CEO Of NYC Non-Profit Charged In Bribery And Kickbacks Scheme Involving Publicly Funded Housing And Social Services

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Margaret Garnett, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced today the arrest of VICTOR RIVERA on charges of honest services fraud and money laundering. As alleged in an Information filed today in Manhattan federal court, RIVERA, while leading a non-profit organization (“Organization-1”) that operated soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and affordable-housing facilities in New York City, schemed to enrich himself through bribes and kickbacks from Organization-1’s contractors. RIVERA will be presented and arraigned later today before United States District Judge Sidney H. Stein. 

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Many of the over 8.4 million residents of New York City rely on government-assisted non-profits to provide food, affordable housing, and other essential services for their well-being. As alleged in today’s charges, by accepting bribes and kickbacks, Victor Rivera sought to leverage his position as the CEO of a non-profit into a very much for-profit situation for himself.  The vast majority of organizations in New York City’s non-profit networks honorably provide assistance to those in need, but when any individual selfishly exploits one of those organizations for their own personal gain, they will find themselves facing criminal charges for corruption.”

DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said:  “As CEO of a City-funded nonprofit, this defendant should have been serving the underprivileged, including the homeless;  instead, according to the criminal information, he schemed to enrich himself and his relatives, taking bribes and kickbacks from those doing business with his organization. New York City provides billions of dollars to support nonprofits, many of which run organizations with integrity and provide valuable, essential services. But corruption at nonprofit social services contractors remains an investigative priority for DOI, and today's arrest should serve as notice to any individual who sees the City's coffers as a path to personal profit. DOI thanks the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for its partnership and commitment to this important corruption investigation.”

As alleged in the Information:[1]

RIVERA was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Organization-1, which annually spent millions of dollars in public funds on real estate, security, cleaning, construction, and food expenses, among other costs related to the housing and social services Organization-1 provided. From at least in or about 2013 until in or about 2020, RIVERA engaged in a scheme to enrich himself and his relatives by soliciting and accepting bribes and kickbacks from contractors doing work related to or for Organization-1. The scheme yielded RIVERA at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit gains. RIVERA laundered some of the corrupt payments through intermediary entities he controlled, including through a purported consulting company nominally owned by one of RIVERA’s relatives. 

RIVERA, 61, of Stony Point, New York, is charged with one count of honest services wire fraud conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. Each count carries a maximum potential prison sentence of 20 years. The maximum potential penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only; any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and of DOI, and thanked the Internal Revenue Service for its participation in the investigation.

The allegations contained in the Information 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 Information and the description of the Information set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

RAY McGUIRE CAMPAIGN FILES 18K PETITION SIGNATURES TO QUALIFY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL PRIMARY

Democrat Ray McGuire today filed more than 18,000 petition signatures to the Board of Elections to qualify for the June primary election ballot.

“We are now really at the start of this campaign and today's filing shows that New Yorkers are beginning to be engaged,” said Ray McGuire. “People from every borough and every neighborhood are responding to our message for the most inclusive comeback in New York City history. New Yorkers want a change from politics as usual and deserve a mayor who can truly lead our economic recovery; I will be that mayor.”

The campaign's 18,000+ signatures were collected from neighborhoods across all five boroughs without institutional support from clubs, unions or elected officials. Powered by a robust volunteer network with over 1000 volunteers and growing, #TeamRay petitioned from the South Bronx to South Jamaica, Queens and everywhere in between.

 

"Our team has been working diligently and safely to not only qualify for the ballot, but also to share Ray's message with New Yorkers, and it is resonating. We are building a true grassroots apparatus with New Yorkers who are eager for change. We're proud of what we've accomplished so far and look forward to moving into the next phase of our campaign," said Rasheida Smith, field director for Ray McGuire for Mayor.

A RECOVERY FOR ALL OF US: MAYOR DE BLASIO, DOT ANNOUNCE NEW APPLICATION FOR 2021 EXPANSION OF OPEN STREETS

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has released the 2021 application for New York City’s nation-leading Open Streets program, which allows communities to dedicate roadway space to pedestrians and cyclists. Interested businesses and community partners can learn more and apply now at www.nyc.gov/openstreets. 

