MAJOR NARCOTICS TRAFFICKERS SENTENCED FOR SMUGGLING COCAINE VIA U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, announced today the sentencing of Puerto Rico-based drug suppliers LUIS XAVIER MELENDEZ SANCHEZ and ELIUD TORRES on top narcotics possession and conspiracy charges. The charges stemmed from a scheme to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York City and elsewhere through the U.S. Mail. Packages of drugs were concealed inside boxes of toys and exercise equipment.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Stephen Antignani imposed a sentence of 11 years in prison followed by five years post release supervision on the charge of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and one to three years in prison for Conspiracy in the Second Degree for each of the two defendants. The sentences are to run concurrently.

MELENDEZ SANCHEZ and TORRES entered guilty pleas on May 8, 2019 after their trial had commenced. They were among 15 defendants arrested in connection with a conspiracy that ran from August 2015 to February 2017. A total of 21 kilograms of cocaine and heroin (46 pounds), with a combined street value of approximately $4.5 million, was seized during the long-term wiretap investigation, as was approximately $150,000 in cash, $90,000 in jewelry, a rifle and a stun gun.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force Group Z-42, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the New Jersey State Police, Trafficking Central Unit.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said, “In the midst of the opioid epidemic gripping our city, we must not forget that cocaine related deaths are also on the rise. The volume of cocaine smuggled into New York City by the Sanchez -Torres organization through the mail, simply concealed in innocent looking packages, is a grim reminder of that sad fact. I thank all of our law enforcement partners who collaborated to bring an extended network of narcotic traffickers to justice.”

MELENDEZ SANCHEZ and TORRES were arrested on February 7, 2017 and February 8, 2017 respectively in San Juan, P.R. after agents and officers identified them as suppliers for the head of Bronx-based narcotic distribution organization, ARIEL LOPEZ ACOSTA.

LOPEZ ACOSTA pled guilty on December 14, 2017 and was sentenced to 8 ½ years in prison for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and two to six years in prison for Conspiracy in the Second Degree. All of the other defendants charged in the case also pled guilty.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan commended Assistant District Attorneys Erik J. Aho and Christopher Lin of her office’s Special Investigations Bureau for their work on the case, along with Investigative Analyst Michael-Angelo Zummo and Trial Preparation Assistants Cindy Cintron, Whitley Daniels and Sonia Hira, and thanked Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan also commended members of DEA New York Strike Force Group Z-42, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New Jersey State Police.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police, the U. S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshal Service, New York National Guard, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, the Clarkstown Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Washington Police Department and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The Strike Force is partially funded by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which is a federally funded crime fighting initiative.

Defendant	Charges	Sentence
Luis Xavier Melendez Sanchez; San Juan, Puerto Rico; 12/1/1987	Conspiracy 2nd – 1 ct; CPCS 1st – 1 ct	1-3 years prison; 11 years prison + 5 years PRS
Eliud Torres; San Juan, Puerto Rico; 1/13/1977	Conspiracy 2nd – 1 ct; CPCS 1st – 1 ct	1-3 years prison; 11 years prison + 5 years PRS

Attorney General James Sues New York City Property Manager For Illegally Deregulating Hundreds Of Rent-Stabilized Apartments

David Drumheller Allegedly Participated in Scheme to Increase Rent-Stabilized Rents, Took $1.2 Million in Kickbacks from Contractors

  Attorney General Letitia James today announced a lawsuit against David Drumheller and his closely-held company, JBD Realty Services, LLC, for fraud, unjust enrichment, and for repeatedly violating Rent Stabilization laws through manipulation of Individual Apartment Improvements (IAIs). Drumheller worked for many years at Newcastle Realty Services, a property management company that manages approximately 2,500 apartments throughout New York City. 

The complaint alleges that, while at Newcastle, Drumheller and other agents jointly schemed to illegally deregulate rent-stabilized apartments by manufacturing and inflating costs used to claim IAIs, a mechanism by which landlords can raise rent-stabilized rents in excess of regular annual rent increases. Additionally, the complaint alleges that Drumheller and an associate at Newcastle accepted $1,200,000 in kickbacks from contractors who performed renovations on Newcastle-managed apartments.

“Engaging in fraud with respect to renovations is a decades-old, devious practice designed to take advantage of tenants throughout New York," said Attorney General Letitia James. “Knocking hundreds of rent-stabilized apartments off the market by illegal schemes is immoral and unacceptable. My office will work to reregulate the units lost to this fraud, and to ensure that individuals like Drumheller are no longer in a position to abuse the rent regulation system.” 

The lawsuit details a years-long scheme to abuse the IAI system set forth in the Rent Stabilization laws in order to rapidly deregulate rent-stabilized buildings, sell them, and turn a profit. When landlords and managing agents are able to claim enough costs to push the rent over the “high rent” deregulation threshold, apartments become market-rate, which exponentially increases the value of buildings. Under the Rent Stabilization laws, the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR) does not approve IAIs and therefore does not receive receipts from a landlord unless a tenant brings an overcharge case.

