Housing Lottery Launches For New Roads Plaza In Morrisania, The Bronx

 

New Roads Plaza in Morrisania, The Bronx via NYC Housing Connect

The affordable housing lottery has launched for New Roads Plaza, an eight-story community facility building at 485 East 164th Street in Morrisania, The Bronx. Designed by Danois Architects, the structure yields 95 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 37 units for residents at 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $39,943 to $77,340.

Amenities include bike storage lockers, shared laundry room, gym, community room, media room, storage, security cameras, elevator, and outdoor areas including a terrace. Units come equipped with energy-efficient appliances, high ceilings, and open layouts. Tenants are responsible for electricity.

At 60 percent of the AMI, there are 19 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,081 for incomes ranging from $39,943 to $64,440 and 18 two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,309 for incomes ranging from $48,652 to $77,340.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than April 19, 2022.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - FEBRUARY 23, 2022

 

Yesterday Daily Statewide Positivity Below 2 Percent, Under 2.5 Percent for Past Five Consecutive Days 

38 Covid-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

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

“Thanks to New Yorkers stepping up and getting vaccinated and boosted, our state is leading the way in beating back this virus and moving forward in the pandemic in a new way,” Governor Hochul said. “The vaccine is a critical tool to stay in front of COVID-19, but we still have more work to do to vaccinate our children. Parents and guardians, I encourage you to take advantage of the school midwinter break and consult with your child's pediatrician about getting them vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:    

• Test Results Reported - 129,088
• Total Positive - 2,456
• Percent Positive - 1.90%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.02%
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,404 (-57)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 249
• Patients in ICU - 385 (-41)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 212 (-27)
• Total Discharges - 284,341 (+272)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 38
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 54,564

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 – 69,054

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 - 36,747,978
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 13,543
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 173,426
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 91.5%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 82.8%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 85.4%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) – 81.3%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 71.2%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 80.9%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 72.9%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 88.7%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 75.3%   

Long Island Man Pleads Guilty to Mailing Threatening Letters to LGBTQ+ Affiliated Individuals

 

Defendant Mailed Letters Threating Mass Shootings and Bombings of Individuals Affiliated with LGBTQ+ Organizations and Businesses

 Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Robert Fehring pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert to mailing more than 20 letters threatening to assault, shoot, and bomb LGBTQ+ affiliated individuals, organizations and businesses.  When sentenced, Fehring faces up to five years’ imprisonment. 

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Rodney K. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the guilty plea.

“In pleading guilty today, the defendant admits that he sent hate-filled communications that threatened mass shootings, bombings and other fatal attacks, to members of the LGBTQ+ community,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “This Office will use all of its available law enforcement tools to protect the safety and civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community and every other community. We will not tolerate hateful threats intended to invoke fear and division, and we will hold accountable those who make or act on such threats.”

Mr. Peace also expressed his gratitude to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.   

“Today’s guilty plea further highlights Fehring’s intentions, and underscores the FBI’s commitment to vigorously investigating civil rights violations. Anonymous threats against members of our community will eventually be uncovered, and those who are responsible for them will be held accountable,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

“We have absolutely no tolerance for hate incidents of any kind here in Suffolk County and I hope that this guilty plea gives peace of mind to both the victims and the entire LGBTQ+ community,” stated SCPD Commissioner Harrison.  “Our department remains laser focused on holding individuals who carry out acts of hate accountable and I thank all of our law enforcement partners who helped bring quick closure to this case.”

As set forth in the court filings and today’s proceeding, from at least 2013 to 2021, Fehring sent letters threatening violence to individuals associated with the LGBTQ+ community.  In those letters, Fehring threatened to use firearms and explosives against the recipients. One such letter threatened that there would “be radio-cont[r]olled devices placed at numerous strategic places” at the 2021 New York City Pride March with “firepower” that would “make the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting look like a cakewalk,” referencing the 2016 attack in which 49 persons were killed and dozens wounded at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.  Fehring also sent a threatening letter to the owner of a barbershop affiliated with the LGTBQ+ community in Brooklyn, New York, which stated, in part, “your shop is the perfect place for a bombing . . . or beating the scum that frequents your den of [expletive] into a bloody pool of steaming flesh.”  Fehring mailed dozens of additional threatening letters to individuals, businesses, and elected officials associated with the LGBTQ+ community.

