Dwayne Anthony Conley Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Coercion And Enticement And Promotion Of Prostitution Of Five Victims

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DWAYNE ANTHONY CONLEY, a/k/a “Taquan Rashad,” a/k/a “Q,” a/k/a “Pops,” was sentenced to 11 years in prison for coercion and enticement and the promotion of prostitution of five victims.  CONLEY previously pled guilty to those offenses on March 11, 2021, before United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Dwayne Conley exploited and victimized women for his financial gain.  He coerced his victims into prostitution, including by physical abuse and exploiting a victim’s heroin addiction.  For his wanton indifference to the suffering of his victims – indeed, for inflicting that suffering – Conley has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term.”

According to the Superseding Information, publicly filed documents, and evidence presented at the trial of CONLEY’s codefendant Justin Rivera, in or about 2015, CONLEY persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a victim, described in the Superseding Information as “Victim‑3,” to travel from New York to Virginia to engage in prostitution.  CONLEY used violence against Victim‑3 on many occasions.  CONLEY also exploited Victim‑3’s severe heroin addiction, verbally abused Victim‑3, used Victim-3 to further his narcotics trafficking, and promoted Victim-3’s prostitution.

In or about 2015, CONLEY also attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce two other victims to travel from New York to Virginia to engage in prostitution.  CONLEY further promoted the prostitution of two additional victims, including by posting advertisements on the Internet for commercial sex with the victims, and providing heroin to one of the victims.  In total, at his sentencing hearing, CONLEY was held accountable for his victimization and exploitation of five different women. 

In addition to today’s prison sentence, CONLEY, 52, of Central Islip, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Ms. Strauss thanked Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the FBI-NYPD New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit, and Special Agents from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their outstanding work on this case.

PUBLIC ADVOCATE PROPOSES RACIAL JUSTICE REFORMS TO CITY COMMISSION

 

 Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams outlined a series of proposed charter reforms aimed at combatting systemic racial inequities in New York City during a public input session convened by the Racial Justice Commission in lower Manhattan. The Commission was established in March of this year and tasked with identifying structural reforms to advance racial justice and equity and dismantle structural racism through Charter revisions.

"It is clear that we do not have a broken system that is in need of piecemeal reforms that tinker around the edges. The system is functioning the way it was intended to-marginalizing people on the basis of race across so many areas of our lives," the Public Advocate said to open Thursday hearing  "I hope that this Commission can be a vehicle for transformative policy changes that match severity and scope of the problems faced in our Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous communities."

The reforms highlighted by the Public Advocate in testimony include:

• Converting and Legalizing Basement Apartments
• Establishing a Right to Permanent Housing
• Ensuring Marijuana Legalization Economically Benefits Communities of More Color
• Establishing a Baby Bonds Program
• Establishing Life-Long Learning Accounts
• Making Transportation Free for the Lowest-Income New Yorkers
• Increasing City Council oversight of the NYPD
• Reforming the City Budget Process
• Equipping the Office of the Public Advocate with Essential Tools

Read more about each proposal in the full testimony below. Video is available here.

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS 

TO THE NEW YORK CITY RACIAL JUSTICE COMMISSION

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you Chair Jones Austin for leading this Public Input Session and granting me the opportunity to speak. I'd also like to thank Mayor de Blasio for convening the Racial Justice Commission.

Over the past year and a half, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the racial inequities that have long plagued New York City. While all New Yorkers have been impacted, the data shows that those coming from communities of more color have been hit the hardest-both medically and economically. Simultaneously, continued police violence and worsening hate crimes have further reinforced how racism remains ever-present in our City. It is clear that we do not have a broken system that is in need of piecemeal reforms that tinker around the edges. The system is functioning the way it was intended to-marginalizing people on the basis of race across so many areas of our lives. I hope that this Commission can be a vehicle for transformative policy changes that match severity and scope of the problems faced in our Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous communities. In this aim, I would like to raise the following items for consideration to include as City Charter revisions:

Converting and Legalizing Basement Apartments- Due to the impacts of climate change, flash flooding events are happening with more regularity. As we tragically saw in Hurricane Ida, this puts the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers living in substandard basement apartments at serious risk. The Basement Apartment Conversion Pilot Program (BACPP) in Brooklyn's Community District 5 has successfully launched and begun to convert substandard basement units into safe, legal, and rentable apartments at low or no cost for tenants and building owners. This program must be immediately codified as a citywide program in order to protect the safety of residents, who are predominantly lower-income New Yorkers of more color.