The complaint alleges that Newcastle implemented a strategy to gut-renovate vacant rent-stabilized apartments, count the cost of the renovations as IAIs, and then claim that the apartments were exempt from rent stabilization when a new tenant moved in. It is alleged that, in order to carry out this plan, Drumheller, without speaking to any contractor, first determined how much money it would take to deregulate a unit, and then dictated the labor cost to the captured contractor regardless of the true and fair cost of the renovation. Further, he used false change orders when his calculation fell short. This practice resulted in discrepancies in the claimed cost of labor. For example, $14,500 would be claimed in construction costs to renovate a one-bedroom apartment; whereas, $95,000 would be claimed in construction costs to renovate a studio in the very same building at the same time. Drumheller and others at Newcastle assigned these labor costs to apartments based exclusively on the amount of IAI necessary to deregulate each unit and not the actual value of the work. However, because Drumheller created checklists and other paperwork to make these costs appear legitimate, it was virtually impossible for HCR or incoming tenants to uncover the fraud.

Additionally, the complaint alleges that Drumheller secretly syphoned money from payments to Newcastle contractors, and he included those kickbacks in claimed IAIs.  Contractors paid Drumheller in cash and checks, and Drumheller and his associate together took more than $1.2 million from the contractors hired to do Newcastle renovations. Some contractors paid Drumheller and his associate directly, and others paid for their expenses, such as country club dues, Porsche payments, and home improvement projects.

In the filing, the Attorney General seeks an injunction against Drumheller and JBD Realty Services, LLC, disgorgement of all kickbacks, restitution for tenants affected by their conduct, and that the Court bar Drumheller and JBD Realty Services, LLC from engaging in any business related to management or ownership of rent-stabilized property in the State of New York.

“We commend the Attorney General for her continued efforts and national leadership on behalf of New Yorkers. The Governor’s Tenant Protection Unit within HCR continues to work closely with the Attorney General’s office to uncover illicit schemes that defraud hard-working, law-abiding New Yorkers, and joint AG and TPU investigations have successfully resulted in civil actions against Zara Realty and settlements against Marolda,” said HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas. “Working together in real-time is how we create a force-multiplier to identify illegal overcharges and schemes to protect tenants. Through its audits and investigations, to date the TPU has returned more than 77,000 improperly deregulated apartments to rent regulation and recovered approximately $5 million in overcharged rent for unsuspecting tenants.”

The Attorney General, in coordination with HCR, is continuing its investigation into the loss of rent-stabilized apartments through Drumheller’s scheme. Any tenants who believe they have been overcharged can file an overcharge complaint with HCR.

VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE–MONTHLY MEETING–MONDAY JUNE 3, 2019–7:00PM–MONSIGNIOR FIORENTINO APTS–1830 AMETHYST STREET, COMMUNITY ROOM

Monday June 3, 2019 is our last meeting before summer recess!
We resume in September. That doesn't mean we stop being
the eyes and ears of Van Nest! We are on-call 24/7!

Monday, June 3, 2019

7:00 PM

Monsignor Fiorentino Apts Community Room

1830 Amethyst Street

Bronx, NY 10462

New Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Upcoming Events

Click here for printable PDF of flyer below

Click here for printable PDF of flyer below with pricing and journal information

Click here for printable PDF of flyer below

Monroe College offers a special 20% tuition discount to Bronx Chamber of Commerce Members! Click here for printable flyer with details.

Bronx Community College Foundation 2019 Scholarship Gala Wednesday | 6:00-10:00pm | June 5, 2019 Click here to find out more about the gala and its honorees This year’s honorees include Joseph Kelleher, President, Simone Metro Properties; Chairman, Bronx Chamber of Commerce. The Bronx Community College (BCC) Foundation Scholarship Gala is the college’s leading fundraising event in support of BCC students with their greatest financial needs to stay in school, graduate and put them on the path to transforming their lives and that of their families. Admission: See flyer. Location: Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses Street, New York, NY 10013.

