Wave Hill Events Nov 24–Dec 8

With Thanksgiving, the holiday season takes off, whether we feel ready or not. Start it with our gift to you: A free session of Black Friday Meditation. The next week, on the last day of November, Wave Hill holds its annual Members Night, a spectacular time for an evening in the gardens. The moon should be close to full, so we’ll hope for clear skies. If you haven’t become a Wave Hill Member, this would be the perfect time: Members Night kicks of a three-week-long sale in The Shop at Wave Hill, just for Members and just in time for holiday shopping—but with a twist: You actually get to relax while you browse!

Just to further that mellow spirit, come back December 3 when the Swingtime Big Band performs holiday favorites. I’d reserve tea in advance if I were you, and make a perfect day of it.

December is also the last day to see our exhibition of work from ten years of the Sunroom Project Space—50 works by 50 of the 60 emerging artists who have shown in the space since it opened ten years ago. Then Glyndor Gallery goes into hibernation until the new year, when it reopens as studio space. Here’s the caption and credit for the photo I have attached of one of the works in the anniversary show: Steven Millar, Many-Eyed Object, 2017. Wood, glass, paint, steel. Courtesy of the artist.

Lots to gobble, gobble!

Fri, November 24    Black Friday Meditation

Avoid “Black Friday” busyness! Join us for a community meditation focused on gratitude and clearing your mind of holiday clutter. Get inspired by the outdoors and the peace and tranquility that nature evokes, and learn how to work loving kindness into daily life. Led by Neem Dewji of Yoga for Bliss. Registration not required. Please bring a meditation cushion and be on time; latecomers will not be admitted. Free with admission to the grounds.

ECOLOGY BUILDING, 11AM–NOON

Sat, November 25    Family Art Project: Natural Weavings for Harvest Time

Gather fall leaves, cones, pods and seed heads. Weave them together with other materials from the gardens and meadows to create a decorative wall hanging celebrating the bounty and beauty of the season. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sat, November 25    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

Sat, November 25    Family Gallery Tour

Explore artwork on view in Glyndor Gallery on a family-friendly tour with a Curatorial Fellow. Children ages six and older welcome with an adult. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT WAVE HILL HOUSE, NOON

Sat, November 25    Gallery Tour

Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow leads a tour of the current exhibition in Glyndor Gallery. This fall, the entire gallery is given over to new site-responsive projects honoring the tenth anniversary of Wave Hill’s Sunroom Project Space. Call & Response showcases the work of 50 artists who have exhibited in this unique venue, in projects ranging from art objects created from natural materials gathered onsite, to sound pieces, outdoor installations and performance works. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Sun, November 26    Family Art Project: Natural Weavings for Harvest Time

Gather fall leaves, cones, pods and seed heads. Weave them together with other materials from the gardens and meadows to create a decorative wall hanging celebrating the bounty and beauty of the season. Free with admission to the grounds. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sun, November 26    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

Mon, November 27    

Closed to the public.

Tue, November 28    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

Tue, November 28    Gallery Tour

Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow leads a tour of the current exhibition in Glyndor Gallery. This fall, the entire gallery is given over to new site-responsive projects honoring the tenth anniversary of Wave Hill’s Sunroom Project Space. Call & Response showcases the work of 50 artists who have exhibited in this unique venue, in projects ranging from art objects created from natural materials gathered onsite, to sound pieces, outdoor installations and performance works. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Thu, November 30    Members Night 2017

Mark your calendars for Wave Hill’s biggest shopping night of the year! Join us for this exclusive, Members-only event and experience the breathtaking beauty of Wave Hill on an early-winter evening. Shop for boutique merchandise in The Shop, and find the perfect gift for that special someone—and everyone!—on your list. Iconic Armor Hall is transformed into a seasonal market with local artisans on hand to share unique and specialty goods and gourmet offerings. Dine in The Café, and complete the experience with live music in the warmth of Wave Hill House: pianist Janice Friedman performs in the Mark Twain Room. This event is not to be missed!

