Governor Cuomo Announces 38th Straight Day With COVID-19 Infection Rate Below 1 Percent

 

0.92 Percent of Yesterday's COVID-19 Tests were Positive

4 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

SLA and State Police Task Force Visits 1,018 Establishments; Observes 8 Establishments Not in Compliance

Confirms 583 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 444,948; New Cases in 35 Counties

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State's COVID-19 infection rate has been below 1 percent for 38 straight days. Yesterday, 0.92 of test results reported to New York State were positive. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

"New York's government sets the tone for the state's response to COVID-19, but New Yorkers drive it home. We can defeat this virus and create a better future, but we need New Yorkers to wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands as local governments enforce state guidance," Governor Cuomo said. "There's no doubt that we've made progress, but this is not over yet. By staying New York Tough, we'll get through this together."

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 1,018 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 8 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday's observed violations is below:

• Manhattan - 1
• Queens - 2
• Nassau - 5

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization - 464 (+0)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 43
• Hospital Counties - 33
• Number ICU - 143 (+12)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 59 (+5)
• Total Discharges - 75,814 (+47)
• Deaths - 4
• Total Deaths - 25,394

International Fugitive And Disbarred Attorney Charged In Over $5 Million Cryptocurrency Fraud

 

  Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint in Manhattan federal court charging RANDY CRAIG LEVINE, a/k/a “Viktor Lapin,” a/k/a “Andre Santiago Santos Galindo,” a/k/a “Alexander Martinez Lavrov,” a/k/a “Alexander Kozlov,” a/k/a “Hristo Danielov Marinov,” and PHILIP REICHENTHAL with commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering offenses.  As alleged, LEVINE induced others to send millions of dollars to REICHENTHAL, who was at the time a licensed attorney, to fund the purchase of Bitcoin after falsely representing that he intended to sell large quantities of Bitcoin to buyers.  REICHENTHAL, who was purportedly acting as an escrow agent for the transactions, then sent a substantial portion of the money to LEVINE, before any Bitcoin was provided by LEVINE to investors.  Neither LEVINE nor REICHENTHAL ever provided any Bitcoin or refunded the investors’ money.      

LEVINE, a U.S. citizen, fled the United States in or about 2005 after learning that he was under investigation for passport fraud and that his residence had been searched.  On or about May 19, 2005, a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of Florida returned an indictment charging LEVINE with passport fraud and perjury.  In 2018, LEVINE was arrested in Guatemala with a Russian passport containing the alias “Viktor Lapin.”  In June 2020, he was arrested in Austria with a Bulgarian passport containing the alias “Alexander Koslov.”  Extradition proceedings are pending.

REICHENTHAL was arrested today in Homestead, Florida, and will be presented later today before United States District Judge Jacqueline Becerra in the Southern District of Florida.       

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Randy Levine and Philip Reichenthal allegedly engaged in a scheme to take over $5 million in investor funds under the pretense of offering cryptocurrency for sale.  In reality, when investors’ funds were transferred to Reichenthal, a licensed attorney at the time, for ‘escrow’ at Levine’s behest, the two allegedly pocketed the money.  They never completed the Bitcoin transactions promised to their victim investors.  Today’s arrest of Philip Reichenthal ensures that he and his co-defendant, Randy Levine, will face justice for this alleged scheme.”  

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney said: “As alleged, Levine and Reichenthal operated two fraudulent schemes involving Bitcoin transactions. In both cases, investors wired money to the defendants to fund the purchase of Bitcoin. In neither case did these purchases actually take place. The money was funneled, as alleged, to overseas bank accounts controlled by Levine. While the charges brought today against Levine and Reichenthal are fairly detailed and laden with allegations of complex criminal activity, the truth is much more simple: they were con artists who finally got caught in the act.” 

