Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Forfeiture Of Oil Tanker Used To Violate Sanctions Against North Korea

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mark J. Lesko, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the entry of a judgment of forfeiture regarding the M/T Courageous, a 2,734-ton oil products tanker used to make illicit deliveries of petroleum products through ship-to-ship transfers with vessels flagged in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”) and direct shipments to the North Korean port of Nampo.  Payments to purchase the Courageous, to obtain oil for supplying to North Korea using the Courageous, and to procure necessary services for the Courageous were made using U.S. dollars through unwitting U.S. banks, in violation of U.S. law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.  On April 23, 2021, a civil forfeiture action was filed against M/T Courageous.  Criminal charges of conspiracy to evade economic sanctions on the DPRK and money laundering conspiracy are pending against the alleged owner and operator of the Courageous, KWEK KEE SENG, a Singaporean national who remains at large.  U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni issued today’s judgment of forfeiture. 

The M/T Courageous

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Today’s judgment reflects that the sanctions-evading ship, the Courageous, has been forfeited to the United States and will no longer be used to enable North Korea’s pattern of evading the global community’s prohibitions on support for that regime.  Thanks to the extraordinary cooperation between U.S. and Cambodian law enforcement authorities, the Courageous is permanently out of service.”

According to documents filed in the civil forfeiture action and the allegations contained in the criminal complaint filed against KWEK KEE SENG in Manhattan federal court:[1]

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) and the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (“NKSPEA”), the DPRK and individuals or entities that the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has determined are involved in the facilitation of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are prohibited from engaging in transactions with U.S. persons or using the U.S. financial system.  The United Nations Security Council has similarly imposed economic sanctions on North Korea, prohibiting among other things the conduct of ship-to-ship transfers with DPRK-flagged vessels and the provision of petroleum products to the DPRK.

KWEK and his co-conspirators engaged in an extensive scheme to evade these U.S. and U.N. sanctions by using vessels under their control to covertly transport fuel to North Korea, thereby providing a critical resource for the North Korean government and for DPRK-based companies.  One of those vessels was M/T Courageous – formerly known as the Sea Prima – which was purchased by KWEK through front companies in order to further KWEK and his co-conspirators’ scheme to evade sanctions and launder money.  Among other things, for a four-month period between August and December 2019, M/T Courageous illicitly stopped transmitting information regarding its location, during which time satellite imagery shows that M/T Courageous both engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer of more than $1.5 million worth of oil to a North Korean ship, the Saebyol, which had been designated by OFAC, and traveled to the North Korean port of Nampo.  KWEK and his co-conspirators took additional steps to hide the scheme by (1) operating a series of shell companies, (2) lying to international shipping authorities about M/T Courageous’s dealings with North Korea, and (3) falsely identifying M/T Courageous as another ship in order to evade detection.

In furtherance of the scheme, KWEK and his co-conspirators arranged for a variety of payments denominated in U.S. dollars that were processed through U.S.-based correspondent accounts to purchase oil – including more than $1.5 million to purchase the oil that was transferred to the Saebyol, over $500,000 to buy M/T Courageous, and thousands more dollars to procure necessary services for M/T Courageous and another vessel, including registration fees, ship materials, and salary payments for crewmembers.  KWEK and his co-conspirators overseas sought to conceal these sanctions-evading transactions by, among other things, using front companies to disguise the nature of the transactions; disguising location information for vessels carrying illicit shipments; and conducting ship-to-ship fuel transfers on the open sea in an attempt to hide their counterparties, such as the Saebyol. 

Cambodian authorities seized M/T Courageous in March of 2020, and held the vessel pursuant to a U.S. seizure warrant, which was issued under seal on April 2, 2020.  On April 23, 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint against M/T Courageous and the case was subsequently assigned to Judge Caproni, who issued today’s judgment of forfeiture.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and its New York Field Office, Counterintelligence Division.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section’s Program Operations Unit, and Office of International Affairs; the United States Coast Guard; the Cambodian Ministry of Justice; and the Cambodian National Police, for their assistance.

The charges in the complaint against KWEK are merely accusations, and KWEK is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.         