WAVE HILL HOUSE, PERKINS VISITOR CENTER & GLYNDOR GALLERY, 5:30–9PM

Sat, December 2    Family Art Project: Candles, Snowflakes and Stars

Fire and ice don’t usually go together, but as the winter days get shorter and colder, we’ll celebrate both. Take a simple candlestick and, using colorful, clay-like wax, mix and mold your own image of winter onto a candle, or weave a spectacular string-star or symmetrical, button snowflake. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sat, December 2    Members Sale in The Shop at Wave Hill

Wave Hill Members enjoy a discount of 20% on all their purchases in The Shop, from December 1 through December 22. 

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM

Sat, December 2    Gallery Tour

Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow leads a tour of the current exhibition in Glyndor Gallery. This fall, the entire gallery is given over to new site-responsive projects honoring the tenth anniversary of Wave Hill’s Sunroom Project Space. Call & Response showcases the work of 50 artists who have exhibited in this unique venue, in projects ranging from art objects created from natural materials gathered onsite, to sound pieces, outdoor installations and performance works. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Sun, December 3    Family Art Project: Candles, Snowflakes and Stars

Fire and ice don’t usually go together, but as the winter days get shorter and colder, we’ll celebrate both. Take a simple candlestick and, using colorful, clay-like wax, mix and mold your own image of winter onto a candle, or weave a spectacular string-star or symmetrical, button snowflake. Free with admission to the grounds. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sun, December 3    Members Sale in The Shop at Wave Hill

Wave Hill Members enjoy a discount of 20% on all their purchases in The Shop, from December 1 through December 22. 

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM

Sun, December 3    Pre-Concert Tea

Enjoy Afternoon Tea in the Mark Twain Room prior to today’s concert in Armor Hall. The Café at Wave Hill pairs a classic menu with an assortment of green, black and herbal teas. This traditional tea service includes the four classic elements of savory, scones, sweets and tea. The menu, presented by Great Performances, includes an array of tea sandwiches, scones and bite-sized desserts. Afternoon Tea also includes a glass of sparkling wine. Afternoon Tea Service is $36. Wave Hill Members receive a 10% discount. Advanced registration is required online. We will take reservations until 5PM, Thursday, November 30.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, NOON–2PM

Sun, December 3    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

Sun, December 3    Concert: Swingtime Big Band

Be part of the tradition at Wave Hill and welcome the holidays with a high-energy performance by the Swingtime Big Band, an authentic, 20-piece ensemble under the direction of Steve Shaiman. The band will offer a mix of seasonal favorites, including the Nutcracker Suite, complemented by swing classics from the libraries of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw and Les Brown, with favorites of Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of each legendary singer. Tickets for this two-hour concert, which includes one intermission, are $45/$35 Wave Hill Member. Order tickets online at wavehill.org or onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center. For additional information, please call 718.549.3200 x251.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 2PM

Mon, December 4    

Closed to the public.

Tue, December 5    Members Sale in The Shop at Wave Hill

Wave Hill Members enjoy a discount of 20% on all their purchases in The Shop, from December 1 through December 22. 

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM

Wed, December 6    Members Sale in The Shop at Wave Hill

Wave Hill Members enjoy a discount of 20% on all their purchases in The Shop, from December 1 through December 22. 

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM

Thu, December 7    Members Sale in The Shop at Wave Hill

Wave Hill Members enjoy a discount of 20% on all their purchases in The Shop, from December 1 through December 22. 

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM

Fri, December 8    Members Sale in The Shop at Wave Hill

Wave Hill Members enjoy a discount of 20% on all their purchases in The Shop, from December 1 through December 22. 

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–4:30PM, November 1–March 14. Closes 5:30PM, starting March 15.

ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

Bronx Jewish Community Council - Volunteer Survey

The BJCC Volunteer Department has been invited to participate in a national Volunteer Survey, conducted by the research group at Brandeis University Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Thought, on behalf of the UJA/Federation of NYC.

Participation in this study is completely anonymous and completely voluntary.

