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5,321 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide
1,007 Patients in the ICU; 546 Intubated
Statewide Positivity Rate is 4.98%
87 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have said from day one, for us, to properly combat this virus, it requires a constant calibration. We want as much economic activity as possible, but also respect public health and the cost of the virus. Some states have had these dramatic opens and closes, full open, full close, full open, full close. I think that's highly disruptive and it's not the best way to go through this," Governor Cuomo said. "Our approach has been different, where we've always been following the data and the metrics and we have more data than any other state. We also want to be the most efficient, most effective state in the United States in terms of vaccinations. Last night, the New York State Clinical Advisory Task Force unanimously approved the FDA's decision to go forward with the vaccine. Obviously there was no delay whatsoever in the timing, and New Yorkers will have more confidence. Now it's time for the federal government to step up, do its job, and make the changes necessary for ensuring its vaccine distribution plan is fair for everyone - no matter their race or economic standing. If the Trump Administration doesn't make the changes necessary, I believe that it is illegal, and we'll pursue that course, because we don't want, what will prove to be one of the most massive governmental undertakings in history, to get off to a bad start."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
People were gathered on the corner of Morris Park Avenue and Tomlinson Avenue to see the lighting of the Morris Park Christmas Tree. This year was different from past years where the sidewalk was overflowing with people, and the chorus from one of the local schools would be singing Christmas Carols, this was the year of CoronaVirus where people were told not to gather in large groups, and to socially distance themselves while wearing face masks.
The pandemic however could not stop the lighting of the Morris Park Christmas Tree at Loreto Park. On hand were Councilman Mark Gjonaj, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, District Leader Irene Estrada, and Community Board 11 Chair and President of the Morris Park Community Association Al D'Angelo, along with enough community people who would not miss the lighting of the Morris Park Christmas Tree.
Also on hand was the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas, this year with a virus, but Santa showed up to take care of the mean old Grinch, and light the Christmas tree.
Above - Community Board 11 Chair and President of the Morris Park Community Association Al D'Angelo with his wife Chris are with Councilman Mark Gjonaj.
Below - Estrella with her children Linda and Ariana pose with Santa Claus in front of the lit Morris Park Christmas Tree.
Below - Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez with her District Leader Irene Estrada standing in front of the Grinch and Santa.
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In Jewish religion the day begins at sundown, so Thursday night was the first day of Chanukah with Loreto Park as the site to light the Morris Park Menorah. Rabbi Saabia Pewzner was joined by Councilman Mark Gjonaj, New York State Assembly members Michael Benedetto and Nathalia Fernandez, Female District Leader Irene Estrada, Steve Glosser of the Bronx Jewish Community Council, and members of the Morris Park community.
Rabbi Pewzner showed a video of Chanukah around the world and then spoke about the holiday here. Councilman Gjonaj, Assemblyman Benedetto, Assemblywoman Fernandez, and District Leader Estrada all spoke, and then it was on to light the middle and ninth candle that is used to light the other candles one more each day of the holiday. Only one other candle to signify the first night of Chanukah was lit. Assemblywoman Fernandez lit the middle candle, and Rabbi Pewzner lit the end candle for day one of Chanukah. Each night another candle is lit until the eight day when all eight candles plus the middle candle are lit.
Above - Rabbi Pewzner explains the holiday of Chanukah as Councilman Mark Gjonaj stands next to him.
Below - Assemblyman Michael Benedetto whose district Loreto Park is located in says a few words about Chanukah , and what the holiday means to him.
Below - Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez goes up the ladder to light the middle candle of the Menorah.
Payments Are the Sixth Distribution in a Series of Payments That Together Will Constitute the Largest Payment of Forfeited Funds in the History of the Department of Justice’s Victim Compensation Program
Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Attorney General Bill Barr, Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that the Madoff Victim Fund established by the Department of Justice began its sixth distribution to victims of funds forfeited to the United States Government in connection with the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (“BLMIS”) fraud scheme. The distribution will include approximately $488 million in additional funds, bringing the total distributed to date to almost $3.2 billion. The funds will be sent to nearly 37,000 victims worldwide, the sixth payment to victims that will bring their total recovery from all sources of compensation to 80.05% of their losses. The Madoff Victim Fund will ultimately return to victims more than $4 billion in assets that have been recovered as compensation for losses suffered by the collapse of BLMIS, following the largest fraud in history. Another $5 billion in assets recovered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office are being separately paid to Madoff victims through the BLMIS Customer Fund administered by the Securities Investor Protection Act Trustee.
