Consumer Alert: The Department of State and Division of Consumer Protection Warn of Fraudulent Letter Scheme Impersonating the Secretary of State

 

Scammers Create Fictitious Certificates Claiming to be from the Secretary of State

Matter is Under Investigation by NY Attorney General

 The New York State Department of State and the Division of Consumer Protection today warned New Yorkers of a fraudulent letter scheme. These illegitimate letters have the heading “Executive Letter of Guarantee” and claim that recipients are due to receive a large payment, supposedly being held by the Department of State, to settle debts relating to the sale of timeshares.

The letters, which include a fraudulent signature from New York Secretary of State Rossana Rosado and illicit use of the New York State seal, are not genuine and were not issued by the Secretary of State.

The following image is a sample of the letter sent:

The Department of State has referred the matter to the New York State Attorney General to investigate these fictious certificates for possible criminal prosecution. Anyone who has received a similar letter should immediately report it to the New York Attorney General’s Office at the following address: Real Estate Enforcement Unit, NY State Office of the Attorney General, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005.

To help protect against these types of scams, the Division of Consumer Protection recommends the following tips:

• Exercise caution with all communications you receive, including those that appear to be from a trusted entity.
• Inspect the sender’s information to confirm the message was generated from a legitimate source – be suspicious if the reply to address is different from the sending address.
• Independently verify the entity’s contact information through an online search engine.
• Consider calling the sender at a known good number, not listed within the communication, to confirm they sent the communication.

The Division reminds New Yorkers that government entities will never partner with for profit businesses to solicit consumers hard earned dollars. The Department of State actively responds to the needs of the New Yorkers who engage its services, and will never send consumers solicitations for engagement in the mail.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist and empower the State’s consumers. For more consumer protection information, call the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm or visit the DCP website at https://dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection. The Division can also be reached via Twitter at @NYSConsumer or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nysconsumer

Two Members Of The Mount Vernon Goonies Street Gang Sentenced To Federal Prison For The Murder Of 13-Year-Old Innocent Bystander

 

Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DAVID HARDY, a/k/a “Mooka,” was sentenced to 372 months in prison for the 2016 murder of Shamoya McKenzie and his participation in a 2012 shooting.  In July 2021, codefendant MARQUIS COLLIER was sentenced to 324 months in prison for his participation in the McKenzie murder and the affairs of the Goonies gang.  COLLIER and HARDY previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed COLLIER’s and HARDY’s sentences.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Nothing can undo the senseless killing of Shamoya McKenzie, an innocent young woman, or the trauma experienced by her mother, who witnessed it.  Justice requires that those responsible be held accountable, as Marquis Collier and now David Hardy have been.  Rightly, both will spend decades in federal prison for their crimes.”

According to allegations in the Indictment and other documents filed in federal court, as well as statements made in public court proceedings: 

Between 2007 and 2017, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, HARDY, COLLIER, JERMAINE HUGHLEY, and SINCERE SAVOY were members of a racketeering enterprise known as the “Goonies.”  In order to fund the enterprise, protect and expand its interests, and promote its standing, members and associates of the Goonies committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder and robbery; they conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics; and they obtained, possessed, and used firearms, including by brandishing and firing them. 

The Goonies have been engaged in a long-standing and violent feud with several rival Mount Vernon street gangs, including, among others, the “Boss Playa Family,” the “Get Money Gangstas,” the “Gunnas,” and the “Much Better Gang,” among others.  On December 31, 2016, HARDY, COLLIER, HUGHLEY, and SAVOY attempted to murder a rival gang member in broad daylight by firing multiple shots at him in the vicinity of Tecumseh Avenue and Third Street in Mount Vernon, New York.  HARDY fired the shots, with COLLIER at his side.  The rival gang member suffered gunshot wounds but survived.  One of the bullets, however, missed the intended target and struck the head of 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie, who was in the front passenger seat of a passing car, which was being driven by her mother.  Shamoya McKenzie died as a result.

