Three Men Arrested For Scheme To Defraud Elderly Victims In The Sale Of Worthless Stock

Vladimir Ziskind, a/k/a “Mike Palmer,” Keith Orlean, a/k/a “Jack Allen,” and Kevin Weinzoff, a/k/a “Mike Palmer,” Solicited Stock Purchases from Elderly Victims Using Fake Names, False Information, and Bogus Promises of High Returns

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the arrests of VLADIMIR ZISKIND, a/k/a “Mike Palmer,” KEITH ORLEAN, a/k/a “Jack Allen,” and KEVIN WEINZOFF, a/k/a “Mike Palmer,” and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging ZISKIND,  ORLEAN, and WEINZOFF with conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud in connection with their scheme to target elderly persons to solicit purchases of stock in a series of valueless companies through a variety of lies and misrepresentations.  The defendants are expected to be presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, the defendants worked together over several years to trick elderly individuals into investing millions of dollars in worthless stock.  The defendants allegedly deceived their victims into handing over their hard-earned money in exchange for nothing but lies and false promises.  Today’s arrests demonstrate that this profoundly harmful and cynical alleged conduct will not be tolerated.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “We take all cases of securities fraud seriously, but there are few fraud schemes sleazier than defrauding elderly victims through deceit and manipulation.  The defendants allegedly solicited more than $2 million in stock purchases from their more than four dozen victims.  While nothing could restore the damage that has already been done, today we begin the process of holding those charged accountable for their actions.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]

For several years, the defendants operated a fraudulent scheme in which a salesman named “Mike Palmer” would call elderly persons on the phone and offer them what he claimed was a time-sensitive opportunity to buy stock in certain companies.  In fact, there was no “Mike Palmer,” and the salesman was actually VLADIMIR ZISKIND or KEVIN WEINZOFF, who were taking turns using the fake alias.  The purported time-sensitive investment opportunity was also fabricated by the defendants, as the companies in which they solicited investments were actually companies under their control.  In one intercepted phone call conversation, ZISKIND described to KEITH ORLEAN his strategy for a successful investor sales pitch as: “You ram it down their fucking throat.”  In another intercepted call between ZISKIND and ORLEAN, upon learning that a particular victim investor died, ZISKIND remarked:  “I knew I should have pulled the last $10,000 out of him.”   

The most recent version of the defendants’ phony sales pitch included false representations about an impending initial public offering, or “IPO,” for their company, Digital Donations Technologies, Inc.  For example, in April 2018, one of the defendants assured a victim investor that “our company is doing great,” that the company had an offer for an IPO valued at approximately $300 million, and that defendant KEITH ORLEAN was considering a private sale of the company for more than $1.5 billion. In truth, however, the defendants knew that the company had little or no actual commercial value and that no such IPO or sale was taking place.   

The FBI estimates that since April 2014, the defendants have convinced more than approximately 50 elderly persons to purchase stock in companies controlled by one or more of the defendants based on false representations.  The defendants appear to have solicited more than $2 million in stock purchases from victims.

ZISKIND, 49, of Brooklyn, New York, ORLEAN, 60, of Dix Hills, New York, and WEINZOFF, 53, of Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, one count of securities fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of wire fraud.  The securities fraud, wire fraud, and wire fraud conspiracy counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  The conspiracy to commit securities fraud count carries a maximum penalty of five 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 defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the FBI.

The charges contained in the 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 Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. 

Hector Rivera Sentenced To Life In Prison Plus 25 Years For Ordering 2004 Murder Of Jeweler In Midtown Manhattan

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HECTOR RIVERA was sentenced today to life in prison plus 25 years for murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, and use of a firearm resulting in death, in connection with his role in ordering the 2004 murder of Eduard Nektalov, a Manhattan diamond dealer.  RIVERA was convicted following a six-day trial in November 2017 before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed today’s sentence. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Hector Rivera ordered the execution-style murder of Eduard Nektalov, who was brazenly gunned down on a crowded street in midtown Manhattan nearly 14 years ago.  Thanks to the extraordinary work of our law enforcement partners, Rivera will now spend the rest of his life in prison.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial:

RIVERA was the leader of a violent robbery crew that operated in the Diamond District in midtown Manhattan.  In 2004, RIVERA commissioned the murder of Eduard Nektalov because of a business dispute between Nektalov and one of RIVERA’s criminal associates.  During the evening rush hour on May 20, 2004, a hitman hired by RIVERA followed Nektalov from his jewelry store on West 47th Street.  Less than a block from the store, the hitman shot Nektalov once in the head and twice in the back, in the middle of a crowded sidewalk on Sixth Avenue.  Nektalov was pronounced dead within 20 minutes of the shooting.  RIVERA paid the hitman and another participant a combined total of $30,000 to carry out the murder.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department. He also thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the prosecution.  

