Cynthia Nixon and Alex Ocasio-Cortez visit PS 304 on Lafayette Avenue in Throggs Neck

  It was a cloudy afternoon, but that didn't damper the spirits of Cynthia Nixon (Democratic candidate for governor), and the Democratic candidate for the 14th Congressional District Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who came to meet parents as they picked up their children from school to stump for candidate Cynthia Nixon for Governor. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez won the federal primary held in June, and is the Democratic candidate for the 14th Congressional District. 

  Dozens of reporters and television camera people were on hand from many of the major television stations, citywide, and local newspapers. Candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon and  the Democratic candidate for congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greeted parents as they left the school with their children. Many wanted their pictures taken on their cell phones with the next congresswoman from the district, and maybe the next governor of New York State. Below are some more photos.

Above - The television reporters were interviewing Democratic candidate for congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before the students departed school with their parents.

Below - Some members of the media wait for parents to depart with their children.

Above - Shy young child Kourtney McLean poses with Cynthia Nixon and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Below - Kourtney's parents were not shy at all in having their photo taken with Cynthia Nixon and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Democratic candidate for congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets this voter, asking him to vote for Cynthia Nixon for governor in Thursday's state primary.

Staten Island-Based Health Care Service Agrees to Pay More than $1.6 Million to Settle False Claims Act Suit Alleging Fraudulent Billing Practices

  Centers Plan for Healthy Living (“Centers Plan”), a Staten Island-based company that provides services to people who are chronically ill or who need long-term health care services, has agreed to pay $1,650,000 to settle civil fraud allegations that Centers Plan billed the Medicaid Program for services that it did not provide to Medicaid beneficiaries.  The settlement agreement, which resolved claims under both the Federal and New York State False Claims Acts, was approved yesterday by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  

“When health care providers engage in fraudulent billing practices to improperly obtain Medicaid funds, they jeopardize the very integrity of Medicaid, a critical program that provides health coverage to millions of Americans,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “This Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who seek to exploit Medicaid for their own enrichment.”  Mr. Donoghue thanked the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for their assistance in the investigation.

The government’s investigation revealed that, from April 2013 through December 2015, Centers Plan fraudulently enriched itself at the expense of Medicaid by knowingly and systematically submitting false claims for payment to Medicaid.  In one scheme, Centers Plan improperly enrolled into its managed long-term health care plan individuals who were actually only eligible for Social Adult Day Care or transportation services.  In another scheme, Centers Plan failed to disenroll members from its managed long-term health care plan who were no longer receiving qualified community-based long-term care services.

The allegations were brought to the government’s attention through the filing of a complaint pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under the Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery.

A.G. Underwood Announces Guilty Pleas Of Former Focus Otsego Nursing Home Operators For Endangering Resident

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Extended Deadline For NYCHA Monitor Applications

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has extended the deadline for receiving applications from qualified individuals to serve as Court-appointed monitor in connection with a proposed consent decree submitted to the Court for approval in the case of United States v. New York City Housing Authority, 18 Civ. 5213 (WHP).  Specifically, applications will be accepted until the date that the Court enters the proposed consent decree.

Applications will continue to be considered on a rolling basis as they are submitted, and applicants are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible.  In addition, individuals who have already submitted applications are invited to supplement those applications as appropriate.

Pursuant to the terms of the consent decree, the Government will propose a monitor for approval by the Court.  As set forth at greater length in the proposed consent decree, the monitor will be responsible for the remediation of extensive health and safety deficiencies in NYCHA housing, as well as oversight and reform of NYCHA management, controls, and operations.  

The application and related materials, and instructions for submission, are available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/monitors-receivers-claims-administrators. 

The consent decree remains subject to review and approval by the Court.

A.G. Underwood Announces $1.65 Million Joint State-Federal Settlement With Centers Plan For Healthy Living Over False Medicaid Billing

Centers Plan Billed Medicaid for Managed Long-Term Care Services that Its Members Did Not Qualify For or Receive

New York’s Medicaid Program to Recover $1.65 Million in Restitution and Penalties

  Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced today a joint state-federal settlement with Centers Plan for Healthy Living LLC (“Centers Plan”) over allegations that its managed long-term care plan (“Centers Plan MLTCP”) submitted fraudulent requests to New York’s Medicaid program for monthly premiums, violating the state and federal False Claims Acts. New York’s Medicaid program will receive $1.65 million in restitution and penalties from the settlement. 

“Submitting phony bills undermines the integrity of our Medicaid system and cheats New Yorkers,” said Attorney General Underwood. “Today’s settlement serves as a reminder that we will hold accountable those who seek to game the system for their own financial benefit.”

