Town’s financial condition was important to investors in the RLDC’s bonds because the Town guaranteed the payments of principal and interest on the bonds.  Without that fake asset, the General Fund’s balance would have negative in that year.
In addition, St. Lawrence inflated the General Fund with another fake receivable for $3.08 million from 2010 through 2015.  It first went on the Town’s books when the RLDC agreed to buy property known as The Hamlets from the Town for $3.08 million.  That sale never closed because the land turned out to be a habitat for rattlesnakes.  Rather than take the receivable off the Town’s books - and reduce the size of the General Fund balance by $3.08 million, thereby pushing it into negative territory - St. Lawrence claimed the receivable had to do with the RLDC’s purchase of another property from the Town, which had already taken place.  To keep it on the books, St. Lawrence then caused the Town Attorney to tell the Town’s auditors over a period of years that the receivable would be paid back within a year, which was required if the receivable was going to stay in the General Fund.  Without this fake receivable alone, the Town’s General Fund balance would have been negative for years. 
In May 2013, the FBI searched Town Hall in connection with this investigation.  Less than 10 days later, St. Lawrence inflated another receivable in the General Fund - this one for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) to reimburse the Town for expenses from Hurricanes Irene and Sandy.  St. Lawrence claimed that the Town was going to receive $3.145 million from FEMA when the Town hadn’t even submitted those claims to FEMA yet.  Without St. Lawrence’s inflation of this receivable alone, the projected General Fund balance for 2012 would have been negative when the Town sold bonds in May 2013.
Finally, the Indictment alleged and the evidence showed that St. Lawrence told investors in the Town’s and RLDC’s bonds that the RLDC was making the payments on its bonds from its operating revenue meaning money it was making from its ordinary business of running the baseball stadium and selling condominiums at a development it had built.  That was important to investors because it led them to believe that the Town would not have to pay off the RLDC’s $25 million bonds.  It also made the RLDC’s bonds look less risky.  The RLDC actually made those payments from money it borrowed from the bank or money it got from the Town. 
ST. LAWRENCE, 65, of Wesley Hills, New York, was found guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; eight counts of securities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. 
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the FBI and the Rockland County District Attorney's Office.  Mr. Kim also thanked the Securities & Exchange Commission for its substantial assistance in the investigation and trial.

Virginia Man Arrested And Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With $100 Million Market Manipulation Scheme Involving Fitbit Stock


  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced the arrest and unsealing of a complaint charging ROBERT WALTER MURRAY with securities and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to manipulate the public market for the stock of Fitbit, Inc. (“Fitbit”) by filing a sham tender offer with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The sham tender offer reported a fictitious bid to purchase all outstanding Fitbit stock at a significant premium to the then-existing market price, resulting in a temporary but significant increase in the price of Fitbit stock on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Given the number of shares outstanding, the sham tender offer resulted in a manipulation of the market by over $100 million. MURRAY was arrested in Virginia and will be presented in the federal court in Manhattan today.
In a separate action, the SEC filed civil charges against MURRAY.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “As alleged, Robert Walter Murray created a fake tender offer for Fitbit to drive up its share price and then illegally profit from his manipulation of the market. After profiting at the expense of the public, Murray allegedly took elaborate steps to hide that he was behind the fraud. Our Office remains committed to ensuring that the securities markets are fair and free from manipulation. And we thank our partners at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, as well as the SEC, who as committed to this mission as we are.”
USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said: “Mr. Murray was clever, but not as much as the Fitbit brand he allegedly used when he set out to devise his stock manipulation scheme. In an effort to ‘get rich’ quick fraudsters believe they can game the system, but this arrest proves that no matter how much thought goes into a devious scheme, you can never outsmart law enforcement.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court:[1]
On or about November 8, 2016, MURRAY, purporting to be an officer at a China-based entity called ABM Capital, filed forms with the SEC requesting access to the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (or “EDGAR”) system. The following day, on or about November 9, 2016, MURRAY submitted a filing on EDGAR that reported that ABM Capital had offered to purchase Fitbit for approximately $12.50 a share, a significant premium to the price of Fitbit stock at the time. Fitbit’s stock jumped when this filing was made public on EDGAR the following day: while Fitbit’s stock closed at approximately $8.55 a share on November 9, 2016, it reached a high of approximately $9.27 per share, with significantly increased trading volume, after the tender offer filing was made public. Fitbit, however, had not actually received a tender offer from ABM Capital, and MURRAY’s filing was entirely fictitious.
Moreover, MURRAY took significant steps to hide his connection to the tender offer filing. MURRAY used a different name, purporting to be an officer at ABM Capital. And he created a separate email account to register with the SEC and file the sham tender offer, taking care to disguise his actual IP address when accessing it. While logged into that email account, MURRAY visited websites explaining how to use the SEC’s EDGAR system and conducted internet searches for similar market-manipulation schemes. Indeed, just days before filing his own sham tender offer with the SEC, MURRAY accessed a Bloomberg article that detailed a similar fraudulent tender offer for stock in Avon Products, Inc. – conduct that led to charges being filed in this District in United States v. Nedko Nedev, 16 Cr. 093.
In order to profit from his scheme, MURRAY bought call options for Fitbit stock on or about November 9, 2016. When the sham tender offer become public the following day, MURRAY sold his options for a profit. The options that MURRAY purchased had strike prices near or above the market price of Fitbit stock when they were purchased, and had expiration dates of November 11, 2016, meaning that they were set to expire the day after MURRAY filed his sham tender offer.
MURRAY is charged with one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud. Each of these charges carries a maximum term 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 sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Kim praised the exceptional work of the Office’s criminal investigators, and thanked the USPIS, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the SEC office of Inspector General for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert Allen is in charge of the prosecution.
The allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
 [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces Guilty Plea And Sentencing Of Two Individuals For Stealing From Medicaid


