Allerton Avenue Christmas Tree Lighting

 

Tuesday Evening after the Community Board 7 Christmas Tree lighting, I was able to make it to the Allerton Triangle, where just On Saturday the Menorah was lit by Rabbi Pewzner. With the menorah still on site and all lights lit in the background, the Allerton Avenue Triangle Christmas Tree was lit. 

This event was sponsored by the Allerton International Merchants. Santa Claus brought along Mrs. Claus as they came by car rather than reindeer. 80th Assembly District Democratic Female District Leader Irene Estrada brought toys to give out to the children. To warm up the people, delicious hot chocolate was also served. 

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus pose by the colorful Allerton Triangle Christmas Tree and menorah.

The Claus's are joined by AIM President Gene De Francis, Community Board 11 Treasurer Veronica Castro, 80th A.D. Democratic Female District Leader Irene Estrada, and community resident Larry Mauriello. 

Santa got to work giving out toys with the help of 80th A.D. Democratic Female District Leader Irene Estrada, AIM President Gene De Francis, and Mrs. Claus.

A group photo of many of the visitors to the Allerton Triangle to see the Christmas Tree and receive a gift from Santa Claus.

BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR A FATAL SHOOTING IN 2018

 

Jury Found Defendant Guilty of Murder and Criminal Possession of a Weapon

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced the conviction and sentence of 22 years to life in prison after a jury found defendant guilty of Murder and possession of a weapon for shooting a man multiple times on a Bronx street in 2018. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant approached the victim from behind and shot him. When the victim fell to the ground, the defendant continued firing at close range six more times. He has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for this murder.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Akeem Samuel, 32, last of 2280 Andrews Avenue, was sentenced yesterday to 22 years to life in prison for the second-degree Murder charge, along with eight years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision for the second degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon charge by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett. The sentences will run concurrently. A jury found the defendant guilty of the charges on October 27, 2021.

 According to the investigation, on the evening of July 31, 2018, the victim, Frederick Hayes, 27, was walking near 2222 Andrews Avenue when the defendant approached him from behind. An eyewitness to the crime testified in court that Samuel went up to the victim, shot him, and when Hayes fell to the floor, the defendant fired again at close range. The victim was shot three times in the back, three times behind the ear, and once in the arm. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The defendant fled the scene and was arrested on December 11, 2018.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective John McGivney of the 52nd Precinct and NYPD Detective Sean Butler of the Bronx Homicide Squad.

Annual Community Board 7 Christmas Tree Lighting - Was There a Political Agenda by CB 7 District Manager Bravo

What should have been a joyous occasion was turned into a political agenda by Community Board 7 District Manager Ischia Bravo. The Annual Christmas Tree lighting traditionally was run by officers of the board with board members and elected officials on stage. This year however the District Manager Ischia Bravo was in charge of the event which turned political. On the stage was the Male District leader candidate of the Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez's New Slate who was called to come on stage by Fernandez's incumbent State Committeewoman. It is rumored that the CB 7 District Manager Bravo will be the Female District Leader candidate on the Fernandez slate. The current District Leaders of Assemblywoman Fernandez have not been included in her district activities since defeating Fernandez's candidates in the 2020 primary, according to Irene Estrada Female District Leader for the 80th Assembly District. 

When I asked the Community Board 7 District Manager why this non CB 7 board member and non elected official was on the stage the District Manager said "Are you harassing me, I want you to leave, or I will call the police to remove you". I took a few more photos and then left on my own accord. I have asked the Bronx Borough President's office to investigate this matter and respond back to me. This reminded me of when the Bronx Borough President's office asked me to cover what was to be the removal of CB 9 District Manager Federico Perez. DM Perez was using district resources for his Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade, and was fined by the Conflict of Interest Board for doing so. The first attempt at removing DM Perez failed. A new board chair was voted in who got a vote removing DM Perez, who this new chair then became the next District Manager. 

