Former New York DEA Investigator Convicted Of Enticing A Minor To Have Sex And Child Pornography Charges

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the conviction in Manhattan federal court of FREDERICK L. SCHEININ for attempted production of child pornography, attempted receipt of child pornography, and attempted enticement of a minor.  The jury convicted SCHEININ today following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.    

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As a DEA investigator, Frederick Scheinin was tasked with the important job of protecting the public from the illegal diversion and abuse of prescription drugs, but he betrayed the public trust by spending months trying to prey on a minor for his sexual pleasure.  Scheinin now stands convicted of these heinous crimes.  This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to detect and apprehend those who pose a threat to children.”

Up until the time of his arrest, SCHEININ was an investigator in the New York Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).  According to the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:

Between October 2019 and January 2020, SCHEININ communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer (“UC‑1”) who was posing as a 14-year-old boy.  During the course of hundreds of graphic text communications and multiple real-time conversations, SCHEININ repeatedly sent sexually explicit images and videos to UC-1 in an attempt to persuade UC-1 to transmit sexually explicit images, photos, and live visual depictions of UC-1 to SCHEININ.  In particular, SCHEININ repeatedly asked UC-1 to transmit images and videos of UC-1’s penis and anus.  SCHEININ also attempted to arrange a meeting with UC-1 at which SCHEININ planned to have sex with UC-1.  Law enforcement arrested SCHEININ on January 16, 2020, in New York, New York, at the location where SCHEININ said he would meet UC-1.  SCHEININ was in possession of a condom and lubricant at the time of his arrest. 

SCHEININ, 33, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following the return of the verdict.  Attempted production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; attempted receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and attempted enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and maximum sentence of life in prison.  SCHEININ is scheduled to be sentenced on September 23, 2021, at 4:00 p.m.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department and the New York Field Office of the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the New York DEA office for its assistance in the matter.

193 Days and Counting

 

We spent $15 million dollars on an ad campaign for Rank Choice Voting, and there were only two republican candidates. That meant that Rank Choice Voting didn't come into effect. It seems that Curtis Swila won two to one over Fernando Mateo, who was backed by the Bronx Republican Party. Ruben, are there any Republicans left in the Bronx?

On to my replacement. Right now Eric Adams is in the lead, but that can change. The guy who writes this blog had it right when he said it would be a three way race for Mayor with Eric Adams winding up in the lead. He said Kathryn Garcia would be second with a longshot Maya Wiley third. He did not think that Andrew Yang would have a chance, and he was right, as yang was the 4th place finisher  who conceded election night.

You have to know Rank Choice Voting.

Targeted mailing or Everybody Does It

 

We received this from a voter in the 15th City Council District who says Councilman Oswald Feliz sent this mailing to only people of Dominican decent to come out and vote for him. When confronted by another voter in the 15th City Council District Councilman Oswald Feliz laughed in the voters face saying everyone does it.

Candidate Ischia Bravo was at the same event, and said," I received that targeted piece of mail since I am half Dominican, and it only divides the council district, not unite it like I want to do". Candidate Ischia Bravo added that she will be the representative of all the people in the 15th Council Ditrict, not just some like Oswald Feliz.

Targeted mailing or is Oswald Feliz just a puppet of Congressman Adriano Espaillat?

Why is Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez on this piece of propaganda? Where are some non Dominican supporter of Oswald Fepix, or are there none?

Candidate Oswald Feliz is called out for his targeted mailing to only one segment of the 15th Council District. Oswald Feliz's answer - "Everybody does it", as he laughs in the face of Jose Padilla Jr. a voter in the 15th council district.

Attorney General James Leads Coalition Calling for USPS to Stop Further Service Cuts

 

AG James Co-Leads Coalition of 21 AGs in Calling for End to Postmaster General’s Efforts to Delay Mail Service, Potentially Affecting 96 Percent of Zip Codes

 New York Attorney General Letitia James  co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general and two cities in calling on the Postal Regulatory Commission to reject Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s proposal to cut services at the United States Postal Service (USPS), which would result in increased delivery times for First-Class Mail and other essential postal services. Attorney General James and the coalition today submitted a statement of position to the Postal Regulatory Commission — an independent federal agency that provides transparency and accountability of the USPS's operations — to urge the USPS to focus its attention on correcting the mistakes of the previous year, not implementing new changes that would further degrade service. The proposed changes could impact up to 96 percent of ZIP codes in the United States.

