The Food Insecurity Program is part of the Speaker’s plan to combat food inequity

 New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez announce a $1 million pilot to address food insecurity among CUNY students. The program, which starts at CUNY’s seven community colleges, is part of the Speaker’s multi-pronged approach to stemming food inequity in New York.

In the fall and spring semesters, 1,250 qualifying students, including CUNY Dreamers, those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, will get $400 that they can spend in campus cafeterias. The students were selected from a pool of low-income students who met the basic eligibility criteria and had an average family income that was $15,605. 

“College student hunger is a serious problem in New York City. CUNY students should be focused on learning and studying, not where their next meal is coming from. We are one of the richest cities in the world but too many New Yorkers don’t have equitable access to healthy food. The Council is proud to fund this pilot so that more students have access to food instead of skipping meals to survive,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson. 

“A student dealing with hardships outside of the classroom can be quickly overwhelmed by the demands of college. I applaud Speaker Johnson for his leadership on this critical issue and I thank the City Council for supporting this important pilot program. The initiative will be a valuable addition to CUNY’s leading-edge efforts to address food insecurity and connect students to life-changing resources that will contribute to their physical and mental well-being and academic success,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. 

Students were notified in October that they were eligible for the fall semester. Determinations are made per semester, therefore the group in the spring may be different as population and need shifts. Students are given $400 vouchers or swipe cards – equivalent to three $10 meals weekly for 13 weeks – to spend on any food items in participating cafeterias.

The basic eligibility criteria to qualify is:

• Significant financial need
• Resident of the five boroughs
• Enrolled at CUNY for at least 9 credits
• Obtaining first college degree
• Not currently a recipient of the Supplemental
  Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Maintaining a satisfactory grade point average

Participating colleges are: Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Bronx Community College (BCC), Hostos Community College, Kingsborough Community College (KBCC), LaGuardia Community College, Queensborough Community College (QCC) and Guttman Community College.

Priority was given to student parents, students who completed at least 45 credits and first year students. One survey of CUNY students found that nearly half of respondents said they had been food insecure in the prior 30 days.

The Speaker’s pilot builds on CUNY’s efforts to guide more students to available resources and address food insecurity. These efforts range from opening food pantries or offering food vouchers at all 18 undergraduate colleges to growing food on three campuses, including Kingsborough’s quarter-acre Urban Farm that produces thousands of pounds of fresh organic produce each year to distribute to students in need.

Another CUNY effort to help alleviate stressors that can hinder a student’s academic career are campus-based offices that assist students in obtaining nutrition benefits, health insurance, legal and financial services and tax preparation. These offices also manage campus food pantries and operate at every CUNY community college and at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“We know that to be successful in college, students must have their basic needs met, including having enough food to eat. We are committed to working with our partners to prevent food insecurity among our students. In addition to the recently opened food pantry on campus, these emergency food vouchers will help give our students the support they need to complete their degrees and achieve their dreams. We thank the Speaker, the City Council, and CUNY, for their visionary leadership on this critical issue,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Interim President of BMCC.

SEVEN INDICTED IN DRUG PACKAGING MILL OPERATION: MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING OFFICERS BY THROWING TOXIC FENTANYL

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Division, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh, New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett and Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the indictment of seven individuals charged with operating a fentanyl packaging operation in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx. One defendant faces assault charges for allegedly throwing fentanyl at a law enforcement officer with the intent to cause serious injury.

Members of the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, Group Z-21, obtained a court authorized search warrant for a suspected narcotics packaging location at 304 Willis Avenue, Apt. 4D on November 7, 2019. Upon entering the apartment, agents and officers encountered six individuals in the living room along with a large quantity of suspected heroin and fentanyl packaged into nearly 20,000 individual dose glassine envelopes, as well as additional quantities of narcotics in loose powder form.

Before Strike Force members could secure the apartment, defendant CHRISTIAN ROJAS allegedly threw loose fentanyl at the head of one of the officers, striking him with powder and causing dust to become airborne.  The officer exhibited fentanyl-related symptoms, including nausea and shortness of breath and was treated by emergency responders. A second officer who was immediately behind this officer also experienced nausea and shortness of breath, and momentarily lost consciousness while being transported to a hospital via ambulance. A total of four officers experienced fentanyl-related symptoms as a result of being inside the apartment at 304 Willis Avenue, which is across the street from a public elementary school.