 No further solicitation or information will be forwarded to you unless we receive a response with your email at Info@bjcconline.org, requesting the code to participate.  We are following this particular protocol in order to protect the privacy of our volunteer team.

 All requests for participation must be received by November 20, 2017.  This invitation to participate will only go out this one time and will not be followed up in any other way.

What Do You and the BJCC have to gain by your participation? 

Research done by this study will help us understand the best practices to match volunteers with services needed in order to secure the highest satisfaction both to our agency and to our volunteer s, thus increasing the productivity of your service and making it as meaningful as possible for you.

In the interest of full disclosure:

The code you will be given when you sign up will be anonymous to everyone but the BJCC Volunteer Department.  However, the Brandeis Team has offered a $10 gift certificate to the first 50 individual in our agency who volunteer for the project.  If you are one of the first 50, we will contact you for permission to forward your address to receive your gift card.

Thanks so very much-looking forward to hearing from you!!!

Learn more about Bronx Jewish Community Council's volunteer opportunities and how to get involved at www.bjcconline.org 

Former Director Of Fixed Income And Head Of Portfolio Strategy At The New York State Common Retirement Fund Pleads Guilty In “Pay-For-Play” Bribery Scheme

   Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that NAVNOOR KANG, the former Director of Fixed Income and Head of Portfolio Strategy at the New York State Common Retirement Fund (“NYSCRF”), pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken for participating in a massive “pay-for-play” bribery scheme involving the NYSCRF, the nation’s third largest public pension fund. 

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “As an investment professional with New York State Common Retirement Fund, Navnoor Kang owed a duty to the public employees whose pension money he oversaw.  But in this case of public corruption meets securities fraud, Kang sold himself and his duty to safeguard public retirement money for luxury vacations, jewelry, cash and even drugs.  He has now admitted to his crimes and is a convicted felon. ”

According to allegations contained in the Indictment charging KANG and statements made during his plea proceeding:

The NYSCRF

The NYSCRF is a pension fund administered for the benefit of public employees of the State of New York.  From January 2014 through February 2016, KANG served as Director of Fixed Income and Head of Portfolio Strategy for the NYSCRF.  In that capacity, KANG was responsible for investing more than $53 billion in fixed-income securities and was entrusted with discretion to manage those investments on behalf of the NYSCRF.  KANG owed a fiduciary duty to the NYSCRF and its members and beneficiaries, and was required to make investment decisions in their best interests and free of any conflict of interest.  New York State law and NYSCRF policies prohibited KANG and other NYSCRF employees from receiving any bribes, gifts, benefits, or consideration of any kind.

The Scheme to Steer NYSCRF Fixed-Income Business in Exchange for Secret Bribes

From 2014 through 2016, KANG and others participated in a scheme to defraud the NYSCRF and its members and beneficiaries, and to deprive the NYSCRF of its intangible right to KANG’s honest services.  The scheme involved, among other things, an agreement among KANG, Deborah Kelley, a managing director of institutional fixed income sales at New York-based broker-dealer (“Broker-Dealer-1”), Gregg Shonhorn, a vice president of fixed income sales at a New York-based broker-dealer (“Broker-Dealer-2”), and others to pay KANG bribes – in the form of entertainment, travel, lavish meals, prostitutes, nightclub bottle service, narcotics, tickets to sports games and other events, luxury gifts, and cash payments for strippers and KANG’s personal expenses – in exchange for fixed-income business from the NYSCRF.  Such bribes – which totaled more than $100,000 – were strictly forbidden by the NYSCRF, and were paid secretly and without any disclosure to the NYSCRF and its members and beneficiaries concerning the conflicts of interest inherent therein. 