“For nearly a year now, we have had to fight the United States Postal Service tooth and nail to fulfill its mission and provide timely delivery of mail, medications, paychecks, ballots, and other essentials to Americans across the nation,” said Attorney General James. “Now, instead of fixing the problems that remain delinquent a year later, Postmaster General DeJoy wants to lead the USPS in making further service cuts that would only result in more delays. The Postal Regulatory Commission should reject these changes and direct the USPS to take action to resume USPS service to what it once was. If they don’t, we will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal to hold the USPS accountable.”

Attorney General James and the coalition write, in their statement of position today, that despite the USPS’s claims that it “implemented a series of purported cost-saving initiatives” a year ago, the truth is that the changes “had a devastating effect on mail service.” Those initiatives included drastic changes to USPS’s policies with respect to extra and late trips and were implemented virtually overnight without any prior input from the Postal Regulatory Commission. As a result, the coalition argues, mail delivery across the nation slowed, and Americans who depended on the USPS for the delivery of prescription medication, paychecks, and other necessities were left stranded.

The coalition also argues that the increased delays also made it more difficult for the states to perform a variety of essential functions and provide critical services to their residents, including the delivery of mail and absentee ballots before the November 2020 presidential election. As a result of Postmaster General DeJoy’s efforts, the USPS is poised to repeat many of these mistakes.

The coalition reminds the Postal Regulatory Commission of the obligations and benefits of the USPS, including its commitment to prompt, reliable service of necessary, life-saving goods to all residents of New York.

Postmaster General DeJoy’s proposed service standards would slow down mail delivery for a significant portion of First-Class mail, and would significantly hinder the USPS’s mission to provide reliable service. This change would prevent New York and the federal government from delivering essential services in a timely manner, including providing public assistance to low-income individuals and families, running driver’s licensing and child welfare programs, and administering elections. In addition to disproportionately affecting low-income Americans, the proposed changes would significantly impact those living in rural areas.

The group also acknowledges the difficulties put upon postal service workers by these cuts, and how critical it is for the Postal Regulatory Commission to prevent further changes after a devastating year — pointing directly to the disastrous changes made at the USPS, last year, in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the USPS Office of Inspector General found, last year, the July 2020 cost-saving initiatives that were implemented were done without adequate planning and were poorly communicated — leading to a rapid decline in service from which the USPS has still not fully recovered.

The coalition strongly urges the Postal Regulation Commission to reject the sweeping changes proposed by the USPS and, instead, refocus its energies on fixing its ongoing performance deficiencies.

Attorney General James has been fighting to protect USPS services since last year. Last August, Attorney General James led a coalition of states and cities from across the country in filing a lawsuit to stop the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the USPS. The slowdown had life-threatening impacts on veterans and seniors who were not able to receive medication, as well as economic impacts on individuals that had to wait for pension checks and paychecks. As the United States neared November’s presidential election, the USPS also handled a record number of mail-in ballots because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Attorney General James filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking the court to quickly stop former President Donald Trump, the USPS, and Postmaster General DeJoy from continuing down the path of slowing mail operations in the lead-up to Election Day. In September, the court issued a preliminary injunction, national in scope, that was set to immediately take effect, but for a month the Trump Administration made excuses in an effort to avoid full compliance with that order.

In October 2020, Attorney General James won an interim order that clarified that the Trump Administration had to take every effort to restore USPS sorting machines and use special measures (including delivering mail via air transportation) to deliver election mail on time over those next few weeks.

After the USPS did not comply with the interim order, the court issued a minute-order on Election Day, November 3, 2020, in which the judge instructed the USPS to immediately send postal inspectors or inspectors from the USPS Office of Inspector General to post offices in various cities and states across the country to sweep for any ballots that had yet to be delivered and send them out immediately.

194 Days and Counting Today you choose my Replacement

 

Here's a warning to those pesky reporters who keep asking me who I am voting for to replace me as your mayor, don't ask me that question. Don't ask me any questions about the election, just ask questions of how New York City will be when the July 4th fireworks are over, and how the people love me for it. 

 

Ask me about how our public school children are going to get right back to where they should be even though they actually missed a full school year. All the bad stuff is for the next mayor. Let me see how many bile lanes I can put in, and streets I can close to cars. You want to drive a car, don't do it in New York City. 