As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]

The charges against LEVINE and REICHENTHAL involve two fraudulent schemes.  In the first fraudulent scheme, in approximately June and July 2018, LEVINE induced another individual, the principal of a purported cryptocurrency escrow firm (“Individual-1”), to wire to REICHENTHAL over $3 million of funds from an over-the-counter cryptocurrency broker (“Company-1”) to fund the purchase of Bitcoin after falsely telling Individual-1 that LEVINE would sell thousands of Bitcoin, when in truth and in fact, LEVINE never intended to sell Bitcoin.  After receiving the $3 million, REICHENTHAL, in turn, wired over $2 million to bank accounts in Guatemala held in the name of one of LEVINE’s aliases.  LEVINE then lied to Individual-1 for days about why the deal had not worked out, the status of the purported Bitcoin, and the location of Company-1’s money, which was never returned.

In the second fraudulent scheme, from approximately February 2019 to May 2019, LEVINE induced a Florida resident involved in brokering Bitcoin transactions (“Individual-2”) to cause investors to send to REICHENTHAL over $2 million of the investors’ money to fund the purchase of Bitcoin.  Again, LEVINE told Individual-2 that LEVINE would sell Bitcoin, when in truth and in fact, LEVINE never had any intention of selling Bitcoin to the investors. After receiving the funds from the investors, REICHENTHAL, in turn, sent over $1.9 million to bank accounts in Mexico controlled by LEVINE; the money was then wired to a bank account in Russia held in the name of one of LEVINE’s aliases. LEVINE then lied to Individual-2 and an investor (“Investor-1”) about the status of the investors’ funds, which were never returned.  After Individual-2 sought the return of the funds, LEVINE sent one electronic message threatening to “bring [Individual-2] into all My Legal Problems here in Guatemala including Money Laundering as I have open investigation a d [sic] I will alert the American Authorities you were involved in my operations before just to stick it up your a**.”

In connection with the above transactions, LEVINE used, among other things, various false aliases to communicate with the individuals sending funds to REICHENTHAL and foreign bank accounts held in his false names.  REICHENTHAL used bank accounts held in the name of his law firm and an attorney trust account to receive the funds and the pass them to LEVINE, before he or investors received the Bitcoin, contrary to REICHENTHAL’s and LEVINE’s promises.  

On or about October 31, 2019, the Supreme Court of the State of Florida granted REICHENTHAL’s own petition for voluntary disciplinary revocation of his bar license after approximately 12 attorney disciplinary charges were filed against him related to his “receipt of approximately $2,125,000.00 in escrow funds and subsequent failure to disburse in accordance with the escrow agreement,” as stated in the court documents.

LEVINE, 53, formerly of Coral Springs, Florida, and REICHENTHAL, 76, of Homestead, Florida, are each charged with one count of conspiring to commit commodities fraud, which carries a maximum term of 5 years in prison, one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, two counts of commodities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, two counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also thanked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation’s Bureau of Financial Investigations for their assistance. 

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are 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.

Make the Yankees Pay Protest and Rally Thursday September 17th 12 PM GATE 2

 

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES FREE AND DISCOUNTED MUSEUM AND ZOO TICKETS FOR STUDENTS BEFORE START OF SCHOOL

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio today encouraged New York City public school students and their caregivers to explore some of the city’s cultural organizations this week ahead of the official start of school. The participating cultural organizations, which are offering free or discounted tickets, have started to reopen in recent weeks with rigorous new policies to protect the health and safety of staff and visitors.

 

“New York City kids continue to show their resilience every day. I’m thrilled to see these extraordinary institutions open their doors to young people and families across the five boroughs,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Arts and culture are a critical part of New York City’s social fabric, and we thank these organizations for providing our kids with safe, educational activities before schools open next week.”

 

"The City's cultural organizations have been great civic partners throughout the pandemic, with so many of our iconic institutions of all sizes offering fantastic virtual programming the last several months," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. "Although culture itself never closed, New York City's cultural organizations are starting to reopen their physical spaces. I'm thrilled that these organizations are providing ways for students and their caregivers to connect with them once again as they focus on hyperlocal audiences."

 

"The reopening of our cultural organizations has lifted New Yorkers' spirits," said New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Gonzalo Casals. "We encourage young people and their families to engage with the amazing artwork and experiences provided by our incredible cultural organizations, where we go to be inspired and to make sense of the changes happening around us." 

