Bronx Man Charged With Drug Conspiracy

   Shakespeare Cruz, age 45, of the Bronx, New York, was arraigned in federal court today on an indictment charging him with a cocaine and heroin distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division.

The indictment alleges that Cruz conspired with others to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin and more than five kilograms of cocaine in Lewis County, New York, and elsewhere. The indictment further alleges that Cruz has two previous convictions for serious drug felonies. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted of the charges, the defendant faces up to life imprisonment, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. The defendant is currently held in custody without bail pending a detention hearing.

Two Individuals Charged With Carjacking And Using A Firearm During A Violent Crime Which Resulted In The Death Of Two Transgender Women

  San Juan, PR - On May 1, 2020, Juan Carlos Pagán Bonilla (Pagán), 21, and Sean Díaz de León (Díaz), 19, were indicted in a complaint in the Federal Court of the District of Puerto Rico. for using and carrying a firearm during and in connection with a crime of violence, in connection with the deaths of two transgender women, announced Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, the United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow and the Director of the FBI in Puerto Rico Rafael Riviere. This case is being investigated by the Puerto Rico Police ("POPR") and the FBI. Pagán and Díaz are in federal custody. 

The complaint alleges that on April 22, 2020, the Puerto Rico Police was informed of a burning vehicle in Humacao, Puerto Rico. When POPR officers responded to the area, they found two burned bodies inside the vehicle. On April 22, 2020, the relatives of the people identified in the complaint as SAVR ("Victim 1") and LPS ("Victim 2") reported that they disappeared and mentioned a Snapchat video on social networks that shows both victims socializing with two subjects the night before.

According to the investigation and intelligence received by POPR, the two men seen in the Snapchat video with the two victims are Díaz and Pagán. On April 28, 2020, POPR detained Pagán at his residence. According to the information obtained, the defendants decided to murder the two women after having shared with them because they felt cheated when they learned that they were both transgender. 

"Hate crimes are especially reprehensible because of the effects they have on victims, their families, communities that continually suffer discrimination based on their gender or sexual orientation, and our people in general," said W. Stephen Muldrow , Federal Prosecutor for the District of Puerto Rico. "This is why the Federal Prosecutor's Office agrees to use all the tools at its disposal to combat crimes motivated by this type of intolerance."

“I want to take the opportunity to send a message to members of the LBGTTQ community. We have heard your claims and the FBI understands your distress. We are with you and we fight with you, because Puerto Rico belongs to everyone, ”said the director of the FBI in Puerto Rico, Rafael Riviere. "I also want to thank the Puerto Rico Police officers for their great work. Interagency cooperation is key in these cases and we are working together to make Puerto Rico a safe place for everyone. ”

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5342).

The Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the immediate arrest of the accused. Assistant United States Attorney José A. Contreras of the District of Puerto Rico, Senior Prosecutor Rose Gibson, and Special Prosecutor of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice Laura Gilson are in charge of the investigation of the case. Each of the charges is eligible for the death penalty or even life in prison. The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.

Central New York Construction Companies and Others to Pay Nearly $4.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of Fraud Involving Contracting Opportunities Meant for Disabled Veterans

  Northland Associates, Inc. (Northland), its president James Tyler, The Diverse Construction Group, LLC (Diverse), and their bonding agent, Rose & Kiernan, Inc., have agreed to pay the United States $4,470,000 to resolve allegations that they fraudulently exploited contracting opportunities reserved for veteran-owned small businesses and small businesses operating in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZones), announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith.

“We are committed to curtailing corruption by contractors who take opportunities set aside for small businesses owned and operated by injured veterans,” said United State Attorney Jaquith.  “We owe no less to those who sacrificed their own well-being for our safety and security.”

The United States has long used government contracting to promote small businesses owned by veterans who have service-connected disabilities and small businesses operating in economically distressed communities.  To be eligible for these contracts, an applicant must first qualify as a small business.  To qualify, the business must report to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) its total income and employees along with the income and employees of any affiliates.  Generally, federal regulations provide that companies are affiliated when one business has the power to control another, or when a third party has the power to control both businesses.  When two companies are affiliated, and together exceed the income and employee limitations, neither will be eligible for small business set-aside contracts. 

The settlement with Northland, Diverse, and Tyler resolves allegations that those parties orchestrated a scheme to secure government set-aside contracts for Diverse and subcontracts for Diverse’s undisclosed affiliate, Northland.