The defendants are scheduled for arraignment today before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Abraham Clott, 111 Centre Street, Part 61. An indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges CHRISTIAN ROJAS with two counts of Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer, two counts of Assault in the Second Degree and one count of Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree. All seven defendants allegedly present in the apartment are charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and two counts of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree.

Defendants JOSE GONZALEZ, FREDDY ROJAS, NASSAR LACEWELL, MARIO GUERRERO and FRANCISCO PAYANO were allegedly in the living room along with CHRISTIAN ROJAS at the time of the court authorized search. Defendant MARGARET PAYANO was in a bedroom.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan thanked Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and commended members of her office’s Special Investigations Bureau and the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, a crime-fighting unit comprising federal, state and local law enforcement agencies supported by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

The Strike Force is housed at the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA; the New York City Police Department; the New York State Police; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Secret Service; the U.S. Marshals Service; New York National Guard; the Clarkstown Police Department; U.S. Coast Guard; Port Washington Police Department; and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

1	Nassar Lacewell; Newark, NJ; 2/24/1983	CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts
2	Christian Rojas; Brooklyn, NY; 6/27/1975	Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer – 2 cts; Assault 2nd – 2 cts; Reckless  Endangerment 2nd – 1 ct; CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts
3	Francisco Payano; Bronx, NY; 12/30/1983	CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts
4	Mario Guerrero; Bronx, NY; 5/25/1979	CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts
5	Jose Gonzalez; Bronx, NY; 7/16/1970	CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts
6	Freddy Rojas; Brooklyn, NY; 4/22/1972	CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally  Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts
7	Margaret Payano; Bronx, NY; 9/27/1973	CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Criminally  Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd – 2 cts

The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Young Israel Of Pelham Parkway :

Please join us at The Young Israel of Pelham Parkway located at 900 Pelham Parkway South/ corner of Muliner Ave. on Sunday Dec.22,2019 starting at 2:00 pm for a festive Chanukah Party and Concert starring the wonderfully talented Aaron Alexander and The Klez Messengers Band. This is a FREE event. Refreshments will be served. Come ,enjoy and have FUN.

Former Vice President Of Teamsters Labor Union Pleads Guilty To Bribery

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOHN ULRICH, who previously served as the vice president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 812 (the “Union”) and as a trustee of the Union’s employee health benefit plan (the “Plan”), pled guilty today to soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments from an executive with the Plan’s Third Party Administrator (the “TPA-1”), in exchange for using his influence to ensure the Union’s continued retention of TPA-1 as its Plan administrator.  ULRICH pled guilty before United States District Judge Analisa Torres.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As he admitted in court today, John Ulrich betrayed the trust of the Union members who elected him in order to line his pockets with bribe money.  This Office is committed to prosecuting corrupt union officials who abuse their positions of trust for their own financial benefit.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment, other public filings, and statements made during the plea proceeding:

The Union has more than approximately 3,000 members, and represents workers in the beverage industry throughout the New York metropolitan area.  The Union’s members are covered by the Plan, which provides, among other things, life insurance, health insurance, dental, vision, and disability benefits to Union members and their families.  As the Plan’s third-party administrator, TPA-1 processed health insurance claims for participants in the Plan.  At all times relevant to the Indictment, ULRICH was a member and officer of the Union and a trustee of the Plan.

In or about 2013, ULRICH  solicited bribe payments from an executive with TPA-1 (“Executive-1”) of $5,000 per quarter in exchange for using his influence to maintain TPA-1 as the Plan’s third-party administrator.  Before ULRICH solicited these bribes, the Plan had issued a request for proposals for a new third-party administrator, and TPA-1 was at risk of losing the Plan’s business.  ULRICH told Executive-1 that ULRICH would use his influence with the Union to ensure that the Plan continued to use TPA-1 to administer the Union’s health care plan.  Executive-1 agreed to make $5,000 quarterly payments to ULRICH, and began doing so.  Subsequently, despite receiving multiple bids from other third-party administrators, the Plan then continued to work with TPA-1.   

In or about 2014, ULRICH demanded increased bribe payments from Executive-1.  In part, ULRICH told Executive-1 that these increased bribe payments were needed for another trustee of the Plan, and Executive-1 began making such increased payments.  On or about September 19, 2015, ULRICH again solicited additional bribe payments for this trustee.

After a special board meeting convened by the Plan in February 2016, ULRICH was terminated as vice president and trustee of the Union and Plan, respectively.  In total, ULRICH demanded, and Executive-1 paid, tens of thousands in bribes before ULRICH was removed from office.

ULRICH, 48, of Newburgh, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive bribe payments to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. 