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “This Office continues its efforts to seek justice for victims of history’s largest Ponzi scheme. Today’s additional payments of more than $488 million by this Office and the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section represent the sixth in a series of distributions that will leave victims with compensation for more than 80 percent of their losses. That is an extraordinary level of recovery for a Ponzi scheme—but our work is not yet finished, and the Office’s tireless commitment to compensating the victims who suffered as a result of Madoff’s heinous crimes continues.”
Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt said: “With the $488 million distributed today, the department has now returned almost $3.2 billion to Madoff’s victims, allowing them to recover more than 80 percent of what they lost. This exceptional work – and there is more to come – has been made possible by the department’s steadfast commitment to the pursuit of the proceeds of fraud through civil forfeiture.”
Since the early 1970s, BERNARD L. MADOFF (“MADOFF”) used his position as Chairman of BLMIS, the investment advisory business he founded, to steal billions from his clients. On March 12, 2009, MADOFF pled guilty to 11 federal felonies, admitting that he had turned his wealth management business into the world’s largest Ponzi scheme, benefitting himself, his family, and select members of his inner circle. On June 29, 2009, United States District Judge Denny Chin sentenced MADOFF to 150 years in prison for running the largest fraudulent scheme in history. Judge Chin ordered MADOFF to forfeit $170,799,000,000 as part of MADOFF’s sentence.
The Madoff Victim Fund is funded through recoveries by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in various criminal and civil forfeiture actions, and is overseen by Richard Breeden, the former Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, in his capacity as Special Master appointed by the Department of Justice to assist in connection with the victim remission proceedings.
Of the approximately $4.05 billion that will be made available to victims through the Madoff Victim Fund, approximately $2.2 billion was collected as part of the civil forfeiture recovery from the estate of deceased MADOFF investor Jeffry Picower. An additional $1.7 billion was collected as part of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. for MADOFF-related Bank Secrecy Act violations. Additional funds were collected through criminal and civil forfeiture actions against MADOFF and his co-conspirators, and certain MADOFF investors.
Ms. Strauss praised the work of the FBI and the Madoff Victim Fund, and thanked the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division for their assistance.
For more information about the Madoff Victim Fund, compensation to victims of BLMIS, eligibility criteria, and payment information, please visit www.madoffvictimfund.com.
5,164 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide
994 Patients in the ICU; 539 Intubated
Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.15%
92 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"As we continue to see the number COVID-19 cases surge across the nation, it is beyond critical that we ensure hospitals, and hospital systems as a whole, have developed additional capacity and are prepared to work cooperatively with each other to prevent any one facility from becoming overwhelmed. With this work already underway through the state's Surge and Flex program, we also continue to fight to ensure the vaccine's distribution is as fair and equitable as possible," Governor Cuomo said. "The distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine will undoubtedly go down as one of the most massive governmental operations in history, yet the federal distribution plan remains misguided and completely overlooks underserved communities. If this distribution of the vaccine is to truly be successful, the federal government must improve its plan immediately and ensure black, brown, and low income communities are not left behind. The time is now to make these corrections, we simply cannot wait any longer."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
Enterprise Members and Co-Defendants Charged with an Array of Crimes Including Extortion and Fraud on the Federal Paycheck Protection Program
Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Dermot Shea, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Eastern Region Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA-OIG”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging 16 defendants in counts including racketeering, gambling, extortion, fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice offenses. Of the 16 defendants, ABDURAMAN ISENI, a/k/a “Diamond,” ERVIN MAKISHTI, a/k/a “Vinny,” SOKOL GJONI, MIRALEM LJULJANOVIC, and JETMIR SULAJ, are associated with a racketeering enterprise referred to in the Indictment as the “Diamond Enterprise,” a criminal group overseen by ISENI, and are charged in United States v. Iseni, et al. (the “Indictment”), which has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Carter.
Eleven additional defendants are charged in the Indictment with various offenses, many relating to the operations of the overarching Diamond Enterprise, including extortion, operation of illegal gambling establishments, money laundering, bank fraud, fraud on the federal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), and obstruction of justice. Specifically:
ISENI, ERVIN MAKISHTI, GJONI, LJULJANOVIC, SULAJ, ELDI MAKISHTI, DIMO, DANZIERI, JACOBS, TOLA, DJOKIC, KUKAJ, and SKRAPALLIU were taken into federal custody today and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn of the Southern District of New York. LITA, LAMCE, and BECOVIC remain at large.
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Abduraman Iseni and his co-defendants allegedly operated a network of underground gambling establishments, and laundered the proceeds of that activity, to prop up a criminal enterprise under Iseni’s control. Going well beyond that racketeering activity, Iseni and others allegedly engaged in a variety of crimes, including extortion through violent threats, obstruction of justice, fraud on legitimate financial institutions, and fraud on the critical Paycheck Protection Program. They now face the possibility of serious time in prison for their alleged crimes.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “The organization we’ve disrupted with our enforcement action today is a textbook example of an organized-crime group. As we allege, the crimes these men committed ran the gamut from running illegal gambling operations to making extortionate threats to defrauding the government of PPP benefits intended for honest Americans suffering economic harm during the pandemic. While these men did all they could to avoid making an honest living, the outstanding work done by the FBI’s New York Balkan Organized Crime team ensures they won’t be able to avoid facing justice.”