Diverse was 51% owned by a service-disabled veteran and 49% owned by senior Northland officials.  Northland exerted influence over Diverse in various ways, including by maintaining a “bid calendar” with deadlines for upcoming Northland and Diverse contracting opportunities, staffing Diverse with former Northland employees, and funneling Diverse subcontracts to Northland for fulfilment.  Northland also handled various administrative duties for Diverse, including its accounting, expediting, estimating, purchasing, contracting, and clerical work.

Witnesses recounted moving boxes of files from Northland’s Liverpool, New York office (which was not located in a HUBZone) to Diverse’s office in Plessis, New York (which was located in a HUBZone), to make the Plessis office appear operational for government inspections.  When the SBA questioned the parties’ affiliation in 2009, Tyler and Diverse’s 51% owner submitted sworn declarations that misrepresented the relationship between the two companies.  Shortly thereafter, Diverse funneled more than $1 million to Northland through a Northland subsidiary in an effort to hide the parties’ affiliation.  Northland, Diverse, and Tyler admitted that their conduct violated federal regulations designed to encourage contract awards to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and small businesses operating in HUBzones.

Contractors bidding for federal government construction contracts are generally required to post performance bonds and payment bonds, and the bonding company is required to ensure that the contractor will perform the work.  Rose & Kiernan is an insurance and surety brokerage that acted as a bond broker for both Northland and Diverse on government construction projects.  David Cooper is a senior vice president with Rose & Kiernan.  The settlement with Rose & Kiernan and Cooper resolves allegations that those parties knew or should have known that Diverse and Northland were affiliated in violation of SBA regulations and that those companies took steps to hide their affiliation from the government to obtain and receive payment on government set-aside contracts.  Their decision to help Diverse obtain bonding was a critical action in furtherance of Diverse’s and Northland’s fraud on the government, and served as a substantial factor in causing Diverse to submit false claims for payment to the United States.

“Providing false information to gain access to SBA’s preferential contracting programs is fraught with peril and is especially egregious when it involves programs intended to benefit our nation’s service-disabled veterans,” said SBA Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware.  “SBA-OIG will always aggressively pursue allegations of wrongdoing against individuals that provide false information.  I want to thank the Department of Justice for their dedication to this case resulting in this settlement.”

SBA’s Associate General Counsel for Litigation, Eric S. Benderson, said: “The result in this case is the product of enhanced efforts by federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other Federal law enforcement agencies, to detect procurement fraud, pursue those individuals and companies that engage in fraudulent activities and protect the integrity of the program.”

“Ensuring the integrity of the DoD procurement process is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Special Agent in Charge Leigh-Alistair Barzey, DCIS Northeast Field Office.  “The successful resolution of this case is the result of a joint investigative effort and demonstrates the DCIS’ commitment to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and its law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute individuals and companies that seek to defraud U.S. government contracting programs.”

“The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General remains vigilant in its efforts to bring individuals and companies to justice that misappropriate the opportunity afforded exclusively to our nation’s veterans to obtain these VA set-aside contracts,” said VA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri.  “The VA-OIG will continue to protect the integrity of this important program, and thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners in this collaborative effort.”

“Those who contract with the United States government must do so fairly and honestly,” said Douglas Shoemaker, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General.  “Today’s settlement clearly signals that it is not acceptable for contractors to unscrupulously take advantage of Federal programs created to enhance opportunities for small disadvantaged businesses.”

As part of the settlement agreements, Northland will pay $2,125,000, Tyler will pay $2,125,000, Diverse will pay $100,000, and Rose & Kiernan has paid $120,000.

The government’s investigation was triggered by whistleblower lawsuits filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows private persons, known as “relators,” to file civil actions on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery.  The relators in this case will receive $1,000,000 of the settlement proceeds that the government receives from Northland, Diverse, and Tyler.  The cases are docketed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York under numbers 5:17-cv-036 and 5:18-cv-516.

U.S. Attorney: Report Sexual Harassment in Housing During Covid-19 Pandemic

  Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur is asking anyone who has witnessed or experienced sexual harassment by a landlord, property manager, maintenance worker, or anyone with control over housing to report that conduct to the Department of Justice. The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the ability of many people to pay rent on time and has increased housing insecurity. The Department of Justice has heard reports of housing providers trying to exploit the crisis to sexually harass tenants. Sexual harassment in housing is illegal, and the Department of Justice stands ready to investigate such allegations and pursue enforcement actions where appropriate.