“Last year, New York City seized an unprecedented crisis to totally reimagine our city streets. Open Streets was a runaway success – and now, I’m proud to deliver the framework we need to make it permanent,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With better signage, new barriers, and more support for community partners, this program will be sustainable for the long term – and better position New York City to break free of car culture and build a recovery for all of us.”

 

DOT will work with community partners to develop operational plans for multiple uses, including outdoor dining and programming, while maintaining loading, deliveries, and emergency access.

 

“Under Mayor de Blasio’s leadership and in partnership with the Council and other City agencies, DOT launched multiple new programs to reimagine our streets in response to the pandemic, creating the nation’s largest Open Streets program, with outdoor dining corridors, play streets and open-air learning spaces,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman. “Open Streets in communities across the five boroughs provided a true bright spot in a difficult year, and we are confident this new application will help us bring in more partners to make the initiative even better as the city continues to recover in 2021.”

 

This application will be open for groups interested in managing either of two distinct types of Open Streets:

 

• Temporary Limited Local Access – street designated for pedestrian and cyclist use, during a specified set of hours and days each week, where local vehicle access for parking and loading is permitted, and drivers are advised to drive 5 MPH.
• Temporary Full Closure – temporarily closed to vehicles for pedestrian and cyclist use, to support local businesses, and for community programming (formerly including Open Streets: Restaurants).

 

The Open Streets program will now replace DOT’s Weekend Walks and Seasonal Streets programs. Groups of three or more eligible businesses along a corridor may also submit an application for Open Streets, but must identify one business entity to apply for and represent the group. Both new and returning partners must apply to manage an Open Street in their communities.

 

Open Streets applicants submitting a proposal agree to help manage all aspects of the program, which may include but are not limited to the following:

• Managing street closure barricades (setup, oversight, breakdown)
• Coordinating operations and any programming executed on Open Streets
• Regularly notifying local stakeholders and the community about hours and guidelines using social media, digital outreach, and print media outlets, and/or other forms of communication
• Facilitating Open Streets certification for all restaurants and retail/service establishments included in the temporary full street closure, and coordinating operations and any programming executed on Open Streets.

 

Jury Convicts Architects Of Scheme To Fraudulently Process Over $150 Million Through U.S. Financial Institutions

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction today of HAMID “Ray” AKHAVAN and RUBEN WEIGAND, following a four-week trial before the Honorable Jed S. Rakoff.  AKHAVAN and WEIGAND devised a complex scheme involving fake companies, false websites, and fake “customer service centers,” to deceive U.S. issuing banks and credit unions into effectuating more than $150 million of credit and debit card purchases of marijuana by disguising those purchases as being for other kinds of goods, such as face creams and dog products.  The defendants were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349. 

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As a jury has now found, Ray Akhavan and Ruben Weigand were in the business of selling lies.  Under the radar of U.S. banks and credit card companies screening for suspicious and illegal activity, these men offered their services: creating fake companies and fake websites, and ginning up fake web traffic to those fake websites, all in the service of fraudulently moving money through the United States financial system.  Today, a jury has seen through those lies and convicted Akhavan and Weigand of bank fraud.” 

As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

From in or around 2016 through in or around 2019, AKHAVAN and WEIGAND, working with others, including principals from one of the leading on-demand marijuana delivery companies in the United States (the “Company”) planned and executed a scheme to deceive United States banks and other financial institutions into processing over $150 million in credit and debit card payments for the purchase and delivery of marijuana products (the “Scheme”).

The Scheme involved the deception of virtually all of the participants in the payment processing network, including issuing banks in the United States (the “Issuing Banks”) and Visa and MasterCard.  The primary method used by AKHAVAN, WEIGAND, and other coconspirators to deceive the Issuing Banks involved the purchase and use of shell companies that were used to disguise the marijuana transactions through the use of phony merchants (the “Phony Merchants”).  The shell companies were used to open offshore bank accounts with merchant acquiring banks and to initiate credit card charges for marijuana purchases made through the Company.  AKHAVAN and WEIGAND worked with other co-conspirators to create these phony merchant accounts – including phony online merchants purportedly selling dog products, diving gear, carbonated drinks, green tea, and face creams – and established Visa and MasterCard merchant processing accounts with one or more offshore acquiring banks.  They then arranged for more than a dozen Phony Merchants to be used by the Company to process debit and credit card purchases of marijuana products.  Many of the Phony Merchants purported to be based in the United Kingdom, but, despite being based outside the United States, claimed to maintain U.S.-based customer service numbers.