 

Establishing a Right to Permanent Housing- Currently, New York City has a "Right to Shelter" mandate that requires the City to provide temporary emergency shelter to those experiencing homelessness on a given night. While well-intentioned, this framework has resulted in the overdependence on the shelter system, which provides insufficient living conditions and fails to address the root causes of homelessness. The forced relocation of people experiencing homelessness from designated hotels into the shelter system is a prime example of this harmful dynamic. The City should instead use a Right to Permanent Housing as its guiding principle in addressing homelessness. This would cement a commitment to a "Housing First" framework, which prioritizes getting people into homes without any prohibitive conditions, and then combining housing with supportive treatment services for potential issues such as joblessness, mental health concerns, or substance misuse.

Ensuring Marijuana Legalization Economically Benefits Communities of More Color- Now that New York State has legalized marjiuana, the City should take bold steps to create space in the new industry for entrepreneurs that come from the communities most harmed by the War on Drugs. In order to do so, it should create an initial period upon legalization during which vending licenses are exclusively granted to applicants who meet certain criteria including: long-term residence in an area in New York City disproportionately impacted by high rates of arrest and incarceration for marijuana and other drug crimes as a result of criminal drug policy; past drug-related convictions or direct familial ties to those with drug-related convictions; verified participation in the "underground" market prior to legalization; and Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) status. The policies enacted by Cambridge, Massachusetts in this regard can serve as a model here.

Establishing a Baby Bonds Program- Nationally, the white-to-black disparity in median net worth is 19 to 1. A Baby Bonds program would help close the racial wealth gap in New York City and provide young New Yorkers with much needed seed money for asset-building expenses. Through this program, the City would create investment accounts for children when they are born. The initial deposits in the accounts would be determined based on the wealth of the child's parents-with those with the poorest parents receiving the largest amount and those with the wealthiest parents receiving the smallest amount. The accounts, which would accrue interest over time, would become payable when the child turns eighteen and be available to use for clearly defined asset-building expenses such as paying for college tuition, purchasing a home, or saving for retirement.The State of Connecticut recently implemented a similar program earlier this year.

Establishing Life-Long Learning Accounts- As the Center for an Urban Future has found, over 456,000 New York City jobs are vulnerable to being eliminated in the coming years due to developments in automation. These jobs are disproportionately held by Black and Latinx workers. In order to ensure that New Yorkers can attain skills needed to thrive in the rapidly changing economy, the City should provide substantial support for education and job training by establishing a Life-Long Learning Accounts Program. Through this program workers could choose to place a percentage of their earnings in dedicated accounts and the City and employers would match these contributions up to an established cap. Funds in these accounts would be used for exclusive purposes of training and education and be subject to balance limits and limited investment returns in order to encourage their regular usage.

Making Transportation Free for the Lowest-Income New Yorkers- Transportation is a basic necessity that should not be denied to New Yorkers due to the inability to pay. As such, New York City should permanently codify an expanded Fair Fares program. Currently, Fair Fares provides half-priced rides to New Yorkers who are below the federal poverty line-this should be expanded to make fares completely free for those who are currently eligible. Additionally, eligibility should be expanded to include Access-a-Ride commuters, as it is essential that we make public transportation truly accessible for New Yorkers with disabilities. An expanded and codified Fair Fares would create immediate positive economic impacts and significantly reduce expenditures related to fare evasion enforcement, which is disproportionately implemented in communities of more color.

Creating a New York City Department of Public Safety- For too long, our City has equated public safety with policing. While the NYPD has a critical role to play by providing acute law enforcement solutions to criminal situations, policing by itself cannot address all of the components that make up personal and community well-being. In order to reframe public safety in a more comprehensive way and strengthen targeted approaches to distinct issue areas, the City should establish a Department of Public Safety to which the NYPD, FDNY, and MOCJ would report. This department would also include a citywide unit of social workers, medics, and mental health peers tasked with responding to mental health crises without law enforcement through a dedicated 9-8-8 hotline accessible to the public. This department would also house service units specializing in community-oriented responses to issues including gun violence, substance misuse, and traffic enforcement. Newark's Department of Public Safety could serve as a key model here.

