Former Arkansas State Senator and Representative Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Bribery

  Former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry (Hank) Wilkins IV pleaded guilty today to conspiring to accept over $80,000 in bribes in exchange for influencing Arkansas state legislation and transactions, including steering approximately $245,000 in Arkansas General Improvement funds to his co-conspirators, and to devising a scheme to conceal the bribe payments as donations to St. James United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where Wilkins also served as a pastor.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland for the Eastern District of Arkansas made the announcement.

Wilkins, 64, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who represented Arkansas’s House District 17 as a state Representative from 1999 to 2001 and again from 2011to 2015, and District 5 in the Arkansas Senate from 2001 to 2011, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States.

“By misusing his elected office to line his own pockets, Henry Wilkins undermined the integrity of our political process and abused the public’s trust,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan. “The Criminal Division is committed to rooting out such corruption and holding those responsible accountable for their actions.”

“Public corruption destroys the trust that is necessary for our republic,” said U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “In this case, the citizens of Arkansas were betrayed by Mr. Wilkins, and elected officials who abuse their position for personal gain must be held accountable for that violation of the public trust. Investigating and prosecuting individuals such as Mr. Wilkins is essential to restoring confidence in elected officials. This office will continue to relentlessly pursue anyone who tries to undermine our system of government.” 

As part of his plea, Wilkins admitted that from 2010 to 2014, while serving in the Arkansas General Assembly, he accepted a series of bribes from lobbyists and non-profit organizations that were transmitted both in the form of cash and checks funneled from lobbying firms to a discretionary fund held in St. James’ name where Wilkins had access to the deposited funds.  In exchange for the cash and check bribes, Wilkins performed, and agreed to perform, official acts in his capacity as an Arkansas legislator including filing shell bills, sponsoring full bills, voting in favor of specific legislation, and steering approximately $245,000 in General Improvement funds to entities that funneled bribes to Wilkins through his church.

The FBI investigated this case. This is a combined investigation with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas, and the Western District of Missouri.

Two Alarm Fire at 3900 Greystone Avenue

  As you see fire truck ladders on different sides of 3900 Greystone Avenue are checking the crawl space below the roof. This fire was localized to one top floor apartment which was devastated. The fire began in the kitchen area of the apartment according to the superintendent of the building. He said that he tried to put out the fire, but it was to much for him to extinguish. He then closed the front door on his way out of the apartment to call the fire department. Twenty fire trucks from as far away as Fordham Road responded to what became a two alarm blaze. Five ambulances were on hand also. The apartment was unoccupied at the time the fire started, and there will have to be a usual investigation by the arson squad to determine just how the fire started. more photos are below.

Above - The back of the building where the fire started suffered the most damage with part of the roof collapsing into the apartment. 

Below - The front of the building suffered less damage as only the front window in the bedroom is broken. 

Above - The DEP was called, probably to explain why the hydrant was leaking from the top. and was so low to the ground.

Below - You can see some of the emergency vehicles that were parked on Manhattan College Parkway and around the building on other streets.

Joint Statement by Councilmembers Justin Brannan, Steven Matteo, Joseph Borelli, Paul Vallone, Barry Grodenchik, and Mark Gjonaj on FY 2019 Executive Budget

  “We are extremely disappointed that in the $89 billion budget Mayor de Blasio unveiled Thursday there is no property tax relief to help seniors, retirees, working and middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet, as their taxes have skyrocketed and their incomes have stagnated.

There also is no indication of how this administration intends to address the glaring inequities of a property tax system that charges the owner of a modest home in our districts more than the owner of a multi-million dollar brownstone in Park Slope.

We are all for making New York City more fair and that’s why we will continue to forcefully advocate for a property tax rebate throughout the budget negotiation process; homeowners in this city need property tax relief in a big way, and they need it now. I know we speak for just about every property owner in the five boroughs when we say, ‘C’mon man, give us a break!'”

A.G. Schneiderman Releases Open Letter To Weinstein Company Bankruptcy Stakeholders

AG Urges Stakeholders to Include Bid Enhancements to Compensate Victims, Protect Employees, and Not Reward Wrongdoers

  New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released an open letter to the various participants in the Weinstein Company bankruptcy cases, urging the stakeholders to use the sale process as an opportunity to ensure that survivors of past misconduct and current employees are protected. This open letter follows prior efforts by the Attorney General’s office to advance victim interests before and during the bankruptcy process.

“Our requests of each of the stakeholders are straightforward,” Attorney General Schneiderman wrote. “Bidders should propose bid enhancements that set aside financial resources to compensate and provide support services for injured employees and industry talent, both of whom are essential to the company’s future success.  Bid enhancements also should include nonmonetary terms that protect future employees and contractors and avoid rewarding wrongdoers.”  

In February, Attorney General Schneiderman filed a civil rights lawsuit against TWC, Harvey Weinstein, and Robert Weinstein, detailing a long pattern of sexual misconduct and repeated violations of New York law.