HARDY, 26, pled guilty to one count of using a firearm in connection with the murder of Shamoya McKenzie in aid of racketeering and one count of using a firearm in connection with an assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering for committing a separate shooting in 2012 in furtherance of the Goonies.  In addition to the prison term, Hardy was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

COLLIER, 29, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of discharging a firearm in connection with the murder of Shamoya McKenzie in aid of racketeering.  In addition to the prison term, Collier was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

HUGHLEY and SAVOY are awaiting sentencing. 

HUGHLEY, 28, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of discharging a firearm in connection with the murder of Shamoya McKenzie in aid of racketeering.  Together, the crimes carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison.

SAVOY, 24, pled guilty to one count of using a firearm in connection with the murder of Shamoya McKenzie in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Ms. Strauss thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their extraordinary cooperation and assistance with this case, and praised the outstanding investigative work of the Mount Vernon Police Department and the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises agents and detectives from the FBI, Yonkers Police Department, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Westchester County Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, New York City Police Department, and U.S. Probation. 

Governor Hochul Announces Help Available for SNAP Recipients to Replace Food Lost During Hurricane Ida

 

Residents of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties Eligible for Replacement Benefits

SNAP Recipients in Those Communities Temporarily Permitted to Purchase Prepared Foods with Benefits

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that assistance is available to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in New York City, Long Island and Westchester to replace food lost as a result of power outages and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida. Additionally, residents of those communities will be able to temporarily use their SNAP benefits to purchase hot and prepared foods.

"The power outages and damages caused by Ida continue to affect tens of thousands of New York households, and we need to make sure families are able to put food on the table as they recover from this terrible storm," Governor Hochul said. "This assistance from the federal government will help New Yorkers purchase food and feed their families in the aftermath of a destructive weather event. I encourage affected individuals and families to apply for replacement SNAP benefits to help ensure that their nutritional needs are met as they navigate this difficult time."

The replacement SNAP benefits are limited to all of New York City and to Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties, the areas most severely impacted by the flash flooding on September 1 caused by heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. 

SNAP recipients whose food has spoiled as a result of flooding, power outages or other damage caused by the storm can receive replacement benefits up to the amount of their August SNAP benefits, including the SNAP emergency allotment, an additional benefit that has ensured SNAP recipients continue to receive the maximum monthly benefit during the pandemic.

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Mike Hein said, "We will be working closely with local officials to ensure that SNAP replacement benefits are issued to eligible households in a timely manner. It is vital that New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Ida can feed themselves and their families as they begin the process of recovering from the storm."

Residents of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties who think they may be eligible for replacement SNAP benefits must return a signed and completed form, found here, to their county department of social services office or SNAP center in New York City by October 1. The application is also available in several other languages at https://otda.ny.gov/programs/applications/.

SNAP recipients in these communities are also now able to use their SNAP benefits to purchase hot and prepared foods through October 3. Many residents have evacuated to shelters or other temporary housing arrangements due to ongoing power outages and damage to their homes. Many are also unable to store food and access cooking facilities. SNAP recipients are normally prohibited from purchasing hot and prepared food with their benefits.

Information on how New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Ida can meet their basic needs, including how to apply for SNAP, public assistance and emergency assistance, can be found at: https://www.governor.ny.gov/governors-relief-and-response-resources/meeting-basic-needs.

Council Member Ruben Diaz Sr- Why people of faith opt out of getting vaccinated

 

You Should know why so many people of faith, especially Christian Evangelicals, are opting out of getting Covid Vaccines.  The causes are several, but the main reason is due to the tenets that followers of Jesus Christ hold sacred when it comes to our bodies. According to the Holy scriptures, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  

 

As a result, it is strictly prohibited for believers to submit their bodies to any behavior or substance, be it legal or illegal that can bring harm, not only to our bodies, but that which can risk the temple wherein the Holy Spirit resides.   We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, according to (Phillipians 4:13).  However, this is only possible because we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in our bodies when we repent, recognize that we are sinners, and invite Him into our hearts.