On November 18, 2021, the FBI’s Civil Rights Squad and the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a search warrant at Fehring’s home in Bayport and recovered copies of letters containing threats, supplies used to mail threatening letters, 20 LGBTQ+ related Pride flags that appeared identical to flags stolen from flagpoles in Sayville in July 2021, and reconnaissance-style photographs from a June 2021 Pride event in East Meadow.  Law enforcement officers also recovered electronic devices owned by Fehring that contained internet searches for Fehring’s victims and related LGBTQ+ affiliated individual, events, and businesses.  Law enforcement officers also recovered from Fehring’s residence two loaded shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two stun guns, and a stamped envelope addressed to an LGBTQ+ affiliated attorney containing the remains of a dead bird.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section, Civil Rights Section, and Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Rachel A. Shanies, and Andrew P. Wenzel are in charge of the prosecution.

Attorney General James Delivers Over $640,000 to New York Breast Cancer Organizations

 

Funds Derived from Fraudulent Charities and Fundraising Network Shut Down by AG’s Office

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today delivered more than $640,000 to five nonprofit organizations that are leading the fight against breast cancer. The funds were recovered by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) from organizations and individuals who defrauded New Yorkers into making donations that went into the pockets of telemarketers. The OAG recovered the funds from the Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation, Inc. (BCSF), a sham organization, and Garrett Morgan, a telemarketer who misled donors into contributing to a sham breast cancer organization on Long Island. The $644,054.79 in restitution was distributed to the American Cancer Society, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, and Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer.

“It is unconscionable that organizations and telemarketers preyed on the public’s generosity and deprived breast cancer patients of vital support during a time of tremendous physical, mental, and emotional distress,” said Attorney General James. “Today, I am honored to return these funds to the people and organizations that need them most. My office is proud to be a partner to these five incredible organizations and help them in supporting breast cancer patients and survivors throughout their journey.”

In 2017, OAG announced an agreement with BCSF and its president and founder. The BCSF posed in phone and mail solicitations as a medical center for breast cancer patients, when in reality it was a shell organization funneling donations to an outside fundraiser, which pocketed 92 cents of every dollar donated to BCSF. The OAG’s agreement required BCSF to shut down immediately and pay more than $300,000 in restitution, the last of which was received by OAG in 2021. The OAG also obtained $40,000 from BCSF’s auditors, McEnerney, Brady & Company LLC and Edmund Brady.

In 2013, OAG won a judgment against Garrett Morgan for fraud in raising funds for the Coalition Against Breast Cancer, a sham Long Island organization. The organization raised millions of dollars with solicitations that claimed there was a “mammography fund,” when there was none, and that donations would provide free mammograms to uninsured women. Morgan did not pay the judgment and, acting on a motion by OAG, the court appointed a receiver to collect or sell Morgan’s property to satisfy the judgment. In 2021, the receiver delivered $303,747.86 to OAG.

The OAG's Charities Bureau selected five nonprofit organizations to receive the restitution funds, including:

The American Cancer Society ($314,054.79): The American Cancer Society will use the award to support an initiative that increases breast cancer screening in high poverty areas, including screening among women who have never been screened before or who are not up to date with screening. The initiative focuses on uninsured and underinsured women by partnering with community health centers. With funds from OAG, the American Cancer Society will launch a new cohort of community health centers to participate in the mammogram initiative.

“The American Cancer Society is committed to expanding access to care for all and removing barriers that prevent cancer patients from getting the care and treatment they need,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, CEO, American Cancer Society. “The pandemic brought about dramatic declines in breast cancer screenings. We are grateful that funds from the New York Attorney General’s Office will expand our lifesaving initiative to increase cancer screening rates and ultimately save lives.”