“It is reprehensible that some try to take advantage of this global pandemic at the expense of the most vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to working together to identify incidents of sexual harassment in housing and bring these criminals to justice.  I urge everyone to remain vigilant and if you see something that doesn’t seem right, please report it.”

The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is an effort to combat sexual harassment in housing led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. The goal of the Initiative is to address sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing.  Launched in 2017, the Initiative has filed lawsuits across the county alleging a pattern or practice of sexual harassment in housing and recovered millions of dollars in damages for harassment victims. The Justice Department’s investigations frequently uncover sexual harassment that has been ongoing for years.  Many individuals do not know that being sexually harassed by a housing provider can violate federal law or that the Department of Justice may be able to help.

Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment in housing, or knows someone who has, is encouraged to contact the Civil Rights Division by calling (844) 380-6178 or emailing fairhousing@usdoj.gov; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, at 410-209-4800; or by filing a complaint alleging harassment or discrimination in housing with the Department of Housing and Urban Development through HUD’s website or by calling (800) 669-9777.

U.S. Attorney Robert Hur, Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations – Baltimore, Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the IRS – Criminal Investigation, and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also want to remind the public that in addition to sexual harassment in housing, COVID-19 scams are also operating from websites that advertise fake vaccines and cures, operate fraudulent charity drives, deliver malware, or host various other types of scams.  To attract traffic, these websites often utilize domain names that contain words such as “covid19” or “coronavirus.”  In some cases, the fraudulent sites purport to be run by, or affiliated with, public health organizations or agencies.                  

Federal agencies such as Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the IRS will NOT call you, text you, e-mail you, or contact you on social media asking for personal or bank account information—even related to the economic impact payments.  Recently, there has been an increase in phishing schemes utilizing e-mails, letters, texts and links. These contacts will often come in the form of unsolicited e-mail and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites in an effort to lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information.  When visiting a website or when you receive an e-mail containing a link, pay special attention to any web address you are directed to in order ensure it is from a legitimate source.  Watch out for e-mails with attachments or links claiming to have special information about economic impact payments or refunds. 

Federal law enforcement is united in its efforts to fight against COVID-19 fraud.  HSI has identified tips to recognize COVID-19 fraud.  If you think you are a victim of a fraud or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you may call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or e-mail at disaster@leo.gov or COVID19FRAUD@DHS.gov.  If it is a cyber scam, you may submit your complaint through the FBI’s website, https://www.ic3.gov.  Or you can report suspicious e-mails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

Nursing Home Deaths - What You Should Know

What You Should Know

By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz

District 18, Bronx County

 

 

Nursing Home Deaths

 

 

You should know that according to news reports, 46 to 100 elderly people have died, due to the Coronavirus, in a residence center for the elderly in Upper Manhattan, where the majority of the residents are Dominicans.

 

The Isabella Geriatric Center, located at 515 Audubon Avenue in Upper Manhattan, has been on the list of Nursing Homes accused of neglect and concealing information related to patients who died of the Coronavirus.

 

“God didn’t do that, fate didn’t do that, destiny didn’t do that”, but your actions did do that Governor Cuomo:   The Staggering Number of New York’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Deaths happened because of your policies and under your watch.

 

You should know that responsibility for the staggering number of COVID-19 deaths in New York’s nursing homes can only lay at the feet of Governor Andrew Cuomo. While earlier this month Governor Cuomo refused to credit God for the reduction in statewide COVID-19 numbers, let’s hope that he won’t try now to blame God for his nursing home mismanagement and the dreadful consequences brought upon them.

 

You should know that an editorial titled “The fix is obviously in on Cuomo’s ‘investigation’ of nursing-home horrors” in the April 25, 2020 print edition of the New York Post states the following:

 

“News that Team Cuomo ignored warnings about the nursing-home disaster only confirms that the gov.’s call for an investigation is pure deflection. He’s trying to make care facility owners the fall guys for the state’s choices.

 

…. The real investigation should be into why Zucker insisted on sending coronavirus-positive patients to nursing homes, when it’s been clear from the start that the elderly are most at risk from the virus.

 

The same New York Post page contains scathing Letters to the Editor’s section under the title: Cuomo’s Callous Response to Nursing Home Deaths. THE ISSUE: Gov. Cuomo’s comment that it wasn’t the state’s job to provide PPE to nursing homes. Heartbreaking letters include the following:

 

“Nursing homes didn’t solicit coronavirus patients. Cuomo ordered these facilities to take them. Overwhelmed and ill-equipped to protect a highly vulnerable population, coronavirus nursing-home deaths soared.