Three Years Later - NYPD Promotes Junior Lesandro Guzman-Feliz to Explorer Deputy Chief Posthumously

Exactly three years ago on June 20th, 2018 Junior Lesandro Guzman-Feliz was attacked in the corner store at Bathgate Avenue and East 183rd Street. He was stabbed by up to  fourteen gang members of the Trinitarios gang who later admitted that they were looking for someone who looked exactly like Junior Guzman-Feliz. Junior staggered to the gate of nearby St. Barnabas Hospital where he died of his wounds. Five of the  fourteen gang members have been convicted of murder.

This was a ceremony to posthumously promote Junior Guzman Feliz to Explorer Deputy Chief. Police Commissioner Shea, Assistant Commissioner O'Connor, and Chief of Community Affairs Maddrey with Explorer from all twelve precincts, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and several other elected official and candidates in the June 22nd Primary were on hand as Leandra Guzman-Feliz received the citation and bronze statue of a policeman and a child from Police Commissioner Shea. 

Explorers from all Bronx precincts line the sidewalk in front of the memorial mural and closed store where the attack took place three years ago. 

Leandra Guzman-Feliz talks with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr, as 13th City Council candidate and 15th City Council candidate stand in the background.

Police Commissioner Shea speaks about the seriousness of what happened, and attempts by the NYPD to prevent future attacks like the one that happened at this corner. In the upper right corner is the co-named corner Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz Way.

Junior Mother Leandra Guzman-Feliz tells of the tragedy, and what it has done to her, her family, and the community. 

Leandra Guman-Feliz holds the Certificate of Promotion Posthumously, while Chief of Community Affair Jeffrey Maddrey speaks.

(R-L) Police Commissioner Shea, Leandra Guzman-Feliz, Chief Maddrey, and Assistant Commissioner O'Connor holding the statue of the policeman and a boy.

100 PERCENT Primary Day 2021 Final Notes

 

We told you what we thought who was going to win on primary day 2021, and we seem to be right on the money. It looks like a two way race for mayor between Eric Adams and Kathryn Garcia, with a possible longshot in Maya Wiley. Rank Choice Voting was to make this a more friendly election\, but RCV seems to have done the opposite. There have been some nasty campaigns before, but that was only between two candidates since only two were running. In 2021 we have seen half a dozen mayoral candidates go after their opponents, and then have to defend their own viability in the mayoral race. 

When we get to Bronx Borough President one candidate has been favored more than any other, that being current Councilman Fernando Cabrera. We said he would be the winner over a month ago. We hear that the Bronx Democratic Party finally realized that the candidate many wanted to endorse can not win, and we are being told a deal may have been struck to have current Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson be the next Deputy Bronx Borough President. We think that is a very wise choice because the two council members have worked together in the city council (not agreeing on everything), but should make a fine team in Bronx Borough Hall.

City Council races. 

11th District - We have not changed from current Councilman Eric Dinowitz who should be the easy victor here. We are more interested in who will finish in second place, and if Mino Lora drops to third place with Abigail Martin in the race.

12 District - We still see a re-election of current Councilman Kevin Riley.

13th District - We still say it is Marjorie Velazquez's to lose, and we can see the only man in the race John Perez coming in a close second if not being the victor. Here Rank Choice Voting may decide the winner.

14th District. Again we see no clear winner, and continue to say it is between Pierina Sanchez and Yudleka Tapia. Here again Rank Choice Voting may decide the winner. 

15th District - We are sticking to our call that current Councilman Oswald Feliz will be defeated by Ischia Bravo. We spoke to people who said they voted for Elisa Crespo thinking she was Ms. Bravo, and Ms. Crespo is not running now. The other main factor is the third place finisher John Sanchez is not at the top of the ballet where candidate Feliz gained double the dropdown vote from Feliz being second on the ballot. Candidate Sanchez is now in the number four spot on the ballot which should mean more of his votes will drop down to number six on the ballot Ischia Bravo. The number one spot is occupied by Bernadette Ferrara who was eliminated early in Rank Choice voting in the special election, and could decide the race if she is not the third place finisher. 

16th District. It is looking like the choice of the current term limited councilwoman Candidate Althea Stevens who also has the endorsement of the Bronx Democratic Party should beat Male District Leader Yves Filus who has made a gallant try to win going all around the district, and walking with mayoral candidates.