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the criminal complaint filed against KWEK and the description of that complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation as against KWEK.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj's NYC Moving Forward Week in Review - 7/30/2021

 

Dear Friends,

I hope you and your families are doing well, as COVID-19 continues to spread in New York and new variants are a cause for concern, it's absolutely important that everyone who hasn't gotten vaccinated yet does so immediately. Vaccines remain a critical and safe tool in protecting you and your community. Now New Yorkers can get $100, free tickets, memberships or gifts for getting vaccinated against COVID19. These giveaways will be available for a limited time. Please encourage everyone to get vaccinated and find a vaccination site near you: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/vaccines/covid-19-vaccines.page

This week we passed landmark legislation to bring much needed reforms to the David-versus-Goliath relationship that third-party delivery platforms have with locally owned restaurants. The four bills passed into law of which I am a lead sponsor include: legislation to prohibit the listing of restaurants without their consent on delivery platforms; a bill requiring transparency in the listing of app-generated phone numbers for restaurants and that a restaurant’s official number also be present; a bill to permanently prohibit erroneous charges to restaurants from supposed phone orders; and finally a bill extending a cap on the commission and miscellaneous fees these apps are allowed to charge restaurants. 

With August right around the corner we are looking forward to three more Summer Concerts to mark the end of summer, bring music and entertainment to our neighborhoods with local artists in our District. 

Our Mobile District Office Hours at the local libraries are the perfect opportunity to connect with constituents, hear from them and address their issues. This week we were in City Island and this upcoming week Team Gjonaj is looking forward to visit with constituents at the Allerton Library.

Please remember we are here for you, contact my office with issues or concerns at 718-931-1721 or email at MGjonaj@council.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,

NYC Councilman Mark Gjonaj

District 13, Bronx

City Island Music in the Park Series

Free Contactless Helmet Fitting & Distribution Event

Free Mammograms in District 13

156 Days and Counting

 

Everybody in the Bronx loved me, and we were not wearing any masks either. I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine so my expert doctors are advising me as to what I have to do about COVID-19 as not to catch the virus. 

At least I did not go into the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx where the infection rate is growing like a California wildfire. I stayed mostly in the South Bronx, and the closest I got to Throggs Neck was Lehman High School. 

If my City Hall in the Bronx did not end on Friday I may have marched in the Yemeni American Parade, so let me give a shout out to the Yemen community in Morris Park, and to Yahay Ahmed Obeid.

NEW YORK CITY RAISES VALUE OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO HELP MORE NEW YORKERS SECURE PERMANENT HOUSING

 

The de Blasio administration today announced that the City is raising the value of City rental assistance programs (CityFHEPS) to federal Section 8 Fair Market Rent levels, more than a 90 percent increase for a family of four, the largest increase since this Admin recreated City rental assistance programs from scratch, which had been completely cancelled by the City and State in 2011.

 

The rule implements legislation sponsored by Council Member Steven Levin. Current values are aligned with the State FHEPS rental assistance program; Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Brian Kavanagh successfully sponsored legislation to similarly increase state vouchers, but the bill has not yet been signed by the Governor. 

 

“New York City’s recovery depends on giving every family the tools they need to thrive in their communities. Increasing rental vouchers will help thousands of New Yorkers find stable housing or avoid the shelter system altogether. It’s a transformative change,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “New York City is the most compassionate city in America, and these vouchers are an essential step forward for our most vulnerable families.”

 

Since 2014, more than 170,000 New Yorkers have secured housing through the de Blasio administration’s rental assistance and rehousing programs, including CityFHEPS. More than 140,000 of those individuals moved out of shelter and into permanent housing; the remainder were able to avoid entering shelter altogether by keeping their homes. Raising the value of CityFHEPS rental assistance will help even more New Yorkers who may be facing eviction or experiencing homelessness remain in or obtain permanent homes.

 

With the publication of this rule, the new CityFHEPS rent levels are expected to take effect for September rentals. 

 

“Supporting all families in NYC to achieve stability and growth is paramount to our long-lasting recovery and growth,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog. “We’re grateful to the advocates of the changes to our assistance programs that will help more New Yorkers secure permanent housing and access additional tools necessary for success.”’

 

“As we have said in our budget testimony, we believe that raising the value of all government rental assistance programs to federal FMR Section 8 levels is the right thing to do, going further to prevent and address homelessness and building on our progress helping more than 170,000 New Yorkers in need secure housing,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks. “With this reform, we are taking important action well ahead of schedule, moving to raise rental assistance values to FMR Section 8 levels, and thereby continue to alleviate homelessness and reduce the number of people in DHS shelters.”