   

It is written in {1 Corinthians 6:19-20} “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”  Christian believers want to honor God with their conduct and with their bodies. 

 

You should know that as the pastor of the church I was vaccinated. However, our church does not pressure anyone, be they members or visitors, to get vaccinated. We respect the decision of individuals who choose NOT to get vaccinated. We recognize that many choose to not to get vaccinated because of deeply rooted religious beliefs, fears, confusion or simply because they already have acquired “Natural Herd Immunity”.

 

We recognize that people are different.  Some people may suffer adverse side effects after having been vaccinated, while others may not have any side effects.  Who is liable, when one gets vaccinated under pressure and as a result suffers a serious complication? Is no one liable?

 

Therefore, as a church we empower our brothers and sisters to do what THEY feel is right and beneficial for them, be it spiritually, emotionally, or physically.   Respect and love for one another override’s all else in our community of believers as mandated in scripture.

 

You should also know that regarding “Natural Herd Immunity” an article in the American Spectator, dated 08/22/2021, states that “More and more research confirm the predictable superiority of natural immunity over artificial immunity…That’s not a surprise.  In immunology….that means infection beats injection.”

 

A peer reviewed study, published in the Journal Nature, states that patients who have recovered from Covid develop “long-lasting immunity, with antibody-producing cells that live and produce antibodies for the rest of people’s lives.”

 

There was also a massive study by Cleveland Clinic conducted on 52,238 employees, that “concluded categorically that individuals who had Covid….do not get additional benefits from vaccination.”

 

During the height of the covid pandemic, prior to the development of the vaccine, persons who had been infected and survived covid were asked to donate blood because it helped save lives due to the antibodies present in their blood. So why are these people with “Natural Herd Immunity” now being ignored and mandated to get vaccinated or else?

 

To ensure that the tenets of our faith are not violated, during these difficult times, I would like to ask our elected leaders, employers, businesses, schools, colleges, etc, to take our community of faith into consideration when deciding on matters regarding covid vaccine policies or anything else that can affect the emotional, and religious state of a person’s faith. Also please acknowledge the millions of people who have “Natural Herd Immunity”.  

 

 

This is Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know. 

Bronx Dems - Annual Dinner Gala Honorees & Tickets Wednesday September 29th

 

Join special guests:

Governor Kathy Hochul Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin NYS Attorney General Letitia James NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie

RSVP

In accordance with City of New York requirements, all attendees must present proof of vaccination showing attendee has received at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. Persons who are unable to get vaccinated because of a disability will be provided reasonable accommodation.

Honorees

The Bronx Democratic Party’s Annual Dinner Gala is an opportunity for our organization to honor individuals who have played a key role in our borough's recovery through their work during the pandemic and continued dedication to the betterment of the Bronx.

Join us in recognizing this year's honorees

If you have any questions, please contact Darren at darren@dynamicsrg.com  or 845-405-6412.

New York State Office for New Americans and CanCode Communities Announce Fall Schedule for Digital Literary Training

 

NewAmericansCanCode Offers Digital Literacy and Advanced Computer Training for Immigrants 

Program Developed in Partnership Between ONA and CanCodeCommunities Enables New Americans to Gain Essential Computer Skills 

Remote Classes begin Week of 9/27 – Register Online or By Calling (518) 238-6808

 The New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) and CanCodeCommunities today announced the opening of registration for the Fall 2021 session of Digital Literacy Training. Known as NewAmericansCanCode, the program provides digital literacy training to assist newcomers to New York State in gaining basic computer skills.

New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the importance of digital skills to carry out life’s everyday functions from working to learning to having access to key information. Through the NewAmericansCanCode program, we are providing new Americans with more tools to help them succeed in today’s job market and make meaningful contributions as members of the community.”

CanCode Communities Founder and CEO Annmarie Lanesey said, “We are proud to partner with the New York State Office for New Americans to provide computer education and training to immigrants across the state. Digital literacy is essential for building a career in today’s information economy, and by equipping more New Yorkers with those critical skills, we are enhancing the tech talent pipeline to support the needs of employers.”