Since filing suit, Attorney General Schneiderman has sought to ensure that victims would be compensated, employees would be protected moving forward, and the perpetrators and enablers of the misconduct would not be unjustly enriched. As the letter notes, in March, Attorney General Schneiderman received express commitments from parties involved in a potential non-bankruptcy sale of TWC that those conditions would be addressed. While that purchase was ultimately not consummated for unrelated reasons, the Attorney General’s office has continued to work to advance those interests since the bankruptcy filing – engaging in the process in order to advocate for victims, including through victim representation on the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee.

In March, TWC agreed to release victims of and witnesses to sexual misconduct from non-disclosure agreements, a step the Attorney General’s office had long sought throughout his investigation and litigation. The Attorney General encourages anyone who would like to share their story as part of his investigation to contact his office at 212-416-8250.

Attorney General Schneiderman’s lawsuit remains active and investigation remains ongoing.

The full letter is available here.

Bronx DA Scheduled Cases of Interest Week of April 30th

Cases of Interest for the Week of April 30, 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018
ADA Judge Part # Status	Defendant Name	Case Details
AP4 Appearance	Adam Fridson	NYPD Officer charged with flashing two young girls while off-duty on Oct. 4, 2017.
Dolan, M. Montano 96 Appearance	Curtis Batchelor	Charged with Murder, Manslaughter, Rape and other related crimes for the 1999 killing of 56-year-old Elsa Grullon in Highbridge.
Borgstedt, A. Fabrizio 92 Conference	Oumar Fofana	Charged with Attempted Rape, Sexual Abuse and other crimes for allegedly trying to rape a 41-year-old store clerk near East 157th St. and Third Avenue in August 2015.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018
ADA Judge Part # Status	Defendant Name	Case Details
Powers, M. Barrett 60 Decision on Motions	Raul Olmeda	NYC Police Officer charged on sex offenses and other related crimes stemming from alleged videos he made with teenage girl performing sex act.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018
ADA Judge Part # Status	Defendant Name	Case Details
Browne, W. Lieb, IDV-SCT Possible Disposition	Clarence White	Charged with Attempted Murder, Assault and other crimes for allegedly shooting his wife in the face on July 27, 2017.
Whelan, P. Lieb IDV-SCT Appearance	Darrin Rose	Bronx man charged with Murder and other crimes for allegedly fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in their apartment on November 1, 2017.
Gottlieb, T. Fabrizio 92 Appearance	Jonathan Jolivert	Charged with Murder for the March 24, 1993 death of Michelle Page Gilliam. Recent scientific developments enabled DNA under the victim’s fingernails to link Jolivert to the crime.
Perrotto, A. FB Possible SCA	Karel Delgado	FDNY paramedic charged with Sexual Abuse and other sex crimes for allegedly groping female patient he was transporting to a Bronx hospital.
Falasca, K. Lieb IDV-SCT Decision on Motions	Naomi Olmeda	Charged with Murder, Manslaughter, and related crimes for the alleged slaying of her sanitation worker boyfriend inside his Throggs Neck home in March, 2017.

Thursday, May 3, 2018
ADA Judge Part # Status	Defendant Name	Case Details
Adler, S. Michels 77 Appearance	Brian Febus	Charged with Attempted Murder and several other crimes for attacking a woman after forcing his way into her apartment in a botched burglary attempt in May 2017.
Borgstedt, A. Villegas SCA Possible SCA	Lynneke Burris	Charged with Rape and Robbery against a Bronx teacher in her Concourse Village apartment on April 13, 2018.

Friday, May 4, 2018
ADA Judge Part # Status	Defendant Name	Case Details
Sztejnberg, M. Neary 70. Appearance	Earnestine Russell	Charged with Grand Larceny for allegedly stealing $112,000 from a state-administered, federally funded grant designed to support after-school programs for middle school children.
Miras, J. Gross 71 Sentencing	Gilrael Ruperto	To be sentenced after pleading guilty to a series of robberies targeting elderly women as as well as for jail house violence at Rikers Island.

Please note: All court proceedings are scheduled for after 9:30 a.m.  at 265 East 161st Street, the Hall of Justice, Bronx Supreme Court  unless otherwise specified.

MAYOR DE BLASIO HOLDS PUBLIC HEARINGS ON LEGISLATION AIMED AT REDUCING SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SIGNS LEGISLATION ESTABLISHING A CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION

  Mayor de Blasio held public hearings for eleven pieces of legislation that aim to reduce workplace sexual harassment. Intro. 612-A requires annual anti-sexual harassment training at City agencies; Intro. 613-A requires assessing workplace risk factors associated with sexual harassment within City agencies; Intro. 614-A mandates information about sexual harassment to be made available online for public access; Intro. 630-Acreates an "Anti-Sexual Harassment Rights and Responsibilities" poster; Intro. 632-A mandates anti-sexual harassment training for private employers; Intro. 657-A expands sexual harassment protections to all employees;Intro. 660-A makes improvements to clarify and strengthen the City's Human Rights Law; Intro. 663-A changes the City's Human Rights Law statute of limitations for sexual harassment to three years; Intro. 664-A relates to climate surveys and action plans to combat sexual harassment; Intro. 653-A mandates annual reporting on workplace sexual harassment within City agencies and; Intro. 693 relates to the Division of Labor Services employment reports. 