 

Increasing City Council oversight of the NYPD- 

a) Given the immense influence and authority that the Commissioner of the NYPD holds, this position should not be made via unilateral mayoral appointment. Instead, the City Council should be granted advice and consent power over this position's appointment in a model that mimics the United States Senate's process regarding senior-level Presidential appointments. I would also like to note that I am also in support of implementing the same process for the Chancellor of the Department of Education (DOE). However, due to the State's control of the DOE, such a change would not be possible via the City Charter.

b) The NYPD's use of technology must be fully transparent, non-discriminatory, respectful of privacy rights, and limited to necessary use. The recent release of reports related to the POST Act demonstrate that the NYPD has amassed a military-grade arsenal of surveillance technology that fails to meet these criteria. New York City should mimic cities like Seattle and Oakland by requiring the City Council to approve police technology purchases.

Reforming the City Budget Process- The current City budgetary process disproportionately emphasizes the role of the Mayor at the expense of the role of the City Council. Our Office supports rectifying this imbalance by amending the budget process via the following measures that have been previously proposed by the City Council. If passed, these reforms would create a more democratic and transparent budget that would more accurately reflect the priorities of New Yorkers.

a)Requiring that the Mayor and Council jointly determine the units of appropriation included in the budget for key City agencies on an annual basis.

b)Implementing mechanisms to ensure adherence to the mandate for narrower, programmatic units of appropriation. This must include a more transparent and itemized budget for the NYPD.

Equipping the Office of the Public Advocate with Essential Tools- The Public Advocate's Office is limited in its ability to fulfill its charter mandate to provide oversight on City Agencies and investigate constituent complaints regarding City services. Being granted the following abilities which the Office currently lacks would strengthen government accountability and further racial justice. I acknowledge that naturally, as the current Public Advocate, these changes are of particular interest to me and my Office. However, I truly believe that these changes are in the best interest of the public and essential to a balanced government.

a) Subpoena Power- At present, the Charter states that the Office of the Public Advocate "shall have timely access to those records and documents of city agencies which the public advocate deems necessary to complete the investigations, inquiries and reviews." However, this power is limited and does not have the full weight of a subpoena. This delays investigations that the Office of the Public Advocate is empowered to conduct. With subpoena powers, the Office would be able to identify documents and records that specifically speak to an agency's failure to meet the needs of a racial group.

b) Appointment of Independent Counsel- The Corporation Counsel has determination over which cases can be pursued, which violates the intended separation of powers among city officials. In the event that the Mayor, City Council and Public Advocate disagree over a vital issue, the Corporation Counsel would likely side with the Mayor, leaving the other branches without needed legal resources. The Corporation Counsel should be required to appoint independent counsel in the event that these parties cannot resolve a trying matter.

c) Independence from the Corporation Counsel- The Public Advocate should have discretion to initiate, join or submit an amicus brief in an ongoing case in their official capacity without seeking permission from Corporation Counsel. Currently, permission is too often denied, particularly when a policy position is contrary to that of the Mayor. This ability should also be granted to the City Council.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Senator Biaggi's Week in Review: 9/6/21-9/10/21

 

Dear Community,

Unfortunately, New York continues to grapple with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ida, including parts of District 34. As we continue to recover, I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and cared for. If you are still recovering from damaging flooding or need any other assistance due to the tropical storm, please fill out this form so that my office and I can properly assist you. 

FEMA Disaster Assistance is here. Earlier this week, President Joe Biden approved Governor Kathy Hochul’s expedited Major Disaster Declaration that will provide federal financial relief for local governments and deliver assistance for eligible New Yorkers recovering from the flooding damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. If you experienced damages due to Ida, you may be eligible for funding. 