 

“I was shocked to see how seemingly callous and dismissive an elected official could be, especially since some 3,500 nursing-home residents have lost their lives. The governor’s job should be to protect the elderly and those compromised because of underlying health issues.”

 

“It’s a disgrace what New York did by forcing nursing homes to take COVID-19 patients that have been treated and released from hospitals. We’re told that people who are elderly with underlying conditions are susceptible to the virus. That’s someone’s mother or father in these facilities. The state is sacrificing them.”

 

My dear reader, the blame for these alarming deaths should not be placed on the shoulders of the frontline workers in our nursing homes. Most people who work in nursing homes do so out of a real sense of purpose and mercy to help our vulnerable elderly in need of care and attention. Nursing home workers are exhausted. In too many cases they remain unprotected and without the proper PPE equipment. They deserve our heartfelt support and prayers.

 

It is important for you to know that in the most recent State Budget, Governor Cuomo included within it a section packaged within the Emergency or Disaster Treatment Protection Act to shield health care facilities or professionals from liability, civil or criminal, for harm and damages as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.  

 

It is outrageous to know that after statutorily shielding nursing homes from liability, which Governor Cuomo must have had in mind, he then mandated hospitals to send COVID-19 patients to unprepared and understaffed nursing homes. While these nursing homes in the past would have declined to accept infected patients in their facilities, now with immunity these same nursing homes could accept infected patients without liability concerns.   

 

Ladies and gentlemen, as we continue to grieve the loss of so many of our loved ones in nursing homes, as part of our democracy we must continue to hold our elected officials accountable.

 

Aside from taking curtain calls, Governor Cuomo in his own words must take responsibility and admit that “God didn’t do that, fate didn’t do that, destiny didn’t do that”, but his own actions, and schemes did do that. 

 

I am Councilman Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

PRIMARY CONTEST LIST Primary Election 2020 - 06/23/2020 Bronx - Democratic Party

Below are the candidates as they will appear in order on the June 23rd Bronx Democratic Primary ballot.

Judge of the Civil Court - District - 2nd Municipal Court District

Linda Poust Lopez, Wanda Y. Negron

Representative in Congress - 13th Congressional District
Ramon Rodriguez, James Felton Keith II,  
Adriano Espaillat  

Representative in Congress - 14th Congressional District

Samuel H. Sloan, Badrun N. Khan, 

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Representative in Congress - 15th Congressional District 