To facilitate the Scheme, webpages were created and deployed to lend legitimacy to the Phony Merchants.  The Phony Merchants typically had web pages suggesting that they were involved in selling legitimate goods, such as carbonated drinks, face cream, dog products, and diving gear.  Yet these companies were actually being used to facilitate the approval and processing of marijuana transactions.  The defendants’ scheme even involved fake visits to those websites to make it appear as though the websites had real customers and were operating legitimate online businesses.

The defendants’ scheme also involved the use of online tracking pixels.  Because the descriptors listed on Company customers’ credit card statements often were the URLs for the Phony Merchant websites, Company customers were sometimes confused and did not recognize the transactions on their credit card statements.  The defendants and their coconspirators were concerned that confused customers would call their Issuing Banks and inadvertently reveal the Scheme by indicating that they had purchased marijuana products and/or that they had made a purchase through the Company.  To lessen the risk that customers would be confused, the defendants used a number of techniques, including online tracking pixels to track which users had visited the Company’s website.  If a Company customer had visited the Company’s website and went to the URL listed on their credit card statement, they would automatically be re-routed to a webpage connected to the Company so that the customer would understand what the real purchase had been for (i.e., from the Company).  However, in order to hide the Scheme, the defendants ensured that if a third party such as a bank or credit card company investigator visited a URL of a Phony Merchant, they would not be re-routed, and would therefore be unable to discern any connection between the Phony Merchant website and the Company and/or the sale of marijuana products. 

Over $150 million in marijuana credit and debit card transactions were processed using the Phony Merchants.  Some of the merchant websites listed for those transactions included: diverkingdom.com, desirescent.com, outdoormaxx.com, and happypuppybox.com.  Moreover, none of the Phony Merchant website names listed for those transactions referred to the Company or to marijuana.  AKHAVAN, WEIGAND, and others also worked with and directed others to apply incorrect merchant category codes (“MCCs”) to the marijuana transactions in order to disguise the nature of those transactions and create the false appearance that the transactions were completely unrelated to marijuana.  Some of the MCCs/categories listed for the transactions included freight carrier, trucking; clock, jewelry, watch, and silverware; stenographic services; department stores; music stores/pianos; and cosmetic stores.            

AKHAVAN was the leader of the transaction laundering scheme and WEIGAND was responsible for overseeing the acquiring bank accounts used by the Phony Merchants and sending the proceeds from the marijuana transactions back to bank accounts in the United States.

AKHAVAN, 43, of, California, and WEIGAND, 38, of Germany, were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.  Sentencing before Judge Rakoff is scheduled for June 25, 2021.

Ms. Strauss praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Attorney General James Helps to Ensure Delivery of Approximately $76 Million in Rebates to 4 Million New Yorkers Charged Fees for Sports Programming Never Provided During COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Tens of Millions of Dollars More in Relief Expected for New York Consumers This Year

AG James Sent Letters to Seven Major Cable and Satellite Providers in New York Last April Demanding a Refund of Fees Until Live Sports Returned

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that nearly 4 million cable and satellite television subscribers across New York state have received approximately $76 million in rebates after they were charged for live sports programming last year during the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic even though all live sports events had been cancelled. In response to news reports highlighting the problem, last April, Attorney General James sent seven major cable and satellite television providers in New York letters, demanding they provide financial relief to consumers by reducing or eliminating fees attributable to live sports programming. After discussions with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the seven companies — Altice USA, AT&T Inc., Charter Communications, Comcast Cable, DISH Network, RCN Corporation, and Verizon Communications — committed to passing on to their customers rebates being sought from regional sports networks, which in turn were negotiating rebates from leagues and teams that were not partaking in live sporting events.

“After a year where so many have suffered the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19, my office is proud to announce approximately $76 million that has been delivered directly to New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “No one should be forced to pay for something they aren’t receiving, especially during a pandemic that has impacted the finances of millions across our state. I’m glad that these seven cable and satellite companies are doing the right thing by delivering substantial relief to consumers. New Yorkers can trust that I will always fight to protect their wallets.”