Comptroller Stringer Report: NYC Renters Paid an Additional $616 Million in 2016 Due to Airbnb

Stringer report finds Airbnb responsible for nearly 10 percent of citywide rental increase between 2009 and 2016

Tenants in Murray Hill, Gramercy, Stuyvesant Town, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint pay an average of more than $100 per month in additional rent due to Airbnb listings

Airbnb exacerbating NYC’s affordability crisis

  In the midst of an affordability crisis fueled by rising rents, a new report released by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer found renters citywide paid a whopping $616 million in additional rent in 2016 due to the exponential growth of Airbnb listings. The new analysis sheds light on how Airbnb listings, particularly in neighborhoods where they are most heavily concentrated, exacerbate New York City’s affordability challenges and make it harder for working- and middle-class families to make ends meet.

Comptroller Stringer’s groundbreaking report – the first that’s empirically estimated a monetary impact on New Yorkers due to Airbnb’s rapid growth – shows how tenants in neighborhoods from Chelsea to Bushwick have seen their rents skyrocket in no small measure because of the heavy concentration of Airbnb listings in their communities. Comptroller Stringer’s report drills down to the neighborhood level and analyzes data for the years 2009 to 2016. Among the Comptroller’s findings:

• Airbnb listings were heavily concentrated in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn and had a greater impact on these neighborhoods. Approximately 20% of the increase in rental rates was due to Airbnb listings in midtown and lower Manhattan, including neighborhoods such as Chelsea, Clinton, and Midtown Business District; Murray Hill, Gramercy, and Stuyvesant Town; Chinatown and Lower East Side; Battery Park City, Greenwich Village, and Soho.
• In aggregate, New York City renters had to pay an additional $616 million in 2016 due to price pressures created by Airbnb, with half of the increase concentrated in the neighborhoods highlighted above;
• For each one percent of all residential units in a neighborhood listed on Airbnb, rental rates in that neighborhood went up by 1.58 percent.
• Between 2009 and 2016, approximately 9.2 percent of the citywide increase in rental rates can be attributed to Airbnb.

“For years, New Yorkers have felt the burden of rents that go nowhere but up, and Airbnb is one reason why. From Bushwick to Chinatown and in so many neighborhoods in-between, affordable apartments that should be available to rent never hit the market, because they are making a profit for Airbnb,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “Airbnb has grown exponentially at the expense of New Yorkers who face rising rents and the risk of being pushed out of communities they helped build. If we’re going to preserve the character of our neighborhoods and expand our middle class, we have to put people before profits. It’s that simple.”

New Yorkers have been squeezed by rapidly rising rents, which rose 25% on average citywide between 2009 and 2016, or $279 per month. Rents rose most rapidly in Brooklyn, by 35% ($340 per month) followed by Queens by 22% ($242 per month); The Bronx by 21% ($171 per month); Manhattan by 19% ($276 per month); and Staten Island by 14% ($129 per month).

During the same period, Airbnb listings skyrocketed, from 1,000 in 2010 to over 43,000 in 2015, before declining to slightly under 40,000 in 2016 according to data from AirDNA – most in violation of existing State or City laws.

Airbnb listings are most heavily concentrated in Manhattan, which accounted for 52% of all listings in 2016, and Brooklyn, with 35% of all listings in 2016, but are found in every borough. In 2016, Airbnb listings are particularly concentrated in Manhattan below 59th Street and in parts of Brooklyn, including:

• Chelsea, Clinton and Midtown Business District – 11.3% of citywide listings;
• Battery Park City, Greenwich Village and Soho – 7.9%;
• Chinatown and Lower East Side – 6.9%;
• Murray Hill, Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town – 5.9%;
• Greenpoint and Williamsburg – 8.3%;
• Bedford-Stuyvesant – 5.1%;
• Bushwick – 5.0%.