Living Beyond Breast Cancer ($225,000): Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national nonprofit organization, will use the award to support its Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fund, which provides one-time grants to help those on limited incomes manage the financial burden of breast cancer. Grants range from $500 to $1,000 and are for living expenses. Grants are paid directly to vendors or billers. Recipients of the one-time grants must be in active treatment for breast cancer or living with metastatic breast cancer, and have a household income under 400 percent of the U.S. federal poverty line.

“We are honored to have been selected by the New York Attorney General’s Office,” said Jean Sachs, CEO, Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “Living Beyond Breast Cancer was founded over 30 years ago to offer trusted information and a community of support for all people directly impacted by breast cancer. We annually serve over 600,000 people across the country. A critical program of ours is the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fund, a financial assistance program that pays the bills for women in treatment for basic needs such as rent, utilities, and transportation. Since 2006, we have been able to disburse over 3,150 grants for an approximate total of $2,530,000 to women and their families. Since the pandemic began, we have doubled the number of grants available to give to recipients as a way to alleviate financial hardship faced by so many across the country. The funds provided by the New York Attorney General’s Office will allow us to continue this intensive support, and help women in treatment focus on their health and not on their bills.” 

West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition on Long Island ($30,000): West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition of Long Island, Inc., will use the award to provide patients undergoing breast cancer treatment with services such as transportation, meals, childcare, house cleaning, wigs, advice, and support from former cancer patients.

“The West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island, Inc. is extremely grateful to the Attorney General’s Office and its commitment to overseeing that funds raised to help women with breast cancer go to legitimate organizations that provide services to the many women on Long Island going through chemotherapy and radiation,” said Margaret Campise, president, West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition. “This award will ensure that many Long Island women will be taken care of through our ‘Lend A Helping Hand’ program, which offers free services like house cleaning, transportation to treatments, co-payments, wigs, prosthesis, and post-operative care. On behalf of the many women going through breast cancer, and the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island, I want to thank the Attorney General’s Office.”

Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition ($35,000): Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc., will use the award to provide an array of services to patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer and gynecological cancers, including transportation to medical appointments, housekeeping, meals, and childcare as needed during treatment.

“About 1 in 8 U.S. women (13 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of a lifetime and when that happens a woman’s life, and the lives of those who love her, are thrown into turmoil as she undergoes a horrific treatment ordeal,” said Nick Radesca, volunteer & vice president of finance, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition. “Because most people’s lives have been impacted by this disease, many willingly donate to breast cancer charities. I want to thank the New York State Attorney General’s Office for bringing unscrupulous individuals to justice and redistributing defrauded donors’ funds to legitimate organizations. Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc. will use its share to provide free support services such as transportation to and from medical appointments, housecleaning, financial assistance, childcare, meal preparation, and other needed services.”

Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer ($40,000): Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer, Inc., will use the award to support its outreach program, which provides services to patients in the form of transportation, childcare, house cleaning, wigs, and non-financial support including advice and general emotional support of other former patients.

“The Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer congratulates the Office of the New York Attorney General's Charities Bureau for their efforts in pursuing the shutdown of the Coalition Against Breast Cancer and the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Foundation, both fraudulent organizations,” said Lynn Minutillo, member of board of directors, Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer. “The MWCABC is so very grateful to be designated as a recipient of funds secured in the settlements of these cases. The women with breast cancer with whom we engage will be better served financially, emotionally, and educationally. Be assured we will strive to be conscientious stewards of the funds entrusted to us.”

The recovered funds distributed today are part of OAG’s Operation Bottomfeeder, which is an initiative of the Charities Bureau to identify fraudulent charities and their fundraisers. This is done through an analysis of annual financial reports, fundraising contracts, and other documents that nonprofit corporations file with the Charities Bureau, and has allowed OAG to take appropriate enforcement action against those engaging in fraud. In 2020, as a part of Operation Bottomfeeder, Attorney General James announced a multi-agency agreement imposing a nationwide, permanent, ban on Outreach Calling, a for-profit fundraiser, from charitable fundraising. To date, Operation Bottomfeeder has recovered approximately $1.7 million from sham charities and their fundraisers and has redistributed that money to legitimate charities.

