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Monday, March 25, 2019
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Gambino Crime Family Soldier Sentenced to 28 Months’ Imprisonment for Loansharking Conspiracy
Defendant Called Extortionate Collection of Loan to Victim “A Beautiful Thing”
Paul Semplice, a member of the Gambino organized crime family, was sentenced to 28 months in prison by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen at the federal court in Brooklyn for conducting a loansharking scheme in which he extended extortionate loans with annual interest rates up to 54 percent.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.
“Semplice targeted victims desperate for loans and used his status as a Mafia soldier to make sure they paid the exorbitant interest rate,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “With the sentence, the defendant will pay for his crimes in prison.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department for their investigative work on this case.
Semplice, a long-time made member of the Gambino crime family, engaged in a conspiracy with others to make extortionate extensions of credit to multiple victims. During one recorded conversation with a cooperating witness (CW), Semplice boasted that he had a “very special relationship,” “like brothers,” with a captain in the family and “answer[ed] to nobody but him.” In another recorded conversation with the CW, Semplice explained that in connection with a $200,000 loan to victim John Doe #1, he collected $9,000 interest per month, or 54 percent, and personally kept $8,000. Semplice called the arrangement “a beautiful thing.”
On November 18, 2016, during a lawfully intercepted conversation, Semplice talked about abusing victim John Doe #2. “I started abusing him, right. He was in his forties…. Once I – I had to smack him. I go, ‘What?’ Bang! I go, ‘I’ll smack you again.’ He goes, ‘Why?’ ‘Cause I shouldn’t have to come see you.’ ”
The Defendant:
PAUL SEMPLICE
Age: 55
Brooklyn, New York
Governor Cuomo Announces State Police Arrest Over 250 People for Impaired Driving Over St. Patrick's Day Weekend
Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that State Police issued 13,038 tickets and arrested 259 people for impaired driving during the St. Patrick's Day weekend impaired driving crackdown. The STOP-DWI initiative started on Friday, March 15 and continued through Monday, March 18, 2019.
"New York has zero tolerance for reckless or impaired driving and St. Patrick's Day weekend is no excuse to engage in illegal behavior," Governor Cuomo said. "These results send a message to drivers that we will continue to aggressively enforce the law to keep our highways safe."
During the 2018 campaign, Troopers issued nearly 12,959 total tickets and arrested 243 motorists for impaired driving.
Acting Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said, "Traffic safety and preventing avoidable tragedies continues to be a top priority for the State Police. Make the smart decision and always make plans for a safe and sober ride home. Together, we can prevent the injuries and deaths associated with impaired driving, and make our roads safer."
During the special enforcement period, which was funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, the New York State Police increased patrols and conducted sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify and arrest impaired drivers.
State Troopers arrested 259 people for DWI and investigated 594 automobile crashes, including 85 crashes that resulted in injuries. There were no fatalities in crashes during the enforcement period.
As part of the enforcement, Troopers also targeted speeding, aggressive and distracted drivers across the State. Below is a sampling of the total tickets that were issued.
Speeding 4,514
Distracted Driving 371
Seatbelt violations 374
Move Over Law 188
Troopers used both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of this crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who are violating the law. CITE vehicles allow the Trooper to better observe driving violations. These vehicles blend in with every day traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.
Results of the St. Patrick's Day Weekend enforcement period by troop:
| Troop | Region | DWI Arrests (# of persons) | Speed | Distracted Driving | Child Restraint/ Seat Belt | Move Over | Total Tickets (includes other violations) |
| A | Western NY | 12 | 354 | 28 | 36 | 6 | 1010 |
| B | North Country | 11 | 214 | 19 | 18 | 4 | 840 |
| C | Southern Tier | 13 | 402 | 28 | 26 | 31 | 1093 |
| D | Central NY | 30 | 438 | 45 | 47 | 12 | 1346 |
| E | Finger Lakes | 24 | 425 | 27 | 40 | 6 | 1215 |
| F | Upper Hudson Valley | 50 | 422 | 48 | 44 | 20 | 1314 |
| G | Capital Region | 39 | 460 | 37 | 43 | 10 | 1249 |
| K | Lower Hudson Valley | 33 | 729 | 24 | 28 | 24 | 1589 |
| L | Long Island | 19 | 276 | 53 | 48 | 8 | 985 |
| NYC | New York City | 0 | 13 | 25 | 7 | 7 | 644 |
| T | NYS Thruway | 28 | 781 | 37 | 37 | 60 | 1753 |
| TOTALS | 259 | 4514 | 371 | 374 | 188 | 13038 |
STATEN ISLAND MAN SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FATAL BRONX SHOOTING
Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Manslaughter
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Staten Island man has
been sentenced to 13 years in prison for fatally shooting a Bronx man in the Butler Houses in
October 2017.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant and the victim were involved in an
altercation, and the defendant later came back with a gun and killed the victim. We will not
tolerate using firearms to settle disputes.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Kevin Pettiway, 29, of 97 Laurel Avenue, Staten
Island, was sentenced today to 13 years in prison and 5 years post-release supervision by Bronx
Supreme Court Justice Steven Hornstein. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree
Manslaughter on February 22, 2019.