ULRICH is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Torres on April 23, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.

Mr. Berman praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards for their outstanding investigative work in this case.

Executive Of Purported Caffeinated Snack Company Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison For Defrauding Investors Of More Than $2.3 Million

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that BARRY SCHWARTZ was sentenced to four years in prison today by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff for participating in a conspiracy to defraud more than 50 investors in the Starship Snacks Corporation of more than $2.3 million, by making false and fraudulent representations about, among other things, the status of the company’s products, guarantees that purportedly backed the investments, and the interest of large multi-national corporations in acquiring the companies.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said:  “Barry Schwartz participated in a conspiracy to defraud investors, telling them their investments were safe and guaranteed when, in fact, he and his co-conspirators had misappropriated investor funds to support their lavish lifestyles.  Schwartz lied about the readiness of his company’s products and about the claim that two large multi-national companies were vying to buy the company.  Schwartz’s house of lies eventually collapsed, bringing financial devastation to many of its victims.  Today Schwartz was held accountable for the criminal conduct that defrauded more than 50 investors of more than $2.3 million.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment filed against SCHWARTZ and statements made in related court filings and proceedings, including the trial of co-defendant Joel Margulies:

The Starship Snack Corporation Fraud Scheme

From approximately August 2015 through August 2017, SCHWARTZ, Margulies, and a co-conspirator, Lisa Bershan, raised more than $2.3 million from investors in a company originally called the Awake Company and later renamed Starship Snacks Corporation (“Starship”), which purported to be in the business of developing and manufacturing caffeinated snack products, based on the following misrepresentations, among others: (a) that investments in Starship were guaranteed against losses by Bershan; (b) that Starship was going to be acquired by Monster Beverage (“Monster”) in a one-for-one stock exchange; (c) that Starship was engaged in actual product development and had procured samples of candies infused with caffeine; (d) that SCHWARTZ and others at Starship had entered into non-disclosure agreements with Monster that prohibited them from discussing Starship’s purported acquisition by Monster and its purported product development.  SCHWARTZ held himself out as Starship’s corporate secretary.   

After receiving funds from Starship investors, SCHWARTZ and his co-conspirators used those funds to maintain their own extravagant lifestyles, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on things like luxury clothing, plastic surgery, interior decorating, the rental of a high-end apartment in New York City, and the down payment for a multimillion-dollar house in Florida. 

In addition to the prison term, SCHWARTZ, 73, was sentenced to two years of supervised release.  SCHWARTZ was also ordered to forfeit $2,163,214.  A restitution order will be entered within 90 days.

Lisa Bershan was convicted upon a guilty plea, and sentenced by Judge Rakoff on November 22, 2019, principally to a term of seven years in prison.  Joel Margulies was convicted following a seven-day jury trial before Judge Rakoff and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2019. 

Mr. Berman praised the work of the Federal 

DOI ARRESTS DAY CARE PROVIDER APPLICANT ON CHARGES OF FORGING A TRAINING CERTIFICATE

--Arrest is based on a report to DOI from DOHMH-- 

 Margaret Garnett, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced the arrest today of a day care provider applicant charged with submitting a forged document to the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”) that misrepresented her training qualifications. DOHMH regulates the operation of child care establishments in New York City. The forged document was submitted with the defendant’s online application to operate a Group Family Day Care establishment in Manhattan. The application was denied. DOI began this investigation after DOHMH reported to DOI the defendant’s training certificate contained a discrepancy. The office of New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., is prosecuting this case.

 STEPHANIE GUZMAN, 34, of New York, N.Y., is charged with Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D Felony, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E Felony. Upon conviction, a class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a class E felony is punishable by up to four years.

 DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said, “Parents place their faith in child care operators to care for and protect their children and that means documents submitted to the City supporting the operation of these establishments must be truthful and accurate. Fortunately, DOHMH identified a discrepancy associated with this individual’s application and reported it to DOI, preventing an unqualified provider from opening her doors. There is no tolerance for cutting corners when it comes to our children’s health and safety. I thank DOHMH for their partnership on this investigation.” 

