Bronx Men Plead Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Explosives Charges

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CHRISTIAN TORO and TYLER TORO pled guilty to manufacturing and possessing a destructive device, and conspiring to do so, in connection with their stockpiling of explosive materials and manufacture of a destructive device.  Both defendants pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.  They are scheduled to be sentenced on March 26, 2019, CHRISTIAN TORO at 11:00 a.m. and TYLER TORO at 2:00 p.m.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As admitted in court today, Christian Toro and Tyler Toro sought to build a destructive device that could have caused great damage.  Christian Toro used a minor student to assist him in this endeavor.  Thanks to the excellent work of the FBI and the NYPD, no one was injured as a result of this grave conduct, and the defendants now await sentencing for their crimes.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint, the Indictment, and statements made during court proceedings:

Between approximately October 2017 and February 2018, CHRISTIAN TORO and TYLER TORO conspired to build and possess a destructive device at their residence in the Bronx, New York (the “Residence”).  CHRISTIAN TORO, a former teacher at a high school in Harlem, New York (the “School”), paid students from the School for their assistance in manufacturing the destructive device, doling out approximately $50 per hour in return for the students’ work dismantling fireworks and storing the explosive powder contained within those fireworks in containers.  CHRISTIAN TORO also had on his School laptop a copy of a book that provided instructions for, among other things, manufacturing explosive devices.

On February 15, 2018, law enforcement agents searched the Residence pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant.  In a bedroom shared by CHRISTIAN TORO and TYLER TORO, law enforcement agents recovered numerous components for use in building a destructive device and other dangerous substances, including: (i) a glass jar containing low explosive powder; (ii) a strip of magnesium metal; (iii) approximately twenty pounds of iron oxide; (iv) approximately five pounds of aluminum powder; (v) a mixture of iron oxide and aluminum powder, the key ingredients for thermite; (vi) approximately five pounds of potassium nitrate; (vii) a cardboard box containing firecrackers; and (viii) metal spheres, which can be used as fragmentation for a bomb.

Also in the Residence, law enforcement agents found a handwritten diary labeled with TYLER TORO’s name, which stated, among other things, “WE ARE TWIN TOROS STRIKE US NOW, WE WILL RETURN WITH NANO THERMITE” and “I AM HERE 100%, LIVING, BUYING WEAPONS.  WHATEVER WE NEED.”  Agents also recovered a page inside a notebook found in the Residence labeled “Operation Flash,” with a ledger appearing to delineate the hours worked and payment owed to one of the School’s students.

CHRISTIAN TORO, 28, and TYLER TORO, 28, both of the Bronx, New York, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and unlawfully possess a destructive device, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and one count of unlawfully possessing a destructive device, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the defendants’ sentences will be determined by Judge Berman. 

U.S. Attorney Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (“FBI”) New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department.

Former Honduran Congressman And Brother Of The Current President Of Honduras Charged With Conspiring To Import Cocaine Into The United States And Related Firearms Offenses

Juan Antonio Hernandez Alvarado, a/k/a “Tony Hernandez,” Also Faces Charge for Lying to Federal Agents

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Raymond Donovan, the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today that former Honduran congressman Juan Antonio Hernandez Alvarado, a/k/a “Tony Hernandez,” (“HERNANDEZ”) was charged in Manhattan federal court with conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, related weapons offenses involving the use and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and making false statements to federal agents.  HERNANDEZ is the brother of the current president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel.  HERNANDEZ was arrested on November 23, 2018, in Miami, Florida, and will appear this afternoon in Miami federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman. 

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, former Honduran congressman Tony Hernandez was involved in all stages of the trafficking through Honduras of multi-ton loads of cocaine that were destined for the U.S.  Hernandez allegedly arranged machinegun-toting security for cocaine shipments, bribed law enforcement officials for sensitive information to protect drug shipments, and solicited large bribes from major drug traffickers.  Thanks to the ongoing work of the DEA, Hernandez is now in custody on U.S. soil and facing justice in the U.S. courts.”

Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan said:  “Drug trafficking and corruption around the world threatens the rule of law, fuels violence and instability, and harms innocent families and communities.  Hernandez and his criminal associates allegedly conspired with some of the world’s most deadly and dangerous transnational criminal networks in Mexico and Colombia to flood American streets with deadly drugs.  DEA looks forward to Hernandez facing American justice and answering for his alleged crimes.”