 

Participating organizations include:

 

• American Museum of Natural History: The museum welcomes NYC schoolchildren and their caregivers back, with a hall to visit for every grade and every age. Tickets are pay what you wish for NYC residents. Reserve on their website: https://ticketing.amnh.org/#tickets.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Met is welcoming students and caregivers back to both their main building on Fifth Avenue, and to The Cloisters. For NYC residents, admission is pay what you wish. Closed to the public Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reserve a timed ticket on their website: https://engage.metmuseum.org/reservation.
• Morgan Library and Museum: The Morgan Library & Museum is providing free tickets to school-aged kids aged 18 and younger and their caregivers on September 16, 17 and 18. Advance reservation required. Families can email tickets@themorgan.org with desired date and time of visit. To plan your visit go to www.themorgan.org.
• Museum of Arts and Design: Children under 18 are always free, and the museum is extending a special $5 ticket to caregivers with the promo code: NYC20. Reopening to the public September 17. Tickets may be reserved on MAD's website: https://madmuseum.org/visit.
• The Museum of Modern Art: MoMA has reserved a number of tickets for students and their caregivers this week. Interested families should email tickets@moma.org with their preferred day and time. All tickets will be free of charge. Open to Members only on Mondays. Visitors guide: https://www.moma.org/visit/tips (note: families should email tickets@moma.org to book tickets).
• National September 11 Memorial Museum: The Family Pass is intended for families or small groups up to five people exploring the city together. The package includes two adult and up to three child/young adult (ages 7-17) admission tickets to The Museum at a discounted price of $82. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Book on their website: https://www.911memorial.org/visit/visit-museum-1.
• New Museum: Tickets are available for the museum’s first two weeks, starting September 15. Closed Mondays. Admission is free through September 27. Book on their website: https://www.newmuseum.org/visit.
• South Street Seaport Museum: The Tall Ship Wavertree is open to guests on upcoming Saturdays, free of charge. Book timed tickets on their website: https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/.  
• Staten Island Museum: The museum will reopen on Saturday, September 19, and will offer visitors take away bags with activities from the Women of the Nation Arise! suffrage exhibit. Purchase your tickets through the museum’s website: www.statenislandmuseum.org.   
•  Whitney Museum of American Art: Admission is Pay What You Wish through September. The Whitney is operating at a significantly reduced capacity for your safety, and same-day tickets may be extremely limited. All visitors must book timed tickets in advance. Tickets, visitor policies, updated hours and online events are available on the Whitney's website: https://whitney.org/visit. 
• Wildlife Conservation Society: The Wildlife Conservation Society is offering preferred admission access to WCS zoos and aquarium parents and guardians with children during the week of September 14. All tickets are date-specific and must be purchased in advance online at the individual parks’ websites – Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo. Additional community access included the traditional free Wednesday admission at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium and those tickets are released on the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium websites on Tuesday of each week. Visit the zoo’s Know Before You Go page: https://bronxzoo.com/plan-your-visit/know-before-you-go.

 

New Yorkers should visit each organization’s website for full details on admissions and ticketing policies. For a list of other cultural groups that have re-opened or are reopening soon, visit NYC & Company’s website.

 

Virtual programming

For families who can’t visit in person, cultural organizations are providing kid-friendly opportunities for enrichment online:

 