As part of NewAmericansCanCode, students learn Microsoft Office, how to manage calendars and email, basic internet safety skills, and basic computer usage. The course is available to any immigrant living in New York, regardless of status, who meets income eligibility requirements. 

Fall courses will be offered remotely, with real-time instruction and hands-on learning. Classes will begin the week of September 27, run for 10 weeks, and be conducted on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. For more information and to register, visit www.cancode.org/virtual-digital-literacy-program, email info@albanycancode.org, or call (518) 238-6808.

NewAmericansCanCode was first launched in 2020 as the Immigrants Can Code program to ensure low-income immigrants, particularly those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, have access to digital literacy education and more advanced software training that are essential to building careers in the Empire State’s fast-growing innovation economy. ONA and CanCodeCommunities expanded the program in response to the continued need created by the pandemic, which illustrated how important digital literacy is for those who are now working from home, or who are seeking new employment that requires them to work remotely.

This program is supported with approximately $150,000 through Federal CARES Act funding, and is open to any immigrant with a household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. 

This program is supported by the U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $150,000 with 100 percent funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.

Launched in 2016 as AlbanyCanCode and rebranded this year as CanCode Communities, the organization now includes 7 entities: AlbanyCanCode, KingstonCanCode, NewAmericansCanCode, SaratogaCanCode, HerkimerCanCode, NewYorkCanCode, and BerkshiresCanCode. More than 300 students have graduated from its courses, securing tech jobs with leading employers – including Accenture, Goldman Sachs, New York State Office of Information Technology Services, MVP Healthcare, and Zones, among others – and receiving average annual salary increases exceeding $18,000.  

The New York State Office for New Americans, founded in 2012, is the nation’s first statutorily created immigrant services office. ONA assists all new Americans with accessing and navigating a variety of free services and support through its statewide network of community-based providers.

For any immigrant in need of assistance, or to connect with ONA’s programs, call the New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636 9:00am to 8:00pm, Monday through Friday. All calls are confidential. Assistance is available in over 200 languages. For more information, visit https://dos.ny.gov/office-new-americans or follow ONA on Twitter at @NYSNewAmericans or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYSNewAmericans.

CanCodeCommunities is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2016 to develop non-traditional talent and advocate for a vibrant, inclusive tech talent pipeline in New York State. The organization designs and delivers workforce training courses, hands-on K-12 coding programs, and community code literacy workshops, in alignment with the needs of employers, educators, talent and the community in general. Its mission is to shift mindset about who can work in technology, remove cultural and economic barriers to joining the tech workforce, and establish and promote pathways to tech careers throughout the region. For more, visit www.cancode.org.

105 Days and Counting

 

Let me see here there is so much stuff in front of me, now where do I start. It look like you people are going to be here a long time, because I have to go through all of this. We are in Queens this week for our 'City Hall in Your Borough Week', and this week it is Queens. All I have left is Brooklyn since I am in Manhattan nearly every day. 

Yes I heard there was another death on Riker's Island, and some of those pesky reporters are probably going to ask me about all those closed classrooms due to COVID, and the one school in Manhattan that is closed. Chancellor Porter, what are parents are complaining about now, their children being rushed through lunch where they don't wear their mask. Ten minutes should be enough for anyone to eat lunch, that is why it is called a lunch break. After this, I am off to help break ground for the new 116th police precinct here in Queens. 