Bronx Jewish Community Council - SAVE THE DATE : PROJECT HOPE 4/3/22

 

WE’RE BACK!!

Bronx Jewish Community Council Presents Project HOPE                                                                                          Passover 2022            April 3, 2022                                                                                                                  Sunday morning  9: 00-11:30 am   It only takes an hour of your Sunday morning to deliver holiday packages to the apartment door of lonely homebound Jewish elderly.  Share some of the joy of your holidays!   Whether or not you are able to come, you can sponsor a package for only $25 at www.bjcconline.org!   To request delivery to a particular senior, or for groups please contact Niti Minkove, Director of Volunteers at nminkove@bjcconline.org, / 917-693-3084   RSVP to reserve pickup location:  nminkove@bjcconline.org/ 917-693-3084   Three Convenient Package & List pickup sites:   2157 Holland Ave, Pelham Parkway(pantry site) 718-828-1114 General Bronx delivery 630 W 246th St (Niti’s building) 917-693-3084 Riverdale delivery only                           100 Gale Place, Bronx NY 10463 (corner Orloff & Gale) 917-715-8309      Amalgamated & nearby delivery sites

BJCC is once again collecting 500 freshdirect or similar sized bags for the   Passover Project HOPE Delivery to isolated Jewish seniors Sunday,  April 3, 2022 (We will be collecting until: March 23, 2022) Please drop off bags at any of these sites: 265 Overlook Drive, New Rochelle (look or a large Rubbermaid container on the front porch) SAR Academy  (there is a designated box in the school’s atrium) ·       630 W 246th St. Riverdale (just tell the doorman they are for Apt# 231) ·       JCC Harrison (Harrison) Thank you so much!!

Donate Bronx Jewish Community Council  2930 Wallace, Bronx, NY 10467 713-728-5297

Former President Of Law Enforcement Union Edward Mullins Charged With Defrauding Union And Its Members

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Keechant Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today that EDWARD D. MULLINS, the former President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (“SBA”), the union that represents all current and former Sergeants of the New York City Police Department, was charged with one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA, through the submission of fraudulent expense reports.  MULLINS surrendered to the FBI in Manhattan this morning, and was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.  The case has been assigned to United States District Judge John G. Koeltl. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Edward Mullins, the former President of the SBA, abused his position of trust and authority to fund a lavish lifestyle that was paid for by the monthly dues of the thousands of hard-working Sergeants of the NYPD.  Mullins submitted hundreds of phony expense reports to further his scheme, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA.  This Office is committed to rooting out corruption at all levels of government, and that includes public officials like Mullins who use their positions of power to line their own pockets to the detriment of others.”

FBI New York Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “As public servants, members of the SBA pay dues to a union that’s supposed to represent their best interests. As SBA president, Mullins allegedly went above and beyond to best serve his own interests. Our NYPD sergeants expect and deserve more from their union leadership than they received. Today, thanks to the joint efforts of those on the FBI/NYPD Public Corruption Task Force, we’re righting that wrong.”

NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “Ed Mullins allegedly violated the ethics and rules of this department, the trust of 13,000 Sergeants, active and retired whom he represented, and the laws of the United States. The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, has detectives assigned to the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit and works as a team with agents on matters involving the NYPD.”

According to the allegations in the Information[1] filed today in Manhattan federal court:

Overview

For nearly two decades, from in or about 2002 until in or about October 2021, EDWARD D. MULLINS served as President of the SBA, which is the union that represents all current and former Sergeants of the NYPD.  As President, MULLINS was responsible for promoting the general welfare of the SBA’s membership.  Instead, MULLINS orchestrated a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA and its members.