As Fredrick Klein of Assemblyman Dinowitz's office speaks in place of the assemblyman the non board member or elected official (circled), but Male District Leader on the 2022 Assemblywoman Fernandez slate stands on stage next to the State Committeewoman (in a white jacket) who invited him up. CB 7 DM Bravo is at the far left, with blonde hair.

In this photo This non CB 7 board member or elected official (circled again), but Male District Leader on the 2022 Assemblywoman Fernandez slate, stands next to the Assemblywoman, with the Female State Committeewoman on her other side. CB 7 DM Bravo is 4th from the left with blonde hair. 

New 52nd Precinct commanding officer Jeremy Schoublin who was welcomed to the community, says thank you. 

Explorers from the 52nd Precinct gave out hot chocolate on the cool night.

City & State - David Banks will be next NYC Schools Chancellor

 

Can David Banks lead NYC schools out of the pandemic?

New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams is set to announce David Banks as his pick for Schools Chancellor on Thursday.

New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams is expected to announce David Banks, founder of Eagle Academy, as his pick for Schools Chancellor on Thursday. Adams’ first major administration appointment doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Banks was widely expected to be the incoming mayor’s top pick and is a co-lead on the transition team’s education committee.

Banks is best known as the founding principal of Eagle Academy for Young Men, a network of public schools geared toward low-income Black and Latino boys. Starting with one school in the Bronx, the Eagle Academy network now includes six schools; five in New York City and one in New Jersey. The small schools, which embrace culturally responsive curriculum, have a mixed track record, though the five schools in New York have generally held higher than average graduation rates for the city, Chalkbeat New York reports. 

But while Banks’ impending appointment may have been expected, inheriting control of the nation’s largest public school system – still weathering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – is sure to bring surprising challenges. In addition to drops in enrollment and increased challenges in ensuring homeless students are receiving equal access to education, the next chancellor will have to confront massive learning gaps and the emotional trauma caused by the pandemic. Confronting students’ trauma is one of Banks’ first priorities, The New York Times reports, along with expanding early childhood education.

Another question Banks may encounter right off the bat is how to approach a possible vaccine mandate for students. Mayor Bill de Blasio has held off from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for students – it’s currently required for teachers and staff – but Adams has said that he’s open to requiring it for students too. Banks will also be tasked with implementing changes to the gifted and talented program – though Adams has suggested that he won’t overhaul the program, as de Blasio promised late in his term to do.

The deep racial segregation in New York City’s schools is a challenge previous chancellors have struggled to confront. “I want to help transform the lives of so many of our children, but particularly Black and brown children who have struggled the most in this system,” Banks told The New York Times. “They need people to be bold on their behalf.”

NYPD Announces November Crime Statistics for November - Crime in New York City increased by 21.3% in November 2021, compared with November 2020

 

Department Highlights Efforts Over Past Eight Years to Reduce Crime and Strengthen Ties with New Yorkers

 For the month of November 2021, the number of murders declined in New York City compared with November 2020: Murder decreased by 17.2% (24 v. 29) for the month. Sustained declines in murders drove murders down, year-to-date through November, by 0.5% (434 v. 436) compared with the same period last year.

On enforcement, the NYPD has continued its work to strategically build long-term cases and focus on the drivers of violence. The Department has also maintained a focus on street enforcement. New York City’s Police officers made 334 gun arrests for the month of November, bringing the total number of gun arrests in 2021 to 4,144. This is a 7.8% increase compared to 3,844 gun arrests year-to-date through November 2020. This represents the largest number of year-to-date gun arrests since 1995.

Overall index crime in New York City increased by 21.3% in November 2021, compared with November 2020 (10,186 v. 8,396). Burglary saw a 5.7% decrease for November 2021 (1,266 v. 1,342), Robbery increased by 24.1% (1,418 v. 1,143) and Felony Assault increased by 11.2 % (1,868 v. 1,680). Through November 2021, overall index crime year-to-date increased by 3.4% compared to 2020 (91,185 v. 88,173).