Apply for FEMA financial assistance: 

www.disasterassistance.gov

1-800-621-3362

TTY 1-800-462-7585

Additionally, New York City is offering additional storm recovery resources. for City residents. By calling 311, New Yorkers may access temporary hotel shelter for homeowners and renters, free water pumping, food delivery, and Red Cross debit cards to help replace items. I strongly recommend New Yorkers utilize these resources from the City if needed. 

If you need assistance filing a FEMA claim, please contact my office at biaggi@nysenate.gov or by calling 718-822-2049. I am optimistic that we will be able to recover quickly from this storm together. 

With Gratitude,

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi

Attorney General James and Monroe County Executive Bello Discuss Opioids Crisis in Monroe County

 

Leaders Discuss Funds Going to Monroe County from AG’s Lawsuits, Challenges Monroe County Continues to Face

 New York Attorney General Letitia James and Monroe County Executive Adam Bello met to discuss the continued impact of the opioid crisis in Monroe County and how funds from recent settlements will go directly towards treatment, prevention, and outreach efforts in Monroe County. In the last three months alone, Attorney General James has announced a number of settlements with some of the manufacturers and distributors responsible for fueling the opioid crisis that will infuse as much as $1.5 billion into New York communities to fund opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.

“The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on communities across New York state, including Monroe County,” said Attorney General James. “No lawsuit or settlement will ever bring back the lives we have lost or undo all the destruction we have seen as a result of opioid addiction, but the millions we’ve already secured for the region will help us invest in opioid prevention, education, and treatment programs right away, as we continue to fight for more funds. The pain and suffering far too many communities have experienced has only accelerated over the course of the pandemic, so now is the time to take every action we can to prevent any future devastation.”

“To battle the opioid epidemic and increasing overdose fatalities in our county, we created the Improving Addiction Coordination Team (IMPACT) to provide 24-hour outreach to those suffering from addiction,” said Monroe County Executive Bello. “Thanks to Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, vital dollars to prevent and treat addiction will be made available for our around-the-clock efforts to combat this opioid crisis.”

Attorney General James, Monroe County Executive Bello, and others

meet to discuss the ongoing opioid epidemic in Monroe County.

Over the last two decades, the opioid crisis has caused millions of addictions and thousands of deaths across New York state. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health crisis has only exacerbated opioid use and overdoses in the last year. In Monroe County alone in 2020, 238 people died from an opioid overdose — a 31 percent increase from 2019. In response, last year, Monroe County appointed the county’s first-ever director of addiction services.

In March 2019, Attorney General James filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit to hold accountable the various manufacturers and distributors responsible for the opioid epidemic. The manufacturers named in the complaint included Purdue Pharma and its affiliates, as well as members of the Sackler Family (owners of Purdue) and trusts they control; Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates (including its parent company Johnson & Johnson); Mallinckrodt LLC and its affiliates; Endo Health Solutions and its affiliates; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and its affiliates; and Allergan Finance, LLC and its affiliates. The distributors named in the complaint were McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, and Rochester Drug Cooperative Inc.

The cases against Mallinckrodt and Rochester Drug Cooperative are now in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. In June, a settlement that ended Johnson & Johnson’s sale of opioids nationwide and that will deliver $230 million to New York alone was announced. In July, a settlement with McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen that will deliver up to $1 billion to New York state to combat the opioid epidemic was announced. The deals with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen have a global value of approximately $26 billion. Earlier this month, a settlement that secured more than $4.5 billion — at least $200 million of which will be earmarked for New York — from the Sackler family and foundations that they control, ends the Sacklers’ ability to manufacture opioids ever again, and will shut down Purdue Pharma was announced. Last night, a settlement that secured $50 million for New York state and Nassau and Suffolk Counties was announced.

The trial against all other defendants is currently underway in Suffolk County State Supreme Court.

As a result of the above mentioned settlements, Western New York, Monroe County, and the City of Rochester stand to receive millions for opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, and could possibly receive millions more as a result of any additional settlements that may still come.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

66,746 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours  

34 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday  

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.  

"Our fight against COVID-19 is not over - it is crucial that New Yorkers continue to wear a mask, wash their hands and get vaccinated if they haven't already," Governor Hochul said. "The vaccine is the best defense we have at keeping ourselves and our communities safe from the resurging virus. It is safe, it is free and readily available, and it is effective." 