Between in or around 2017 and in or around October 2021, MULLINS defrauded the SBA by using his personal credit card to pay for meals at high-end restaurants and to purchase luxury personal items, among other things, and then submitting false and inflated expense reports to the SBA, seeking reimbursement for those bills as legitimate SBA expenditures when in fact they were not.  Altogether, MULLINS was reimbursed for over $1 million dollars in expenses from the SBA, the majority of which was fraudulently obtained.

The SBA

The SBA is the fifth-largest police union in the United States with its headquarters located in lower Manhattan.  The SBA’s membership consists of all active and retired sergeants of the NYPD, with approximately 13,000 members as of October 2021.  All members are required to pay dues to the SBA.  For active members, dues are deducted bi-weekly from their paychecks, totaling approximately $1,300 annually for each member.  For retired members, dues are required to be paid in a one-time payment of $600 within ninety days of retirement.

The SBA has a Contingent Fund, which is used to pay for the SBA’s “regular, fiscal, and miscellaneous expenses necessary for the transaction of the [SBA’s] business.”  The Contingent Fund is funded primarily through member dues.  Ninety cents of each dollar of member dues are deposited into the Contingent Fund, where they are supposed to be used for the benefit of the SBA and its members.  The President of the SBA is authorized to use the Contingent Fund to “defray miscellaneous expenses incurred in the performance of duties, e.g., travel, lodgings, meals, et cetera.”

The SBA has a written expense reimbursement policy (the “Policy”).  The Policy provides, among other things, that “the SBA will reimburse actual and reasonable meal expenses required to conduct SBA business or fulfill the SBA’s mission.”  In order to be “reimbursable,” expenses “must be closely related to SBA business.”  The Policy further provides that “[r]eceipts are required for any meal,” and that “[r]equests for reimbursement for meals in excess of $50.00 must be accompanied by an attendee list and the subject matter discussed.” 

The SBA is governed by a Board of Officers, consisting of nine officers, including the President, Vice President, and Treasurer, among others, and fourteen directors.  Beginning in or around 2002, MULLINS ran for and was elected President of the SBA for five successive four-year terms.  After the 2014 election, the individual who had been elected Vice President of the SBA assumed responsibility for reviewing and approving the expense reports submitted by SBA officers, including MULLINS.  The Vice President routinely scrutinized expense reimbursement requests and rejected certain expenses if they were too high or were not supported by receipts. 

In or around 2017, the then-Vice President retired as an officer of the SBA.  The Treasurer assumed primary responsibility for reviewing and approving expense reports submitted for reimbursement by SBA officers, including MULLINS.  The Treasurer did not scrutinize the expense reports in the same manner as the prior Vice President had, and, in particular, did not regularly require receipts for MULLINS’s reimbursements in particular.  As set forth below, between 2017 and 2021, the Treasurer approved hundreds of expense reports for MULLINS, totaling more than $1 million dollars.

The Scheme To Defraud the SBA

Beginning in 2017, MULLINS devised a scheme to fund his personal expenses through SBA dollars.  Specifically, MULLINS charged his personal credit card for, among other things, hundreds of high-end meals, clothing, jewelry, home appliances, and a relative’s college tuition.  MULLINS then submitted, typically by email, fraudulent and inflated expense reports to the Treasurer of the SBA, seeking reimbursement for such items purporting to be legitimate SBA expenditures when in fact they were not.  MULLINS rarely included receipts.

The Treasurer processed the expense reports once they were received – almost always without obtaining any receipts – and issued SBA reimbursement checks to MULLINS from the Contingent Fund – i.e., the fund that was made up almost entirely of member dues.  MULLINS then deposited the checks into his bank account or enlisted an individual at the SBA to deposit the checks on MULLINS’s behalf at a bank branch near the SBA’s headquarters in lower Manhattan.  MULLINS then, usually immediately thereafter, paid down his credit card bills with the deposited funds.

As part of this fraudulent scheme, MULLINS made at least three types of misstatements on his expense reports.  First, MULLINS included meals on his expense reports that were not SBA-related.  Second, MULLINS inflated the costs of his meals – whether SBA-related or not.  For example, if the actual cost of a meal was $522.55, MULLINS would seek reimbursement from the SBA for $822.55, and pocket the difference.  At times, MULLINS would even write out these changes on his personal credit card statements that he maintained at his home – i.e., crossing off “522.55” and writing in “822.55”, thereby documenting his false statements.  Third, MULLINS would take personal expenses like supermarket bills and claim them on his expense reports as SBA-related meals for which he also sought reimbursement.  

For example, in November 2019, MULLINS submitted expense reports to the Treasurer for more than $3,000 at a high-end restaurant in Greenwich Village in Manhattan (“Restaurant-1”).  Those charges, however, were not related to any work for the SBA.  Instead, as reflected in text messages that MULLINS exchanged with an employee of Restaurant-1 (the “Employee”), MULLINS was paying, on two separate occasions, for his family members and personal associates to dine at Restaurant-1.  Specifically, MULLINS, purchased two $300 gift cards for Restaurant-1 and then sought reimbursement from the SBA for the gift cards.  Two weeks later, MULLINS texted the Employee to inform the Employee that a relative (“Relative-1”) and Relative-1’s partner “are coming in for dinner tonight” and “I gave [Relative-1] a gift card that I grabbed 2 weeks ago.”  MULLINS sent a similar text message to the Employee the following night when a personal associate (“Associate-1”) was planning to dine at Restaurant-1 and use the other gift card that MULLINS had purchased with SBA funds.

As another example, in October 2020, MULLINS sent a text message to another personal associate (“Associate-2”) asking Associate-2, “Going to place an order at [the Steakhouse] what do u want[?]”  Associate-2 responded by providing MULLINS with a list of several items on the menu.  MULLINS’s October 2020 credit card statement in turn reflected a $744.59 expense at the Steakhouse on the same day.  MULLINS later submitted this fraudulent $744.59 expense, without a receipt, to the Treasurer for reimbursement, claiming the expense as an SBA-related meal when in fact it was not.  

In addition to submitting personal expenses for reimbursement, MULLINS inflated and altered his actual expenses in order to steal more money from the SBA.  MULLINS maintained two copies of his credit card statements in his home office.  The first copy, often labeled with a sticky note bearing the words “Clean Copy,” had no annotations or markings.  The second copy, often labeled with a sticky note bearing the words “Work Copy” or “Work Sheet,” had MULLINS’s handwritten annotations and markings throughout.  In the Work Copy, MULLINS changed the amount and, at times, the type of expense, from a lower amount to a larger amount, or from an item that could not be reimbursed – such as a supermarket bill – to a restaurant name, which would then be reflected in MULLINS’s reimbursement forms submitted to the Treasurer and the SBA.

For example, in April 2021, MULLINS changed a $45.92 charge to an $845.92 charge at a wine bar in New Jersey; a $609.89 charge to a $909.89 charge at the Steakhouse; and a $185.88 charge at a supermarket on Long Island to a $685.88 charge at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan.  MULLINS then submitted those fraudulent expenses, without receipts, to the Treasurer for reimbursement.  Likewise, in August 2021, MULLINS changed a $49.60 charge to a $89.60 charge for a diner on Long Island; a $53.56 charge to a $153.56 charge for a restaurant on Long Island; a $96.16 charge at a supermarket to a $396.16 charge at a restaurant on Long Island; a $152.42 charge to a $352.42 charge at a deli on Long Island; and a $464.00 charge to a $664.00 charge at a pizza place on Long Island.  Once again, MULLINS submitted these fraudulent expenses, without receipts, to the Treasurer, who approved the reimbursements.

Altogether, as a result of the scheme, MULLINS received more than $1 million dollars in expense reimbursements from the SBA, the majority of which was fraudulently obtained.

