Bronx Man Charged In Connection With Shooting Of Livery Cab Driver

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ashan M. Benedict, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and James P. O’Neill, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced the arrest of MARIO POWELL for the armed robbery and shooting of a livery cab driver on March 17, 2018.  POWELL was arrested on Friday, March 23, 2018, by the ATF and the NYPD, and was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox in Manhattan federal court on March 24, 2018.  

According to the allegations in the Complaint:[1]

On March 17, 2018, POWELL called a livery cab in the Bronx, and directed the driver to a particular destination.  After arriving at the drop-off location, POWELL threatened the driver with a gun and demanded cash.  The driver handed over $23 in cash.  POWELL exited the cab and then shot the driver seven times. 

POWELL, 27, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of discharging a firearm during a Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life 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 the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the efforts of the ATF and NYPD in this case.

[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.

Operation Bottomfeeder: A.G. Schneiderman Shuts Down Brooklyn Telemarketing Operation That Solicited Funds For Sham Veterans Charity

Settlement with Menacola Marketing Bars Company’s Owners from Fundraising for Any Charity; Requires them to Pay $100,000 to Reputable Charities Supporting Veterans

This is Latest in AG’s Operation Bottomfeeder, Targeting Shell Charities That Exploit Popular Causes To Line Professional Fundraisers’ Pockets

   Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that his office reached a settlement that shuts down Menacola Marketing, Inc., a telemarketing company that solicited on behalf of the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation (NVVF) – a sham charity previously shut down by the Attorney General – and other shell charities that exploited popular causes in order to line fundraisers’ pockets. The Attorney General shut down NVVF in 2016 after an investigation by his Charities Bureau revealed that NVVF raised millions of dollars through deceptive solicitations while providing almost no help to veterans. Today’s settlement is part of the Attorney General’s Operation Bottomfeeder, which has previously shut down other shell charities, such as the Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation.

Under this settlement, Menacola will dissolve and its principals, Joseph and Katherine DeGregorio, are permanently barred from fundraising for charity. The DeGregorios will also pay $100,000, which will be distributed to reputable charities supporting veterans.

“We have zero tolerance for shell charities that shamelessly exploit our veterans and other New Yorkers in need in order to line fundraisers’ pockets. New Yorkers should be able to donate with confidence and know that their money will actually support the causes advertised,” said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “Through our Operation Bottomfeeder, we’ll continue to aggressively pursue both bogus charities and the professional fundraisers who take advantage of New Yorkers’ good will.”

Click here to read the settlement agreement.

From 2010 to 2016, Menacola raised nearly $190,000 from New Yorkers for NVVF, using paid solicitors who made telemarketing calls from phone rooms in Brooklyn. For some calls, Menacola callers said they were fundraising for “NVVF.” At other times, the callers used an alternative name, “American Veterans Support Foundation,” claiming that it was a “special project” of NVVF. The investigation found that there was no such special project, and that the use of two names was just a way to raise more money. Menacola’s callers also told potential donors that their donations would be used to pay for help for veterans, including personal care packages, guide books of essential services, donations to food pantries, and transportation to and from medical appointments. In fact, 85 percent of the money raised went to Menacola, and an additional 4 percent went to companies controlled by Mark Gelvan, a New Jersey-based fundraiser who is banned from fundraising in New York. The little that went to the charity was squandered by abuse and mismanagement. 

The Attorney General’s investigation found that Menacola took no steps to verify the claims that its callers made about NVVF. In fact, in its fundraising for NVVF, Menacola used scripts provided by Gelvan, whom Menacola knew was banned from fundraising in New York because of prior fraud. New York law prohibits fundraisers from making false statements to raise money on behalf of charities.

This settlement is part of the Attorney General’s Operation Bottomfeeder, which addresses fraud networks of shell charities, abusive professional fundraisers, and accountants and other professionals who knowingly aid and assist their activities. Menacola also raised money for other Bottomfeeder charities, including the Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation, which the Attorney General shut down in 2017, and Cancer Fund of America, which was shut down in 2016after a landmark suit filed by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Trade Commission. In November 2017, the Attorney General joined 24 other AGs in shutting down VietNow National Headquarters, Inc., which used deceptive telemarketing solicitations falsely claiming the charity funded services, medical facilities, and treatment for veterans, while only sending 5 percent of donations to charitable programs.