Former State Department Employee Pleads Guilty To Honest Services Fraud Scheme

 

May Salehi Provided Confidential Bidding Information to a Bidder and Received Lucrative Kickback Payments in Return

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael Speckhardt, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Office of Inspector General (“State Department OIG”), and Thomas Fattorusso, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (“IRS-CI”), announced that MAY SALEHI, a former State Department employee, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.  SALEHI was a longtime State Department employee who was involved in evaluating bids for critical overseas government construction projects such as U.S. embassies and consulates.  SALEHI gave confidential inside bidding information to a bidder, and received $60,000 in kickback payments in return.  SALEHI surrendered today and pled guilty before United States Magistrate Judge James L. Cott.  SALEHI’s case is assigned to United States District Judge P. Kevin Castel.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As a State Department employee, May Salehi was entrusted to serve the public.  Instead, she abused her position of trust to line her own pockets, as she admitted today.  Salehi revealed, and traded on, confidential information – corrupting the bidding process and receiving lucrative kickbacks in return.  Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office is committed to rooting out corruption.”

State Department OIG Special Agent in Charge Michael Speckhardt said: “The State Department OIG is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the Department’s programs and processes.  As government employees, we are entrusted to carry out our responsibilities with integrity and support an equitable process.  May Salehi did just the opposite.  She used her position of public trust to selfishly obtain a personal financial advantage by selling proprietary contracting information for profit.  Today’s plea, the culmination of extensive investigative and prosecutorial efforts, demonstrates that those who violate the public’s trust will be held accountable for their actions.”

IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas Fattorusso said: “May Salehi violated the trust of the American taxpayer by putting her personal financial gain over her responsibilities to safeguard confidential information and government resources. Today’s guilty plea shows IRS-Criminal Investigation will continually work with our law enforcement partners to protect the American taxpayer from this type of abuse.”

According to the allegations in the Information, court filings, and statements made in court:

From 1991 until mid-2021, MAY SALEHI was a State Department employee.  For many years, SALEHI worked as an engineer in the State Department’s Overseas Building Operations division (“OBO”), which directs the worldwide overseas building program for the State Department and the U.S. Government community serving abroad. 

In 2016, the State Department solicited bids for a multimillion-dollar construction project known as a compound security upgrade to be performed at the U.S. Consulate in Bermuda (the “Bermuda Project”).  The bidding process involved the submission of blind, sealed bids from various bidders.  Six companies submitted sealed bids, one of which was named Montage, Inc. (“Montage”). 

SALEHI was involved in the Bermuda Project in several respects.  Among other things, SALEHI served as the Chair of the Technical Evaluation Panel (“TEP”) – a panel of experts that evaluates the technical aspects of bids, including whether they meet the State Department’s structural and security needs.  In connection with the Bermuda Project, the TEP disqualified one bidder, but determined that the other five bids (including Montage’s bid) were technically acceptable.

In September 2016, the State Department’s employees who evaluate the cost of bids gave the remaining five bidders (including Montage) the opportunity to re-bid, if they wished to do so.  Montage had two days to decide whether to submit a re-bid.  During that two-day window, Montage’s principal, Sina Moayedi, spoke with SALEHI by phone and sought confidential inside bidding information about the relationship between Montage’s bid and those of its competitors, which SALEHI supplied.  SALEHI knew that this information was confidential, and that it was unlawful to provide it to a prospective bidder.  After Moayedi received this inside information from SALEHI, Montage immediately increased its bid by $917,820.  In its revised submission to the State Department, Moayedi and Montage lied as to the reason it had increased its bid by nearly $1 million, falsely claiming that it had discovered “an arithmetic error” in its estimates.  Montage was ultimately awarded the Bermuda Project with a revised bid of $6.3 million.  

In the months that followed, Moayedi paid SALEHI a total of $60,000 in kickbacks, which he paid in three installments.  In making these kickback payments, Moayedi used intermediaries to obscure the link between him and SALEHI.  To conceal the true purpose of the kickback payments, SALEHI also gave one of the intermediaries a Persian rug.  SALEHI did not report the $60,000 kickback payments on her State Department financial disclosure form.

SALEHI, 66, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as SALEHI’s sentence will be determined by Judge Castel.

Sina Moayedi was arrested on May 28, 2021, on three charges contained in a criminal Complaint: wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and bribery of a public official.  The charges against Moayedi are pending.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the State Department OIG, Special Agents from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and IRS‑CI.  She also thanked Special Agents from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department.