Last March, almost overnight, live sporting events ceased to take place. At the same time, millions of cable and satellite television consumers were signed up for costly television packages that were supposed to include coverage of live sports. Despite complaints from consumers, many of these companies continued to charge and collect high fees for live sports programming and refused to reduce the cost of packages that normally included live sports.

After Attorney General James expressed her concerns to these seven providers, the OAG engaged in discussions with the different cable and satellite companies in an effort to secure substantial financial relief for New Yorkers. The discussions revealed a complex chain of contracts between the cable and satellite companies and various leagues, teams, and regional sports networks. While any rebates provided by the leagues and teams were supposed to eventually be passed to networks, including to regional sports networks, and then to distributors and, finally, to the public, the initial rebates and flow-through were slow to materialize, resulting in substantial delays to consumers.

Attorney General James has now confirmed, at least, a first round of refunds for lost live sports programming, totaling approximately $76 million for nearly 4 million New York subscribers at the seven cable and satellite television companies.

The approximately $76 million in relief has already been delivered to consumers in the form of refunds, rebates, and credits.

While Attorney General James continues to press for prompt additional relief for customers, her discussions have resulted in additional commitments from the companies, totaling tens of millions of dollars more in relief that will be delivered later this year.

CITY COUNCIL PASSES COMPREHENSIVE POLICE REFORM RESOLUTION TO CONFRONT LEGACY OF RACIALIZED POLICING AND DEEPEN ACCOUNTABILITY, TRUST BETWEEN POLICE AND COMMUNITIES

 

Major initiatives to restore accountability and trust between communities and police through five central goals

 The New York City Council today passed the Council Resolution on Police Reform, an initiative that builds on the proposals outlined in the New York City Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative draft plan. Following seven years of consecutive police reform under the de Blasio Administration, the Resolution confronts the painful legacy of racialized policing and deepens accountability and the bonds between police and the communities they serve.  

“These reforms will confront centuries of overpolicing in communities of color and strengthen the bonds between police and community,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m grateful to our co-sponsors—Jennifer Jones Austin, Wes Moore, and Arva Rice—for their vision and leadership throughout this process, as well as Speaker Johnson and Chair Adams. Together, we’ll make our city safer and fairer for generations to come.”

“We believe the plan ratified today by the City Council reflects the themes brought forward with reforms that center squarely on bringing an end to such policing, the criminalization of poverty, and the lack of transparency and accountability in the NYPD. We know there is more to be done,” said Police Reform and Reinvention Collaboration Co-Sponsors Jennifer Jones Austin, Wes Moore, and Arva Rice. “Now the work begins to implement this plan without delay, and ensure that the City’s budget is fully aligned.”

 

The Resolution is the product of a months-long engagement process through the New York City Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. Spanning nearly 100 meetings and town halls, including nine public listening sessions, the Collaborative sought testimony and feedback from a broad range of New Yorkers, including  CBOs, advocacy groups, members of clergy, racial justice advocates, cure violence providers, youth groups and youth voices, ethnic and religious organizations, BIDs and small business owners, non-profits, LGBTQIA+ community leaders, the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, people with disabilities, tenants’ associations, shelter-based and affordable housing communities and providers, people involved in the justice system, crime victims, policy experts, prosecutors and  oversight bodies. 

The Resolution focuses on five goals: 

1. The Decriminalization of Poverty.
2. Recognition and Continual Examination of Historical and Modern-Day Racialized Policing in New York City.
3. Transparency and Accountability to the People of New York City.
4. Community Representation and Partnership.
5. A Diverse, Resilient, and Supported NYPD.

All initiatives will be launched, and many fully implemented, in 2021. By May 1, 2021, the City will publish a commitments tracker that includes implementation timelines, implementation status, and metrics for all the following proposals. 

Goal 1: The Decriminalization of Poverty  

This plan prioritizes the concept of budget justice, in recognizing that we must reduce the likelihood of justice involvement by investing in services and supports for low-income communities. For far too many New Yorkers, there is an inescapable cycle of disadvantage and criminal justice involvement.

 

This pattern is particularly true in low-income and communities of color, which had experienced decades of under-investment in critical services. 