• American Museum of Natural History: For those who want to explore the Museum from home, AMNH has free virtual field trips for all ages that can be accessed at https://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit/field-trips.
• Brooklyn Children’s Museum: BCM+You is a digital portal providing hands-on art-making activities connected with the BCM collection and community. All activities are available for families and educators on our website.  Additionally, in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library’s Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program (BCAP) and WNET/Channel 13, BCM offers free online programming that guide viewers through activities such as time capsules, community flag making, makerspace offerings and more.
• Materials for the Arts: MFTA, a creative reuse program run by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, has created a centralized online education center, with tips, guides, and lessons for how to transform re-purposed everyday items into creative tools to engage and inspire youth: https://www.materialsforthearts.org/eduonline/.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Met Teens Instagram account will be engaging teens, and providing constant updates, programs, access to teen passes, and more throughout the week: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFAbhzIlx8s/?igshid=gvh7xcxkhzdo.
• Staten Island Children’s Museum: With school back in session, parents and kids will find the Museum At Home webpage a great resource for continued learning and fascinating fun. It includes informational videos about their animal collection, suggested family adventure walks around Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens, how-to videos demonstrating science and art projects with materials commonly found at home, read-alouds of books for story time, printable activity sheets, and child-cook friendly recipes.
• VirtualNYC: NYC & Company’s VirtualNYC platform rounds up the best online experiences—including recorded performances, digitized exhibitions, social media gatherings and virtual tours—from museums, galleries, comedy clubs, theaters and other venues all over the City. And the VirtualNYC Curator Collections feature provides curated lists of virtual experiences selected by leaders from NYC’s diverse cultural community.

 

“The WCS zoos and aquarium stand with the communities we serve,” said John F. Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “We recognize the struggles that families are facing as they navigate the new norms during the ongoing pandemic. Our important role as an educational resource for New Yorkers with children will continue to be a priority and we are proud to work with Mayor de Blasio on this initiative.”

 

“New York City is truly the arts and cultural capital of the world. Now is an ideal time to mask up and safely explore the rich and diverse offerings of our museums and cultural institutions across the five boroughs. VirtualNYC also offers excellent educational and engagement opportunities within our cultural community for those who may not be able to visit right now in person,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company’s president and CEO.

 

“The Museum has always been a destination for learning and being immersed in science and nature, particularly for families and school groups,” said Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History. “With the Museum now open, the start of the school year is the perfect time for parents and caregivers to enjoy a family visit to some of our most iconic halls, to explore the natural world and take in a new exhibit such as ‘The Nature of Color.’”

 

"The Museum of Arts and Design staff looks forward to visitors returning to our home at 2 Columbus Circle, beginning Sept. 17," said Wendi Parson, Deputy Director, Communications and Marketing for the Museum. "We'll reopen with Brian Clarke: The Art of Light, a joyful exhibition featuring the UK-based artist's colorful works in stained glass."

 

“The Met is always here for all New Yorkers and we are pleased to welcome students, their families, and caregivers back to the Museum.  We hope you visit soon, at the Cloisters, the Main Building on Fifth Avenue, and online to enjoy our collection, programs, and tours,” said Dan Weiss, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

DEC ANNOUNCES ACTIONS TO PROTECT SALMON RIVER FISH POPULATIONS

 

Low Salmon River Water Levels Prompt Actions; New Great Lakes Regulations and Recommendations in Effect

DEC Encourages Anglers to Fish ‘SMART’ to Protect Resources and Other Angler

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced actions underway to mitigate the impacts of low water flows along the Salmon River during the upcoming salmon run that draws thousands of anglers each year. In addition, new angling regulations and recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain in effect to ensure the health and safety of both natural resources and the public.

“The Salmon River supports the largest fall runs of salmon and trout in New York, and is one of the state’s most heavily fished waters,” said Commissioner Seggos. “The actions announced today are necessary to ensure continued water flows to sustain the salmon run and fishery, and to enable spawning salmon to reach DEC’s Salmon River Hatchery and support ongoing stocking efforts. Additionally, DEC wants to ensure that visiting anglers are aware of new angling regulations and recommended practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as they plan their trips to enjoy New York’s premier angling opportunities. We encourage anglers to enjoy New York’s renowned fisheries, but we ask that you please do so safely and responsibly to protect fellow anglers and local communities.”

This summer, below-average precipitation has resulted in low and declining water levels in the Salmon River Reservoir. The Executive Committee of the Salmon River Flow Management Team, comprised of natural resource agencies and Brookfield Renewable hydroelectric facility that regulates reservoir water levels, canceled scheduled whitewater releases over the Labor Day weekend and delayed the annual Sept. 1 increase in baseflow. These actions will conserve reservoir water to maintain suitable flows throughout the salmon spawning run. Additionally, the popular Lower Fly Fishing Section, situated just below the hatchery and typically where large numbers of salmon and anglers congregate, will not open on Sept. 15, and will remain closed until further notice.

