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? 

A.G. Schneiderman Announces State Prison Sentence For Long Island Man Convicted Of Stealing From Medicaid Funded Charity

John Cornachio Used “No-Show” Job to Steal More Than $800,000 from Bronx County Substance Abuse Treatment Provider Narco Freedom

John Cornachio Will Serve 2 to 6 Years in Prison, Pay $840,000 in Restitution  

All Defendants Indicted by AG Schneiderman in Connection with Narco Freedom Have Now Been Convicted

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a state prison sentence of 2 to 6 years for John Cornachio, 63, of Oyster Bay, NY. Cornachio was convicted after trial of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, for using a “no-show” job to steal from Narco Freedom Inc., a former Medicaid-funded, not-for-profit corporation based in the Bronx that was founded to provide substance abuse services throughout New York City. In addition to being sentenced to time in jail, Cornachio was ordered to pay $840,000 in restitution to the New York State Medicaid Fraud Restitution Fund.

“Stealing from Medicaid harms both our most vulnerable residents and New York taxpayers," said Attorney General Schneiderman. "No matter how sophisticated the scheme, my office will continue to prosecute Medicaid fraud and bring crooks to justice."

During the jury trial before Hon. Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick, the Attorney General’s office presented evidence that Cornachio colluded with Narco Freedom’s corrupt management and held a “no-show” job within the organization. Over a five year period, Cornachio collected over $500,000 in salary and benefits paid by Narco Freedom. As part of his “no-show” job, Narco Freedom provided Cornachio with health insurance, retirement benefits, and a generous car allowance that he used to lease a Land Rover, among other benefits. The evidence also showed that Cornachio obtained over $300,000 from Narco Freedom through B&C Management, a shell company with no actual business, which submitted fake invoices to Narco Freedom for services it never provided to the not-for-profit.  

In 2015, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (“MFCU”) indicted Narco Freedom Inc., CEO Alan Brand, Jason Brand, and other individuals and corporations for defrauding the state Medicaid program along with Cornachio. All defendants indicted by Attorney General Schneiderman in connection with Narco Freedom have now been convicted of various crimes, including Enterprise Corruption, Grand Larceny, and filing false information with government offices.

As part of the Narco Freedom investigation, the Attorney General also filed a civil action against Narco Freedom Inc. seeking asset forfeiture and other remedies, including treble damages and penalties under the New York State False Claims Act. The arrests and civil action stopped the illegal activity of Narco Freedom that exploited the Medicaid program and the vulnerability of thousands of Medicaid recipients, resulting in many millions of dollars in savings to Medicaid. As part of its plea and civil agreements, Narco Freedom acknowledged that it stole from Medicaid and admitted to filing false statements with various state agencies, including the New York State Department of Health and the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, in efforts to deceive and defraud these agencies. In January 2016, Narco Freedom filed for bankruptcy. A bankruptcy court approved a $118 million settlement to settle Narco Freedom’s outstanding government claims, including those of New York State and the federal government; the precise amount to be recovered in the bankruptcy proceeding is yet to be determined. 

The Attorney General would like to thank the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, the Office of the New York State Medicaid Inspector General, the New York State Department of Health, the Human Resources Administration of the City of New York, and the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Community Board 7 - 2nd Annual Women's Empowerment Summit

  The six hour event began in the Lehman College Lovinger Theatre, and ended in the Faculty Dinning Hall of the college. The event started with two Panel Sessions of five different successful women who gave a brief story of how they rose to the positions they currently are in. 

Panel One consisted of NYPD Chief of Community Affairs Nilda Hoffman, Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, Ms. Sandra Erickson (President, Sandra Erickson Realty), Ms. KC Copeland (VP Morgan Stanley), and Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. 

Panel Two consisted of Ms. Maria Khury (President Khury Tours), Ms. Samantha Diliberti (Founder OrangeU Going), Television host Rhina Valentin, Suzanne M. Carter Esq., and Filmmaker and Producer Rachel Bradshaw.

The panels were also joined by Community Board 7 District Manager Ischia Bravo, and Community Board 7 Chair Adeline Walker-Santiago. 

After lunch in the Dinning Room of Lehman College awards were given to the following Mentors by CB 7. Chief of Operations for North Central Hospital Christina Contreras, Weight Management and Healthy Living Program Director Gloria Bent, Tracy Towers Tenant Association President Jean Hill, Fordham Hill Owners Corp. Board President Myrna Calderon, 52nd Precinct Community Affairs officer Crystal Reveron, Former Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, and Bronx Regional Representative for Governor Andrew Cuomo Nathalia Fernandez, and Radio host Avril Francis. 

The seven Honorees with Community Board 7 Chair Adeline Walker-Santiago.