This plan addresses these issues in fundamental ways:

• Creating an Ending Poverty to Prison Pipeline initiative in June 2021 to prevent and reduce justice system contact and connect low-income and justice-involved clients and their families with streamlined services 

• Issuing an Executive Order requiring City agencies to establish service plans to ensure access to health and human services for individuals and families affected by the criminal justice system

• Expanding the Summer Youth Employment Program by adding 5,000 new spots this summer for high-need CUNY Students 

 

• Funding  a pilot program for families with children who are at risk of homelessness, with the goal of reaching them before their housing situation reaches the point of a crisis.  

• Expanding Mobile Treatment Teams and eliminate existing disparities in access to mental health care

• Examining and end policies that perpetuate the cycle of impoverishment and incarceration in communities of color 

• Committing $15 million to fund critical anti-violence programs and social services programs

• Pushing to adopt new public health approaches to reduce overdoses, including the approval of Overdose Prevention Centers at the State level 

• Developing new strategies to combat trafficking while working to eliminate arrests for selling sex

 

•  The Council will also vote on legislation to establish a crash investigation and analysis unit within the Department of Transportation

 

Goal 2: Recognition and Continual Examination of Historical and Modern-Day Racialized Policing in New York City  

Racialized policing in New York City has existed since the Department’s inception and persists through contemporary police policies and practices.  Addressing the legacy and harm of racialized policing in New York required a recognition and public acknowledgement of the Department’s troubled history and current challenges with race  .

 

We must conduct a critical examination of the policies and practices that perpetuate structural and institutional racism, and act urgently to address them: 

• Creating a dedicated process, including a comprehensive report, to acknowledge, address, and repair past and present injustices and trauma caused by the practice of racialized policing 

• Conducting a comprehensive, independent review to identify and assess persistent structures of racism within the NYPD 

• Requiring supervisors to proactively monitor discretionary officer activity for indications of biased-based policing and take corrective measures immediately within the NYPD

• Augmenting racial bias training for NYPD leadership 

• Comprehensive restorative justice training for NYPD leadership and NCOs to repair relationships with communities  

• Requiring the reporting of traffic stops to address disparate enforcement  

Goal 3: Transparency and Accountability to the People of New York City 

To earn the trust of all the City’s communities, the NYPD must be transparent while holding members accountable. The City will strengthen police oversight at the individual and systemic level by:

• Holding police officers accountable for misconduct through internal NYPD disciplinary decisions that are transparent, consistent, and fair  

• Strengthening the CCRB by expanding their authority to investigate biased based policing and initiate their own investigations 

• Supporting a change in State law to give CCRB access to sealed PD records for purposes of investigations, especially biased-policing investigations 

• Supporting a change in State law changes to increase the 30-day cap for suspensions and create a pension forfeiture remedy for the most egregious misconduct cases  

• Monitoring implementation of the Discipline Matrix and enhance transparency regarding its use 

• Creating a Citywide policy to strengthen transparency and accountability in the use of biometric technology 

• Equipping New York City Sheriff’s Deputies with body-worn cameras

Goal 4: Community Representation and Partnership 

Meaningful partnership must be central to the Department’s strategies, and can be bolstered through the focused recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of those from the communities most impacted by policing.

 

Officers must feel like genuine engagement and thoughtful problem-solving is their job, and not a distraction or an add-on. The City will commit to: 

• Ensuring the composition  of the NYPD’s workforce is reflective of the community it serves at all levels of the organization and focus hiring outreach on underrepresented communities in the force  

• Piloting the Advance Peace Model, a new approach to helping youth who are at risk for involvement with gun violence  

• Tripling the City’s Cure Violence workforce by Summer 2022  

• Incorporating direct community participation in the selection of Precinct Commanders  

• Codifying and strengthen the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence 

• Expanding the Community Solutions Program from the initial Brownsville pilot 

• Elevating the feedback of the community through CompStat and Enhanced Neighborhood Policing 

• Ensuring the Special Victims Division is a model for national best practice through an independent review  

• Improving support for victims of domestic, gender-based and family violence through access to community-based resources  

• Involving the community in training and education by expanding the People’s Police Academy  

• Expanding the Precinct Commander’s Advisory Councils 

Goal 5: A Diverse, Resilient, and Supported NYPD 

The City aims to develop the most diverse and resilient law enforcement agency in the nation.