A look back: 2014 to 2021

A look back on the past eight years shows New York City has experienced significant crime reductions. Overall index crime has decreased by 11% since 2013, when 101,755 index crimes were recorded, and by 46% since 2000, when there were 169,424 index crimes.

Today, six of eight NYPD patrol boroughs have experienced overall index crime declines over the last eight-years – that are in large measure a reflection of the work developed and implemented by NYPD’s leaders as part of their real time management of ever-present public safety concerns.

These gains were part of a long-term strategy that began in 2014. Technology played a key role.

• A ShotSpotter gunshot detection system was installed around the city to give police officers a head start the moment shots were fired. The system has since expanded.
• Police officers received smartphones – placing troves of inward-facing data available to commanders at Police Headquarters into the hands of those on our city’s streets. Officers for the first time could read the text of 911 calls, directly contact the citizens who called, dial up 911 histories of city addresses, and search criminal and warrant status.

These technology advances allowed the NYPD to embrace its precision policing model. The Detective Bureau honed a laser-focused on the “trigger pullers,” those few violent actors who drive the majority of violent crime in New York City.

• The launch in 2014 of the Gun Violence Suppression Division.
• The targeted dismantling of a particularly violent set of crews responsible for a rash of shootings across Brooklyn.
• Taking this strategy citywide and working hand-in-hand with the city’s five District Attorneys, in takedown after takedown, the Gun Violence Suppression Division and other Detective Bureau squads drove enforcement efforts that resulted in shooting incidents decreasing in targeted areas.
• So far in 2021, the NYPD has conducted 33 gang takedowns and made 118 corresponding arrests, yielding precipitous declines in shootings across several neighborhoods.

Annual numbers of shootings incidents in New York City declined to 721 in 2019, from 1,024 in 2013. In 2020 and 2021, the city faced unprecedented challenges: COVID-19, which affected thousands of officers, and crippled the state court system; citywide protests that strained police resources; and a flood of guns from out of state as well as “ghost guns” that are assembled at home and are untraceable to the purchaser.

Shootings have persisted in pockets of the city, increasing both in 2020 and through November of 2021, to levels not seen since the mid-2000s. For this past November, citywide shooting incidents have experienced an uptick of 2.6% (119 v. 116), compared to the same period a year ago, and rose 2% year-do-date through November – though they were down in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Curtailing gun violence remains the top priority. This intelligence-driven approach is led in part by the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau. Its Field Intelligence Teams were expanded by over 200 investigators to increase focus on debriefing prisoners about gun crimes, supporting long-term gang and crew investigations, gathering evidence for strong prosecutions, and propelling the comprehensive mission of precision-policing.

Recidivist Fraudster And Co-Conspirator Charged In Covid-19 Relief Loan, Identity Theft, And Money Laundering Scheme

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Keith A. Bonanno, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (“DOJ OIG”) Cyber Investigations Office, announced today that an Indictment was filed in Manhattan federal court charging ADEDAYO ILORI and CHRIS RECAMIER for a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $7 million in Government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In connection with loan applications for relief available from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) Program, ILORI and RECAMIER falsely represented to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and private lenders that they operated a number of companies, used stolen identities, and submitted falsified tax documents.  RECAMIER and ILORI are both in custody. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Adedayo Ilori has made quite a habit of committing loan fraud.  While previously facing similar charges in a separate case involving loan and identity fraud – to which Ilori pled guilty in April of this year – he is once again alleged to have committed similar conduct to defraud the SBA and private lenders in an attempt to steal much-needed COVID-19 financial relief.  Ilori and his co-defendant, Chris Recaimer, now face criminal charges for attempting to steal over $7 million in funds specifically designated to assist small businesses struggling with financial hardships from the worldwide COVID pandemic.”

DOJ OIG Special Agent in Charge Keith A. Bonanno said: “Ilori and Recamier allegedly stole the identities of individuals and companies and fraudulently obtained over a million dollars intended to help those suffering from hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee COVID-19 Task Force is dedicated to rooting out these kinds of schemes and bringing the fraudsters to justice.”