Tomas Ramos. Samelys Lopez, Frangell Basora, 

Melissa Mark-Viverito, Michael A. Blake, Ruben Diaz, 

Mark Escoffery-Bey, Ritchie Torres, Chivona R. Newsome, 

Ydanis Rodriguez, Julio Pabon, Marlene J. Tapper

Representative in Congress - 16th Congressional District

Christopher Fink, Andom Ghebreghiorgis, 

Jamaal Bowman, Eliot L. Engel, Sammy Ravelo 

State Senator - 32nd Senatorial District

Pamela Stewart-Martinez, John Perez, 

Luis R. Sepulveda

State Senator - 34th Senatorial District

James B. Gisondi, Alessandra Biaggi

Member of the Assembly - 78th Assembly District

Jose Rivera, Francisco Spies 

Member of the Assembly - 79th Assembly District

Eric Stevenson, Elvis Santana, Cynthia L. Cox, 

Dion Powell, George A. Alvarez, Chantel Jackson  

Member of the Assembly - 81st Assembly District

George Diaz, Jeffrey Dinowitz

Member of the Assembly - 82nd Assembly District

Egidio Sementilli, Michael R. Benedetto 

Member of the Assembly - 84th Assembly District

Amanda N. Septimo, Carmen E. Arroyo

Member of the Assembly - 85th Assembly District 

Kenneth Burgos, William Russell Moore 

Member of the Assembly - 87th Assembly District

Garfield Holland, Karines Reyes

Female State Committee - 78th Assembly District

Nilda Velazquez, Carolyn Smith

Female State Committee - 79th Assembly District

Ana L. Melendez, Carolina De La Cruz

Female State Committee - 81st Assembly District

Helen K. Morik, Zulma I. Gonzalez

Female State Committee - 82nd Assembly District

Anna Rodgers, Marilyn Soto 

Female State Committee - 85th Assembly District 

Sabrina V. Smalls-Ladson, Emerita Torres  

Male State Committee - 78th Assembly District

Oswald Feliz , Emmanuel Martinez

Male State Committee - 79th Assembly District

Bruce Rivera, Bernard Smith , Dion Powell 

Male State Committee - 82nd Assembly District

Victor R. Ortiz, Thomas P. Messina

Male State Committee - 86th Assembly District

Reinaldo Gonzalez, Jose K. Mota

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadersh District 78

Jasmin A. Clavasquin-Cruz, Maria Gonzalez, Liza Moreta

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 79

Beverly Bond, Gwendolyn E. Primus, Lanita Jones

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 80 

Irene Estrada, Jean B. Hill

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 81

Randi Martos, Carolyn Smith

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 82 Part B

Deborah Martinez, Marjorie Velazquez

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 84 

Yolanda Garcia, Adela Maria Lopez

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 85

Norma Saunders , Lattina D. Brown

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 87 

Julia Rodriguez, Pamela Stewart-Martinez 

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 78

Jose L. Flete, Angel L. Santana Jr.

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 79

Emmanuel Findlay, Gene A. Edwards Jr, John Tucker

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 80

John D. Zaccaro Jr, Marcos Sierra

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 81

Eric Dinowitz, Leonel Baez

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 82 Part B

Louis Rocco, John Collazzi

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 85

Amadeus A. Alonzo, Matthew D. Shuffler. Elliot Quinones 

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 86

Socrates A. Caba, Victor M. Pichardo

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 87

Justin A. Westbrook Lowery, Garfield Holland 

Delegate to Judicial Convention - 78th Assembly District, Vote for 8

Group - Angel L. Santana Jr., Nilda Velazquez, Kenny G. Agosto, 

Frank Forlini, Ivan Figueroa, Nereida Medina , Robert Velazquez 

Group - Ricardo Martinez, Leonel Baez, Carolyn Smith, 

Maritza Martinez. Jasmin A. Clavasquin-Cruz

Delegate to Judicial Convention - 79th Assembly District, Vote for 11

Group - Charles Greene, Stefano Williams, Daniel Barber, 

Soyini Bethelmy

Group - Dion Powell

Group - Cynthia L. Cox, Wilbert T. Lawton, Inez Harvey, 

Ana L. Melendez, Dorothy E. Desuzia, Harold J. Dumas, 

Elizabeth C. Johnson, Marie B McCullough, Barbara B. Castro, 

Almeta Denae Trammel, Gene A. Edwards Jr.

Delegate to Judicial Convention - 86th Assembly District, Vote for 9

Group - Jacie Depaulis, Sasha Mejia, Stacy Infante,Virgilio Zorrilla,

Maria Flores, Glendalys Salgado, Denis Liriano, Dougba Ba,

Helene J. Wilson

Group - Mike Soto, Tanya Caba , Jose Bautista 

Alternate Delegate to the Judicial Convention - 79th Assembly District, Vote for 11

Group - Leticia Dinkins, Abraham Jones, Cassandra Bowlin, 

Elizabeth Cortes, Cynthia Bailey

Group - Marc Isom, Marlene Middleton, Sandra Reyes, Wallace E. Mobley,

Patricia Lewis, Marcella R. Brown, Patricia A. McCollin, 

Rosetta Kirkland, Gerald Turner Jr, 

Frances E. Moultrie-Stanley, Bettye J. Brown 

County Committee - 028/81, Vote for 2

Group - Michael Villanova

Group - Martin Galvin, Nicholas S Diacou

County Committee - 085/87, Vote for 3

Group - Michael Beltzer, Tabaitha Rodriguez, Janice Ali 

Group - Lisa Diaz, Karines Reyes, Luis Sepulveda 

This is the official candidates list taken from the Board of Elections website on May 3, 2020. 
There may be some candidates who may be added or even subtracted due to matters before the courts.

Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Joint Multi-State Agreement to Develop Regional Supply Chain

  States Will Aggregate Demand for PPE, Medical Equipment and Testing on a Regional Basis

Regional Supply Chains Will Help Realize Better Pricing, Delivery and Reliability of PPE and Medical Equipment for States

Governor Cuomo: "The word neighbor has a different connotation. You don't normally think of surrounding states as neighbors. You think of the person next door as your neighbor but they are neighbors. They've acted as neighbors. I cannot tell you how supportive Governor Murphy in New Jersey and Governor Lamont in Connecticut and the other governors in our coalition have been. Literally where you can pick up a phone and I can say, I need help with masks. Do you have any extra masks? Do you have any extra gowns? That's how these states responded. It was a beautiful and generous way of operating that was an inspiration to me."