More information about the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau and organizations regulated by the Bureau may be found at www.charitiesnys.com.

BRONX TEEN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING MAN HE PURCHASED CELLPHONE FROM THROUGH CRAIGLIST

Defendant Found Guilty By Jury Of Second-Degree Murder 

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a 19-year-old Bronx teen has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing a man from whom he purchased a cellphone through a Craigslist ad. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant killed a man over a petty cellphone squabble and then callously fled with the victim’s possessions. For this heartless act, this teen will spend the majority of his life behind bars.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Dalen Joseph, 19, of 140 Benchley Place, was sentenced on March 23, 2018 to 15 years to life in prison by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Martin Marcus. Joseph was found guilty of second-degree Murder on Feb. 16, 2018 following a two-week-long jury trial.

 According to the investigation, on July 15, 2015, on the corner of Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue, the defendant bought an iPhone from Isaac Fashakin, 32, who had advertised the item on Craigslist. After meeting up and purchasing the phone, the defendant asked Fashakin to meet again to buy another phone, claiming the phone he purchased was locked. Upon meeting again, Joseph stabbed Fashakin six times, causing his death, and robbed him of his wallet, credit cards, cash and other cellphones the victim intended to sell.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detective Brian Shea of the NYPD Bronx DA squad and Officers Brian Vanduzer, Edmundo Rivera, and Raymond Perez of the 52nd precinct as well as Officer Keslyn Grant of the 109th precinct, formerly of the 52nd precinct.

District Manager Search Committee meeting

This was sent out by Bronx Community Board 8 this morning at 10 AM. Please tell me what is wrong?

Please see attached and below District Manager Search Committee meeting agenda for tonight'smeeting.

NOTICE OF MEETING

District Manager Selection Committee

Location:        Board Office

5676 Riverdale Avenue, Suite 100

Bronx, NY 10471

Date:               Monday, March 26, 2018

Time:              5:45 p.m.

1. Discussion of District Manager Selection for Bronx Community Board No. 8 

Bronx Community Board No. 8

5676 Riverdale Avenue, Suite 100

Bronx, NY 10471-2194

Tel: 718-884-3959  Fax: 718-796-2763

Email: bx08@cb.nyc.gov

Visit us on the web: www.nyc.gov/bronxcb8

 

Serving the neighborhoods of Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, and Van Cortlandt Village

CITY ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF ACTIONNYC OUTREACH AND IMMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES IN BROOKLYN, MANHATTAN, AND QUEENS

   Acting Commissioner Bitta Mostofi of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs announced the expansion of ActionNYC to provide additional immigration legal services to high-need populations in their community and in their language. ActionNYC, the City’s premier program providing free and safe immigration legal services, has awarded six community-based organizations and legal service providers with nearly $700,000 in funding to provide additional services across the city. These organizations are uniquely positioned to meet community-specific needs due to their strong local ties and well-established cultural and linguistic competence. This expansion of services will address immigrant legal services, particularly for hard-to-reach immigrant communities. Through these efforts, ActionNYC will be expanding and deepening service provision to Chinese, Korean, and South Asian New Yorker serving organizations/communities. Services are expected to launch late spring/early summer of 2018.

“We have made the largest local investment in immigrant legal services in the nation because we know that our neighbors are under threat from the Trump Administration,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “By working with community organizations, we can connect with immigrant residents at local sites they already frequent and reach more New Yorkers in need.”

“The City is committed to reaching more New Yorkers through free and trusted immigration legal services, including communities who’ve traditionally had fewer interactions with city government. By building on our partnerships with community organizations, this expansion of ActionNYC will fill gaps in the field and strengthen services for immigrant New Yorkers in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, through sites they already know and trust,” said Bitta Mostofi, Acting Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “This funding will enable more immigrant New Yorkers to gain full understandings of their legal options, including opportunities for immigration relief.”

“In a city where close to 40 percent of our residents are foreign-born, ActionNYC is a critical tool to connect immigrant New Yorkers to services and assistance for a wide range of legal needs,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks. “This expansion will allow the City to go even further in providing help in communities with a high need for these ActionNYC services. We are proud of our collaboration with MOIA for this important work.”