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment unsealed in federal court:[1] 

From at least in or about 2004, up to and including in or about 2016, multiple drug-trafficking organizations in Honduras and elsewhere worked together, and with support from certain prominent public and private individuals, including Honduran politicians and law enforcement officials, to receive multi-ton loads of cocaine sent to Honduras from, among other places, Colombia via air and maritime routes, and to transport the drugs westward in Honduras toward the border with Guatemala and eventually to the United States.  For protection from official interference, and in order to facilitate the safe passage through Honduras of multi-hundred-kilogram loads of cocaine, drug traffickers paid bribes to public officials, including certain members of the National Congress of Honduras.

HERNANDEZ is a former member of the National Congress of Honduras, the brother of the current president of Honduras, and a large-scale drug trafficker who worked with other drug traffickers in, among other places, Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico, to import cocaine into the United States.  From at least in or about 2004, up to and including in or about 2016, HERNANDEZ was involved in processing, receiving, transporting, and distributing multi-ton loads of cocaine that arrived in Honduras via planes, go-fast vessels, and, on at least one occasion, a submarine.  HERNANDEZ had access to cocaine laboratories in Honduras and Colombia, at which some of the cocaine was stamped with the symbol “TH,” i.e., “Tony Hernandez.”  HERNANDEZ also coordinated and, at times, participated in providing heavily armed security for cocaine shipments transported within Honduras, including by members of the Honduran National Police and drug traffickers armed with, among other weapons, machineguns. 

As part of his drug-trafficking activities, HERNANDEZ and his co-conspirators bribed law enforcement officials for sensitive information to protect drug shipments and solicited large bribes from major drug traffickers for HERNANDEZ. 

In or about February 2014 in Honduras, HERNANDEZ met with Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga, the former leader of a violent Honduran drug-trafficking organization known as the Cachiros, for a meeting arranged by, among others, a former member of the Honduran National Police.  During a video- and audio-recorded portion of that meeting, HERNANDEZ agreed to help Rivera Maradiaga by causing Honduran government entities to pay money owed to one or more Cachiros money-laundering front companies in exchange for kickback payments from Rivera Maradiaga.  Rivera Maradiaga paid HERNANDEZ approximately $50,000 during the meeting.  

The Superseding Indictment charges HERNANDEZ, 40, with four counts:  (1) conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, (2) using and carrying machine guns and destructive devices during, and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the cocaine-importation conspiracy, (3) conspiring to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices during, and to possess machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the cocaine-importation conspiracy, and (4) making false statements to federal agents.  If convicted, HERNANDEZ faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison on Count One, a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison on Count Two, a maximum term of life in prison on Count Three, and a maximum term of five years in prison on Count Four.  The potential mandatory minimum and maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, New York Strike Force, and Tegucigalpa Country Office, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

 [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

News From Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark

BRONX MAN SENTENCED FOR ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACTS WITH 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL 
Defendant Met Victim In School Where He Worked As After-School Teacher

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in his residence. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant, who was 24 years old at the time, met the young girl at the middle school where he worked. He took advantage of the girl’s age and took her to his apartment and sexually abused her. Thankfully, the victim told another school employee, who then called the police.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Michael Jenkins, 25, of 901 Anderson Avenue, Bronx, New York, was sentenced today to two years in prison and 10 years post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary. A full order of protection was also issued, and the defendant will also register as a sex offender. Jenkins, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty to second-degree Criminal Sexual Act on October 30, 2018. 

 According to the investigation, on December 4, 2017, in his apartment, the defendant engaged in sexual acts with the minor. In a subsequent conversation between the victim and Jenkins, the defendant admitted to the sexual acts and told her she could not get pregnant through oral sex. Jenkins worked at Intermediate School 391 as an after-school teacher and taught a program called Mad Science. The victim had been attending the defendant’s class since the beginning of the school year.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detective Carolyn Tully of the Bronx Special Victims Squad for her assistance in the case.

BRONX MAN INDICTED IN 2009 MURDER OF WOMAN HE WAS DATING 

Defendant Allegedly Bashed Victim’s Head, Causing Her Death; DNA Evidence Hit Last Year Led to Solving of Case

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for the 2009 murder of a 39-year-old woman after new DNA evidence emerged. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly killed the victim, whom he knew, by bludgeoning her in the head. DNA evidence led to the defendant and we renewed our investigation in 2017. This indictment shows that victims are never forgotten, and we will use every available technology and science to pursue justice for them.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Robert Hopkins, 37, who is currently incarcerated for separate cases in Brooklyn and Manhattan, was arraigned on second-degree Murder before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Georg.

