Queens Man Pleads Guilty to Posting Threats to Kill Members of Congress and Illegally Possessing Ammunition

 

Defendant Posted Threatening Statements About Carrying Out Violent Attacks in Washington, D.C. on January 5 and 6, 2021

 Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Eduard Florea pleaded guilty before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak to one count of transmitting threats to injure and one count of possessing ammunition after having been convicted of a felony.  When sentenced, Florea faces up to 15 years in prison.

Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Jacqueline Maguire, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

“With today’s guilty plea, Florea admits to threatening the life of a successful candidate for the U.S. Senate and to urging others to take up arms to unleash violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to thwart the results of the Presidential election.” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. “This Office is deeply committed to protecting our democratic institutions and to using all available tools to preserve the public safety, uphold the rule of law and support the peaceful transfer of power.”

As set forth in the court filings and today’s proceeding, Florea posted threatening statements online about killing elected officials, including now-United States Senator Raphael Warnock and committing other acts of violence in Washington, D.C. in connection with the certification of the results of the 2020 Presidential Election.  For example, on January 5, 2021, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Florea posted, “We need to all come to an agreement . . . and go armed . . . and really take back Washington.” A few minutes later, Florea posted, “Tomorrow may very [well] be the day war kicks off . . .”  At 11:53 p.m. the same day, Florea posted, “Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he’s swinging with the f***ing fish.”  In the early morning hours of January 6, 2021, at approximately 12:42 a.m., Florea referenced Senator Warnock and stated, “Dead men can’t pass sh*t laws . . .”

On January 6, 2021, after the assault on the United States Capitol had begun, Florea posted that he intended to travel to Washington, D.C. as part of a group armed with firearms ready to engage in additional violence.  Between approximately 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.—while the Capitol was under siege—Florea posted the following messages, among others:

• “Mine are ready….I am ready…. we need to regroup outside of DC and attack from all sides… talking to some other guys….I will keep watching for the signal.”

• “I am awaiting my orders…armed and ready to deploy….”

• “Guns cleaned loaded . . . got a bunch of guys all armed and ready to deploy . . . we are just waiting for the word”

• “There 3 car full of armed patriots heading in from NY….”

• “Me and some guys are gearing up to head in. . . . where are you . . . 3 cars already are enroute . . . .all armed.”

• “It’s time to unleash some violence.”

On January 12, 2021, FBI Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a search warrant at Florea’s home in Middle Village, Queens.  The search revealed that Florea, who had been previously convicted of a New York state firearms-related felony, illegally possessed more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Governor Cuomo Announces COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate for Healthcare Workers

 

Department of Health Issues Section 16 Orders to Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities Requiring Policy to Ensure All Employees Are Vaccinated

First Dose Required by September 27

Department of Health Authorizes Third Dose for Immunocompromised New Yorkers

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that all healthcare workers in New York State, including staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities (LTCF), including nursing homes, adult care, and other congregate care settings, will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday, September 27. The State Department of Health will issue Section 16 Orders requiring all hospital, LTCF, and nursing homes to develop and implement a policy mandating employee vaccinations, with limited exceptions for those with religious or medical reasons. To date, 75% of the state's ~450,000 hospital workers, 74% of the state's ~30,000 adult care facility workers, and 68% of the state's ~145,500 nursing home workers have completed their vaccine series. Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul's administration was briefed prior to the announcement.

"When COVID ambushed New York last year, New Yorkers acted, while the Federal Government denied the problem," Governor Cuomo said. "Now, the Delta variant is spreading across the nation and across New York -- new daily positives are up over 1000% over the last six weeks, and over 80 percent of recent positives in New York State are linked to the Delta variant. We must now act again to stop the spread. Our healthcare heroes led the battle against the virus, and now we need them to lead the battle between the variant and the vaccine. We have always followed the science, and we're doing so again today, with these recommendations by Dr. Zucker and federal and state health experts. But we need to do more. I have strongly urged private businesses to implement vaccinated-only admission policies, and school districts to mandate vaccinations for teachers. Neither will occur without the state legally mandating the actions -- private businesses will not enforce a vaccine mandate unless it's the law, and local school districts will be hesitant to make these challenging decisions without legal direction."

Governor Cuomo also announced that the Department of Health has authorized a third COVID-19 vaccine dose for New Yorkers with compromised immune systems, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation last week. Eligible New Yorkers can receive their third dose 28 days after the completion of their two-dose vaccine series, effective immediately.

The CDC is currently recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose, including people who have:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood;
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medications to suppress the immune system;
• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system;
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome);
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection;
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, cancer chemotherapy that causes severe immunosuppression, or other medications that may suppress your immune response.

New Yorkers should contact their healthcare provider about whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them at this time.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, "While we have made tremendous progress in getting New Yorkers vaccinated, this pandemic is far from over and more must be done. The data and science tell us that getting more people vaccinated as quickly as possible is the best way to keep people safe, prevent further mutations, and enable us to resume our daily routines. This mandate will both help close the vaccination gap and reduce the spread of the Delta variant. I want to thank all New York State's healthcare workers for stepping up once again and showing our state that getting vaccinated is safe, easy, and most importantly, effective."