 

“This Administration’s latest action to raise the value of City rental assistance programs will build on our comprehensive efforts to do everything we can to support New Yorkers experiencing homelessness,” said Department of Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter. “And as we continue to use every tool at our disposal to level the playing field for vulnerable New Yorkers while building on the important progress we’ve made helping more than 140,000 New Yorkers move out of shelter into permanent housing, we must also take every opportunity to acknowledge and thank our dedicated frontline staff and provider-partners who went above and beyond during this past year of crisis to make this positive change possible. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts around the clock in service of this vital mission and in support of our clients as they get back on their feet.”

 

“Since day one, this Administration has been committed to expanding City programs and services that connect New Yorkers in need to permanent housing opportunities, with more than 170,000 individuals utilizing these resources to move out of shelter or stay in their own homes,” said HRA Administrator Gary Jenkins. “Today’s announcement builds on that progress and will provide thousands of New Yorkers with housing stability. We thank our partners at the City Council for their advocacy and support in our ongoing efforts to ensure that New York remains a city where anyone can call home - regardless of their economic or housing status.”

 

The NYC DHS census is now at fewer than 45,000 people, below the 50,689 figure at the beginning of the de Blasio administration. The census began trending downward prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to shelter moveout initiatives, the City’s efforts to create permanent housing by converting former cluster shelter locations into affordable apartments, and pre-pandemic efforts to reduce evictions. Evictions decreased by more than 40 percent through the city’s first-in-the-nation right-to-counsel initiative, which provides free legal services to tenants in housing court. The COVID-19 eviction moratorium prevented more families from entering shelter but sustained rehousing efforts – let by tireless efforts from the City’s essential workers – have actually driven down the number of shelter residents.

 

More than 140,000 New Yorkers have used City resources to move out of shelter. More than 80,000 of those have used rental assistance programs developed by the City alone – which did not exist before this administration – and approximately 13,000 used federal rental assistance like Section 8. Nearly 19,000 New Yorkers moved out of shelter in 2020 alone, with more than 11,000 using City rental assistance programs.

 

POOL OWNERS SOUGHT FOR DEC’S ANNUAL CITIZEN SCIENCE SURVEY FOR INVASIVE INSECTS

 

Early Detection of Asian Longhorned Beetle Infestations to Protect Trees

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today encouraged swimming pool owners to participate in DEC’s annual Asian Longhorned Beetle Swimming Pool Survey. During late summer, Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) emerge as adults and are active outside of their host tree. The goal of the survey is to locate infestations of these invasive pests before they cause serious damage to the State’s forests and street trees. “The best opportunity to eradicate and limit the spread of invasive species is by finding infestations early, when populations are low,” said Commissioner Seggos. “Swimming pool monitoring is a simple, economical approach to surveying for these pests and gives New Yorkers the chance to take an active role in protecting their communities." From now until swimming pools are closed for the season, DEC is asking pool owners to periodically check their filters for insects that resemble ALB, and report suspects either by emailing photos to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or mailing insects to DEC's Forest Health Diagnostics Lab at 108 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY 12054, Attn: Liam Somers. People without swimming pools can help the effort by reporting signs of ALB in their communities. The invasive pest ALB: Is about 1.5 inches long, black with white spots, and have black and white antennae; Leave perfectly round exit holes about the size of a dime in branches and trunks of host trees; and Create sawdust-like material called frass that collects on branches and around the base of trees. ALB are wood-boring beetles native to Asia that were accidentally introduced to the United States through wood-packing materials. These pests attack a variety of hardwoods, including maples, birches, and willows, among others, and have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the country. The State Department of Agriculture and Markets has worked diligently to manage ALB infestations in New York, successfully eradicating them from Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Islip, and Queens. The beetle is still actively managed in central Long Island, and there are active infestations in Massachusetts, Ohio, and South Carolina. For more information on the ALB Swimming Pool Survey and ALB, including biology and identification tools, visit DEC's website. Attached photos are courtesy of NYSDEC.