SBA-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite said: “The Paycheck Protection Program was developed to aide small businesses during these challenging times. Our Office will relentlessly pursue organized criminal enterprises that seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “The web of alleged crimes unveiled by this federal indictment victimized everyday New Yorkers, undercut a federal aid program and eroded the fabric of life in the city. I commend our NYPD detective and federal partners for their sustained work in this important case.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and statements made during Court proceedings:
As alleged, the Diamond Enterprise was an organized criminal group operating under the direction of ISENI, who had substantial influence in the criminal underworld. The Diamond Enterprise operated through groups of individuals, often with overlapping members or associates, dedicated to particular criminal tasks, particularly operation of illegal gambling parlors, sports gambling by wire, and money laundering, among others. For their roles in leading and managing the Diamond Enterprise’s criminal activities, ABDURAMAN ISENI, a/k/a “Diamond,” ERVIN MAKISHTI, a/k/a “Vinny,” SOKOL GJONI, MIRALEM LJULJANOVIC, and JETMIR SULAJ are charged in Count One of the Indictment with racketeering conspiracy. The Diamond Enterprise thrived in part on the revenues generated by a network of illegal gambling parlors – “Sports Café,” “Friendly Café,” and “Oasis Café” – located throughout Brooklyn, that hosted underground poker games and hosted illegal sports books. Some of these revenues, in turn, were laundered through a series of bank accounts in an effort to conceal and facilitate the Enterprise’s continued operations.
In addition to the Enterprise’s operations, ISENI allegedly engaged in a series of additional crimes ranging from extortion through threats of violence, to money laundering, to fraud on the PPP. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the SBA’s PPP. As alleged, defendant KUKAJ engaged in a fraud to obtain PPP loan funds, which ISENI then attempted to launder through bank accounts designed to conceal the source and ownership of those fraudulently obtained funds.
A chart containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for each of the defendants is set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of a defendant would be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of FBI New York’s Balkans and Middle East Organized Crime Squad, as well as the FBI’s Newark Office, the New York City Police Department, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Liquor Authority, and United States Customs and Border Protection for their investigative efforts and ongoing support and assistance with the case.
The prosecution of this case is being overseen by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel L. Raymond and David R. Felton are in charge of the case.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Count | Defendants | Max. Penalty |
Count One: Racketeering Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” Ervin Makishti, a/k/a “Vinny,” Sokol Gjoni, Miralem Ljuljanovic, Jetmir Sulaj, | 20 years’ imprisonment |
Count Two: Conspiracy to Operate Illegal Gambling Businesses (18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1955) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” Ervin Makishti, a/k/a “Vinny,” Sokol Gjoni, Miralem Ljuljanovic, Jetmir Sulaj, Eldi Makishti, ENRI DIMO, a/k/a “Eni,” Darren Danzieri, AMIR BECOVIC, RAFAEL JACOBS | 5 years’ imprisonment |
Count Three: Conspiracy to Transmit Wagering Information (18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1084) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” Ervin Makishti, a/k/a “Vinny,” Sokol Gjoni, Miralem Ljuljanovic, Islam Lamce, a/k/a “Bachi,” BRAJAN TOLA, Gazmend Lita, SMAIL DJOKIC, a/k/a “Ismail Gjoka,” | 5 years’ imprisonment |
Count Four: Conspiracy to Commit Extortion and Interstate Threats (18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 875) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” BESIM KUKAJ | 5 years’ imprisonment |
Count Five: Extortion (18 U.S.C. § 875(b)) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” BESIM KUKAJ | 20 years’ imprisonment |
Count Six: Interstate Threats (18 U.S.C. § 875(c)) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” BESIM KUKAJ | 5 years’ imprisonment |
Count Seven: Bank Fraud Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1349) | Besim Kukaj | 30 years’ imprisonment |
Count Eight: Money Laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” | 20 years’ imprisonment |
Count Nine: Obstruction of Justice (18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)) | MELSA SKRAPALLIU | 20 years’ imprisonment |
Count Ten: Bank Fraud Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1349) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” MELSA SKRAPALLIU | 30 years’ imprisonment |
Count Eleven: False Statements to a Bank (18 U.S.C. § 1014) | Abduraman Iseni, a/k/a “Diamond,” MELSA SKRAPALLIU | 30 years’ imprisonment |
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