Airbnb Driving up Rents

The share of Airbnb listings ballooned to 4.1% of all residential units in the Chelsea, Clinton and Midtown Business District neighborhood and 4.6% in Greenpoint and Williamsburg in 2016.  The largest relative Airbnb effects on the rental market occurred in Chelsea, Clinton and Midtown Business District (21.6%) and Murray Hill, Gramercy & Stuyvesant Town (21.5%). Average monthly rents went up in these neighborhoods by $398 and $488 respectively, of which $86 and $105 per month could be attributed to Airbnb’s exponential growth.

The largest absolute effect occurred in Greenpoint and Williamsburg where average rents increased by $659 between 2009 and 2016, of which $123 can be attributed to Airbnb’s growth.

And overall, rents in the eight neighborhoods highlighted above rose at substantially higher rates than the borough average between 2009 and 2016.

By neighborhood, during this time period average monthly rent up by:

• Greenpoint and Williamsburg – 62.6% ($659 per month)
• Bedford-Stuyvesant – 47.2% ($407 per month)
• Bushwick – 39.5% ($369 per month)
• Murray Hill, Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town – 25.9% ($488 per month)
• Chelsea, Clinton and Midtown Business District – 23.4% in ($398 per month)
• Chinatown and Lower East Side – 23% ($242 per month)
• Battery Park City, Greenwich Village and Soho – 21.4% ($411 per month).

In this report, Comptroller Stringer sought to measure the “Airbnb effect” by the removal of units from the rental market because they were listed on Airbnb by the owners instead. The Comptroller’s office compared the growth in what rents would have been if there had been no Airbnb effect to what they actually were.  Citywide, the report found that the loss of supply due to Airbnb listings drove rents up by an additional 9.2% between 2009 and 2016, after taking into account other factors that drive rent increases.

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Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. - Breaking the Fast Together - Ramadan Iftar Dinner

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES NYC FERRY NOW PLANNING FOR 9 MILLION ANNUAL RIDERS, GROWING TO MEET DEMAND

New forecast for 2023 ridership is double past projections, City investing in more and bigger boats to meet demand

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that NYC Ferry’s ridership could grow to as many as 9 million annual passengers by 2023, twice as many passengers as initially projected, and that the City will invest in a bigger ferry fleet to meet that demand. The Executive Budget includes $300 million in new capital over the next several years for new 350-passenger capacity ferries, improvements to piers and docks, and a second homeport where ferries will be maintained and repaired. The Mayor made the announcement in Bay Ridge, where new ferry service launched last year.

“New Yorkers have spoken. We’re going to need bigger boats,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We’re gearing up to meet the extraordinary demand for more public transit on our waterways.”

NYC Ferry launched on May 1, 2017. Original projections predicted 4.6 million riders once all six routes are operational and fully rolled-out. However, NYC Ferry carried 3.7 million passengers in its first year, with only four routes operating—and only two of them running for the entire 12 months. Updated projections based on the first year of service now show that demand could reach as high as 9 million riders per year by 2023.

The final two routes of the first phase of ferry service – Soundview and the Lower East Side – are expected to begin operating in late summer 2018. They join the four existing routes: East River, Rockaway, South Brooklyn and Astoria. The City’s Economic Development Corporation will study potential route expansions later this year.

The City is preparing to invest $300 million in capital over the next five years, including $35 million in Fiscal Year 2019. Those investments will include:

Increasing capacity by expanding ferry fleet, nearly doubling its size

A second homeport facility to house and maintain the expanded fleet, in addition to the first homeport at the Brooklyn Navy Yard nearing completion

Infrastructure improvements and upgrades to existing NYC Ferry barges and landings to accommodate larger crowds

Improvements to the City’s two main ferry terminals, Pier 11/Wall Street and E 34th Street, which see the highest traffic on a daily basis. These include wider gangways and new bow-loading locations to increase the number of vessels that can dock simultaneously.

Preparations for a busy spring and summer are in full swing. To meet the expected surge in demand, NYC Ferry will:

Deploy 3 brand new 350-passenger capacity NYC Ferry boats by later this summer to service the busiest routes.

