Community organizations like Citizen Action of New York, Community Voices Heard Power, Make the Road Action, and New York Communities for Change provide critical services to communities across New York State and are tireless advocates for the most pressing issues. Their membership is made up of civically engaged New Yorkers who are dedicated to protecting their rights and making New York a more equitable state by fighting for adequate funding of our public education system, protecting immigrant rights, and securing access to quality and affordable healthcare and housing for all. The work of these organizations is not only crucial to the New Yorkers they serve and represent, but it is an essential component of our democracy. I am proud to stand with these commendable organizations and they can count on my staunch support as they continue to serve communities across our state.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Wave Hill Events May 4‒May 11
Sat, May 5 Excursion: Birding up the Hudson
Join Gabriel Willow for some bird-watching and scenic hiking along the Hudson River near Bear Mountain, one of the most majestic spots in the Hudson Valley. Stops include Perkins Tower, Iona Island, and Constitution Marsh. This trip includes extended periods of hiking along rocky trails with steep inclines: sturdy shoes required! $75; 10% discount to Wave Hill Members. Transportation provided. Lunch additional locally. Registration required, online at wavehill.org or onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center.
MEET AT WAVE HILL’S FRONT GATE, 9AM–4PM
Sat, May 5 Family Art Project: Confetti Nests for Bluebirds
At the time of year when little nestlings appear, papermaker Randy Brozen returns to show us how to sculpt little bluebirds and vibrant nests from paper pulp and colorful, shredded confetti. Add raffia, pine needles and sticks and build a nest to keep little birds cozy. Make one bird or make a brood. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
Sat, May 5 In The Shop: La Petite Occasion Caramels
Stop by The Shop to meet instore vendor La Petite Occasion—delicious, small batch caramels and toffee crafted in the Hudson Valley. These delectable treats are made from the finest local ingredients: Kreimhild butter, Hudson Valley Fresh heavy cream, sea salt from Montauk Salt Co., apple cider and honey from Harvest Moon Orchards and bourbon from Berkshire Mountain Distillers. A perfect Mother’s Day gift, these traditional, quality caramels are just what your Mom will remember having as a kid!
PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM‒4PM
Sat, May 5 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, May 5 Gallery Tour
Learn about Glyndor Gallery exhibitions on a tour led by Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow. Avifauna: Interplay of Birds + Habitatfeatures artworks that delve into the relationship between birds and their habitats—from the role birds play in propagating plants to changes in how natural and built environments affect migration patterns. Artists working in photography, video, artist books, wall painting, installation, drawing and sound include Tatiana Arocha, Tanya Chaly, Marna Chester, Nina Katchadourian, Paula McCartney, Jeff Mertz, Peter Morgan, Sarah Nicholls, James Proseck, Jenna Spevek and Fred Tomaselli. In the Sunroom Project Space, Adrienne Elise Tarver builds tactile plant sculptures that create an immersive, sheltering landscape. Free with admission to the grounds.
GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM
Sun, May 6 Yoga in the Garden
Through July, enjoy Sunday mornings in the garden as the setting for your yoga practice. Classes are led by certified Yoga Haven instructors. All levels welcome; please bring a mat and be on time. Indoor space is provided in case of rain. $25; 10% discount to Wave Hill Members. Registration online suggested, at wavehill.org.
ON THE GROUNDS, 10–11AM
Sun, May 6 Family Art Project: Confetti Nests for Bluebirds
At the time of year when little nestlings appear, papermaker Randy Brozen returns to show us how to sculpt little bluebirds and vibrant nests from paper pulp and colorful, shredded confetti. Add raffia, pine needles and sticks and build a nest to keep little birds cozy. Make one bird or make a brood. Free with admission to the grounds.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
Sun, May 6 Meet the Artist: Adrienne Elise Tarver
Join us at this artist talk in the Sunroom Project Space. Artist Adrienne Elise Tarver will discuss her installation Fiction: Origins of Belonging, with Curator of Visual Arts Eileen Jeng Lynch. Reversing the Sunroom’s traditional function of offering views of the outdoors from an interior shelter, Tarver builds tactile paintings hanging from the ceiling inside the gallery to evoke a tropical landscape and canopy. Tarver’s project examines the physicality of boundaries, as well as the invisible and imaginary ones that exist between us. Free with admission to the grounds.
GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM
Sun, May 6 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
Tue, May 8 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, May 8 Gallery Tour
Learn about Glyndor Gallery exhibitions on a tour led by Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow. Avifauna: Interplay of Birds + Habitatfeatures artworks that delve into the relationship between birds and their habitats—from the role birds play in propagating plants to changes in how natural and built environments affect migration patterns. Artists working in photography, video, artist books, wall painting, installation, drawing and sound include Tatiana Arocha, Tanya Chaly, Marna Chester, Nina Katchadourian, Paula McCartney, Jeff Mertz, Peter Morgan, Sarah Nicholls, James Proseck, Jenna Spevek and Fred Tomaselli. In the Sunroom Project Space, Adrienne Elise Tarver builds tactile plant sculptures that create an immersive, sheltering landscape. Free with admission to the grounds.
GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM
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–5:30PM, March 15–October 31. Closes 4:30PM, starting November 1.
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/
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.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
13 Members And Associates Of A Transnational Criminal Organization Charged In Federal Court With Firearms And Narcotics Offenses
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Richard Conway, Chief of the Port Chester Police Department, announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ, JOHNNY FERNANDEZ, JESUS GONZALEZ, JUAN HERNANDEZ, JUAN PABLO RENDON-INZUNZA, NICOLE MAISONET, GABRIEL ORTIZ, a/k/a “Bebe,” MARIA ROLON, EDGARDO RUIZ, a/k/a “Roro,” HECTOR SANCHEZ, a/k/a “Tito,” GILBERT TORRES, FABIOLA VEGA, and JOHN VIEIRA, a/k/a “John-John,” with firearms and narcotics offenses. The defendants have been charged as a result of their membership and participation in a transnational criminal organization that trafficked in firearms and narcotics, including heroin and methamphetamine. Nine defendants were arrested or taken into federal custody on these charges today in various locations throughout the United States, namely Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. ORTIZ, who is in custody on state charges in Rochester, New York, will be transferred to federal custody as soon as possible. ROLON, GONZALEZ, and INZUNZA have not been arrested to date.
Six of the defendants – CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ, JOHNNY FERNANDEZ, JUAN HERNANDEZ, GILBERT TORRES, FABIOLA VEGA, and JOHN VIEIRA – were arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith in White Plains federal court. Three other defendants –EDGARDO RUIZ, NICOLE MAISONET, and HECTOR SANCHEZ – will be presented in federal courts in Maryland and Massachusetts.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged, these defendants operated a nationwide drug distribution network to push heroin and methamphetamine onto U.S. streets. Thanks to the dedicated work of the FBI and Port Chester Police, these defendants are behind bars and face significant prison time for their alleged crimes.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “The members of this criminal organization created a spider web of illegal drug sales, moving their drugs from south of the border and crisscrossing the states allegedly attempting covering their tracks. These are the types of operations contributing to the deadly epidemic of overdoses in our country, indiscriminately killing people of all ages and races. The FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and our law enforcement partners have created such a vital working relationship that we are having a significant impact in stopping the flow of illegal drugs at the source.”
Port Chester Police Chief Richard Conway said: “I'm very proud our Department’s role in this investigation, which is perhaps the largest scale operation we have ever undertaken. Today’s arrests represent an example to us all of what can be accomplished when agencies work together.”
According to the Indictment[1] unsealed today in White Plains federal court:
From 2017 to 2018, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ, JOHNNY FERNANDEZ, JESUS GONZALEZ, JUAN HERNANDEZ, JUAN PABLO RENDON-INZUNZA, NICOLE MAISONET, GABRIEL ORTIZ, MARIA ROLON, EDGARDO RUIZ, HECTOR SANCHEZ, GILBERT TORRES, FABIOLA VEGA, and JOHN VIEIRA participated in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The criminal organization trafficked in both heroin and methamphetamine. As part of the criminal organization, CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ and FABIOLA VEGA possessed firearms in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking and, together with co-defendants HERNANDEZ, RUIZ, and TORRES, participated in a conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license between 2017 and 2018.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided in the attached table for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the Port Chester Police Department. Mr. Berman also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Westchester County Police Department, and the Peekskill Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
United States v. Cristian Fernandez, et al.