Medicaid is a jointly-funded state and federal program that provides health care to individuals in need. Managed Long Term Care plans (“MLTCs”) receive monthly capitation payments from Medicaid – similar to insurance premiums – for each member enrolled in the MLTC plan, in exchange for arranging and providing certain community-based long-term care services (“CBLTC”). Services may include skilled nursing services in the home, therapies in the home, home health aide services, personal care services in the home, and adult day health care. To be eligible for enrollment into an MLTC plan, a Medicaid beneficiary must, among other things, be assessed as needing CBLTC services for more than 120 days from the date of enrollment. Centers Plan contracted with licensed home care services agencies to provide skilled nursing and home health aide services to Centers Plan MLTCP members. 

A joint investigation conducted by the New York Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York found that, from April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2015, numerous Centers Plan MLTCP members did not receive CBLTC services during at least a portion of the period when they were enrolled in Centers Plan’s MLTCP. For a number of members, there was no record that Centers Plan provided them with any services whatsoever for most of their enrollment period. Centers Plan failed to disenroll these members in a timely manner and continued to collect monthly premiums from Medicaid even though these members were not eligible to remain in Centers Plan’s MLTCP. During that time, the payments that Centers Plan received from Medicaid for providing services to MLTC members were generally $2,500 to $4,300 per member per month.

The settlement agreement resolves state and federal allegations that Centers Plan submitted false claims for monthly capitation payments for Centers Plan MLTCP members who, for at least some period of their enrollment in the Centers Plan MLTCP, did not receive qualifying community-based long-term care services as required by contract and therefore should have been disenrolled from the plan. 

Click here to view a copy of the settlement agreement.

This investigation was initiated after a whistleblower filed a lawsuit under the qui tam provisions of the federal and New York False Claims Acts, which allow private persons, known as “relators,” to file civil actions on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. The relator in this case will receive a portion of the settlement proceeds after full payment by Centers Plan. 

The investigation and settlement were coordinated between the New York State Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.  

A.G. Underwood Announces Election Day Hotline To Protect Voter Access During State Primary Election

Voters Experiencing Problems Can Call 800-771-7755 or Email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov Between 6AM and 9PM on Primary Day

Attorney General’s Hotline Troubleshoots Range of Election Day Issues

  Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced her office’s Election Day Hotline, which is available to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters at the polls during the statewide primary election on Thursday, September 13^th. The Attorney General urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the office’s hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Thursday. The hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the Attorney General’s Civil Right’s Bureau.

“Voting is a fundamental right — and all eligible voters should be able to freely exercise that right,” said Attorney General Underwood. “Any New Yorkers who encounter barriers to voting or other problems at their poll sites should immediately contact my office.”

Voters registered in New York City can click here to find their poll site. Voters registered in New York outside New York City can click here to find their poll site.

The Attorney General’s office has operated the voter access hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, the office fielded hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. Last year, the Attorney General’s office sued and secured a consent decree with the New York City Board of Elections regarding voter registration purges.

The Election Day hotline is part of the office’s ongoing effort to reduce barriers to voting. To avoid any potential conflict of interest, inquiries regarding any campaign for Attorney General will be referred to the local Board of Elections or an independent voter helpline.

Attorney General Underwood reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.

The office will receive and respond to election-related complaints relating to any of the statutes that the office enforces. The Attorney General’s Election Day Hotline is being coordinated by Assistant Attorneys General Ajay Saini and Conor Duffy of the Civil Rights Bureau, which is led by Bureau Chief Lourdes Rosado. The Social Justice Division is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Matthew Colangelo.

NEW YORK CITY ANNOUNCES LAWSUIT AGAINST THREE ILLEGAL HOTEL OPERATORS

Operators generated approximately $1 million from 5,000 visitors at seven buildings

  New York City today announced a lawsuit against a group of illegal hotel operators for using deceptive practices to offer illegal and unsafe short-term rental accommodations in Downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. This is the first lawsuit that the City has filed against illegal hotel operators across multiple boroughs.

For more than three years, the defendants used multiple host accounts with fictitious identities to illegally advertise at least 15 housing units in seven buildings across three boroughs. On several occasions, the defendants also misled guests about the legality of the listings using false addresses and deceptive explanations for guests’ interaction with city inspectors. The Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement has also identified 10 bookings for future dates.

“Illegal hotel operators pose a threat to our housing stock and our neighborhoods. We will use any tools necessary to shut them down and keep New Yorkers safe,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“This is highly commercialized activity where operators are misleading visitors and taking housing units away from New Yorkers—and they’re making a fortune in the process. We’re taking action to preserve the city’s housing stock and to defend visitors’ rights to safe and legal accommodations,” said Christian Klossner, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement.

The defendants in the suit include Alexandra Pavlenok, Ekaterina Plotnikova, and Stepan Solovyev. The seven buildings are located at the following addresses:

• 12 John Street, New York
• 40 Water Street, New York
• 151 Stanton Street, New York
• 153 Stanton Street, New York
• 159 Bleecker Street, New York
• 238 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn
• 17-12 Menahan Street, Queens

OSE has taken extensive enforcement action to combat the defendants’ illegal activity, including issuing 80 violations from Department of Buildings inspectors, a partial vacate order based on “imminent danger to life or public safety,” nine fire violation orders, five fire summonses and one fire criminal summons issued to the owners of the buildings. Seven OSE advertising summonses were issued directly to operators.