Under a federal license, Salmon River seasonal baseflows are typically increased from 185 cubic feet/second (cfs) to 335 cfs on Sept. 1, providing that water levels in the Salmon River Reservoir (SRR) are above a critical threshold. The SRR level is currently below that threshold, requiring cancelation of a scheduled white-water release over Labor Day weekend. In addition, significant rainfall is not forecasted for the near term, prompting DEC to recommend a delay in the scheduled baseflow increase. DEC’s recommendation is based on abnormally high water temperatures coupled with low water flow in Salmon River tributaries, including Beaverdam Brook where migrating Chinook salmon access the DEC Salmon River Hatchery for egg collections that support the State’s successful stocking program. Increasing baseflows prematurely would likely entice Chinook salmon currently “staging” in Lake Ontario to enter the Salmon River on their spawning migration, which could strand and/or kill fish if temperatures remain high. These fish cannot reach DEC’s hatchery until rainfall sufficiently raises Beaverdam Brook water levels. 

To increase the probability that sufficient numbers of salmon reach the hatchery to sustain the salmon stocking program, DEC will close the Lower Fly Fishing Section to fishing on Sept. 15. This section (see attached map) will remain closed until DEC collects sufficient numbers of salmon eggs at the hatchery.

Anglers are encouraged to experience New York’s other exceptional Great Lakes tributary angling opportunities. These waters are often less crowded and offer anglers the chance to play a bigger fish in a smaller river. More information, including the I Fish NY Great Lakes Fishing Brochure, is available at DEC’s website.

DEC reminds anglers that several new Great Lakes tributary angling regulations became effective on April 1, 2020. The minimum size limit for rainbow trout/steelhead caught in Lake Ontario tributaries was increased from 21” to 25” (still 21” in the lake). In addition, only one brown trout can now be kept as part of a Lake Ontario tributary angler’s daily creel limit of three salmon/trout in combination. 

For Lake Erie, fishing is no longer prohibited from Jan. 1 through March 31 on Spooner Creek and its tributaries, and North Branch Clear Creek and its tributaries from Taylor Hollow Road upstream to the outflow of Clear Lake. For more information and exceptions, please consult the DEC Freshwater Fishing Digest or visit DEC’s Great Lakes and Tributary Regulations website.

Anglers are also encouraged to be respectful of the resource and other anglers by using ethical angling techniques. Additional information can be found at DEC’s website.

This fall, Great Lakes tributary anglers should be mindful in taking precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19 while enjoying the outstanding salmon and trout fishing on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario tributaries, including the Niagara River. At popular angling destinations, especially the Salmon River in Oswego County, angler density can become high enough to make social distancing difficult. DEC is placing signage at popular locations reminding anglers to be SMART when fishing this year:

• Socially distance at least six feet apart;
• Mask – Wear one when you cannot maintain social distancing, especially in parking lots and along footpaths;
• Avoid sharing gear when possible;
• Respect your fellow anglers and the resource by providing space and practicing ethical angling; and
• Take out what you bring in or place trash in receptacles.

For more information about how to PLAY SMART * PLAY SAFE * PLAY LOCAL, visit DEC’s website.

In response to increased rates of COVID-19 transmission in certain states and to protect New York’s successful containment of COVID-19, the State has joined with New Jersey and Connecticut in jointly issuing a travel advisory for anyone traveling from states that have a significant degree of community-wide spread of COVID-19. For more information, go to the COVID-19 Travel Advisory website.

DEC’s Salmon River Fish Hatchery is instrumental to maintaining healthy runs of salmon and trout and, normally, is a very popular destination for anglers, school groups, and other visitors. To help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to protect hatchery staff and effective hatchery operations, the Salmon River Hatchery and its grounds remains closed to visitors until further notice.