CHARGE
|
DEFENDANTS
|
MAXIMUM PENALTIES
|
Count One
Narcotics Conspiracy
|
CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ
JOHNNY FERNANDEZ
JESUS GONZALEZ
JUAN HERNANDEZ,
JUAN PABLO RENDON-INZUNZA
NICOLE MAISONET
GABRIEL ORTIZ, a/k/a “Bebe”
MARIA ROLON
EDGARDO RUIZ, a/k/a “Roro”
HECTOR SANCHEZ, a/k/a “Tito”
GILBERT TORRES
FABIOLA VEGA
JOHN VIEIRA a/k/a “John-John”
|
As to defendants CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ, INZUNZA, ORTIZ, RUIZ, SANCHEZ, VEGA:
Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
As to defendants JOHNNY FERNANDEZ, HERNANDEZ, MAISONET, ROLON, TORRES, and VIEIRA:
40 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison
|
Count Two
Conspiracy to Deal in Firearms without a License
|
CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ
JUAN HERNANDEZ
EDGARDO RUIZ, a/k/a “Roro” GILBERT TORRES
FABIOLA VEGA
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Five years in prison
|
Count Three
Firearms Offense
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FABIOLA VEGA
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Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison
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Count Four
Firearms Offense
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CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ
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Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison
|
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
New York City Pharmacy Owner Pleads Guilty To Committing $8.5 Million Fraud On Medicare And Medicaid
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SAJID JAVED, an owner and operator of nine different pharmacies in the New York City area, pled guilty to participating in a health care fraud scheme that used his pharmacies to submit more than $8.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid. JAVED was arrested in 2016 as part of an unprecedented nationwide sweep led by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, resulting in criminal and civil charges against more than 300 individuals for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $900 million in false billings. JAVED pled guilty in Manhattan federal court before the Honorable Vernon S. Broderick.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As he admitted in court today, Sajid Javed fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid more than $8.5 million for drugs that were never actually dispensed. He did this by inducing others to forego their prescription medications for kickbacks. This scheme not only put patients at risk, it also contributed to the multibillion-dollar theft of federally funded public health care subsidies.”
According to the Complaint and the Superseding Information filed in Manhattan federal court, and statements made in connection with JAVED’s guilty plea:
While owning and operating nine different pharmacies in Brooklyn and Queens, JAVED perpetrated a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid programs by seeking reimbursement for prescription drugs that were never distributed to customers. From January 2013 through July 2015, JAVED obtained more than $8.5 million in reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid for prescription drugs that his pharmacies never actually dispensed to customers. JAVED tricked Medicare and Medicaid into paying these reimbursements by obtaining prescriptions from individuals who were willing to forego delivery of the medications in exchange for a share of the reimbursements. JAVED offered to pay, and in fact paid, such kickbacks in furtherance of the unlawful scheme.
JAVED, 47, of Fresh Meadows, Queens, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five 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.
JAVED is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Broderick on August 24, 2018, at 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.
5 Members Of Slip-And-Fall Scheme Charged With Defrauding New York City-Area Businesses And Their Insurance Companies Of More Than $31.7 Million
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging PETER KALKANIS, BRYAN DUNCAN, KERRY GORDON, ROBERT LOCUST, and RYAN RAINFORD with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to obtain fraudulent insurance reimbursement and other compensation for fraudulent slip-and-fall accidents. The Indictment also charges PETER KALKANIS with one count of aggravated identity theft. The five defendants were arrested earlier this morning and will be presented today before United States Magistrate Stewart D. Aaron in Manhattan federal court. The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged, these defendants employed one of the oldest plays in the fraudster handbook – the fake slip-and-fall routine – to develop a network of ‘fall victims’ to obtain an astonishing $31 million in fraudulent insurance and compensation payouts. Allegedly, some of the ‘victims’ went as far as having unnecessary surgery to increase the likelihood of a higher settlement. Today, however, these defendants’ fraud careers are over, and they will be forced to answer for their alleged crimes.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “The intentional misrepresentation of an accidental slip and fall, and the subsequent defrauding of businesses and insurance companies, is a reprehensible crime in and of itself. But perhaps the most shocking allegation revealed today is the fact that additional incentives were offered for participants to undergo surgery in order to receive payment for their involvement. One thing is for sure – the alleged activity carried out by Kalkanis and his co-conspirators was no accident, and neither are our charges today.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
Since 2013, the defendants have been engaged in a widespread fraud scheme through which the defendants defrauded businesses and insurance companies by staging slip-and-fall accidents and filing fraudulent lawsuits arising from those staged slip-and-fall accidents. The fraud scheme participants recruited individuals to stage slip-and-fall accidents at particular locations throughout New York City and to claim that they injured themselves as a result of their accidents. The recruited patients were directed to claim that they had injured themselves and to seek medical treatment.
After the staged slip-and-fall accidents, recruited patients were referred to specific attorneys who would file lawsuits against the owners of the accident sites and/or insurance companies of the owners of the accident sites (the “Victims”). The lawsuits did not disclose that the recruited patients had deliberately fallen at the accident sites or, in some cases, had not fallen at all. During the course of the fraud scheme, the defendants, together with others known and unknown, attempted to defraud the Victims of at least $31,791,000.