These steps follow Governor Cuomo's August 2 announcement that MTA and Port Authority employees working in New York facilities will be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Labor Day, and his July 28 announcement that state employees and patient-facing employees in state-run hospitals will be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by Labor Day. State employees who choose to remain unvaccinated will be required to undergo weekly COVID testing.

142 Days and Counting - Vaccinated People Get to go Inside, Unvaccinated Outside.

 

Click on this list to enlarge it.

Here is the list of where Unvaccinated people can't go inside. We wanted to make sure that we made it so hard that people would get vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated and live in the city, now if you want to patronize a prostitute you have to do it out doors. You won't even be able to go grocery shopping if it has an indoor eating space, and forget about going into Starbucks or any other place to get some coffee unless you are vaccinated. 

We are now looking at giving a third vaccination to those who have low antibody levels or immune compromised systems. It doesn't matter if you had the virus and are immune to it now as two of my doctors have told the writer of this blog that he is immune to the COVID virus after having it 18 month ago, and continuing to have a high antibody level. We want everyone to get vaccinated so the manufacturers of the vaccine keep getting richer. The stock in these companies has gone up faster than a rocket to outer space. 

Now we all know we are going to die sooner or later, and let's see if the soon to be former governor is tried for allegedly killing all those people in nursing homes who were immune deficient when COVID patients were put in nursing homes. What is Andrew Cuomo going to say, oops. 

Comptroller Stringer and NYCHA Announce Final Phase of NYCHA Checkbook Integration Project

 

Budget and revenue data to become publicly available as part of continued rollout of transparency, accountability and public disclosure in NYCHA

 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced that NYCHA budget and revenue data will now be publicly available and accessible, making the NYCHA Checkbook integration project complete. NYCHA contracts, spending, and payroll data has been publicly available since March 2020, when the first phase of this project was completed. Through Checkbook NYC — an award-winning, first-of-its-kind online tool that provides near real-time data on the City Mayoral agencies’ budget, revenue, spending, contracts and payroll — New Yorkers will now be able to view how the largest public housing authority in the country generates income and prioritizes and allocates its spending.

“We are proud to announce that NYCHA budget and revenue data will finally be made public, marking the final phase of our Checkbook NYC integration project. This would not have been possible without Chair Russ and NYCHA working closely with our office over the past several months,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Today’s announcement brings us another step closer to achieving an open government that is accountable, approachable and accessible to everyone — but there is more to do. Public disclosure helps build public trust — and NYCHA residents and all New Yorkers deserve nothing less.”

The addition of this information will enable the general public, good government groups and government officials to review the agency’s revenue and how dollars are allocated within NYCHA. The Comptroller’s Office will upload NYCHA budget and revenue data from NYCHA’s ORACLE Financial system on a daily basis. NYCHA is categorized within the Checkbook NYC application as “Other Government Entities” along with the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

“Now NYCHA residents and all New Yorkers can use Checkbook NYC to make sure that funds are being spent wisely,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Greg Russ. “An open, more transparent NYCHA is one main objectives of our Transformation Plan, and this tool goes a long way towards achieving that goal.  I want to thank Comptroller Stringer and his staff for their partnership and hard work over the past year.”

Since Comptroller Stringer and NYCHA came to an agreement, Checkbook NYC now contains NYCHA financial information on budget and revenue data dating back to January 1, 2018.

In 2010, the New York City Comptroller’s Office launched the beta version of Checkbook NYC, an online transparency tool that for the first time placed the City’s day-to-day spending in the public domain. The updates announced today by Comptroller Stringer and NYCHA are the fourth update to Checkbook NYC since he took office. Previously, the Comptroller’s Office added detailed sub-vendor spending, data from the City’s Economic Development Corporation, and included information about minority- and women-owned businesses.

To see the update or view other contracts, spending, payroll, budget and revenue data, visit Checkbook NYC here. To view NYCHA data in Checkbook NYC, visit www.CheckbookNYC.com and go the drop-down, “Other Government Entities”.

Councilman Gjonaj and DOT Give Out Free Bike and E-Scooter Helmets at Pelham Bay Park

 

Saturday afternoon The Department of Transportation brought close to one thousand helmets to be given out for Councilman Mark Gjonaj's Free Helmet Day at Pelham Bay Park. The helmets once used just for riding bikes are now required for E-Scooter riding also. The weather was over ninety degrees, with a Ozone warning day, and the threat of more thunder showers from the day before. 

As usual almost everyone had a problem for Councilman Gjonaj. He brought two of his top staffers with him, Farah Rubin and Ardmir Malziu, who wrote down each problem to take care of them first thing in the new week. With all the new Bronx City Council members coming into office January 1st either Farah or Ardmir would be a great asset to any of the new Bronx City Council members, since Councilman Gjonaj decided not to run for re-election.

Over two-hundred helmets were given away by the DOT, that came from Queens, along with several other free items such as wristbands, key rings, hand sanitizer, and lots of literature on bike safety. 

One of the Bike/E-Scooter helmets that were available for free from Councilman Mark Gjonaj and the DOT. Boxes of many more helmets are just behind. 