According to the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, the Complaint filed against RECAMIER on October 8, 2021, and filings made on public court dockets:[1]

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the SBA’s PPP.  Pursuant to the CARES Act, the amount of PPP funds a business is eligible to receive is determined by the number of employees employed by the business and its average payroll costs.  Businesses applying for a PPP loan must provide documentation to confirm that they have previously paid employees the compensation represented in the loan application.  The CARES Act also expanded the separate EIDL Program, which provides small businesses with low-interest loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing due to COVID-19.  To qualify for an EIDL loan under the CARES Act, the applicant must have suffered “substantial economic injury” from COVID-19.

From at least in or about August 2020 through at least in or about October 2021, ILORI and RECAMIER, prepared to apply, and applied for numerous PPP and EIDL loans.  In applying for these loans, ILORI and RECAMIER claimed stolen identities of third parties.  In the role of these assumed identities, ILORI and RECAMIER claimed full control of a number of companies, which they purported, cumulatively, employed more than 200 people and paid more than $3.2 million in monthly wages.  In reality, they did not operate these companies.  In submitting these applications ILORI and RECAMIER, among other things, submitted falsified tax documents that were never actually filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

ILORI and RECAMIER attempted to obtain over approximately $7.5 million in PPP and EIDL program funds, and successfully obtained more than $1 million as a result of their scheme.  ILORI and RECAMIER transferred the majority of these funds toward (1) cryptocurrency investments, (2) the purchase of stocks, (3) cash withdrawals, and (4) personal expenses.  The investment accounts were also opened by ILORI and RECAMIER in the stolen identities of third parties.

ILORI committed these offenses while facing charges in a separate case filed in the Southern District of New York involving fraud, identity theft, and money laundering in United States v. Ilori, 20 Cr 378 (LJL).  As part of that case, ILORI pled guilty on April 8, 2021, to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and is currently awaiting sentencing.    

ADEDAYO ILORI, 42, of Brooklyn, New York, and CHRIS RECAMIER, 58, of New York, New York, are charged with (1) major fraud against the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; (2) conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; (3) wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; (4) bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; (5) aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison; and (6) conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.           

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the DOJ OIG, which conducted the investigation on behalf of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) COVID-19 Task Force.[2]  Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Aviation Administration for their assistance in this investigation.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and Complaint, and the description of the Indictment and Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

[2] Created by the CARES Act, the PRAC serves the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 22 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.

Attorney General James Delivers Up to $200 Million to Help New York Combat Opioid Crisis, Allergan Agrees Not to Sell Opioids

 

Funds Would Be Paid in Full by Mid-2022, Would Be Used for Opioid Treatment and Prevention

AG James Has Negotiated for Up to $1.7 Billion to Be Delivered to NYS for Opioid Abatement

AG James’ Trial Against Final Remaining Opioid Manufacturer Moves to Closing Arguments Today

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced an agreement with opioid manufacturer Allergan Finance, LLC and its affiliates that would deliver up to $200 million to New York state to help combat the opioid crisis. The agreement resolves claims brought by Attorney General James for the company’s role in helping to fuel the opioid epidemic and requires the company to make full payment of the $200 million by mid-2022 if certain conditions are met — more than $150 million of which will go towards opioid abatement. Since June alone, Attorney General James has now negotiated to bring back up to $1.7 billion to combat the opioid epidemic. Today’s agreement also makes enforceable a bar stopping Allergan and all of its subsidiaries, predecessors, and successors from selling opioids in New York and acknowledges Allergan’s prior exit from the opioid business. As a result of today’s agreement, Allergan will be removed from New York’s ongoing opioid trial, currently underway in Suffolk County State Supreme Court. 