Governor Cuomo: "We're going to form a consortium with our seven Northeast partner states which buy about $5 billion worth of equipment and supplies. That will then increase our market power when we are buying and we will buy as a consortium, price as a consortium, for PPE equipment, ventilators, medical equipment, whatever we need to buy. When you put all those hospitals together, all that public health capacity together -- which will make us more competitive in the international marketplace -- I believe it will save taxpayers money. I also believe it will help us actually get the equipment because we have trouble still getting the equipment and just buying the equipment because these vendors on the other side they're are dealing with countries, they're dealing with the federal government - why should they do business with one state when they can do business with an entire country? So this consortium I think will help us to get the equipment and get it at a better price."

AG James Issues Guidance Reminding Consumers and Funeral Homes about Consumer Rights

Lauds Action to Ease Funeral Home Backlog

  Attorney General Letitia James today issued guidelines to protect New Yorkers using funeral homes and reminded funeral homes that the office will take action against any entity that violates consumer rights. Attorney General James also lauded action by the New York State Cemetery Board, for which the Attorney General advocated, that will address severe cremation delays in the downstate region and make it easier for funeral homes to transfer deceased to upstate crematories with more capacity.

“New Yorkers are grieving the loss of our families and neighbors,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “I’m appreciative that the New York State Cemetery Board adopted emergency regulations that we hope will ease the backlog at funeral homes. While the challenges the funeral home industry faces are unprecedented, deceased New Yorkers must be treated with respect and dignity, period.”

The emergency regulations adopted by the New York State Cemetery Board yesterday will sensibly streamline crematory regulations so that funeral homes can transfer deceased awaiting cremation to crematories with ready capacity. With this change, for which the Attorney General advocated and the Attorney General’s designee to the Cemetery Board voted, funeral directors, with the consent of the family of the deceased, can now manually correct cremation authorization forms rather than needing to create a new form and obtain another physical signature from the person arranging the funeral, causing significant delays.

With more than 12,500 individuals dying from COVID-19 in New York City alone, downstate crematories have been overwhelmed and are unequipped to handle the exponential increase in need. As a result, thousands of deceased await cremation or burial while stored at funeral homes, in trucks, and other temporary storage spaces. 

“The loss of so many New Yorkers so quickly from this pandemic has not only torn at the fabric of the Empire State, it has also completely overwhelmed the limited capacity of the New York City Metro area nonprofit crematories,” said David Fleming, New York State Association of Cemeteries (NYSAC). “While New York City’s crematory personnel are working around the clock to serve these impacted families, they cannot possibly handle this volume of loss. Today’s emergency actions by the State Cemetery Board modified regulations to provide downstate access to upstate crematories where surplus capacity exists. These actions will help to expedite closure for grieving families and address the backlog of remains destined for cremation. We applaud the leadership of the Attorney General and her staff in supporting these families, those lost and the dedicated crematory workers serving both.”

Additionally, the Office of Attorney General issued guidance for grieving families and loved ones as they navigate the funeral planning process during this difficult time.

Those arranging funerals should be aware of certain requirements and recent Executive Orders and emergency regulations that impact funerals and funeral arrangements in the following important ways:

• At this time, only the immediate family of the diseased may gather at the funeral home for a private viewing/ceremony and graveside services. The number of attendees should be kept to as few as possible while maintaining social distancing, which is at least 6 feet apart.
   
• Documents related to funeral arrangements may be signed electronically during the current public health crisis. However, this does not apply to the cremation authorization form, which still requires a physical signature. Cremation authorization forms may be witnessed remotely.
   
• Emergency regulations adopted by the New York State Cemetery Board, allow funeral directors to transfer deceased from crematories operating with extensive back logs to crematories elsewhere in the state that have more capacity.
   
• It is illegal for funeral homes to add a surcharge or additional fees for services to those who died of COVID-19, or any other infectious disease.
   
• Funeral homes may not refuse to embalm or otherwise handle the body of a deceased loved one, regardless of the cause of death.

The complete guidance document regarding funeral planning during the COVID-19 pandemic can be downloaded from the Office of the Attorney General website.

New Yorkers can submit complaints regarding funeral homes through the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) consumer complaint form or with the Department of Health. Complaints regarding cemeteries or crematories should be directed to the Department of Cemeteries.