In exchange for the bribes paid by Kelley, Schonhorn, and others, KANG used his position as Director of Fixed Income and Head of Portfolio Strategy at the NYSCRF to promote the interests of Kelley, Schonhorn, and their respective brokerage firms.  KANG, in exchange for the bribes he received, agreed to steer fixed-income business to Broker-Dealer-1 and Broker-Dealer-2.  In fact, KANG steered more than $3 billion in fixed-income business to Broker-Dealer-1 and Broker-Dealer-2, from which Kelley, Schonhorn, and their respective employers earned millions of dollars in commissions from the NYSCRF.  In so doing, KANG, with the knowledge and approval of Kelley and Schonhorn, breached his fiduciary duty to make investment decisions in the best interest of the NYSCRF and its members and beneficiaries, and free of conflict, and deprived the NYSCRF of its intangible right to KANG’s honest services.

As the bribes paid by Schonhorn to KANG increased, so too did Broker-Dealer-2’s fixed-income business with the NYSCRF.  The value of the NYSCRF’s domestic bond transactions with Broker-Dealer-2 skyrocketed from zero in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, to approximately $1.5 million in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, to approximately $858 million in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015, and to approximately $2.378 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016.  Broker-Dealer-2 became the third largest broker-dealer with which the NYSRCF executed domestic bond transactions for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, having not even been on the approved list in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.  As the NYSCRF’s third largest broker-dealer in this asset class, Broker-Dealer-2 brokered approximately eight percent of the total value of the NYSCRF’s domestic bond transactions – a figure greater than that of all but two of the major international banks and brokerage houses on the list.  Similarly, the value of NYSCRF’s domestic bond transactions with Broker-Dealer-1 increased from zero in the fiscal year ending March 1, 2014, to approximately $156 million in the fiscal year ending March 1, 2015, and to approximately $179 million in the fiscal year ending March 1, 2016. 

KANG’s trades resulted in the payment of millions of dollars in commissions to Broker-Dealer-1 and Broker-Dealer-2, of which Kelley and Schonhorn personally earned approximately 35 to 40 percent.

The Obstruction of Justice

In late 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) opened an investigation into the entertainment and benefits that Kelley had provided KANG, and the SEC subpoenaed both KANG and Kelley for their testimony.  In advance of their testimony, KANG and Kelley agreed to align their stories and testify falsely before the SEC in order to conceal their scheme.  In late 2015 and early 2016, KANG and Kelley each falsely testified under oath before the SEC about expenses Kelley had paid for KANG.  Moreover, after a federal grand jury investigation was opened, KANG instructed Schonhorn to testify falsely before the grand jury, and KANG admitted that he had hidden relevant evidence. 

KANG, 37, of Glendale, California, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  KANG is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2018, by Judge Oetken.

Kelley and Schonhorn have each pled guilty for participating in the scheme.  Kelley was sentenced by Judge Oetken to three years of probation. 

Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and noted that the investigation is continuing.   He also thanked the SEC, which filed civil charges against Kang, Kelley, and Schonhorn in a separate civil action, and the Office of Inspector General for the Office of the New York State Comptroller.

Former Chief Financial Officer Of American Realty Capital Partners Sentenced For Accounting Fraud

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that BRIAN BLOCK, the former chief financial officer of the publicly traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) formerly known as American Realty Capital Partners (“ARCP”), was sentenced to 18 months in prison for inflating a key metric used to evaluate the financial performance of publicly traded REITS in ARCP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).  BLOCK was convicted by a jury in June, following a three-week trial before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who imposed today’s sentence.[1]          

Acting Manhattan U.S. Joon H. Kim said:  “Block, the CFO of a major REIT, deliberately cooked the books to mislead investors and the SEC.  Investors in our securities markets must be able to trust that corporate officers will not lie about the financial health of a publicly traded company.  And corporate officers who do lie face time in a federal prison, as Brian Block has learned.”

According to allegations contained in the Indictment, and evidence presented during the trial in Manhattan federal court:

In 2014, ARCP was a publicly traded REIT headquartered in Manhattan, New York.  ARCP’s securities traded under the symbol “ARCP” on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (“NASDAQ”) exchange.