The City is committed to building upon the Department’s evolving culture by increasing supports and opportunities and promoting professionalism and excellence:

•  Recruiting officers who reflect the communities they serve, with a commitment to recruit and retain more people of color and women  

• Reforming the promotions process to focus on transparency, including complaint and disciplinary history  

• Ensuring that a diverse candidate pool is considered for top NYPD promotions by Mayoral Executive Order

• Making residence in New York City a more significant factor in hiring police officers   

• Expanding mental health support for officers  

• Supporting professional development through the Commander’s Course and leadership development programs 

• Updating the patrol guide so it is more user friendly and less complex for officer and transparent to the public 

Since Mayor de Blasio took office on January 1, 2014, the de Blasio administration has implemented a sweeping set of wholesale reforms to address over-policing and reduce the overall impact of the criminal justice system, while making the city safer and fairer. The hallmark of the current administration has been a reduced enforcement footprint coupled with a sustained decrease in crime. While many criminal justice systems in the United States continued policies that drive mass incarceration, New York City led an effort to reduce law enforcement focused intervention and incarceration. The results of these efforts have been historic. Comparing 2020 to 2013, the year before the de Blasio Administration took office, there were approximately:

• 182,000 fewer stop and frisk incidents, a 95% reduction 
• 253,000 fewer arrests, a 64% reduction 
• 29,000 fewer marijuana arrests, a 98% reduction 
• 5,900 fewer people in jail on average per day, a 52% reduction 

 

RAY McGUIRE ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN NEW YORK CITY IN LIGHT OF DEAL REACHED FOR LANDMARK CANNABIS LAW

 

McGuire’s plan focuses on ensuring equity within the cannabis industry, restorative justice for those disproportionately impacted by previous policies, and safety measures for communities.

 Democrat Ray McGuire today released a plan to ensure that New Yorkers - especially those who have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition and incarceration - can start businesses and access good jobs in the soon-to-be-legalized adult-use cannabis industry.

While the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act is still being finalized, McGuire outlined a framework for addressing the planning and siting of cannabis retail businesses, and preventing substance use issues and underage cannabis use.

“Communities of color, specifically Black and Latino communities, have been disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis for generations,” said Ray McGurie. ‘It’s important that this landmark law is leveraged to make these communities whole, not only by expunging records for previous convictions, but also by investing substantially in the communities most impacted and ensuring equity in the legal cannabis industry.”

Ray's Plan to Grow Good, Equitable Cannabis Jobs in NYC will:

• Create a cannabis opportunity fund through his Comeback Bank;
• Launch a Citywide mentorship and workforce training program for cannabis;
• Invest in incubators for cannabis startups;
• Make affordable space available for cannabis businesses;
• Secure passage of the SAFE Banking Act.

Ray also believes that the city and state have a responsibility to balance the opportunity of adult-use cannabis and the concerns of community members. As mayor, Ray commits to:

• Fighting to ensure local control over zoning and siting decisions around cannabis businesses, and using that authority to provide communities with a voice in what types of businesses are permitted in their neighborhoods;
• Ensuring that cannabis retail businesses are not opened in close proximity to schools, childcare centers, or houses of worship;
• Working with health experts, educators, and parents to implement best-in-class cannabis abuse prevention programs targeted at young people; 
• Using cannabis tax revenue to invest in expanded treatment programs through the NYC Health + Hospitals system and at private operators with proven records of success;
• Empowering the NYPD and community organizations with both the resources and technology to prevent unlawful driving under the influence of cannabis.

 

PUBLIC ADVOCATE RESPONDS TO STATE AGREEMENT ON CANNABIS LEGALIZATION

 

"This deal is the result of not months, but years of work by legislators, and years more by advocates. Now, it appears that we may finally overcome the well-documented reluctance of the Governor and the disingenuous opposition from people and industries who benefit from the criminalization of communities of more color. As we await the final bill language, the legalization agreement as described reflects a commitment to addressing and undoing that harm by investing revenue from the new industry into the communities disproportionately impacted by decades of disparate policing, and expunging the records of those whose lives were ruined by a marijuana-related conviction.

"With the final budget deadline looming, this is not a time to relax or back down. We must continue to push to ensure that when the final passage is complete, and as the law is implemented, marijuana legalization means true marijuana justice."