The helmet pick up area was gated off so no cars parked right in front of it, and people could have a waiting area to stand.

Councilman Gjonaj's table was well stocked with water for people on one of the hottest days of the year, and face masks and hand sanitizer.   

Member of Brooklyn-Based “KavKaz Nation” Crime Syndicate Indicted for Extortion and Other Charges

 

 A five-count indictment was filed Friday in federal court in Brooklyn charging Roman Nikoghosyan, a member of a violent, Brooklyn-based Eurasian organized crime syndicate that operated primarily in the Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach neighborhoods, with two counts of Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy, one count of Hobbs Act extortion, interstate transportation of stolen property and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.  Nikoghosyan was arrested in Los Angeles, California on July 20, 2021 and ordered detained pending trial.  He will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jacqueline Maguire, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the indictment.

“As alleged, the defendant is an extortionist who uses threats of violence and intimidation to coerce his victims into making extortionate payments to him for refusing to participate in his life of crime, which also includes illegally possessing a Hi-point 995 rifle despite his having a prior felony conviction,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis.  “Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office is working tirelessly to dismantle violent criminal organizations like KavKaz that threaten the safety of communities in the Eastern District.”  Ms. Kasulis thanked the FBI and NYPD for their contributions to date in the investigation. 

“Crime syndicates thrive on creating a deep fear in the communities where they operate, and members of these syndicates instill this fear through a range of criminal tactics to include violence, extortion, and narcotics trafficking,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Maguire.  “Forcing someone against their will to transport drugs through threats of violence, as alleged done by the defendant, is criminal behavior.  Our FBI Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, together with our NYPD partners, have made great strides in ridding local neighborhoods of these violent offenders, and we won’t stop our pursuit of them until they are stopped.”

“The NYPD remains vigilant in its work to prevent the violence so often associated with gangs and crews that tear at the fabric of life in New York.  I commend our NYPD investigators, federal partners and prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for their relentless work in this case,” stated NYPD Commissioner Shea.

As set forth in court filings, KavKaz is a criminal enterprise that operates in the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, with Brooklyn as its largest base of operation.  Members of KavKaz refer to their membership as the “KWAY” or “K WAY,” and often wear jewelry or articles of clothing emblazoned with the word “KavKaz.”  Brooklyn-based members of KavKaz draw on ties to the Caucus region of Eurasia, namely Armenia, Uzbekistan, parts of Southern Russia and Azerbaijan, in furtherance of accomplishing their criminal goals, including extortion and narcotics trafficking.  

In early 2021, Nikoghosyan was operating a narcotics distribution scheme in which he employed the victim of one of his extortionate schemes to transport packages containing marijuana.  When the victim discovered the illicit content of the packages and refused to continue distributing the narcotics, Nikoghosyan, with the assistance of coconspirators, demanded $10,000 in extortionate payments from the victim, threatening to stab him or break his legs if he did not comply.

In addition, Nikoghosyan and co-conspirators plotted to transport luxury vehicles acquired by fraud from California to New York.  Finally, Nikoghosyan, having been previously convicted of a felony, was charged with possessing a firearm, a Hi-point 995 rifle found during the execution of a search warrant on July 20, 2021 at a stash house in Brooklyn that was allegedly used by Nikoghosyan.  During that search, law enforcement also recovered ammunition and a quantity of marijuana.

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, the defendant faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Statement from The Bronx Democratic Party Chair Jamaal T. Bailey on Assembly member Victor M. Pichardo’s Decision to Leave Assembly

 

“Over the years, Assembly member Victor M. Pichardo has been a tremendous voice for his community and the entire Bronx. This is a great loss for the Bronx delegation and the New York State Assembly. Throughout his distinguished career, Assembly member Pichardo has been a tireless champion for economic opportunity and investment in our neighborhoods — advocating for affordable housing, tenant protections, creating opportunities for our young people to thrive, advancing criminal justice reforms, and helping lead the Bronx through the darkest days of the pandemic. He has served the people of the West Bronx with integrity and unwavering commitment. The impact of his service has been felt by Bronxites everywhere. We are grateful for his leadership and advocacy for the people of the Bronx and New York State and wish him and his family the very best as they embark on a new journey forward.”

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - AUGUST 15, 2021

 

41,823 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

18 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

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

"COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to New Yorkers across the state, and getting shots in arms is the only way to defeat this pandemic for good and move into the future," Governor Cuomo said. "Millions of New Yorkers who've taken the vaccine are a testament to its safety and efficacy, and if you haven't received your shot yet, I urge you to do so right away. Convenient sites are open across the state for walk-ins or appointments and vaccines are available to all eligible New Yorkers."

 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 154,566
• Total Positive - 4,479
• Percent Positive - 2.90%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.06%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,650 (-4)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 273
• Patients in ICU - 355 (+8)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 138 (+6)
• Total Discharges - 189,026 (+278)
• Deaths - 18
• Total Deaths - 43,248
• Total vaccine doses administered - 22,899,977
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 41,823
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 308,511
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 74.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 68.2%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 77.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 69.8%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 62.6%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 56.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 65.1%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 58.3%