BMAR invites you to A Subway Ride to the Ballgame Monday | 5:00pm | June 10, 2019 The Yankees vs. Mets Subway Series Be part of the team and go to bat as a sponsor! Click here for printable flyer with game and sponsor information. Game Time: 7:05pm Admission: $215.00 (includes Yankees baseball hat, food, beer and soft drinks) Location: Yankee Stadium

VISIONS Celebrity Bartending Event Thursday | July 18, 2019 | 6:00-9:00pm Click here for information This year’s celebrity bartenders include Ed Angelino, Power Express; John Bonizio, Metro Optics Eyewear; Bruce Eagel, Eagel Sports; John Marano, Community Volunteer; Frank Marciano, Ensign Engineering; Tommy Messina, Community Advocate; Anthony Mormile, Orange Bank & Trust Company; and Andrew Squitieri, DJ Ambulette. Proceeds support VISIONS FREE Services for blind people in the Bronx. Admission: Included in link above  Location: Residence Inn by Marriott, 1776 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10461

MAYOR DE BLASIO, SPEAKER JOHNSON, CHANCELLOR CARRANZA AND NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY-BASED EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROVIDERS

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Corey Johnson and Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today announced addenda to the Birth-to-Five RFP and Head Start/Early Head Start RFP that will support community-based early care and education providers with greater financial stability. Written in partnership with the City Council and after hearing extensive feedback from advocates and community-based providers, these addenda will raise the funding floor for awarded providers, support indirect costs and cost increases over the contract term, and strengthen the partnership between the Department of Education and community-based providers.

“I’ve put early childhood education front and center as Mayor because it’s our first tool for improving the lives of every New Yorker and making this the fairest big city in the country,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’ve heard the voices of community advocates and the Council and are committed to ensuring early childhood education providers have the stability and funding they need to put our kids on the path to success inside and outside the classroom.”

“This is a huge win for our city,” said Speaker Corey Johnson. “Community-based early care and education providers helping to raise a new generation of New Yorkers. They deserve all the support we can give them and nothing less." 

“Pre-K and 3-K for All would not be possible without the phenomenal work and dedication of our community-based providers,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “We’ve met with and listened to numerous advocates and providers, and we’re excited to strengthen our partnership with these providers and continue to work together to provide high-quality early care and education to New York City children and families.”

  

The specific changes to the RFPs include:

·         To make it easier for providers to meet their programmatic needs, and help fill seats, DOE has increased the up-front payments providers receive by January of each school year to three-quarters of their contract value, a 10% increase over the original RFP. Providers that have enrollment greater than 75% will receive an enhanced payment, and those with at least 93% enrollment will receive their full contract value.

·         Additionally, the DOE will continue to provide extensive enrollment support to all CBOs to ensure that programs are able to fill seats and families are able to receive high-quality care that meets their needs. This includes: 

o   Access to a multilingual outreach team that reaches thousands of families every year and will partner with providers to reach out to families specifically in their communities;

o   Support for families, including a mobile-friendly application, in-person support at 12 Family Welcome Centers, and application support available in over 200 languages;

o   Outdoor and digital advertisements with targeting based on neighborhood language;

o   Marketing materials for programs like palm cards, posters, and banners;

o   One-on-one support to under-enrolled programs.

·         Consistent with policy developed by the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee in partnership with nonprofits and the City Council, providers may budget for up to 10 percent of indirect costs if that is what is required within the budget and program model. That number may be higher if approved by the federal government or verified by a CPA. 

·         Providers’ cost increases during the contract term will be addressed if and when the city certifies that industry-wide labor costs increase, or if the individual provider demonstrates reasonable increases in occupancy cost. 

·         Contracted providers can propose to offer 8-10 hour-per-day, year-round programming, and the City will award as many of these seats as possible, pending available funds.

·         DOE has synchronized the deadline for providers to respond to both the Birth-to-Five RFP and the Head Start RFP, extending the Birth-to-Five deadline so that both are on June 13.

“Our community-based providers have been essential to the success of Pre-K and 3-K for All and integral to communities across this City,” said Deputy Chancellor of Early Childhood and Student Enrollment Josh Wallack. “We’ve listened to their concerns, and we’re excited to take this step forward in partnership with them and with the support of our Mayor, our Chancellor, and the City Council. We’ll continue to partner with our CBOs to provide high-quality programs for New York City children and families.”

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR CARRANZA ANNOUNCE OVER 9,500 FAMILIES RECEIVING 3-K FOR ALL OFFERS

For the first time this fall, 3-K for All will be in all five boroughs

  Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced 9,518 families are receiving offers to free, full-day, high-quality 3-K for All across 12 community school districts – three times more than last year, when 3,257 families across six community school districts received offers.

A total of 14,253 families across all 32 community school districts applied to 3-K for All, demonstrating high demand and the need for additional support from the State and Federal government to bring 3-K for All citywide by the 2021-22 school year.

“This is a great day for our City and for the thousands of 3-K students and families starting their New York City public school careers,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “High-quality early childhood education leads to greater success for kids throughout their lifetime, while putting an additional $10,000 on average back in their families’ pockets for every year of class before kindergarten. I’m proud that we’ve been able to continue expanding 3-K for All and that families across all five boroughs will reap the benefits.”

“3-K and Pre-K for All transform children’s and families’ lives and are the foundation of our students’ long-term academic success,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “This is Equity and Excellence for All in action—expanding opportunity across the five boroughs through access to free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education.”