ARCP, like many REITs, measured its financial performance through metrics besides, or in addition to, traditional measurements of company performance calculated using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).  ARCP calculated and reported to the investing public a non-GAAP measure called adjusted funds from operations, or AFFO, which was designed to more accurately reflect ARCP’s cash flow and financial performance by presenting ARCP’s income before consideration of non-cash depreciation and amortization expense and by excluding certain one-time charges and expenses.  REITs such as ARCP commonly reported their AFFO figures, including AFFO per share, to the investing public and in filings with the SEC.  ARCP also provided forward-looking guidance to the investing public regarding their anticipated AFFO performance in upcoming time periods.      

Prior to the filing of ARCP’s Form 10-Q setting forth ARCP’s financial statements for the second quarter of 2014 (the “Second Quarter 10-Q”), BRIAN BLOCK, along with Lisa McAlister and others, came to understand that the method used by ARCP to calculate AFFO in the first quarter of 2014 and in certain previous quarters was erroneously inflated.  Another employee of ARCP (“CC-1”) had brought this methodological error to the attention of BLOCK, McAlister, and others shortly before the filing of ARCP’s first quarter 2014 10-Q (the “First Quarter 10-Q”), but no corrective change was made to the First Quarter 10-Q while the issue was under review.  Following the filing of the First Quarter 10-Q, CC-1 concluded, and advised BLOCK, McAlister, and others, that the reported AFFO per share calculation for the first quarter of 2014 was overstated by approximately $0.03 per share.  Instead of $0.26 per share, which was publicly reported by ARCP to its shareholders and the investing public, and which placed ARCP on track to meet its full-year AFFO per-share guidance, the correct AFFO for the first quarter of 2014 was $0.23 per share.  

Despite his knowledge of a material error in ARCP’s previous filings with the SEC, BLOCK took no steps to advise the Audit Committee of ARCP’s Board of Directors, or ARCP’s outside auditors, of the error in the First Quarter 10-Q.  Moreover, BLOCK, McAlister, and CC-1 then knowingly facilitated the use of the same materially misleading calculations in ARCP’s Second Quarter 10-Q.  For example, on July 24, 2014, a draft of ARCP’s Second Quarter 10-Q was circulated to members of ARCP’s Audit Committee.  The draft included an AFFO calculation for the six-month period ending June 30, 2014, that incorporated AFFO figures from the first quarter of 2014 that BLOCK, McAlister, and CC-1 knew to be erroneously inflated.

On July 28, 2014, BLOCK met with McAlister and CC-1 in his office in Manhattan for the purpose of finalizing the financial figures that were to be included in ARCP’s Second Quarter 10-Q.  Utilization of a proper method to calculate ARCP’s second quarter 2014 AFFO would have exposed that the reported AFFO and AFFO per share figures from the first quarter were inflated.  Accordingly, during the meeting, BLOCK, McAlister, and CC-1 inserted into a spreadsheet BLOCK was using to calculate AFFO and AFFO per share for the first and second quarters of 2014 and for the first six months of 2014 (“YTD 2014”) figures that fraudulently inflated the AFFO and AFFO per share calculations that were to be included in the Second Quarter 10-Q and the related ARCP press release.  The fraudulent numbers BLOCK, McAlister, and CC-1 used to inflate the AFFO and AFFO per share figures had no basis in fact, were without documentary support, and did not tie to ARCP’s general ledger accounting system, as BLOCK knew and understood at the time.  The fraudulent numbers included in the spreadsheet prepared by BLOCK were then incorporated into ARCP’s Second Quarter 10-Q, which was filed with the SEC the following day.  As a result of the manipulative efforts of BLOCK, McAlister, and CC-1, ARCP’s SEC filings included AFFO and AFFO per share figures for the second quarter of 2014 and for the first six months of 2014 that were fraudulently inflated.    

The Second Quarter 10-Q was signed by, among others, BLOCK.  Additionally, on a certification accompanying the 10-Q, BLOCK falsely certified, among other things, that the Second Quarter 10-Q did not contain any materially untrue statements or material omissions.  He further falsely certified that he had disclosed to ARCP’s auditors and the audit committee of its board of directors:  “Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.”  In a second certification accompanying the 10-Q, BLOCK falsely certified that: “The quarterly report on Form 10-Q of the Company, which accompanies this Certificate, fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and all information contained in this quarterly report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.”