 According to the criminal complaint and DOI’s investigation, in October 2018 GUZMAN submitted to DOHMH an application to become a Group Family Day Care provider. Attached to that application was an applicant compliance agreement stating that the defendant had not forged or altered any documents submitted as part of the application and that the submission of forged or altered application documents may be a felony or misdemeanor. As part of this application, GUZMAN was required by New York State to take a 15-hour Health and Safety Training course and to provide a valid certificate of completion to DOHMH. This training covers topics such as safety and security procedures, as well as child abuse and maltreatment identification and prevention. The investigation determined that GUZMAN’S Health and Safety training certificate was fraudulent because it relied on an outdated template and there was no record of the defendant receiving training. As a result of this discrepancy, GUZMAN’S application was denied and the matter was referred to DOI for further investigation. DOI’s findings confirmed the entire training certificate was fraudulent and the defendant had never been properly trained.

 Commissioner Garnett thanked DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot and her staff for their assistance and partnership in this investigation. Commissioner Garnett also thanked New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. and his staff for their prosecution of this matter.

 A criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

SOCIAL WORKER CONVICTED OF DEFRAUDING PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAYED CHILDREN

Defendant Billed Medicaid and the New York State Early Intervention Program For More than 1,700 Social Work Sessions that Never Occurred

  A federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict for public benefits theft and healthcare fraud against Enock Mensah, a social worker participating in the New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) that provides remedial services to developmentally delayed children.  When sentenced by United States District Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr., the defendant faces up to 10 years in prison.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Margaret Garnett, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the verdict.

“Mensah was more interested in lining his pockets than serving the developmentally delayed children and their families who depend on social work services,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “With today’s verdict, the defendant faces the consequences for abusing the trust placed in him, which should also serve as a deterrent to those who would attempt to defraud public benefit programs.”

“Early intervention therapies are essential to the progress of young developmentally disabled and delayed children. The defendant, convicted today of fraud and other charges, chose greed over honesty – accepting public money as if he had provided these crucial services and pocketing those funds for himself, denying children and their families care that would help them reach important developmental milestones. DOI thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for its prosecution of and partnership in this important investigation,” stated DOI Commissioner Garnett.

From August 2013 to October 2018, Mensah fraudulently billed Medicaid and EIP for more than 1,700 therapy sessions that never occurred, resulting in the theft of more than $145,000 in Medicaid funds and more than $29,000 in New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene funds.  At trial, several parents of special needs children testified that Mensah did not provide therapy sessions to their children.  This was despite documents showing that he claimed to have done so and submitted claims forms for payment to the health care agencies.  One parent testified that she was in the Dominican Republic with her autistic child when Mensah billed for two purported therapy sessions with them.  In some cases, Mensah forged the parents’ signatures on these claims forms; in others, he persuaded them to sign blank forms.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Harris, Anthony Bagnuola, Oren Gleich and Erin Reid are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendant:

ENOCK MENSAH

Age: 60

Fort Lee, New Jersey

Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez via auth.ccsend.com - CALLING ALL UNDOCUMENTED NEW YORKER'S TO APPLY FOR DRIVERS LICENSES STARTING MONDAY

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY  OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER YDANIS RODRIGUEZ    CITY HALL NEW YORK, NY 10007 (212) 788-7053 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 **MEDIA ADVISORY** Contact: Tomas Garita | (646) 847 - 6714 | TGarita@council.nyc.gov  CALLING ALL UNDOCUMENTED  NEW YORKER'S TO APPLY FOR DRIVERS LICENSES STARTING MONDAY New York, The Bronx- Today, Join Council Member Ydanis Rodríguez And Community leaders as they hold a press conference rally to call on all undocumented New Yorker's to get ready to apply for their drives licenses starting on December 16th. Starting on Monday, the Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer ask applicants to verify proof of legal status. In a time when immigrants and the undocumented community have been under attack by the Trump administration, the Green Light Bill has been a beacon of hope.  Who: Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Community leaders, community members Where: 176 and Jerome Avenue,  When: Today, December 14th; 2:30PM  Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, 250 Broadway, Suite 1763, New York, NY 10007 Sent by yrodriguez@council.nyc.gov  EDITOR'S NOTE: Unfortunately this reporter was covering a different event, but we would like to know why Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez is not having this event somewhere in his Manhattan City Council district? Why would Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez have this event in the 15th Congressional District in the Bronx? We wonder if it is because he is a candidate for the soon to be vacant 15th congressional district? We also wonder why he has used his City Council office to promote an event outside of his district, the borough of Manhattan, and in the Bronx Congressional District he is a candidate? We wonder if anybody at the Department of Investigation will ask the same questions, since it seems that City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez has used his City Council office for his race in the 15th Congressional District? We now wonder if the DOI will investigate if Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez has use his Manhattan City Council office in any other way for his candidacy in the Bronx 15th Congressional race?  THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW.