Prolific Thoroughbred Trainer Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Doping Case

 

Trainer Jorge Navarro Ordered to Pay Over $26 Million in Restitution

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendants JORGE NAVARRO received a sentence of sixty months’ imprisonment for his leading role in the felony drug misbranding and adulteration charges arising from this Office’s investigation of the abuse of animals through the use of performance enhancing drugs and as charged in United States v. Navarro et al., 20 Cr. 160 (MKV).  NAVARRO was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, who furthered ordered that NAVARRO pay $26,860,514 in restitution for the fraud perpetrated through his doping program. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Jorge Navarro’s case reflects failings, greed, and corruption at virtually every level of the world of professional horse racing. For money and fame, corrupt trainers went to increasing extremes to dope horses under their care. Unscrupulous owners, who stood to profit directly, encouraged and pressured trainers to win at any cost. Veterinarians sworn to the care and protection of their patients routinely violated their oaths in service of corrupt trainers and to line their own pockets. Assistants and grooms all witnessed animal abuse in the service of greed, but did little to stop such conduct, and engaged in myriad ways to support notoriously corrupt trainers. Structures designed for the protection of the horses abused in this case failed repeatedly; fixtures of the industry – owners, veterinarians, and trainers – flouted rules and disregarded their animals’ health while hypocritically incanting a love for the horses under their control and ostensible protection. Standing as the keystone for this structure of abuse, corruption, and duplicity was Jorge Navarro, a trainer who treated his animals as expendable commodities in the service of his ‘sport.’ Today’s sentence appropriately condemns the danger inherent in Navarro’s crime and reflects the seriousness with which this Office takes the kind of abuse that Navarro practiced.”

According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment, prior charging instruments and other filings in this case[1], and statements during court proceedings:

The charges in the Navarro case arise from an investigation of widespread schemes by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors, and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses competing at all levels of professional horseracing. By evading PED prohibitions and deceiving regulators and horse racing officials, participants in these schemes sought to improve race performance and obtain prize money from racetracks throughout the United States and other countries, including in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), all to the detriment and risk of the health and well-being of the racehorses.  Trainers, like NAVARRO, who participated in the schemes stood to profit from the success of racehorses under their control by earning a share of their horses’ winnings, and by improving their horses’ racing records, thereby yielding higher trainer fees and increasing the number of racehorses under their control. Veterinarians, including those whom NAVARRO directed in the corrupt administration of illegal substances, profited from the sale and administration of these medically unnecessary, misbranded, and adulterated substances.

NAVARRO operated his doping scheme covertly, importing misbranded “clenbuterol” that he both used and distributed to others, avoiding explicit discussion of PEDs during telephone calls, and working with others to coordinate the administration of PEDs at times that racing officials would not detect such cheating. Among the horses that NAVARRO trained and doped was XY Jet, a thoroughbred horse that won the 2019 Golden Shaheen race in Dubai.  Among NAVARRO’s preferred PEDs were various “blood building” drugs, which, when administered before intense physical exertion, can lead to cardiac issues or death.

NAVARRO’s crime was far from a single lapse in judgment. Rather, NAVARRO engaged in repeated and persistent efforts to cheat over the course of years, cycling through various sources of supply, and pursuing aggressively new means to illegally dope horses. Throughout, NAVARRO maintained a flippant attitude towards his dangerous and illegal conduct. NAVARRO, notoriously known in the horse racing world as the “Juice Man” due to his routine doping, kept a pair of customized shoes in his barn with the words “#JUICE MAN” emblazoned across the front:

In addition to the prison sentence, NAVARRO was ordered to payment of restitution in the amount of $26,860,514, reflecting winnings obtained through his fraudulent doping scheme.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force and its support of the Bureau’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative. This case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit.  

[1] As to Navarro co-defendants, the entirety of the texts of the Indictments and the descriptions of the Indictments set forth herein constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Comptroller Stringer Announces New Level of Transparency for COVID-19 Emergency Procurements

 

COVID-19 emergency contract and spending data to be highlighted on Checkbook NYC to further enhance transparency and accountability

 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer announced enhanced interactivity on the award-winning Checkbook NYC website to track contracts, amendments, and spending specific to the City’s COVID-19 emergency response. This added functionality will allow unprecedented insight into COVID-19 emergency procurements for the general public, good government groups, and government officials.

“Transparency and accountability matter – especially regarding emergency contracts and spending during a time of crisis,” said Comptroller Stringer. “This added transparency regarding the COVID-19 emergency response is an important step for the good governance of our city. Without such data and resulting analysis, the City risks repeating the mistakes of the past and eroding the public trust. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve in ways that will challenge the City for the foreseeable future, and climate change will certainly cause more frequent weather-related emergencies. We must be transparent in how we respond to these inevitable emergencies.”

The vast majority of COVID-19 emergency contracts and contract amendments were registered by the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS), pursuant to Emergency Executive Order 101 (EEO 101). While EEO 101 was active between March 17, 2020 and July 16, 2021 over 1,600 contract actions, including amendments, were registered by MOCS, representing at least $7 billion in potential contractual spending. As such, requests for further information on any specific COVID-19 emergency contract action registered under EEO 101 should be directed to the contracting agency and the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, the current custodians of those records.

Since Checkbook was launched in 2010, emergency contracting data has been available under the “EMERGENCY” Award Method heading. However, in order to provide an additional level of transparency regarding COVID-19 emergency procurements, Checkbook will now include the following specialized sections and new search criteria:

MOCS Registered COVID-19 Contracts Table

A new table has been created within the “Contracts” section of Checkbook NYC that shows the expense contracts registered by MOCS, pursuant to EEO 101, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic within the current fiscal year. This table will also include potential sub-vendors and can be narrowed down by various criteria, including M/WBE status, contract amount, or vendor name.

MOCS Registered COVID-19 Contract Spending Table

A new table has been created within the “Spending” section of Checkbook NYC that shows the spending transactions associated with any of the MOCS registered contracts pursuant to EEO 101 within the current fiscal year. This table will also include potential sub-vendors spending and can be narrowed down by various criteria, including M/WBE status, contract amount, or vendor name.

This spending table will be updated daily with any additional spending transactions related to a MOCS registered COVID-19 contract.

Advanced Search

Users of Checkbook NYC can now search by various criteria to identify COVID-19 related contracts and spending, including those registered by the Comptroller’s Office after the revocation of EEO 101 on July 16, 2021.

• Catastrophic Event: A new “Catastrophic Event” field has been created within Advanced Search that currently displays one option, COVID-19. The resulting data will include all the above referenced search criteria across all fiscal years, including all contracts registered by MOCS pursuant to EEO 101 and all contracts with a spending transaction linked to a COVID-19 budget code. Additionally, this Catastrophic Event – COVID-19 field includes any contract containing the word “COVID” in the contract purpose field. As with the new table functionality in the Contracts and Spending sections, the Catastrophic Event – COVID-19 data can be further narrowed and exported to a .csv file for further analysis.

Budget codes are continually updated, and as additional codes related to COVID-19 are created, they will be included in Checkbook NYC’s enhanced interactivity.

For future emergencies, this same functionality could be used to similarly distinguish any related contracts and spending, with additional drop-down selections made available under the Catastrophic Event field.

To view this updated functionality, visit Checkbook NYC website.

Team AOC Year in Review - Part One

 

Welcome to part one of our 2021 Year in Review email series highlighting some of our major accomplishments from the year.

As we get ready to wrap up 2021, we’re excited to highlight some of our movement’s major accomplishments from the year.

We can’t talk about this past year without talking about the climate and our work to move the needle forward on the Green New Deal. So that brings us to part one of this series focusing on our Green New Deal deep canvass program.

In order to win a Green New Deal, we know we need to organize and talk to people one-on-one about what it is, how it would impact them, and what they can do to help.

So we decided to lead by example starting in our own district and developed a program to train volunteers to phone bank, text bank, and canvas door-to-door to talk with voters about the Green New Deal and the proposed NRG fracked gas power plant planned in Astoria, Queens.*

* NRG is a Texas based energy company whose current power plant in the district is so dirty that the state is forcing it to shut down by 2023. But the company wanted to replace it with a fracked gas plant that would continue to pollute our community and climate just the same — instead of with a renewable energy option.

From January to October 2021, here’s what we accomplished:

• 619 volunteers trained in deep canvassing
• 68 door to door and phone bank events
• 162,225 phone calls
• 3,349 doors knocked
• Successfully stopped the NRG fracked gas power plant

Working with a coalition of local elected officials, community organizations, and activists, the pressure from our campaigning resulted in the NY Department of Environmental Conservation denying the permit for the power plant in a huge victory for our community and for environmental justice.

After Hurricane Ida devastated our community, we pivoted and used our weekly canvasses to share FEMA resources while drawing connections to the climate crisis, extreme weather, and the Green New Deal. We texted over 200,000 people with FEMA relief info.

Our conversations with voters focused on deep canvass techniques of sharing personal stories and finding common ground – and we tracked our persuasion efforts by asking voters to rank their favorability towards the GND on a 10-point scale, once at the start of the conversation and again at the end.

We learned valuable lessons about the efficacy of phone vs. in-person communication with voters, what scripts were most effective at persuading constituents, and the need to create more bilingual resources about the Green New Deal.

This was a big undertaking, Robert, but a worthwhile one. Most campaigns only organize around elections, but our campaign is different. We know that talking to voters only when it's time to vote is not enough to win the change we need. Transformative change and organizing isn’t just electoral.

It requires outside community organizing on and off election years. That is our path forward and that’s why we will continue to invest our resources into advocacy and deep organizing in 2022.

None of this would have been possible without your support and we’re so grateful for all of you.

Stay tuned for more highlights from 2021 to come.

Team AOC

Holiday Travelers Assured that Aircraft Violations Are a Prosecution Priority

 

 The U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado and the Special Agent in Charge of the Denver FBI reminded air travelers that criminal conduct on commercial aircraft is a prosecution priority for their Denver based offices.

United States Attorney Cole Finegan noted, “As travel season begins, passengers should know that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado and our law enforcement partners are prioritizing the prosecution of criminal conduct on aircraft.  We are all highly concerned about an increase in criminal conduct on commercial aircraft which endangers the safety of every person on a plane: passengers, pilots, and flight attendants.  Please be assured that our office will investigate and prosecute crimes on aircraft.”

"The FBI is committed to investigating criminal acts aboard commercial aircraft that endanger the safety of passengers, flight crews, and flight attendants,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider of the Denver Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of all individuals during their air travel this holiday season and throughout the year.”

Working with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Denver Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado prosecutes offenses that originate on commercial aircraft.  Among these offenses, federal law prohibits the interference with flight crews and the commission of certain enumerated crimes while aboard commercial aircraft, such as sexual abuse (18 U.S.C. §§ 2241-43) and assault (18 U.S.C. § 113).

Colorado is home to several commercial airports, including Denver International Airport (DIA), which claims to be the third-busiest airport in the world by passengers.  (https://www.flydenver.com/about/media_center/ranking)   In the last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI handled several incidents on board commercial aircraft that landed at DIA.

• A California man was charged with assault and interference with an American Airlines flight crew.  U.S. v. Brian Hsu, Case No. 21-cr-0367
• A Canon City man was charged after failing to wear a mask and urinating in his seat aboard an Alaska Airlines flight.  U.S. v. Landon Grier, Case No. 21-cr-0095
• A passenger on a Spirit Airlines flight was sentenced to prison for trying to open the rear exit door while in flight.  U.S. v. Jahmir Williams, Case No. 21-cr-110
• A passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight was charged with engaging in unwanted sexual contact with another passenger.  U.S. v. Robert Earl Glasper III, Case No. 21-cr-365
• A Pennsylvania man was prosecuted for starting a fire on a Delta Flight.  U.S. v. Robert Allen, Case No. 20-cr-147

If you are aware of a crime on board a commercial aircraft that has landed in Colorado, you can report that crime to the Denver FBI at (303) 629-7171.

MAYOR DE BLASIO HOLDS MEDIA AVAILABILITY On COVID Omicron Variant

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good afternoon, everybody. I wanted to give a special update today to all New Yorkers, because, obviously, we’re facing a major challenge with the Omicron variant. This is an urgent situation and we need to act urgently. We are seeing a very substantial rise in the member of cases in a way we haven’t seen previously. Now, I’m going to hasten to add – thank God, what helps us, what protects us, as always, is vaccination. So, I’m going to talk immediately about the things that can make a real impact in addressing Omicron. We take Omicron very seriously. We expect a substantial number of cases and a quickly growing number of cases. But we also know Omicron is different from previous variants in a variety of ways, and that vaccination is key to keeping people safe. There’s a lot more we need to learn about Omicron, we don’t have all the research back yet. So far, it does appear to have a milder impact, and that’s good. And certainly, I want to emphasize, that the vaccinations we use here in this city, in this country – these vaccinations work to lessen the impact of Omicron, to make sure that the outcomes for each New Yorker are better because they are vaccinated. So, clearly a challenge, a new challenge, but one we can meet.  

 

And what’s crucial for all New Yorkers to understand is, New York City is ready. We are ready to fight Omicron. We have extraordinary tools and weapons available to us because, for the last two years, we’ve been fighting COVID. We have better treatments than we’ve ever had. We have one of the highest levels of vaccination anywhere in the country. And we have the ability to get a lot more people vaccinated or to get them boosted very, very quickly. And that’s so crucial to what we need to do in the days ahead. And that’s where every New Yorker that comes in, you can do your part. New York City is ready. We need you to be ready too. We need you to do what you can do to keep yourself and your family and your neighborhood safe. So, it's also important to understand that we expect Omicron to be a fast and temporary phenomenon. We expect these next weeks to see a very, very big surge in a number of cases, more than we've seen previously. And then we expect after a period of time that it will dissipate. That's been so far the pattern we've seen in other places, notably South Africa, where we first saw Omicron’s presence. So, there's a lot more to learn as I said, but right now, based on what we know, we're expecting a fast uptick and then going the other way, the case is starting to come down and we move past Omicron. 

  

We can weather that storm if more and more people get vaccinated, more and more people go get those boosters. This temporary reality demands an urgent immediate step, which is to maximize vaccination. And that's what we're going to focus on today. So, everyone understanding that vaccination makes such a profound impact in this situation, that it is the way that we stay safe. It is the way people talk about how do we make sure our hospitals come through this okay? Get vaccinated. It's the same answer. If you want to make sure our health care system is strong? Get vaccinated that minimizes the chance you'll ever end up in a hospital. Or God forbid you require hospitalization, if you're vaccinated your chance of coming through more quickly and with better outcomes greatly increases. And that puts much less stress on the hospital. And most importantly helps you to get through well. Because of the high level of vaccination, even though we expect a lot of cases, we do not expect to see some of the very painful reality we saw certainly in the spring of 2020, or even last winter. We think the outcomes, what happens to people is going to be very much better this time. But it will be even more true, if we keep intensifying our vaccination effort. 

  

So, the mandates we put in place are absolutely necessary. They will be enforced. We're going to double down on those because they are necessary to fight Omicron and to make sure this is a brief period of time and one that does not leave too many scars on the people of this city. The vaccination mandates are more important than ever given from what we're seeing, given what we're seeing from Omicron on the ground.  On Thursday, we also announced a six-point plan to increase testing intensely. Testing is crucial here. We're going to be making more and more testing available all over the five boroughs. We're going to be distributing high quality masks for free all over the five boroughs. We're going to be doing a number of things to encourage people to get those booster shots. You'll be seeing new testing sites. You'll be seeing more at-home test kits made available through community-based organizations. All of these efforts will help to reduce the lines that we're seeing at testing sites, and help to make testing more available to folks who want to make sure they're okay. Or God forbid they have COVID, are ready to do the right thing and quarantine and help stop the spread. 

  

Now, in terms of boosters. This is key. Literally millions of New Yorkers can get booster shots now or will be eligible soon. Everyone who qualifies for boosters should get it immediately. We're doubling down on that effort with a $10 million paid media campaign. And we're going to spread the message. You've seen our doctors. You've seen the City's doctors speaking about this. You're going to see a lot more of them. Because they're going to let people know how important the booster is. It makes a world of difference in fighting Omicron and making sure people get through safely. 

  

We're also going to focus on nursing homes. Our Health Department is coordinating rapid access to booster doses for nursing home residents and employees all over the five boroughs. We're going to focus on kids as well, the five to 11-year-olds. We got to see a lot more vaccination there. Parents, grandparents, guardians, please get your five to 11-year-olds vaccinated. It’s time. We need you to. And to our pediatricians who we all depend on so much, we listen to, I can say, as a parent, we listen to our pediatricians deeply. We want to support you in making sure all your patients get vaccinated. And we're working, an idea we started, the State has now picked up. We're going to double down on it, making sure Medicaid reimburses you whenever you encourage your patients to get vaccinated, encourage parents to get those five to 11-year-olds vaccinated. We want to support our pediatricians in that effort. And that information will be put out starting today. 

  

Also, on the federal front, federal government has done so much to help New York City. I want to thank President Biden, his whole team. They've been very aggressive in supporting the kinds of efforts that we've done here. We need help now, because it's not just about vaccination. Treatment matters, of course. And we need a surge of support in terms of monoclonal antibody treatments. We need more made available from New York City. We need the authorization of the Pfizer antiviral pill to be accelerated. We need, given the amount that's needed in terms of test kits and vaccine, again would urge that the President invoke the defense production act and use every tool that the private sector has and the public sector has to continue to provide supplies here and around the country. We are feeling the Omicron wave, especially hard right now, but we know it's going to be all over the country. This whole country needs to go on a war footing to fight back. It can be defeated. It will be defeated, but having enough vaccine when we need it, having enough test kits when we need it, having enough treatment when we need it is key. And that's what we need the federal government's help with. So, I've outlined the basic approach we'll be taking and some of the immediate steps. I am absolutely confident in this city's ability to fight back with Omicron, overcome it. I'm absolutely confident in the ability of our health system to sustain this new surge. But we're all going to have to work together. And we're all going to have to focus on getting the maximum New Yorkers vaccinated and boosted as quickly as possible. 

  

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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

The number of Omicron in all of New York State. Total Omicron Cases Confirmed Statewide: 192, and the total number of Omicron cases in New York City is 41. 

So Mayor de Blasio, why panic the people of New York City?

Queens Man Who Wanted to Attack Times Square Pleads Guilty to Receiving Firearm with Obliterated Serial Number

 

Defendant Had Expressed a Desire to Purchase Firearms for Use in a Mass-Casualty Attack

 Ashiqul Alam pleaded guilty to knowingly receiving a firearm with an obliterated serial number in Brooklyn, New York.  The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy.  When sentenced, Alam faces 60 months’ imprisonment pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement with the government. As part of his plea agreement, Alam, a citizen of Bangladesh, agreed to the entry of an order of removal so he will be deported after completing his sentence.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, 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 guilty plea.

“With the guilty plea, Alam has admitted to purchasing a firearm for use in a full-scale, mass-casualty attack in Times Square,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Protecting our national security and the residents of this city, state and nation from the threat of terrorist attacks at home or abroad continues to be one of the highest priorities of this Office and its law enforcement partners.”

As set forth in court filings, between August 2018 and the June 2019, Alam repeatedly expressed a desire to purchase firearms for use in a mass-casualty attack.  Alam identified two targets, either Times Square or Washington, D.C., in order to kill a senior government official.  In January 2019, Alam conducted several reconnaissance trips to Times Square, using his cellular telephone to make a video recording of the area as he searched for potential targets. 

Alam conducted research about firearms on the internet and discussed purchasing firearms with an undercover law enforcement officer (“UC-1”).  In March 2019, Alam told UC-1 that he would be interested in buying a Glock 9mm pistol. UC-1 introduced Alam to an “associate,” who offered to help Alam procure two illegal Glock G19 pistols.  In April 2019, Alam underwent Lasik eye surgery, a procedure whose value he explained: “Let’s say we are in an attack, right, say that my glasses fall off. What if I accidentally shoot you? You know what I mean.  Imagine what the news channel would call me the ‘Looney Tunes Terrorist’ or the ‘Blind Terrorist.’”

In May 2019, Alam was told by “UC-1” that the firearms he wanted to buy would have obliterated serial numbers, and he replied “Oh, that’s good man.”  On June 6, 2019, Alam met the individual he believed was going to sell him firearms and was shown two Glock 19 semiautomatic pistols with obliterated serial numbers.  Alam provided $400 towards the purchase of the two pistols and asked whether the Glock 19 pistol he had just purchased was compatible with a silencer.  Alam was arrested shortly thereafter.

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

 

136,402 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

58 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Over the Last Two Days

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

"We must stay vigilant against the winter COVID-19 surge by taking the proper precautions against the spread of this virus," Governor Hochul said. "This is not March of 2020, we are not defenseless. We have the tools to protect ourselves and the vulnerable loves ones in our families: Get vaccinated, get the booster and wear a mask when indoors or in large gatherings. Don't take a chance during the winter surge."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 267,422
• Total Positive - 22,478
• Percent Positive - 8.41%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 6.88%
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,880 (-29)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 542
• Patients in ICU - 761 (+16)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 448 (+11)
• Total Discharges - 223,318 (+540)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 58
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 47,551

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 - 60,253

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 - 32,372,596
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 136,402
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 1,073,824
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 88.0% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 79.9% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 94.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 82.3% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 76.6% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 68.9% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 82.0% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 70.9%

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Toy Giveaway

 

The Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association and the Pelham Parkway Vision Center located at 731 Lydig Avenue teamed up for their Annual Toy Giveaway to local neighborhood children. Councilman Mark Gjonaj brought hundreds of doughnuts to be given out, gloves and hats also for the children. 

Along with Santa Claus the Grinch Who Tried to Steal Christmas made an appearance. He was quickly chased away so Santa and the PPNA could hand out the toys, doughnuts, gloves and hats to the children. 

Parking was tough so Santa had to park his sled around the corner and walk to the Pelham Parkway Vision Center to give out his toys. 

The Grinch dressed up as Santa to get into this photo.

You can see the real Santa posing for a photo while the Grinch also poses for a photo right near Santa.

PPNA Vice-President Steve Glosser, and an employee of the Pelham Parkway Vision Center get ready for the next child with doughnuts, gloves, and a hat.

A group photo, Councilman Gjonaj, the Grinch, Santa, PPNA President Edith Blitzer, PPNA Vice-President Steve Glosser, and Pelham Parkway Vision Center employees.

It was all for the neighborhood children.