With regard to YTD 2014 specifically, the fraud resulted in an intended overstatement of AFFO by approximately $13 million and an intended overstatement of AFFO per share by approximately $0.03, or approximately 5 percent of total AFFO per share.  By reporting AFFO per share of $0.24 in the second quarter, after having reported AFFO per share of $0.26 in the first quarter, BLOCK and his co-conspirators misled ARCP’s shareholders and the investing public by falsely representing that ARCP’s AFFO per share for the first six months of 2014 was consistent with analysts’ expectations and on track to meet ARCP’s guidance for AFFO per share for calendar year 2014, when in fact, they were not.

           

In addition to the prison term, BLOCK, 45, of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine.  Restitution will be determined at a future date.

Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also thanked the SEC.

[1] BLOCK’s co-defendant, ARCP’s former chief accounting officer Lisa McAlister, pled guilty to securities fraud and related charges on June 29, 2016, and has yet to be sentenced.   

MANHATTAN MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER FOR SHOOTING HIS CO-PLAINTIFF IN CIVIL LAWSUIT AGAINST NYPD DETECTIVES

Defendant Allegedly Shot Victim in Bronx Public Housing Building

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Manhattan man has been indicted for Murder and related crimes for fatally shooting a 24-year-old Bronx man. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant stands charged with shooting a young man he knew, and then callously leaving the dying man to be found later by residents of the public housing building.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Salim Wilson, 25, of 131 West 135th Street, was indicted on second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter and two counts of seconddegree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. He was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett and remanded. He is due back in court on January 5, 2018. If convicted of the top charge, he faces up to life in prison. 

 According to the investigation, on the night of August 29, 2017, Wilson fatally shot Julio Velasquez, 24, after an argument ensued on the eighth floor hallway of a building in the McKinley Houses in Morrisania. Velasquez was found with a gunshot wound to his chest and later died at Lincoln Medical Center. The defendant and the victim had filed a civil lawsuit against two 42nd Precinct detectives alleging they had been falsely arrested in 2014 for a homicide case which was eventually dismissed after a witness recanted.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detectives Matthew Crosson of the Bronx Homicide Squad and Frank Hernandez of the 42nd Precinct Detective Squad for their assistance.

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

BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON IN ATTEMPTED SEX TRAFFICKING CASE INVOLVING TWO GIRLS AGES 12 AND 13 YEARS OLD

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to Attempted Sex Trafficking of young girls he pimped on the website Backpage. The girls engaged in prostitution in Bronx hotels and other locations on numerous occasions. 

  District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant preyed on vulnerable young girls, treating them as a commodity and profiting from their degradation. Now he will serve eight years in prison for ruining the lives of these children.” 

  District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Miguel Benitez, 29, of East 230 Street, was sentenced today to eight years in prison followed by five years post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary. The defendant will also have to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to Attempted Sex Trafficking on October 11, 2017.

  According to the investigation, in February of 2016, Benitez sexually advertised a 12- year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl on the website Backpage. The defendant induced the girls to engage in sexual conduct on several occasions with various individuals. A female co-defendant, Desheen Evans, 35, of Brooklyn drove the girls to two Bronx hotels and rented the rooms in her name. Evans was sentenced to two consecutive terms of one-and-a-third to four years on May 17, 2017 after pleading guilty to two counts of Conspiracy.

  District Attorney Clark thanked Detective George Munoz of the NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the supervision of Inspector James Klein of the NYPD Vice Enforcement Division, and Detective Gloria Chavez of the NYPD Major Case Squad, for their assistance in the case, as well as Assistant District Attorney Meagan Powers of the Public Integrity Bureau and Analyst Hubert Olszewski of the Crime Strategies and Case Enhancement Unit.