17th District - We see a victory for incumbent Councilman Rafael Salamanca.

18th District - We see a hands down victory for CB 9 District Manager William Rivera, who is taking the district by storm leaving the other candidates in his dust. We want to see if candidates Farias and Beltzer can match their 2017 numbers getting 15% and 14% respectively.

The last race is for Two West side Judge positions. We see candidate Jessica Flores winning one seat, and the other is who can get more votes than the others in the race, since Judgeships and District Attorney races are not Rank Choice Voting. We have heard from a couple of coordinators in the poll sites we visited that people were asking how to rank the judge candidates. We will be back with a post primary column after the primary to see how we are doing, and then another column once all the final numbers are in. Final Early Voting numbers in the Bronx were 20,590, and citywide 191,197.Just over ten percent of the vote came from the Bronx which has eighteen percent of the population of New York City.

MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS 3 JUDGES TO FAMILY AND CIVIL COURT AND REAPPOINTS 2 JUDGES TO FAMILY COURT

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced one appointment to Family Court, two appointments to Civil Court, and two reappointments to Family Court.

“For their entire careers, these judges have championed dignity and fairness,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I thank these public servants for their tireless dedication to building a more equitable city for all New Yorkers.”

 

Family and Civil Court are part of the New York State Unified Court System. Family Court judges hear cases related to adoption, foster care and guardianship, custody and visitation, domestic violence, abused or neglected children, and juvenile delinquency. The two judges newly appointed to Civil Court will be presiding in Family Court.

 

The Mayor appointed the following judge to Family Court:

 

Judge Tamra Walker began her legal career at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. She served there for 11 years in Bronx and Queens Counties including as an Assistant Supervising Attorney. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she served with the New York State Unified Court System for nearly five years as a Court Attorney Referee in Family Court in both Bronx and Queens Counties. Judge Walker is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and received her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. 

 

The Mayor appointed the following judges to Civil Court:

 

Judge M. Liberty Aldrich began her legal career at Mobilization for Youth (MFY) Legal Services, now known as Mobilization for Justice (MFJ) Legal Services, where she served for two years as a Staff Attorney. During this time, she, along with two other law school graduates, established a non-profit in 1996, called Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT), as a free information service for family court litigants. She went on to join Safe Horizon as the Senior Director of the Domestic Violence Law Project. She then joined the Center for Court Innovation where she has been for nearly 20 years serving in multiple capacities including General Counsel, Director to Gender-based Violence and Family Court Programs, as well as, Managing Director. She is a graduate of Harvard University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law. Judge Aldrich is appointed to Civil Court and will be assigned to Family Court.

 

Judge Cynthia Lopez has served with the New York City Administration for Children’s Services for nearly 20 years. She held various positions including but not limited to Assistant Supervising Attorney of the Queens Family Court Legal Services and Supervising Attorney of the Manhattan and Staten Island Family Court Legal Services.  Since June 2018, she served as Borough Chief of the Brooklyn Family Court Legal Services.  She received her undergraduate and law degree from St. John’s University. Judge Lopez is appointed to Civil Court and will be assigned to Family Court. 

 

The Mayor reappointed the following judges to Family Court:

 

Judge Alan Beckoff was appointed to the Family Court in 2008. He was first appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge and served in the Family Court. Prior to his appointment, Judge Beckoff served with the New York City Department of Finance and Human Resources Administration, Office of Legal Affairs (now the Division of Legal Services of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services). He also worked for the New York City Law Department for over two decades, serving as Deputy Borough Chief in the Family Court Division and as Senior Counsel in the Appeals Division. He is a graduate of Lafayette College and received his J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

 

Judge Anne-Marie Jolly was appointed as a Family Court Judge in September 2010. Prior to her appointment, Judge Jolly worked for the Office of Court Administration for over ten years in various capacities including Counsel and Chief of Staff to the Administrative Judge of New York City Family Courts, Deputy Chief Court Attorney, and Court Attorney Referee in Family Court. Prior to that, she was with the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Division for eight years including as Deputy Attorney-in-Charge. Judge Jolly currently serves as the Deputy Administrative Judge of Family Court city-wide. She is a graduate of Boston University and received her law degree from Albany Law School.