According to the investigation, on the night of October 13, 2017, in front of the Butler
Houses located at 1330 Webster Avenue, the defendant shot Jayquan Smalls, 24, causing his
death. Earlier that day, Pettiway and Smalls had been arguing and the victim had beaten up the
defendant inside the Butler Houses.
The victim was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he later died. The defendant was
taken into custody on November 9, 2017.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Sasha Brugal of the 42nd
Precinct and retired NYPD Detective Sean O’Leary of Bronx Homicide.
BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR SELLING 13 FIREARMS, INCLUDING TWO ASSAULT WEAPONS, TO UNDERCOVER COP
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been
charged in a 77-count indictment for selling 11 handguns and two semi-automatic rifles to an
undercover detective in the Bronx.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly possessed these dangerous weapons
in the Bronx, and sold them to a courageous NYPD detective posing as a gun buyer. Fortunately,
these firearms were intercepted before they could harm anyone in our community, and this alleged
gun dealer is out of business. We will do everything we can to stop the flow of illegal guns to our
streets.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Frankie Esperanza, 34, of 2816 Schley Avenue,
was arraigned today on an indictment charging 77 counts including Criminal Sale of a Firearm,
Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Possession of Ammunition before Bronx Supreme Court
Justice George Villegas. Bail was set at $250,000 bond. He is due back in court on June 19, 2019.
If convicted of the top charge of first-degree Criminal Sale of a Firearm, the defendant could face
five to 25 years in prison.
According to the investigation, Esperanza allegedly sold 13 firearms to an undercover
NYPD detective on eight different occasions spanning from August 8, 2018 until January 28,
2019, at various locations in the Throggs Neck area of the Bronx. The weapons included two
semi-automatic rifles and a high-capacity magazine. More than two hundred rounds of
ammunition were also sold.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Deputy Inspector Brian V. Gill, Commanding
Officer of the Firearms Suppression Section; NYPD Captain Jonathan P. Korbell, Commanding
Officer; NYPD Detective Jonathan Jordan and Detective Dennis Kenefick from the Firearms
Investigation Unit, and NYPD Detective Douglas Lansing of the Drug Enforcement Task Force,
formerly of the Firearms Investigation Unit, for their assistance in the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION HOLDS TECHNICAL BRIEFING TO DISCUSS DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY FOR BOROUGH-BASED JAILS
Friday, members of the de Blasio Administration held a technical briefing on the City’s Draft Environmental Impact Study for the four modern, community-based jails that will replace Rikers Island. Members of the Administration are,
Elizabeth Glazer, Director, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
Dana Kaplan, Deputy Director, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
Marco Carrión, Commissioner, Community Affairs Unit
Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk, Chief of Staff, Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin
Brenda Cooke, Chief of Staff, Department of Correction
In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to close the jails on Rikers Island and released a roadmap for a smaller, safer and fairer justice system. The roadmap included plans to safely reduce the jail population to 5,000 people and transition to a local borough-based jail system.
The complete DEIS can be found here.
Sunday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. held a rally on the steps of City Hall against using the current NYPD Tow Impound site as the new home for the Bronx Local Jail.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
On Sunday, Mayor de Blasio will travel to Washington, D.C.
BP DIAZ & COMMUNITY LEADERS RALLY TO STOP BRONX JAIL PROPOSAL
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. joined tenants of the Diego Beekman Houses and community leaders from across the city today for a rally on the steps of City Hall to oppose the siting of a new jail in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx.
During the rally, Borough President Diaz called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to stop the certification of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) for the proposed jail site at 320 Concord Avenue, which is scheduled to happen tomorrow. The site is currently operated as a tow yard, and is the former location of Lincoln Hospital, in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Mott Haven.
Borough President Diaz and those assembled at the event called on the mayor to select a better site for the jail, specifically the existing Bronx Family Court location and additional vacant space next to the Bronx Hall of Justice on East 161st Street.