“As a proud partner with MOIA on a number of initiatives, we are excited about the expansion of ActionNYC and the important support it offers to immigrant New Yorkers at this critical time,” said Matthew Klein, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity. “Our office’s multiple collaborations with MOIA, including the ActionNYC Capacity-Building Fellowship, provide funding, data analysis, and program assessments and reflect our commitment to the immigrant community and belief in the central role it plays in making our city great.”

New York City is home to 3.1 million immigrant residents, and threats to programs such as DACA and TPS, as well as increased immigration enforcement, have dramatically increased the need for free and trusted immigration legal services. ActionNYC’s Capacity-Building Fellowship, beginning last June, provided funding, training, and technical assistance to immigrant-serving community organizations across the five boroughs. In order to continue building the capacity of local organizations to provide support to their communities and address gaps in services, ActionNYC undertook an extensive consultation process to receive input from community-based organizations, legal service providers, and residents. Based on this assessment, ActionNYC is expanding and deepening service provision in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens for immigrant communities that are particularly hard to reach, including recently arrived populations from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

ActionNYC awarded nearly $700,000 to six community-based organizations and legal services providers to support connecting hard-to-reach immigrant communities with free, safe, and high-quality immigration legal services at trusted community sites and in their language. This funding will go towards ensuring that linguistically competent staff conduct targeted outreach so that community members from hard-to-reach immigrant populations are connected to legal services. Individuals will also be connected with other ancillary benefits, including social services, Medicaid, and IDNYC. Organizations will receive legal technical assistance, including legal trainings and assistance in gaining or maintaining recognition and accreditation from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Access Programs (OLAP). With this support, more New Yorkers will receive comprehensive immigration legal screenings and, where needed, legal representation over the course of the next year.

The organizations receiving funding are:

·         Council of Peoples Organization (COPO)

·         Chhaya Community Development Corporation (Chhaya CDC)

·         Korean Community Services (KCS)

·         Lutheran Social Services of Metropolitan New York (LSSNY)

·         Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC)

·         New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)

Through these new partners, ActionNYC services will be provided in the Kensington and Midwood neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Chinatown in Manhattan, and in Bayside, Flushing, and Jackson Heights in Queens. In addition, two of the organizations receiving funding are part of ActionNYC’s Capacity-Building Fellowship: CPC and COPO.

Just When is This Crater Going to Be Fixed?

  This could be on almost any New York City street, but this huge crater which can bend you rim and flatten your tire, as well as doing more unseen damage to your car has gone unrepaired since at least Friday when it was reported to the city.

  Here you can see just how large this crater is as it almost swallows up this tire , but just what damage did this crater do to this car?

  Where is this you say? 

  This crater is on East 210th Street just past the intersection with Rochambeau Avenue at the south entrance to Montefiore Hospital which is in the background. Hospital security said that the crater was called into the DOT on Friday so the city has had notification.

 When I e-mailed the Deputy Bronx Commissioner he sent out a crew to inspect the crater, and replied that the DOT notified the DEP since it is around a DEP sewer. He also answered my question as to when it would be fixed that I should ask DEP for the answer. 

There was also mention of suing the city for any damage to cars, and that goes through the City Comptrollers office or 311. 

City Council to Vote on Extending Rent Regulation Laws

Council to vote on Speaker’s bills enabling the State Legislature to expand rent regulations for all New Yorkers

  The New York City Council will vote to extend rent regulation laws in New York City.  The Council will also vote to require the Department of Education (DOE) to provide school-level data regarding students receiving special education services. In addition, The Council will vote to require the New York Police Department (NYPD) to report on the enforcement of marijuana possession. Finally, the Council will vote on a number of finance and land use items, including its FY 19 operating budget.

Extending Rent Regulation Laws

Introduction 600-A and Resolution 188-A, sponsored by Speaker Corey Johnson,would extend the finding that a housing emergency exists in New York City, requiring the extension of rent regulation laws.

“Rent regulation is the most critical tool we have for maintaining affordable housing in New York City. Today, we are taking the first step by renewing the finding that we are still in a housing crisis, so the State can extend rent regulation for another three years.  This year’s Housing Vacancy Survey results are staggering and show that it is necessary for the City to extend rent regulation, and we will continue to work on legislation that protects tenants and we will continue to increase opportunities to access affordable housing. I thank Housing and Buildings Committee Chair Robert Cornegy for his support on this crucial legislation,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.