 According to the investigation, on or about and between December 22, 2009 and December 23, 2009, at 1409 Fulton Avenue, the Bronx, the defendant bludgeoned Cynthia Souser, 39, of the Bronx. Authorities got a lead in the case in November 2017 through DNA testing of evidence that was found at the scene of the crime.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Barry Sullivan and Dionisio Solis of Bronx Homicide and Detective Ronnie Wilkerson of Bronx Cold Case for their assistance.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. - Annual Bronx Christmas Tree Lighting

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr Invites you to the Annual Bronx Christmas Tree Lighting Sing Christmas carols with Santa & Mrs. Claus Enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, and a special treat from Santa !!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Thursday Dec 6,2018 5:30 PM  Bronx County Building 851 Grand Concourse East 161st Street

Join us by calling 718-590-3522 or email lroldan@bronxbp.nyc.gov

Congressman Engel on the Trump Admin's Actions at U.S.-Mexico Border

“It is impossible not to be outraged by the Trump Administration’s cruel actions yesterday at the U.S.-Mexico border. The deployment of tear gas on unarmed asylum seekers is the latest in a long line of human rights abuses from this Administration, which continues to erode America’s moral standing in the world.

“The children and families seeking asylum in the United States from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have fled unimaginable circumstances. Daily violence, extreme poverty and malnutrition are sadly the norm in these countries.

“U.S. immigration law and international law guarantee these migrants the right to seek asylum. The U.S. must uphold the rule of law and treat asylum-seekers with dignity and compassion.”

Bronx Dems Annual Holiday Party & Toy Drive

2nd Annual FOLIAGE AND FUN “A Tribute To Our Veterans”

The honorees and Ms. Bharati Kemraj of the Bharati Foundation. L - R (front row) Colleen McCarthy U.S. Marines, Tony Salimbene U.S. Coast Guard, Nicholas Himidian Jr. U.S. Air Force, A stand in for Bruce Rivera U.S. Army, (middle row) Gene DeFrancis U.S. Navy, Ms. Bharati Kemraj, LaTanga’ Blair U.S. Army, (back row) Shawn Kingston Service Award, Sidney T. Clark U.S. Marines, and Raymond Tirado U.S. Army received a posthumous award. The event was held at the Coffee Break Company located at 3217 Philip Avenue in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx.

  

Above - Sergeant Joe Ronda with his son Joe Ronda Jr. of the Star of The Sea - Sea Cadets lead in the Pledge of allegiance and the star Spangled Banner. Sergeant Ronda is playing the Star Spangled Banner in the photo.

Below - The honorees held lit sparkling candles for the soldiers who never returned from overseas. 

Above - Colleen McCarthy U.S. Marine veteran receives her award.

Below - Nicholas Himidian Jr. U.S. Air Force veteran receives his award.

Above - Gene DeFrancis U.S. Navy veteran receives his award.

Below - Sidney T. Clark U.S. Marine veteran receives his award.

Tony Salimbene U.S. Coast Guard receives his award. 

REPRESENTATIVE ADRIANO ESPAILLAT URGES NEW YORK STATE DREAM ACT TO BE RENAMED IN HONOR OF SENATOR JOSE PERALTA

  Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement on the sudden passing of New York State Senator José R. Peralta.  In a letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, and New York State Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Rep. Espaillat has urged that the New York State DREAM Act be renamed in honor of Senator Peralta’s legacy and in recognition of his steadfast leadership and unyielding desire to see the DREAM Act passed and signed into law.

“It was my privilege as a fellow Dominican-American to serve with Senator José R. Peralta, who was an honorable steward of the public trust and tireless representative for communities in Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside,” said Rep. Espaillat (NY-13). “As a main sponsor of the New York state DREAM Act, Senator Peralta believed wholeheartedly that we each have an obligation to ensure equal opportunities for the advancement of all persons.  Renaming the New York State DREAM Act in his honor would be a fitting tribute to his legacy and the work that will continue for generations to come.

“Respectfully, I ask that when the New York State Legislative Session reconvenes on January 9, 2019, that both the Assembly and Senate come together to rename the New York State DREAM Act in honor of Senator Peralta and upon its passage, that Governor Cuomo sign the bill into law recognizing and codifying its most ardent champion, New York Senator José R. Peralta, into the official record.”

Click here to read Rep. Espaillat’s letter to Governor Cuomo and New York State Senate Leadership in its entirety.