CITY LAUNCHES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION COVID-19 SITUATION ROOM

 

Multi-agency partnership provides a single point-of-contact for rapid information sharing and response to COVID-19 cases in schools

  Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today announced the opening of the DOE COVID Response Situation Room—a  multi-agency partnership between the Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Health, and the Test & Trace Corps—to facilitate a rapid response to positive COVID-19 cases in public schools. The Situation Room provides a single point-of-contact between schools and agency partners responsible for performing both testing, contact tracing, and ensuring the appropriate interventions are being taken by school communities.

 

“The Situation Room is the precise system we need to identify, trace, and treat positive cases within our school communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.  “My pledge is simple: every case will be met with swift and decisive action to keep transmission low and our kids and teachers safe.”

 

This unprecedented school year requires all hands on deck, and that’s exactly what we’ll have in the Situation Room, resulting in quick, decisive action for our schools and clarity and transparency for all families,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “ Our principals will now have a one-stop shop to raise concerns and receive rapid, coordinated responses that put the health and safety of our school communities first.”

 

“Keeping our students and teachers safe requires an unprecedented response to an unprecedented time.  Through our multi-agency partnership we are ensuring a clear path of communication, decisiveness, and transparency to give Principals and school leaders in correct information they need in order to lead their communities as well as providing families and staff with the transparency and clarity of action they deserve.  Our focus is the health and wellbeing of our school communities and we will achieve this together.” said Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca.

 

Beginning today, school leaders can call the Situation Room if they receive notice from a staff member, student, or parent/family member of a positive COVID-19 test or if a student or staff member is isolating or sent home with symptoms. School leaders are encouraged to contact the Situation Room if they have any alerts, questions, or concerns related to responding to suspected or confirmed cases.

 

Upon reporting a possible case to the Situation Room, DOHMH will verify the case and, if needed, trigger a Test + Trace investigation. Case response will begin within three hours for NYC residents, with documented cases being confirmed as quickly as 15 minutes. Schools will communicate to all families and students within school anytime a case is laboratory confirmed and what next steps need to be taken - including whether or not students and staff need to quarantine or if the school will be temporarily shut down.

 

The Situation Room will be open Monday through Friday, 5:30 AM – 9:30 PM, and Sunday, 11:00 AM – 9:30 pm. Response to reported cases will follow the previously announced health and safety policies found here.  

 

In the interest of the health and safety of our entire city, DOHMH recommends that all New Yorkers get tested, whether or not you have symptoms or are at increased risk. School staff and students can receive free, expedited COVID-19 testing at 22 city-run testing locations. Testing is one component of stopping the spread that, when combined with social distancing, face coverings, proper hand hygiene, and staying home when you are sick, can significantly decrease the risk of transmission.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea along with Department Executives Announced Advancements in Technology

 

In an effort to provide increased transparency around important data, the Department publishes user-friendly interactive dashboards that allow the public to view our information in a different way.

To access the dashboards, click on one of the links below. Once the content has loaded you can interact with the information in a variety of ways including:

• Clicking on various visuals, which will in turn update the content based on your selections
• Using your mouse to hover over visuals to bring up additional information
• Right clicking on a visual to show a table view for a different way of seeing the same information

Personnel Demographics Dashboard

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is the largest and one of the oldest municipal police departments in the United States, with approximately 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees. This dashboard provides a breakdown of our members by race, gender and rank/title.

Hate Crimes Dashboard

Hate Crimes are offenses that are motivated in whole or substantial part by a person's, a group's or a place's identification with a particular race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, ancestry, national origin or sexual orientation. This dashboard allows you to navigate these offenses and view incident level data by precinct, bias type and law code.

Attorney General James Stops Debt Collection Company from Unlawful Practices Harming Thousands of Student Borrowers

 

Borrowers with Student Loan Debt Now Being Provided Protections

Required by Law and Being Reimbursed Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that she has secured protections for thousands of student borrowers who defaulted on student loans and who were subject to misleading and unlawful actions by Transworld Systems, Inc. (Transworld), one of the nation’s largest debt collectors. The agreement resolves an investigation of Transworld — the principal debt collector for the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts — after the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Transworld violated multiple federal and state consumer protection laws by making false, misleading, and deceptive statements in National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts lawsuits and in communications with borrowers, and for filing these lawsuits beyond the applicable statute of limitations. Under the settlement agreement, Transworld has agreed to make significant changes to its debt collection practices and to pay $600,000, which will be disbursed as restitution to New York borrowers and/or penalties to the state.