ALB Pool Photo.jpg Pool survey2.jpg

Senator Biaggi's Week in Review: 7/19/21-7/23/21

 

Dear Community,

When our nation was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity and hunger skyrocketed drastically. The Bronx was especially hard-hit, as even prior to the pandemic, the South Bronx had the highest rate of food insecurity in the country and the Bronx had the highest unemployment rate in the state. COVID-19 resulted in hunger increasing dramatically in our district, with 1 in 5 Bronxites suffering from food insecurity. Along with COVID-19, food insecurity became its own pandemic. 

Throughout 2020, my office distributed over 100K meals to families in need. We are continuing to work with food distributors in the community to distribute food, especially fresh produce that is often inaccessible in the Bronx. However, we cannot depend on emergency food assistance in the long-term and must maximize investment in nutritional programs at every level of government. This is why I am committed to passing my Healthy Foods Procurement bill, which will require nutritious and locally grown food to be served in all schools and state-supported facilities, expanding access to healthy foods and bringing us one step closer to eradicating food insecurity in our communities.

Good health is a fundamental human right, not a privilege – and that starts with access to food. To live up to these values, we must ensure nutritious, affordable food is accessible to all New Yorkers, regardless of their race or income. We can no longer put bandaids on everything, but rather we must address the root causes of these problems and enact long-standing solutions. I look forward to working alongside the Bronx community to combat food insecurity. 

With Gratitude,

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - JULY 30, 2021

 

84,495 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

MTA Pop-Up Vaccination Sites Have Now Administered More Than 30,000 Shots

3 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19.

The Governor also announced that pop-up vaccination sites at MTA station stops have now administered 30,017 shots since the program began. Sites are still open at Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal. 

"The Delta variant's spread throughout New York State and across the country is reinforcing the need for New Yorkers to get vaccinated as quickly as possible," Governor Cuomo said. "This virus can still infect you and others, and being vaccinated is the crucial action each of us can take the slow the spread. There's ample supply and vaccination sites conveniently located across the state, so I urge everyone who can to get the vaccine as soon as possible." 

  

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 108,797
• Total Positive - 2,677
• Percent Positive - 2.46%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.28%
• Patient Hospitalization - 657 (+46)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 132
• Patients in ICU - 134 (+8)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 56 (-1)
• Total Discharges - 186,695 (+99)
• Deaths - 3
• Total Deaths - 43,074
• Total vaccine doses administered - 22,212,520
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 84,495
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 260,849
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 72.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 66.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 74.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 68.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 60.4%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 55.5%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 62.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 56.8%

Proposals Reveal 4.65-Acre Affordable Housing Development In Wakefield, The Bronx

 

Rendering of a 'Building A' at Wakefield Village (Newman Architects)

The Department of City Planning is reviewing proposals to construct a 4.65-acre mixed-use affordable housing development near the Metro-North Station in Wakefield, The Bronx. If approved, the six-building complex would create approximately 1,200 income-restricted apartments, 28,000 square feet of retail space, 87,000 square feet of community facilities, 130,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space, and 600 parking spaces.

In total, the residential component across all six buildings would measure nearly 1.1 million square feet, including associated amenities.

Proposals submitted to the Department of City Planning refer to the project as “Wakefield Village” with renderings attributed to Newman Architects. Buildings depicted in those renderings have multi-colored brick façades, upper-level setbacks that will likely be activated as private or communal terraces, and roof-level communal spaces. The central grounds surrounding the buildings will feature a vibrant mix of commercial retail and community facilities.

Rendering of retail spaces and outdoor areas between ‘Building A’ and ‘Building B’

The project site is surrounded by the Wakefield Avenue Bridge, the Wakefield Metro-North Rail Station and associated rail lines, the city of Mount Vernon to the North, and the City of Yonkers to the west. The site is partially leased to the New York City Police Department as a commercial parking lot with approximately 400 spaces.

Before the development can break ground, the Department of City Planning will need to grant a mix of zoning text amendments and special permits to allow the construction of a mixed-use residential building in an area primarily zoned for light-industrial manufacturing properties, an expansion of allowable building height, and an increase in approved density for an enclosed parking garage. The proposed actions are also subject to the ULURP approval process and review of a completed environmental impact statement. The latter was submitted on July 23, 2021 and will be reviewed at a public scoping meeting this summer.

At this phase of development, a project timeline for the complex is uncertain.

View of Wakefield Village Project Site