MAYOR DE BLASIO AND SPEAKER JOHNSON ANNOUNCE OVER 100,000 NEW YORKERS ENROLLED IN FAIR FARES

Fair Fares meets milestone ahead of open enrollment beginning on January 27^th

 Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced today that over 100,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in the City’s Fair Fares initiative, marking a major milestone since the initiative’s inception. This milestone is met during the first phase of Fair Fares, representing more than 50% of the take-up rate after targeting more than 180,000 New Yorkers.

“New Yorkers shouldn’t have to choose between a ride on the subway or bus and putting food on the table for their family,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Over 100,000 New Yorkers have now enrolled in the Fair Fares program, bringing us one step closer to our goal of being the fairest big city in America.”

“This 100,000 landmark enrollment news shows we are heading in the right direction and closer to assisting all low-income New Yorkers in need. We could not have made it here without the partnership with advocates like Community Service Society and Riders Alliance, and I thank them for all their efforts. Together, we look forward to building on this progress as we approach the launch of open enrollment on January 27^th so we can assist as many New Yorkers in poverty as possible,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson. 

“New Yorkers depend on access to transportation to lead healthy lives, and each of the enrollments in this Fair Fares milestone represents a life changed for the better,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Raul Perea-Henze. “As we celebrate this achievement, we look forward to open enrollment later this month and the promise it holds to improve the health and well-being of more New Yorkers by connecting them to jobs, services, and the broader community.”

“More than 100,000 low-income New Yorkers can now afford to take the bus or train to work, classes, health care and home to their kids at night. We celebrate this milestone as the city prepares to open enrollment to all eligible city residents at or below poverty, removing a significant barrier to upward mobility for hundreds of thousands more. And we applaud the leadership of Speaker Johnson, the City Council and Mayor de Blasio for making New York a more just and equitable city,” said David R. Jones, President and CEO of Community Service Society, an anti-poverty group that first proposed half-fare discounts and advocated for the program along with the Riders Alliance and a broad coalition.

“Fair Fares is changing the lives of one hundred thousand New Yorkers! For me, it’s lifted a weight off my shoulders. Making ends meet is tough enough as a working mother and part-time student. Reaching 100,000 people enrolled in Fair Fares means that more New Yorkers like me have one less thing we have to worry about every month. And as we look forward to open enrollment, I'm excited to see how many more lives this program we fought for will help,” said Clementine James, Riders Alliance member who is also enrolled in Fair Fares.

Last month, the City announced the launch of a multi-million dollar campaign to ensure eligible New Yorkers are aware of the Fair Fares initiative and encourage them to enroll. The City also announced that open enrollment of the program will begin on January 27^th.

Currently, eligible New Yorkers can opt-in by going to www.nyc.gov/fairfares and following the link to enroll now. They can also visit the nearest Fair Fares NYC location or call 311 for assistance.

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION SECURES NEARLY $500,000 IN RESTITUTION FOR 4,500 HOME HEALTH AIDES

New settlements part of Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s major investigation into industry compliance with the New York City Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law

 Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Lorelei Salas today announced settlement agreements with 11 home care agencies to resolve violations of the New York City Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law that had previously been filed at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). The settlements require the agencies to pay nearly $450,000 in restitution to more than 4,100 home health aides. These settlements also require the agencies to pay nearly $122,000 in civil penalties, identify and implement a compliance officer, train managerial staff, and post and distribute the Notice of Employee Rights to all employees.

The cases are part of DCWP’s major proactive enforcement initiative to examine the industry’s compliance with the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, wage and hour requirements, and other workplace standards. As a result of the investigation, DCWP has now entered into settlement agreements with 32 agencies. These settlements require the agencies to pay a total of nearly $500,000 in restitution to more than 4,500 workers, pay $145,000 in civil penalties, and comply with the Law going forward.

“In New York City, we fight to protect all workers, regardless of whether they work in an office or in someone’s home,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Home health care workers are vital to ensuring our loved ones are cared for, and they are equally as deserving of Paid Safe and Sick Leave. To any company in New York City that thinks they can get away with withholding workers’ rights and violating our laws: we will hold you accountable.”

“We want to make it clear to home care agencies across the city that lack of compliance with the law will not be tolerated,” said DCWP Commissioner Lorelei Salas. “Home care workers are vital workers who care for our loved ones, and we will continue working to ensure that this rapidly growing industry is held accountable for past violations and comes into compliance going forward. We urge any worker who believes they have been treated unjustly to reach out to us so we can take the necessary steps to help protect their rights under the Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law and connect them to other resources.”

DCWP proactively began investigating home health care agencies in 2017 to examine compliance with the New York City Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law. The investigation focused on 42 home care agencies that employ close to 30 percent of home care aides in New York City and included interviews with more than 500 workers and an extensive review of documents provided by workers and employers. The investigation uncovered widespread violations of the Law, including not allowing employees to use leave, failing to provide employees with notice of their rights, failing to carry over unused leave, and failing to maintain written sick leave policies that meet or exceed the requirements of the law.