The recruited patients were also instructed to receive ongoing chiropractic and medical treatment from certain chiropractors and doctors. The fraud scheme participants advised the recruited patients that if they intended to continue with their lawsuits, they were required to undergo surgery. As an incentive to getting surgery, the recruited patients were offered a payment after they completed surgery as well as a percentage of any settlement payment from their lawsuit.
KALKANIS, a former chiropractor, was the organizer and leader of the scheme. As alleged in the indictment, KALKANIS paid his co-defendants to recruit patients into the scheme and transport the patients to medical and attorney appointments. KALKANIS also organized the recruited patients’ legal and medical appointments, and assisted in procuring the funding for the recruited patients’ medical treatment and lawsuits.
DUNCAN, GORDON, LOCUST, and RAINFORD helped recruit patients into the fraud scheme, transported patients to medical and legal appointments, identified potential accident sites, and coached recruited patients on faking their injuries.
KALKANIS, 70, Queens, New York, DUNCAN, 30, Queens, New York, GORDON, 34, Queens, New York, LOCUST, 52, Brooklyn, New York, and RAINFORD, 28, Queens, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of mail fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. KALKANIS is also charged with one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a two year mandatory prison sentence. The maximum potential sentences and minimum sentence in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the NYPD. Mr. Berman also thanked the National Insurance Crime Bureau for their assistance in the investigation.
The charges contained in the Indictment and Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Third Co-Founder Of Cryptocurrency Company Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Scheme To Defraud Investors
Robert Khuzami, the Attorney for the United States, Acting Under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the arrest of RAYMOND TRAPANI, a/k/a “Ray,” a co-founder of a cryptocurrency company called Centra Tech, Inc. (“Centra Tech”), and the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging TRAPANI with securities fraud and wire fraud offenses in connection with a scheme to induce victims to invest more than $25 million in investments through material misrepresentations and omissions in connection with an initial coin offering. TRAPANI was arrested this morning and will be presented in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Two other Centra Tech co-founders, Sohrab Sharma, a/k/a “Sam Sharma,” and Robert Farkas, a/k/a “RJ,” a/k/a “Bob,” were arrested earlier this month based on a criminal complaint charging them with the same crimes.
Deputy U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami said: “As alleged, Raymond Trapani conspired with his co-defendants to lure investors with false claims about their product and about relationships they had with credible financial institutions. While investing in virtual currencies is legal, lying to deceive investors is not.”
According to the allegations in the criminal Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court against TRAPANI:[1]
After TRAPANI worked with Sharma and Farkas at a luxury car rental company called “Miami Exotics” in Florida, the three of them co-founded a company called Centra Tech that claimed to have developed a debit card, the “Centra Card,” that purportedly allowed users to spend cryptocurrency to make purchases at any establishment that accepts Visa or Mastercard. In approximately July 2017, TRAPANI, along with Sharma and Farkas, began soliciting investors to purchase unregistered securities in the form of digital tokens issued by Centra Tech, through a so-called “initial coin offering” or “ICO.” As part of this effort, TRAPANI and his co-conspirators, Sharma and Farkas, in oral and written offering materials that were disseminated via the internet, represented: (a) that Centra Tech had an experienced executive team with impressive credentials, including a purported CEO named “Michael Edwards” with more than 20 years of banking industry experience and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University; and (b) that Centra Tech had formed a partnership with Bancorp to have Bancorp issue Centra Cards licensed by Visa or Mastercard, among other claims. Based in part on these claims, victims provided more than $25 million in investments for the purchase of Centra Tech tokens.
The claims that TRAPANI and his co-conspirators, Sharma and Farkas, made to help secure these investments, however, were false. In fact, the purported CEO “Michael Edwards” and another supposed member of Centra Tech’s executive team are fictional people who were fabricated to mislead investors, and Centra Tech had no relationships with Bancorp, Visa, or Mastercard.
On or about September 29, 2017 – the date on which the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that it filed a civil complaint charging a company called “RECoin” and its founder, among others, with defrauding investors in an unregistered offering of securities styled as an initial coin offering – Sharma asked TRAPANI and Farkas to remove certain materials from Centra Tech’s website that contained “fufu,” or fake information, about Centra Tech’s purported relationship with Visa because, according to Sharma, “I rather cut any fufu . . . Now . . . Then worry . . . Anything that doesn’t exist current . . . We need to remove.” Later that day, Sharma text messaged TRAPANI and Farkas that “Sec just shut down REcoin . . . Read the article . . . We gotta clean up every single thing that we can’t do . . . And can’t offer today.” Shortly thereafter, TRAPANI responded that RECoin “were pitching a straight security,” to which Sharma wrote “Yea . . . I know . . . But [still] fraud can be a word thrown around.”
In a separate action, the SEC filed civil charges against TRAPANI. Earlier this month, the SEC also filed civil charges against Sharma and Farkas.
TRAPANI, 27, is a resident of Florida. TRAPANI is charged in a four-count criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 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 the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Khuzami praised the work of the FBI and thanked the SEC for its assistance.
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.
BP DIAZ CELEBRATES ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE DAY
On Thursday, April 19, 2018, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. in conjunction with The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale -“The Bayit,” hosted the borough’s annual celebration to commemorate the independence of Israel.
The event, which marks the 70th anniversary of the independence of Israel, included a barbecue dinner, inflatable rides, puppet show, entertainment, music and much more.
Above - Rabbi Steven Exlier of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale receives a proclamation from Deputy Bronx Borough President Marricka Scott-McFadden.
Below - Rabbi Exlier poses with local elected officials Councilman Andrew Cohen Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Deputy Bronx BP Scott-McFadden, State Senator Jeff Klein, and Richard Federman representing Congressman Eliot Engel.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. had four events to attend in a span of three hours in Manhattan and the Bronx. The Deputy BP will occasionally stand in for the BP when more than one event is held at the same time or when the BP is ill.
MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES CENTRAL PARK, WORLD’S MOST ICONIC GREENSPACE, WILL BECOME PERMANENTLY CAR-FREE
Center Drive, Terrace Drive, East Drive and West Drive will be permanently closed to cars; Decision will return park to its original purpose as a recreational space
In advance of Earth Day 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Central Park, the world’s most iconic greenspace, will become entirely car-free. Beginning on June 27, 2018, the day after the conclusion of public school classes and the first day outdoor pools are open across the city, the last sections of the park’s loop drives that remain open to cars will be permanently closed to them, returning the park to its original use as an urban refuge and recreation space. More than 42 million visitors flock to Central Park each year. Returning the park’s loop road to walkers, joggers and cyclists will reduce air pollution in the park and improve safety. It also signals New York City’s commitment to prioritizing people over cars in its premier public spaces.
Mayor de Blasio designated Prospect Park’s loop drive as permanently car-free this past January. Both of the city’s iconic 19th century Olmstead and Vaux parks will now share that status.
“Our parks are for people, not cars. For more than a century, cars have turned parts of the world’s most iconic park into a highway. Today we take it back. We are prioritizing the safety and the health of the millions of parents, children and visitors who flock to Central Park,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"Like many New Yorkers, I count on Central Park to give me a much-needed dose of nature, and so I applaud the de Blasio administration for taking this important step. Making one of the most famous greenspaces in the world a little greener in honor of Earth Day is the perfect way to celebrate our planet. Summer in the city is going to be that much better now,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
“Today we proudly announce that Central Park will be car free,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “As with Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, which went permanently car-free earlier this year, the change will be welcome news to pedestrians, cyclists and those who love our parks. We thank the Mayor for his leadership, and congratulate the advocates who fought for decades to make this day a reality. We look forward to the celebratory ride this summer.”
“Central Park is not just one of New York’s favorite parks – it’s one of the most-beloved, most-recognized parks in the entire world. Now, we’re making history by demonstrating just how clean, accessible, and safe an urban park can be,” said Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP.
Cars have used Central Park’s scenic loop drive for more than a century. Reductions in the hours during which cars are permitted began in the 1960s. Most recently, in 2015, Mayor de Blasio had announced that all park drives north of 72nd Street would be car-free. Northbound car traffic has continued to be permitted on Center Drive from 7am-7pm on weekdays, and southbound traffic has continued on West Drive, Terrace Drive and Center Drive from 8am-10am on weekdays.
The transverse roadways at 97th, 86th, 79th and 65th Streets are not affected by these changes. They were built into the park’s original design as fully-separated, below-grade streets to accommodate thru-traffic.
DOT, NYC Parks, NYPD and the Central Park Conservancy are coordinating on this transition. DOT analysis shows that traffic increases on surrounding areas is expected to be minimal. To help enforce this change, the NYPD will make additional Traffic Enforcement Agents available at local intersections. As the car-free hours take effect, DOT will closely monitor conditions to better accommodate traffic changes, as well as implement additional changes if necessary.