“Today, my office is holding Transworld accountable for the unlawful and manipulative student loan debt collection practices that affected thousands of New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “For years, Transworld used fraud and deception to pursue defaulted borrowers and obtain default judgments on a massive scale. Our investigation not only is putting hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the pockets of student borrowers, but brought about concrete changes by Transworld, which is now finally providing consumers struggling with defaulted student loan debt all the protections required by law.”

For numerous reasons — including inadequate underwriting standards and the higher default risk associated with direct-to-consumer loans — the loans held by the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts have defaulted at unprecedented rates. Transworld developed and implemented an aggressive strategy to rely heavily on litigation to collect defaulted debts. This strategy required lawsuits against borrowers to move quickly from complaint to judgment, while impeding borrowers’ ability to mount a defense.

To carry out this strategy, the OAG’s investigation concluded that Transworld repeatedly, directly or through law firms it retained on behalf of the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts:

• Filed complaints that falsely identified the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts as the borrower’s “original creditor” when, in fact, the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts are assignees of the original creditors (large financial institutions that originated the loans);
• Filed sworn affidavits in support of default judgment motions attaching documents Transworld identified as “redacted” versions of original documents when, in fact, they were documents Transworld created for the purpose of litigation;
• Filed sworn affidavits in support of default judgment motions in which Transworld staff asserted that they had personal knowledge of certain business records when, in fact, they lacked such knowledge;
• Filed sworn affidavits in support of default judgment motions that stated that a particular student loan was transferred to particular National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts when, in fact, the documents submitted to support this assertion failed to conclusively demonstrate a link between the loan at issue and the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts;
• Filed complaints representing that a borrower applied for a loan from a “servicing agent” when, in fact, the borrower never dealt with such an entity;
• Filed National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts lawsuits outside of the three-year statute of limitations applicable to such lawsuits in New York; and
• Threatened legal action against borrowers even though the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts could not or would not sue because the statute of limitations for suing on the debt had expired.

Many of these practices hindered borrowers’ ability to defend themelves by disguising who they were being sued by and on which loans. 

As part of the settlement, Transworld has agreed to:

• Cease identifying the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts as “original creditors,” stop identifying documents prepared for litigation as “redacted,” end the obfuscating of entities involved in originating National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts loans, and discontinue the use of misleading language in communications with borrowers by implying that they cannot sue due to the expiration of the statute of limitations;
• Enhance training for Transworld staff to ensure accuracy of statements concerning personal knowledge and chain-of-title;
• No longer file National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts lawsuits beyond the three-year statute of limitations applicable to such lawsuits in New York;
• Voluntarily dismiss all lawsuits — which should have never been filed because of the expired statute of limitations — that were filed between January 1, 2018 and the date of the settlement;
• Voluntarily release all pending garnishments, levies, liens, restraining notices, attachments, or any other judgment enforcement mechanism obtained as a result of judgments obtained in wrongfully-filed lawsuits where the statute of limitations have expired;
• Take steps to vacate any judgment obtained in an wrongfully-filed lawsuit where the statutue of limitations have expired (provided the relevant parties, including the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts, consent to the suit being vacated); and
• Pay $600,000 in penalties to the state and/or restitution to certain New York borrowers.

These practices will dismiss wrongfully-filed lawsuits against student borrowers in situations where the statutue of limitations expired and will protect borrowers who default on their loans in the future. Transworld also recently replaced its senior management and changed many of the practices identified by the OAG’s investigation prior to entering into this formal settlement.  

The OAG’s investigation concluded that Transworld’s acts and practices specifically violated New York Executive Law § 63(12); New York General Business Law § 349; the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692 et seq.; and the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, 12 U.S.C. §§ 5531 et seq.