  

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 203,374 
• Total Positive - 5,768 
• Percent Positive - 2.84% 
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.22% 
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,414 (+24) 
• Patients Newly Admitted - 321 
• Patients in ICU - 518 (+1) 
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 276 (+1) 
• Total Discharges - 195,775 (+276) 
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 34 
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 43,918 

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only. 

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 55,891 

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings. 

• Total vaccine doses administered - 24,255,789 
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 66,746 
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 334,470 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 78.8% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 71.2% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 81.3% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 73.0% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 66.5% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 59.9% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 68.8% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 61.4% 

NYS OASAS ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF KINSHIP CARE TOOLKIT TO ASSIST FAMILY MEMBERS OF THOSE AFFECTED BY ADDICTION

 

Toolkit Provides Resources for Caregivers of Children Whose Parents Are Unable to Care for Them

 The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (NYS OASAS) today announced the launch of the Kinship Care Toolkit to support relatives and family friends who are caring full-time for children whose parents can no longer take care of them due to substance use or addiction, incarceration, death, or other circumstances. The toolkit was developed in partnership with the NYS Kinship Navigator.

“Unfortunately, there are many circumstances in which parents are no longer able to care for their children, often through no fault of their own.” (OASAS) Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez said. “With the launch of this toolkit, we are giving non-parent caregivers the resources and information they need to help these children navigate a difficult time, as well as support their own well-being.”

Kinship care refers to extended family members such as grandparents, aunts or uncles or other extended relatives, as well as family friends who are caring full-time for children whose parents are absent or face limitations on caring for them. The toolkit was designed to help maintain family bonds and assist caregivers in having conversations about these topics with young people.

The toolkit provides information on subjects such as grief, identifying red-flag behavior in youth, having age-appropriate discussions and self-care for kinship care providers. It also includes interactive exercises for children in kinship care to help express their feelings and promote positive thinking and self-image.

The new toolkit is available at https://oasas.ny.gov/kinship-care-toolkit.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website.

If you, or a loved one, have experienced insurance obstacles related to treatment or need help filing an appeal for a denied claim, contact the CHAMP helpline by phone at 888-614-5400 or e-mail at ombuds@oasas.ny.gov.

Ribbon Cutting for New Bronx YMCA at 1250 East 229th Street.

 

It was a rainy Thursday morning, but that did not stop over one hundred people from coming out to celebrate the grand opening of the new Edenwald YMCA located at 1250 East 229th Street, two blocks off Boston Road. The Y was a dream of a group of area residents who wanted a place for neighborhood children and adults to enjoy and be safe. The group led by Shirley Fearon and Alonzo De Castro started their dream years ago when Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie was only Assemblyman Carl Heastie, New Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was brought into the picture, and Larry Seabrook was the councilman. 

As time would go on Andy King became the councilman, Assemblyman Carl Heastie became Speaker Carl Heastie, and the mayor became Bill de Blasio. In August 2016 this Idea became a reality when Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Heastie, Councilman Andy King and others brought out the concept of a 50,000 Square foot Y with an Aquatics Center with two swimming pools, a wellness center, full basketball court, gymnasium, and programming for people of all ages and income levels. It would also create 100 permanent living wage jobs. the estimated cost was to be forty-eight million dollars with completion in 2020.

In 2018 ground was broken for this new YMCA.

On Thursday September 9, 2021 the ribbon was cut for the New Bronx YMCA. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio who said he was proud to help in building this new YMCA in the Bronx shows the Bronx X here. 

The song YMCA was played, and everyone then went into the YMCA dance of showing the letters.

Some people then went into the new gym to meet former New York Knick John Starks. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie showed off his hoop ability by getting five of six baskets, as you see one that went in here.

State Senator Jamaal Bailey wanted a photo of him with his two daughters and New York Knick star John Starks. Bailey said he and his family will be regulars at the Y, and that he wants to learn how to swim in one of the two regulation pools.

A photo of the entrance to the New YMCA located at 1250 East 229th Street. 

In observance of 9/11/2001 There Were no Posts,

 

  Photo Credit Wikipedia, Tribute in Light.