“For more than two decades, opioids have wreaked havoc on New Yorkers and Americans across the nation — causing pain, addiction, and death,” said Attorney General James. “Our ongoing trial has been about the role companies like Allergan and its predecessors played in helping grow this epidemic, profiting while Americans suffered. But today’s agreement keeps Allergan out of the opioid business for the next decade and has the company paying as much as $200 million. We’ve now negotiated up to $1.7 billion for critical opioid treatment, prevention, and education programs. While no amount of money will ever make up for the thousands who lost their lives or became addicted to opioids across our state, these funds will be used to prevent future devastation.”

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. In addition to Allergan, 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; and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and its affiliates. The distributors named in the complaint were McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, and Rochester Drug Cooperative Inc. 

As part of today’s agreement, Allergan will pay New York state a total of $200 million if certain conditions are met.

On top of this payment, Attorney General James negotiated robust injunctive relief. Allergan will be prohibited from promoting opioids or opioid products through sales representatives, sponsorships, financial support, or any other means; will not be allowed to provide financial incentives to its sales and marketing employees for the sale of these products; and will not, directly or indirectly, provide financial support or in-kind support to any third party that primarily engages in conduct that promotes opioids or opioid products.

Allergan will not be allowed to use, assist, or employ any third party to engage in any activity that Allergan itself would be prohibited from engaging in pursuant to today’s agreement.

Further, Allergan will be prohibited from lobbying federal, state, or local legislative or regulatory authorities about opioids or opioid products.

Finally, Allergan will have to make additional information about opioids and opioid products more accessible to the public, including to patients, health care providers, and others. Allergan will share its clinical data with a third-party data center or platform owner to allow researchers qualified under the program to access the company’s propriety data under the terms of the project.

Today’s agreement would additionally resolve lawsuits against Allergan by Nassau and Suffolk counties if the county legislatures approve the agreement. In the meantime, Attorney General James, this morning, made a motion to remove Allergan from New York’s opioid trial.

In September, an agreement with Endo was reached that has already delivered $50 million to New York state and Nassau and Suffolk counties to combat the opioid crisis and removed the opioid manufacturer from New York’s ongoing opioid trial.

Also, in September, the bankruptcy court in Purdue confirmed a $4.5 billion plan — at least $200 million of which will be earmarked for New York — from the Sackler family and foundations that they control, will end the Sacklers’ ability to manufacture opioids ever again, and will shut down Purdue Pharma.

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.

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.

The deals with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen have a global value of approximately $26 billion.

The cases against Mallinckrodt and Rochester Drug Cooperative are now moving separately through U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The trial against the final remaining defendant — Teva Pharmaceuticals USA — is currently underway, with closing arguments slated to begin today.

Pursuant to the new law establishing the opioid settlement fund, all funds collected by the state from opioid settlements or litigation victories will be allocated specifically for abatement efforts in communities devastated by the opioid epidemic and will not go towards the state’s general fund.

Separately, but related to her work on opioids, this past February, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of nearly every attorney general in the nation in delivering more than $573 million — more than $32 million of which was earmarked for New York state — toward opioid treatment and abatement in an agreement and consent judgment with McKinsey & Company.

25 Days and Counting - Political Stunts at Community Board 7's Christmas Tree Lighting

 

Hey Ruben, What's this I hear about last night's Christmas Tree lighting at Community Board 7? District Manager Ischia Bravo turned it into a political show by having Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez's new District Leader candidates on stage. First she wouldn't let the current Female District Leader Irene Estrada speak as District Leaders and State Committee people have in the past, or is was because I hear that the District Manager is rumored to be the Female District Leader candidate. The Male District Leader candidate was called on stage by Fernandez's incumbent State Committeewoman. That guy had no business being on the stage with the community board members and elected officials such as Councilman Eric Dinowitz. 

Then I hear when my favorite pesky reporter Robert Press asked the CB 7 District Manager Ischia Bravo why a non CB 7 board member who is Assemblywoman Fernandez's Male District Leader candidate was on the stage, she yelled at him "are you harassing me", and told him to leave a public community board event or she would call the police to remove him. What's up in your community boards, maybe this District Manager should be suspended or removed as the District Manager Ruben?