Two  Individuals Stole From Medicaid By Submitting False Timesheets For Services Not Provided 

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the pleas and sentences of two individuals in unrelated investigations for causing claims to be filed with Medicaid that falsely represented that home health care services were provided to relatives. Both Tina Gabel of Poughkeepsie and Enny Portillo of Highland Mills admitted to stealing from the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), a home care program funded by Medicaid. CDPAP allows a physically disabled individual or their representative to assume full responsibility for their home care and recruit, hire, train, supervise and fire the personal assistants providing the care.

“We will hold accountable those who steal from the Medicaid program,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “I am pleased that we are able to return stolen funds back to Medicaid, which will be put directly back towards helping those in need.”
Enny Portillo, 59, admitted that she knowingly verified false timesheets submitted to Priority Home Care Services, Inc. (Priority), a fiscal intermediary for CDPAP, claiming that CDPAP services were provided in her Orange County home to her relative between February 2010 and November 2011 by the personal assistant, another relative, while the recipient was out of the country. 
Tina Gabel, 59, admitted that she knowingly submitted false timesheets to AccentCare of New York, Inc., (AccentCare), a fiscal intermediary for CDPAP, which claimed that home-care services were provided to two of her relatives in Dutchess County between October 2011 and February 2015 when in fact the personal assistant, another relative, was not in Dutchess County.  As the relatives’ representative, Tina Gabel was responsible to oversee CDPAP care for both relatives and to submit and verify the accuracy of their assistants’ timesheets submitted to AccentCare. 
Tina Gabel pled guilty to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, in Dutchess County Court on February 17, 2017, before the Honorable Edward McLoughlin.  On April 21, 2017, Gabel paid $113,584 in restitution and was sentenced to five years of probation.
Enny Portillo pled guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, in Orange County Court on March 9, 2017, before the Honorable Craig Stephen Brown. Portillo, who has already paid $75,812 in restitution, was sentenced to five years of probation with 300 hours of community service.
The Attorney General would like to thank the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General and Orange County Department of Social Services for the referral of these matters and AccentCare of NY, Inc. for its cooperation in the case against Tina Gabel.

BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS FOR FATAL STABBING OF EX-GIRLFRIEND AFTER HE CAUSED VEHICLE CRASH


Defendant Rammed SUV on Pelham Parkway, Killed Victim Who Lay Trapped in Overturned Vehicle

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison with five years post-release supervision for stabbing his former girlfriend to death as she lay trapped in an overturned vehicle that he had caused to crash on Pelham Parkway in 2013. 

  District Attorney Clark said, “This was a ferocious case of domestic violence. The victim, who had broken up with the defendant after he assaulted her and had obtained an order of protection, was stalked by him while she was on a date. The defendant caused their vehicle to crash and flip on its side, and he then stabbed the victim. He will now serve 25 years for a horrendous crime that devastated the victim’s loved ones and left a young child motherless.” 

  District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Dionis Espinal, 35, of 950 Woodycrest Avenue, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison and five years post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle. Espinal had pleaded guilty to first-degree Manslaughter on February 21, 2017. 

  According to the investigation, on August 28, 2013, at about 4 a.m., Espinal chased Katherine German, with whom he had a daughter, and a man as they drove in an SUV in the vicinity of Pelham Parkway and the New England Thruway. Espinal sped ahead of them in his car, made a U-turn and rammed their SUV, causing it to overturn. He then reached in the passenger window and stabbed German multiple times in the neck.