As part of the initiative, DCWP referred two cases that indicated some of the most widespread evidence of noncompliance – including sick leave, wage and hour, and wage parity concerns – to the New York State Attorney General’s Office for a joint investigation. These cases are still pending. DCWP also referred 13 home care agencies to the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Labor, and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General for further investigation regarding possible violations of the wage parity law.

New York City’s paid care workforce is large and continually growing. Over the past decade, the number of New Yorkers reporting paid care as their primary occupation grew from 176,000 to 202,000 an increase of 26,000 or 15 percent. This, compared to growth of 10 percent in the overall workforce, demonstrates expansion of the paid care workforce and shows no signs of slowing down. This number is expected to grow as analysts predict that by 2040, New York City will be home to 1.4 million seniors with 70 percent of this population requiring long-term care. DCWP’s Paid Care Division is dedicated to defending the rights of paid care workers, improving the quality of paid care jobs, and strengthening the paid care system.

 Under New York City’s Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, employers with five or more employees who work more than 80 hours per calendar year in New York City must provide paid safe and sick leave to employees. Employers with fewer than five employees must provide unpaid safe and sick leave. Domestic workers who have worked for their employer for more than one year must be provided two days of paid sick leave, which is in addition to the three days of paid rest under the New York State Labor Law. All covered employers are required to provide their employees with the Notice of Employee Rights that includes information in English and, if available on the DCWP website, the employee’s primary language. Employers must provide the notice on the first day of an employee’s employment. Employers must have a written sick leave policy that meets or exceeds the requirements of the Law.

 Safe and sick leave is accrued at a rate of one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per calendar year, and begins on the employee’s first day of employment. Employees can begin using accrued leave 120 days after their first day of work. For employers who do not frontload safe and sick leave on the first day of a new calendar year, employees must be able to carry over up to 40 hours of unused safe and sick leave from one calendar year to the new calendar year.

“We thank the de Blasio administration for going after unscrupulous home care agencies that exploit home health aides and steal their wages,” said Rona Shapiro, Executive Vice President of the Home Care Division of 1199SEIU. “Home care workers dedicate themselves to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities can remain in their homes with the support they need. Unfortunately, there are many bad actor companies in this field who flout the law and deny workers the wages, benefits and sick time they are owed. That is why home care workers continue to organize to defend their rights through their union.” 

“The National Domestic Workers Alliance applauds the success of the DCWP's proactive co-enforcement model to assure the basic right of paid safe and sick leave for paid care workers. NDWA is close partners with DCWP and the Division of Paid Care in the fight to enforce the rights of paid care workers of New York City. This settlement is proof that their proactive collaborative efforts will assure that paid care workers across the city will know they have an ally in coming forward to assert their rights. Paid care workers do some of the most important work of caring for our families and homes, and it is essential that they have real access to the earned days off to be able to care for themselves and their loved ones when they are sick. Today we see the results of what happens when a city agency becomes leaders in fighting for its most vulnerable workers,” said Marrisa Senteno, NDWA NY Co-Director.

“Violations of workers rights is still a huge problem for low-wage workers, including the caregiving workforce. Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network praises the DCWP for successfully enforcing paid sick leave for home aid workers. This settlement serves as a great example that government agencies can be a key ally for the workforce and employers who want to do the right thing. Every worker should be able to care for themselves or a loved one without fear of retaliation. Agencies and domestic employers need to understand that by recognizing the rights of domestic workers everyone benefits at home,” said Tatiana Bejar, NYC Organizer for Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network.

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Community Meeting:

When : Tuesday Jan 14 starting at 7:15 pm

Where: Bronx House ,990 Pelham Parkway South

Who: Guests-Effie Ardizzone,NYC Environmental Protection,Bx Borough Coordinator 

Sam A. Forson- U  S   Census Bureau

As Long as Luis Supelveda is an Elected Official This Can Not Be a Private Matter The Public Needs to Know the Answer

This is taken from Zach Fink's Twitter Page

Zack Fink‏Verified account @ZackFinkNews 3h3 hours ago

Statement from ⁦@LuisSepulvedaNY⁩ on the package sent to members of the New York State Senate from the Senator’s brother accusing him of a litany of crimes, including child molestation. Senate Democrats held a conference yesterday where Sepulveda denied the allegations.

Will Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark Investigate the Letter From Luis Sepulveda's Brother?

A letter dated December 17, 2019 has surfaced from Jose Elias Sepulveda claiming to be the brother of State Senator Luis Sepulveda alleging child molestation, drug trafficking, drug use, and other items that should warrant at least an investigation by the Bronx District Attorney's office. The letter from Jose Elias Sepulveda below which comes from NY 1 political reporter Zack Fink's Twitter page.

On Zack Fink's Twitter Page - A Letter About a Packet From Jose Elias Sepulveda of Alleged Child Molestation, Drug Trafficking, Drug Use, and More About His Brother Senator Luis Sepulveda

This was found on Zack Fink's Twitter Page lesss than one hour ago.  

We could not check with Senator Sepulveda's office which is closed.