As part of the 2019 State of the City address, Mayor de Blasio increased the City’s commitment to fully funding free, full-day, high-quality 3-K. With this increased commitment, 3-K will be available in 12 districts this fall – including on Staten Island for the first time – up from six originally planned. The full schedule for 3-K expansion is:

· 2017-18: District 7 (South Bronx) and District 23 (Brownsville). This year, over 1,500 three-year olds were served by 3-K for All in these two districts.

· 2018-19: District 4 (East Harlem), District 5 (Harlem), District 16 (Bedford-Stuyvesant), and District 27 (Broad Channel, Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Rockaways). This year, there are currently approximately 5,000 children served by 3-K for All.

·  2019-20: District 6 (Washington Heights and Inwood), District 8 (Country Club, Pelham Bay, Throgs Neck, Castle Hill, Soundview, Hunts Point), District 9 (Grand Concourse, Highbridge, Morrisania), District 19 (East New York), District 31 (Staten Island), and District 32 (Bushwick)

·  2020-21: District 12 (Central Bronx) and District 29 (Cambria Heights, Hollis, Laurelton, Queens Village, Springfield Gardens, St. Albans)

Each district will have a two-year expansion, offering universal access in the second year. All families who applied from Districts 4, 5, 7, 16, 23, and 27 will be able to attend 3-K for All this fall. Additionally, all families who applied from Districts 19 and 32 received an offer to attend 3-K for All this year, fulfilling the City’s commitment to provide universal access to students living in the district a year ahead of schedule.

3-K for All is the nation’s most ambitious effort to provide universal, free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education for all three-year-olds, and builds on the success of Pre-K for All. Research has found every dollar invested in high-quality early education saves taxpayers as much as $13 long term. The City is on track to support approximately 20,000 3-K seats across the city this school year. For the 2019-20 school year, 3-K for All will cost $173 million across 12 districts. In order to achieve the vision of 3-K for All citywide, the City will need additional support from partners in the State and Federal government.

Families without an offer are receiving information today on EarlyLearn programs for which they may be eligible, and will receive ongoing support from the DOE outreach team to find a program that meets their needs. Families can continue to learn about available 3-K programs online at nyc.gov/3k, over the phone by calling 718-935-2009, or in-person at a Family Welcome Center. Like Pre-K for All, free, full-day, high-quality 3-K for All seats are available across a wide range of settings including DOE schools, DOE Pre-K Centers, and community-based organizations, including Head Start, EarlyLearn providers, child care agencies, and, for the first time, family child care providers in District 27.

The 3-K for All expansion builds on the success of Pre-K for All. Parents with children enrolled in free, full-day pre-K save an average of $10,000 annually on childcare costs. An NYU study last year found that Pre-K for All makes it more likely that a low-income child in New York City is properly diagnosed with asthma or vision problems, and receives screening or treatment for hearing or vision problems. Additionally, 94 percent of NYC Pre-K for All programs assessed from 2015-16 through 2017-18 scored at or above a national threshold correlated with positive student outcomes, up from 88 percent of the programs assessed from 2014-15 through 2016-17, and outpacing or on par with gold-standard programs across the country.

As part of the larger effort to strengthen birth-to-five care and education across the City, EarlyLearn programs are transitioning from ACS to management by DOE in 2019. This transition is being led by ACS and DOE with engagement from other city agencies, including the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as well as providers, early childhood care and education experts, and state and federal regulators. Creating a unified birth-to-five early care and education system will benefit children, families, and providers. It will enable consistent, high-quality standards, greater curricular alignment from early childhood through second grade, streamline and simplify enrollment, and encourage integration at a classroom level. In addition to programs serving three- and four-year-olds, EarlyLearn programs serving children from six-weeks-old through three-years-old are also transitioning to management by DOE, including center- and home-based programs.

3-K for All and Pre-K for All are part of the Mayor and Chancellor’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda. Together, the Equity and Excellence for All initiatives are building a pathway to success in college and careers for all students. Our schools are starting earlier – free, full-day, high-quality education for three-year-olds and four-year-olds through 3-K for All and Pre-K for All. They are strengthening foundational skills and instruction earlier – Universal Literacy so that every student is reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade; and Algebra for All to improve elementary- and middle-school math instruction and ensure that all 8th graders have access to algebra. They are offering students more challenging, hands-on, college and career-aligned coursework – Computer Science for All brings 21st-century computer science instruction to every school, and AP for All will give all high school students access to at least five Advanced Placement courses. Along the way, they are giving students and families additional support through College Access for All, Single Shepherd, and investment in Community Schools. Efforts to create more diverse and inclusive classrooms through Diversity in New York City Public Schools, the City’s school diversity plan, are central to this pathway.