“Rikers Island must be closed. However, we should not abandon the principles of criminal justice reform for reasons of political expediency,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Mott Haven is the wrong location for a new jail in The Bronx. Mayor de Blasio needs to stop the certification of this ULURP, listen to community concerns and select a better site—adjacent to our criminal court—for this jail.”
"We have been demanding the mayor and City Council change their unjust jail plan for the better part of a year, and we have not heard one word from them, nor seen any meaningful community engagement whatsoever," said Diego Beekman Mutual Housing Association CEO Arline Parks. "The fact that the mayor would go ahead with siting a massive jail in a low-income community of color on a piece of land meant for community-based development is the final piece of proof that he doesn't care about our community and people like us. The City clearly does not respect the rights of Mott Haven residents.”
“We all agree that Rikers’ Island should close, but we were expecting far better from this Administration. The proposed alternative location in Mott Haven was chosen without engaging with local residents, without meeting the stated goals for criminal justice reform in our city, and without considering alternative options. It is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, too far from the local court, and has been controversial since first announced. We urge Mayor de Blasio to reconsider this decision before the certification of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) goes into effect tomorrow. Bronx residents and the community of Mott Haven deserve more,” said Congress Member José Serrano.
“The Third Avenue Business Improvement District, Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District, and the small locally owned, largely immigrant businesses of the South Bronx are vehemently opposed to the proposed siting for the Bronx borough-based jail,” stated Michael Brady, Executive Director of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District, Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District, and Bruckner Boulevard Commercial Corridor. “Bill de Blasio's borough-based jail plan is misguided to say the least and does not include input from community leaders and residents. The community has been vociferously opposed to the proposed siting of this jail and has been met with incentive tactics employed by the administration akin to pimping out our neighborhood for the purpose of a school, a park, and adequate roads and sewers. These elements are not community amenities they are community rights - especially in this neighborhood that has been overlooked and under resourced for generations. The de Blasio administration and other leaders can not dupe our neighborhood yet again - we will not settle for what should be guaranteed investments for the sake of creating a jail. This move underscores the continued classism and systemic racism met by Bronxites in the larger context of New York City's development and highlights that the de Blasio administration does not implement criminal justice best practices - even practices that his departments and research support. This is not an action that creates America's fairest city.”
The proposed location at 320 Concord Avenue was selected without community input, and has been controversial from the moment it was announced: The site is so far away from the borough’s criminal court that it goes against the recommendations of criminal justice experts, who almost universally believe that jails should be adjacent to court and other criminal justice services.
In fact the Lippman Commission’s report, which is being used as the ideological underpinning of Mayor de Blasio’s plan to close Rikers Island, specifically states that jails belong next to criminal courts for a wide variety of reasons.
“Locating modern jail facilities near the criminal courts and closer to families, attorneys, and health and service providers is a chance to create a more humane system for the decades to come,” said former Chief Judge of the State of New York Jonathan Lippman in the foreword to his commission’s own report.
“Even in the 1930’s, when no one cared about criminal justice reform and the system was used as an explicit measure to punish the incarcerated, they still knew that jails needed to be close to the courthouse. Back then, they built the Bronx House of Detention just a few blocks away from the courthouse on the site of what is now the Gateway Center Mall,” said Borough President Diaz. “How could an administration so supposedly committed to justice get this wrong in 2019, when they got it right by accident in 1937?”
Additionally, after years of community input and planning, the Mott Haven community and the leadership of the Diego Beekman Houses have put forward a plan to redevelop the tow yard site with a community-centered affordable housing and mixed-use development. The proposed jail would prevent that plan from going forward.
NYPAN's Grassroots Gala 2019
You are cordially invited to attend NYPAN's 2nd Annual Grassroots Gala on Saturday, April 27th at Judson Memorial Church, New York City.
Join us to celebrate and honor New York Senator Alessandra Biaggi, Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director, UPROSE, and founder of the Fighting for Children PAC who was the primary mover behind the passage of the Child Victims Act, Gary Greenberg.
Enjoy the evening with fellow NYPAN members and grassroots activists from around the Northeast as we gear up for the election year. Food, drinks, music, auctions, politics - all make for a perfect evening gathering of the grassroots!
General admission $99 - Doors open 6PM
VIP Cocktail Hour - $199 from 6pm - 7pm, very limited tickets available for one on one conversations with our special guests.
Proceeds benefit NYPAN's mission to continue building and strengthening the historic, grassroots coalition-based movement which has swept New York politics and is sweeping the world! BUY TICKETS (Limited quantity, sold out quickly last year)
For more information please email Event Coordinator Liz Santiso.