Attorney General Schneiderman And Governor Cuomo File Petition With Federal Government To Set Fair Fluke Quota

Outdated Fluke Allocation Hurts New York’s Commercial Fishing Industry

New York Retains Expert Fisheries Consultant to Improve Commercial License System

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New York has filed a petition with the federal government to establish fair quota allocations for the state’s commercial harvest of fluke, also known as summer flounder. The petition for revised allocations would put New York on more equitable footing with other East Coast states by correcting decades of injustice, increasing safety for fishers and allowing more fish to be landed in ports closer to where they are caught. New York’s petition, drafted by DEC and the Attorney General’s Office, is the first step in the legal process to bring equity to the state’s fluke quota.

“New York’s commercial fishing industry deserves a fair shake from the federal government,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Federal law requires that our nation’s marine fisheries be managed according to the best available science, and in a fair, efficient, and safe way.  Simply put, perpetuating New York’s unfair, outdated share of the commercial summer flounder fishery does not meet the requirements of the law.”

“Our federal government cannot rely on decades-old data to uphold these unreasonable fluke quotas, as they continue to put New York at a disadvantage to neighboring states, while ignoring the needs of communities across the state,” Governor Cuomo said. “New York’s commercial fishing industry has been held back by archaic federal restrictions for too long, and by taking action to defend fair treatment of our fishers, we will help this valuable industry reach its full potential.”

New York State has filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to demand that commercial fluke allocations be revised to provide New York’s fishers with equitable access to summer flounder. New York is also reviewing other species where there is an unfair ‎allocation, including black sea bass and bluefish, and may pursue similar actions. 

“Low quotas and restrictive inter-state fishery management plans are putting unreasonable limits on New York’s commercial fishers,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “These unfair and unbalanced quotas have forced New York State to restrict commercial fishing access and limit the prospects for new fishers in order to preserve viable opportunities for current participants. Changes to New York’s commercial licensing process must also be made to better serve New Yorkers and support our fishing industry.”

State-by-state allocations for commercial fluke were set in the early 1990s using incomplete landings data from 1980 through 1989. At that time, New York’s allocation was set at the region-low 7.6 percent of the coast-wide quota, while the state’s neighbors were allocated up to 15.7 percent for Rhode Island and 16.7 percent for New Jersey. Virginia and North Carolina were allocated 21.3 percent and 27.4 percent. New York’s commercial fishers and seafood dealers have suffered under this low allocation since the 1990s, resulting in daily trip limits of 50 pounds in 2017, and 70 pounds in 2016.

Scientific studies have shown that the distribution of summer flounder and the summer flounder fishery have shifted north toward New York waters since federal allocations were established. While these shifts should be acknowledged, neither the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council nor National Marine Fisheries Service require regular review and/or updating of allocations. In addition, an amendment to the fishery management plan that potentially includes the re-allocation of the commercial summer flounder quota has been slowly moving through the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council process since 2014, but has yet to result in the necessary updating and equitable changes to the system.

Commercial Fishing Licensing Revision

To modernize and improve the state’s commercial fishing licensing system and ensure it is a useful tool in managing the industry, DEC has retained the services of an experienced fishery management consultant. The consultant’s experience in managing state fisheries and licensing will enable him to capture the diverse views and needs of New York’s commercial fishing industry. ‎

Directed by DEC, the consultant will launch a comprehensive, stakeholder-driven analysis of New York’s current licensing system and will recommend strategic improvements to make it more efficient and better serve New York stakeholders. The work will begin immediately, and include a nine-part series of small, local meetings across Long Island, the New York City area, and Westchester to gather stakeholder input on issues such as latent licenses, transferability, the definition of a commercial fisher, license qualifiers, and the apprenticeship program.

Additional meetings with stakeholders and New York’s Marine Resource Advisory Council will be scheduled to gather feedback. The fisheries expert will make recommendations to DEC by the end of 2018 for action in 2019.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We don't normally comment on items such as this, but we are wondering why when Democratic President Obama came into office in 2008 this was not brought up. Now to wait until a Republican President is back in office seems to say what have the Governor and Attorney General of New York been doing the eight years before Donald Trump was elected?