Deploy up to 8 charter vessels this summer, each with capacity between 250-500 passengers.

Beginning Memorial Day Weekend, Governors Island will now be the last stop on the East River and South Brooklyn routes, increasing service to the popular summer destination.

Increase service frequency with boats arriving every 20-30 minutes on weekdays and weekends on all four routes, compared to 25-60 headways for the same service last summer.

Launch a new express service on the Rockaway route to and from Pier 11/Wall Street during weekday rush hour and on weekends, doubling capacity during these busiest times.

Increase service from Brooklyn Army Terminal by 20 percent on the Rockaway route.

Increase staffing at ferry landings to assist riders with queuing and boarding.

Since its launch one year ago, NYC Ferry has already employed over 250 people and is currently hiring for 75+ new positions, including captains, deckhands, customer service agents, ticketing, operations and more.  New Yorkers of all backgrounds and skill levels are welcome to apply. Jobseekers can apply directly at ferry.nyc.

“NYC Ferry’s overwhelming success in its first year of service indicates the need to make smart investments for the future now. This capital investment will support system improvements over the next five years, ultimately enhancing customer experience and strengthening the City’s waterfront infrastructure,” said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett.

“NYC Ferry is a great success story, and the expansion being announced today – two new routes this year along with more and bigger boats -- is more good news for New Yorkers looking to our beautiful waters to get themselves around,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.  “But under Mayor de Blasio’s leadership, it is not only new ferries; we are creating an exciting multi-modal system of transportation options – from Select Bus Service to more bike lanes and expanded bike share – that will help us meet the challenges of getting around a City that has seen unprecedented growth in population, jobs and tourism.”   

Cynthia Nixon Announces “Rent Justice for All” Platform in the Bronx

Democratic Candidate for Governor unveils most progressive and expansive tenant protection program in the country, protecting over nine million New Yorkers from skyrocketing rents and eviction

  Standing in front of an apartment building in the Bronx where the landlord is trying to displace rent-stabilized tenants, Democratic candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon announced the most ambitious tenant protection agenda in the country. Cynthia’s plan will provide over three million households and nine million New Yorkers safe and affordable housing across the state.

“Half of our state residents are renters, and under Governor Cuomo, New York’s renters have been left behind. Across the state, low and moderate income tenants are paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent,” said Cynthia. “Every single New Yorker deserves a safe and stable place to live. I will make protecting tenants -- and not corporate landlords -- my priority.”

As governor, Cynthia will strengthen New York’s failing rent laws and rid them of the loopholes that landlords and real estate developers use to take homes out of rent stabilization.  She will work with state lawmakers to create and pass legislation to re-regulate all of the apartments that are still rentals and were lost as a result of vacancy decontrol under Andrew Cuomo, the loophole that incentivizes landlords to raise rents and push out rent-stabilized tenants after reaching a $2,733 rent threshold.  And after years of rent stabilization only applying to a portion of the state’s tenants, she will expand protections beyond New York City, Nassau, Westchester and Rockland counties to all parts of the New York State, and also offer eviction protection statewide for tenants in smaller building that are currently have no rent protections whatsoever.

“Cynthia Nixon’s rent platform is the strongest tenant protection program in the country. It will provide more than three million New Yorkers living on the brink of eviction stability and security in their homes,” said Jonathan Westin, executive director of New York Communities for Change. “Tenants across the country are rising up for rent control, and under Governor Andrew Cuomo — in the pocket of his real estate donors — New York is being left behind. Cynthia Nixon is prepared to stand with tenants and make sure that every New Yorker has an affordable place to live.”

Cynthia will also work with the legislature to:

• Eliminate the vacancy bonus, which automatically awards landlords a 20% increase in rent each time an apartment is vacated.
• Eliminate the preferential rent loophole, a trick that allows landlords to lure tenants into leases at one price, which is supposedly lower than the stabilized rent, and then dramatically increase the rent overnight.
• Eliminate the four year limitation on a tenant’s ability to challenge a rent overcharge.
• Revise how the cost of major capital improvements is passed on to tenants.
• Protect tenants living in homes that might be smaller than six units but are owned by corporate landlords who own a large number of properties.
• Protect tenants from eviction, regardless of where they live or what kind of housing they live in, through Just Cause legislation which would cover tenants in small buildings across all of New York State that are not owner occupied, including lot rents in manufactured home communities that are increasingly vulnerable to speculation.
• Significantly increase funding for HCR in order to strengthen enforcement, protect tenants’ rights and empower localities to ensure homes in New York are safe and stable.
• Expand rent stabilization statewide to housing with six units or more.
   

“Dramatic rent increases threaten too many families like mine causing rampant displacement and increasing homelessness across the state,” says Lolita Molina, Make the Road Action member and a tenant who lives in a rent-regulated apartment. “Cynthia Nixon’s commitment to fight to strengthen the rent laws and expand tenant protections to bring more units across the state into regulation is the kind of bold progressive leadership that we need. Every New Yorker should have a safe, decent home and be free from harassment and intimidation. Working together with Cynthia, we will give over three million households across the state the right to stay in their homes.”

As homelessness declines across the country, in New York it is on the rise. In the last eight years, homelessness has surged by 36 percent to over 89,000 people.  If nothing changes, it will reach over 100,000 people by 2020. Under Cuomo, landlords are rewarded with large rent increases in exchange for evicting people from their homes.  The system invites Wall Street speculation and drives up housing costs. Millions have no protection at all from unfair rent increases or sudden evictions.

“In the last eight years, Governor Cuomo’s real estate donors have dictated housing policy in our state -- and the results have been disastrous. It’s hard to do right when you’re getting millions of dollars to do wrong,” said Cynthia.

Full copy of Cynthia’s “Rent Justice for All” platform can be found HERE.

Voices from the event:

"Since our landlord bought our building, he has harassed, intimidated, and harmed our health. Because of his dangerous and illegal renovations, children were poisoned with lead and elderly tenants were left with no bathrooms and having to use a bucket to go to the bathroom for months. He wants to use state MCI laws to raise rent as much as $300 a month. Simply for making our homes safe to live in. Enough is enough. We need changes in Albany and I stand with Cynthia Nixon to make sure the changes get made." - Francisca Lopez, Tenant Association Member, 919 Prospect Ave, Bronx.

"These loopholes and weak rent laws can be fixed. Governor Andrew Cuomo had 8 years to fix these laws and he decided to do nothing. We have been fighting in my building for almost a year and live in fear for our safety, not just with the horrible conditions, but because of overcharges and preferential rents that could result in us being evicted. I stand with Cynthia Nixon and her campaign in saying that there is a way to fix these problems and we need a leader willing to stand with us in fighting for stronger rent laws that protect me, my family, my neighbors, and my fellow New Yorkers"- Natasha Tosca, Tenant Association President 851 E 163rd St, Bronx.

Nathalia Fernandez joins the NYS Assembly to comprise the largest number of elected Latinas in the history of the Legislature

  Nathalia Fernandez joins six other Latina elected officials to represent their district in the New York State Assembly. Just as Nathalia is the daughter of Columbian and Cuban immigrants, all these powerful women are also daughters of hard-working immigrant parents.

These seven Latina Assemblywomen, alongside with one other Latina senator, marks a historic moment: the most Latina to ever serve in the state legislature history of over 241 years.

“It is a great honor and privilege to work alongside these inspirational women,” said the Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez. “Together, we set an example for future generations of Latinas who strive to make an impact in their communities. Hopefully, we can light the way so that their journey might be a little bit easier.”

We celebrate this moment as a step forward in diversity, inclusivity, and the recognition of the growing importance of the Latina community in New York.

“The seven Assemblywomen and one female Senator are an indication of the growing influence of Latinas and women overall in all levels of our society; from the boardrooms to the halls of power,” said Assemblyman Crespo, chair of the Hispanic and Puerto Rican Task Force. “The perspectives they bring will frame the history and future of New York and are important in all aspects of governing our diverse state.”

Nathalia Fernandez joins Aridia Espinal (D-Queens), Carmen Arroyo (D-Bronx), Nicole Malliotakis (R-Richmond), Nily Rozic (D-Queens), Maritza Davila (D-Kings), Carmen De La Rosa (D-Manhattan) and Senator Marisol Alcantara (D-Manhattan/Bronx).