The Mayor also held a public hearing for and signed Intro. 241-B which establishes a charter revision commission. Appointments to the commission are authorized to be made by the Mayor, Speaker of the City Council, Public Advocate, Comptroller and Borough Presidents.

Cynthia Nixon Joins Picket Line With Columbia University Grad Workers Union on Strike

Cynthia Nixon joins striking graduate workers at Columbia University in their fight to secure a union contract.

  Cynthia Nixon, Democratic Candidate for Governor, joined the weeklong strike and picket line at Columbia University. Nixon called on Columbia University to recognize the Graduate Workers Union and begin negotiating a union contract.

“I stand in solidarity with you today because I know that your story is part of a larger story in New York. New York has become the single most unequal state in the country,” Cynthia Nixon said. “But one of the most powerful ways to tackle systemic inequality and austerity is through joining a union.”

3,000 teaching and research assistants at Columbia University began a one week strike on Tuesday, April 24 to protest the university’s refusal to bargain with the graduate workers union. The strike comes nearly a year and a half after Columbia’s graduate workers voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the United Automobile Workers Local 2110.

“I’ve been a union member ever since I started my acting career,” said Nixon. “I know the power and importance of unions. A union for the graduate workers at Columbia would help many of them them fight back against cuts to their already low-salaries of nearly $30,000 a year. A union can help combat sexual harassment in the workplace and help workers gain dignity, respect, and power.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Patient Undergoes Dramatic Recovery after Being Hit by a Train

Trauma Team Saves the Life of Phillip Buffone

  Few people can say they survived being hit by a train, especially after sustaining severe traumatic injury. But thanks to the Trauma Center team at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, 36-year-old White Plains resident Phillip Buffone can, although he has no memory of it or the three weeks that followed.

On September 25, Mr. Buffone was waiting for his train at the Yonkers Metro North station, when he became dizzy, fell to the tracks, and was hit by an oncoming train.

When EMS brought him to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, his injuries were so severe that his body appeared to have been nearly severed in half. Life-threatening lacerations extended laterally from his spine around to his front, exposing his intestines. He also had significant damage to his colon and small bowel, and sustained multiple rib fractures, leg fractures, and nerve damage to one arm.

“We rushed Mr. Buffone right to the OR,” said trauma team surgeon Dr. Srinivas Reddy, “and, contrary to what you might expect, closing the huge laceration that nearly divided him in two was not the first priority. Repairing the internal damage and preventing infection from all that was introduced to his body were priorities. So, we washed out his abdomen, reconstructed his small bowel, and removed a portion of his colon first. We also inserted a shunt to maintain blood flow down his badly damaged left leg to his foot. Following these repairs, we then undertook a complicated closure of the major lacerations. It wasn’t easy, and he required 25 units of blood to make it through the repairs. I’m still amazed he’s alive.”

Mr. Buffone would remain heavily sedated and on a ventilator for three weeks to minimize his movements, thereby preventing the complex reconstruction of his abdomen from falling apart.  After being brought out of sedation, he spent an additional two weeks receiving rehabilitation in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, under the care of Drs. John Bliton and Zachary Sharfman.

“Once we got Mr. Buffone in the SICU, we worked to help him recuperate and stabilize his vital signs,” explained Dr. Bliton. “We were then able to support healing of the rib fractures and scheduled additional surgeries to fix the broken bones in his leg and return the blood supply to his left side extremities,” explained Dr. Bliton.

“The entire Surgical Intensive Care Unit got to know and care for Mr. Buffone,” said Dr. Sharfman. “He was intubated and sedated for approximately three weeks with an injury that few would survive. Once the breathing tube was removed and he woke up, we got to witness his miraculous recovery that the entire trauma surgery team, orthopaedic surgery team, plastic surgery team, and surgical intensive care unit fought so hard for.”

“The doctors and nurses at Jacobi were great,” said Mr. Buffone, who wanted to share the graphic photo of how he was brought in to credit those who saved him.  “I was almost cut completely in half, and they saved my life. They actually taught me how to walk again. I can’t say enough about them.”

On November 2, 2017, Philip had recovered enough to be transferred for rehabilitation to a facility near his home, in White Plains, New York.

“The fact that Mr. Buffone was able to walk out of our doors and go to rehab is nothing short of a miracle,” said Dr. Reddy.  “But this is the kind of work our trauma team trains for and stands ready to provide every single day.  After some accidents, we literally are able to put people back together again.”