Zack Fink‏Verified acco  unt @ZackFinkNews  3 hours ago

NEW: This packet was sent to State Senators today about

⁦@LuisSepulvedaNY⁩ The Senator’s brother, who is incarcerated, accuses him of

unspeakable crimes including child molestation. Sepulveda called a closed door Senate conference today where

he denied the accusations.

Michael Beltzer - Why I am running in 2021 - 'COMMITTED'

We could not agree more with the  first word Mr. Beltzer, 'COMMITTED'! We now ask the man who has the first word 'COMMITTED' what is he hiding that he does not want  me to interview Samelys Lopez. Mr. 'Committed' Beltzer does not want me to ask Samelys Lopez why she said she was running Bronx Progressives, and stepped down as the entire executive board (in her own words) at the Bronx Progressives meeting the night before she announced her candidacy for the 15th Congressional district.  Mr. 'Committed' Beltzer does not want me to ask  Samelys Lopez why she did not even let her own club Bronx Progressives know that she was announcing her candidacy for the 15th Congressional district the very next day. Mr. 'Committed' Beltzer does not want me to ask 15th congressional candidate Samelys Lopez why she anointed eight members to replace her, more than half who were  not at the meeting, while there were only four other voting members present other than Ms. Lopez and Mr. Committed Beltzer.  Mr. 'Committed' Beltzer there are more questions such as what were the finances of Bronx Progressives while Samelys Lopez was handling the financial matters of  Bronx Progressives, and how was the money accounted for? Is that where part or whole of the unaccounted $7,049.53 came from, because only $5,300 is accounted  for out of the total $12,349.53 raised according to the September 30 2019 campaign filing? Mr. 'Committed' Beltzer there are more questions, but I can ask them here on social media where the public will see  the questions that go unanswered for now.  Mr. 'Committed ' Beltzer, you may want to change that first word, because we thought you were really 'Committed'.

Bronx Man Arrested For Sex Trafficking

David Williams Kidnapped, Raped, and Trafficked an Adult Victim and Trafficked a Minor Victim

 Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the arrest of DAVID WILLIAMS, a/k/a “Pap,” a/k/a “Pap Avilii,” a/k/a “Daddy,” for operating a sex trafficking enterprise, in connection with which WILLIAMS kidnapped, raped, and trafficked an adult victim (“Victim-1”) and also trafficked a minor victim (“Victim-2”).  WILLIAMS will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman later today.     

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “David Williams allegedly kidnapped, raped, and forced women into prostitution – one of whom was just 14 years old – in operating his human sex trafficking enterprise.  It is reprehensible that a person would forcibly coerce another human being into sex and seek to profit from it, and for allegedly doing so, Williams now faces life in prison.  Human trafficking continues to be a priority for this Office, and I commend the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for aggressively pursuing cases to bring sexual predators to justice.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “The victims in this investigation are living, breathing humans; not property or goods to be sold for sex.  As law enforcement, we will do everything we can to stop criminals from preying on children and vulnerable women, but shockingly these cases don’t go away.  As a community, we must do more to stop the cycle of demand for this despicable criminal activity, and do more to protect these victims.”           

According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today in federal court[1]:

From at least in or about December 2018 up to and including at least in or about February 2019, WILLIAMS ran a sex trafficking enterprise (the “Business”), along with another person (“CC-1”), who also worked as a prostitute for WILLIAMS.

In February 2019, WILLIAMS and CC-1 kidnapped Victim-1, who was an adult, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and transported her to the Bronx, New York, to work as a prostitute for the Business.  During the time that Victim-1 was held by WILLIAMS and CC-1, WILLIAMS and CC-1 advertised Victim-1 for sex and also forced Victim-1 to engage in sex acts with clients in exchange for money.  When Victim-1 expressed resistance to being trafficked for sex, WILLIAMS brandished a gun and threatened to hurt Victim-1 unless she complied.  On at least one occasion, WILLIAMS raped Victim-1 after threatening her with a gun.

In or about December 2018, WILLIAMS and CC-1 recruited Victim-2, who was 14 years old at the time, to work as a prostitute for the Business.  During the ensuing months, until in or about February 2019, WILLIAMS and CC-1 advertised Victim-2 for sex and directed Victim-2 to engage in sex acts with clients in exchange for money.  WILLIAMS and CC-1 forced Victim-2 to turn over the money Victim-2 earned from prostitution. 

WILLIAMS is charged with: (1) conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion and sex trafficking of a minor, (2) sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion, (3) sex trafficking of a minor, (4) coercion and enticement under the Mann Act, (5) coercion and enticement of a minor under the Mann Act, and (6) kidnapping.  Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion and sex trafficking of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c), carries a maximum term of life in prison.  Sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud or coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a) and (b)(1), carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of life.  Sex trafficking of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a) and (b)(2), carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life.  Coercion and enticement under the Mann Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(a), carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.  Coercion and enticement of a minor under the Mann Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum term of life.  Kidnapping, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201, carries a maximum term of life in prison.  The maximum potential sentences and the mandatory minimum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and, in particular, the New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Jun Xiang and Danielle M. Kudla are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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