Brooklyn and Queens have experienced particularly significant growth in short-term rental listings over the past few years. The City’s recently passed information sharing requirements for short-term rental platforms (Local Law 146-A) will give OSE important tools to more effectively and efficiently identify unscrupulous operators and landlords, and help deter these violations.

“Illegal hotel operators like the ones in this suit exacerbate the City’s housing affordability crisis. Shady profiteers like these that use our badly needed housing stock to turn a quick buck are shameful, and this is a perfect example of why we need to maintain enforcement efforts against this harmful behavior. I am thankful that the Office of Special Enforcement is continuing its work to combat this pressing problem. The Council will continue to address this crisis in any way it can as well,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

ENGEL AND TRI-CAUCUS CHAIRS DEMAND ANSWERS ON STATE DEPARTMENT POLICY ON HATE SPEECH

  Today, Rep. Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Rep. Judy Chu, Chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus; Reps. Karen Bass and Marc Veasey, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus Foreign Affairs and National Security Task Force; Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, decried disturbing reports detailing the Administration’s policy to refrain from condemning hate speech in the international community. Recent reporting revealed that State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration Andrew Veprek disputed the idea that leaders have a “duty to condemn hate speech or incitement.” In a letter, the Members expressed outrage and demanded an explanation of this position.

“This is dangerous policy. The United States Holocaust Museum notes that genocide is often preceded and accompanied by widespread hate speech. Ensuring that hate speech is condemned is not just basic decency—it’s also a tool for preventing atrocities. Ultimately, this latest blunder amplifies the increasingly widespread belief that some officials in the Trump administration are racist and support an anti-foreigner, anti-Muslim discriminatory agenda and further erodes our national credibility on the world stage,” the Members wrote.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We are extremely alarmed by the Trump Administration’s policy of remaining silent in international fora about racism and xenophobia and declining to condemn hate speech and incitement. It’s outrageous that any administration, regardless of political ideology, would refuse to stand for these basic American ideals.

Documents revealed in the press show that State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration Andrew Veprek disputed the idea that leaders have a “duty to condemn hate speech or incitement” and tried to strike an entire section of a United Nations document that links fighting racism with building a diverse democratic society.

This is dangerous policy. The United States Holocaust Museum notes that genocide is often preceded and accompanied by widespread hate speech. Ensuring that hate speech is condemned is not just basic decency—it’s also a tool for preventing atrocities.  

The Trump administration’s retreat from the world has directly undermined our long held global leadership role. His racist and xenophobic policies have slammed America’s door on some of the world’s most desperate people. Ultimately, this latest blunder amplifies the increasingly widespread perception that some officials in the Trump administration are racist and support an anti-foreigner, anti-Muslim discriminatory agenda and further erodes our national credibility on the world stage.

We demand an explanation and expect that DAS Veprek will be made available to meet with our staffs to explain these baffling actions and the policies behind them. Please contact Sajit Gandhi of the Foreign Affairs Committee staff at (202) 226 8467 by the end of the week to schedule this meeting without delay.

                                                   

Sincerely,

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr. District 18 Bronx County, New York

MAYOR OF SAN JUAN CARMEN YULIN CRUZ AND FORMER NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER MELISSA MARK VIVERITO ARE DEAD WRONG

 You should know that when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017, we in Bronx County, executed a humanitarian relief effort that lasted 24 hours.
 

It is important for you to know that on Saturday, September 30^th, 2017 together with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and The New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, we coordinated a relief effort to help Puerto Rico in their time of need.

 

This activity was supposed to begin at 12 noon and end at 5 pm, but the response was so large that the activity continued up until the following Sunday, September 31^stat 12 noon.

 

We were able to to fill 6 large containers for Puerto Rico and one for Mexico, but we ran into a problem. We were expecting to fill only 1 or 2 containers, but the response was so big we filled out 7 containers and by 9pm we still had extra goods, foods, water, and clothes that we had no idea what to do with.

 

Thanks to a call placed to Governor Andrew Cuomo by my son Ruben Diaz, Jr., that night 21 National Guard trucks arrived (see video attached) to help us move the rest of goods and to help clear the street.

 

I, as a Puerto Rican, and the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization have no way to thank the Governor for coming to the rescue and giving us a big hand. The Bronx executed a huge Puerto Rican relief effort and we owe our gratitude to Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

 

That is why I can’t understand, with all Governor Cuomo has done for Puerto Rico, the Mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico Carmen Yulin Cruz and former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, both Puerto Rican women, have rejected the Governor and thrown their support to a person who refused to march in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and has done nothing for the people of Puerto Rico.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, they both are dead wrong in this decision not to support a person who has given so much to help Puerto Rico and our Puerto Rican brothers & sisters on the island. 

 

I hope most Puerto Ricans are not so ungrateful, and that other Hispanics help us show our gratitude to the Governor.                                                                          

 

This is Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz, and this is what you should know.