MULLINS, 60, of Port Washington, New York, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York FBI. 

This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys David Robles, Alexandra Rothman, and Andrew Rohrbach are in charge of the prosecution.

The charge contained in the Information is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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

New York City Comptroller’s Office Releases Audit of DCWP’s Inspections of Early Pandemic Price-Gouging

 

DCWP received 5000+ complaints in March 2020 regarding inflated PPE and hand sanitizer prices, stretching the agency's ability to protect consumers

 The New York City Comptroller’s Office released an audit that found that the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) was overwhelmed by the volume of price-gouging complaints for PPE and other essential products at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. DCWP received 38,010 complaints from March 2020 – February 2021, an 114% increase from the previous, pre-pandemic year. DCWP received 5,497 complaints in the month of March 2020 alone. The audit – spanning March 4th-November 16th, 2020 – found that DCWP investigated twenty-eight percent of price gouging complaints it received, and it took an average of forty-three days to conduct those inspections.

To address the spike in prices of essential goods that were in short supply, DCWP declared an emergency rule making it illegal to raise prices by ten percent or more on essential products needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and other personal and household goods on March 15, 2020. According to a DCWP press release, most of the price gouging complaints came from Black and Latinx neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic. Some of the most egregious pricing violations found were selling an eight-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer for $28, $300 for a ten-pack of face masks, and $20 for one N95 face mask.

“As we move towards understanding how to live with this pandemic and brace ourselves for future crises, our City agencies must be at the ready to protect New Yorkers over those gaining to profit from their fears and pains,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “I appreciate the incredible hardship our agencies, including DCWP, went through at the onset of the pandemic to safeguard New Yorkers from the pandemic and unscrupulous profiteers. These recommendations will better arm NYC with the tools needed to protect consumers in moments of emergency, whether that is the next COVID variant or the next superstorm.”

At the time the emergency price-gouging rule was established, the fine was set at $350 per item or service. DCWP established a permanent rule prohibiting price gouging on any products or services essential to health, safety, and welfare during a declared state of emergency in June 2020. As of January 2022, the fine is now $525 for the first violation, $1050 for a second violation, and $3500 for a third violation.

In its response to the audit findings, the agency committed to using the recommendations to improve implementation of this rule to be better prepared for future emergencies:

• Formalize criteria for its price gouging enforcement– including conducting initial inspections within DCWP’s own 35-day window of receiving complaints.
• Create an independent review process for its complaint inspection and selection determinations.
• Establish criteria on how often to inspect businesses with multiple complaints.
• Develop timeframes for resolving price gouging complaints and enact performance measures with inspections and follow-ups.

Read the audit report here.

NYS OASAS Announces Availability of Funding to Improve Transportation Services for Individuals Affected by Addiction

 

Funding Will Establish Transportation Demonstration Projects Designed to Improve Transportation Needs for People who are Seeking Resources for Substance Use Disorders

 The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) today announced the availability of up to $500,000 to establish transportation demonstration projects aimed at testing regional solutions to improve transportation services for people who are in need of supportive services for substance use disorder, including treatment and recovery services. Two awards of up to $250,000 each will be made in upstate New York, one in a rural county and one in an urban county.

“The lack of reliable transportation is one of the main barriers that keeps many people in need from seeking services for a substance use disorder. This can impact people in urban, suburban, and rural areas,” OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham said. “This funding allows us to work with our providers on the ground to address these issues, and improve transportation services for people in need of further support or resources.”

This pilot program will help to address isolation issues for people in treatment or recovery. For many people who need services, the lack of resources to travel to and from the programs they need has a negative impact on health outcomes. This has been made worse in some cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funding awarded under this program must be used for non-medical transportation needs, such as recreational activities likely to increase social connection or emotional well-being, recovery supports, peer interactions, formal or informal mutual support groups such as SMART recovery and AA or NA meetings, and rides to treatment or harm reduction services or to service providers. Data and information from this pilot program will help to guide further expansions of transportation services across the state.

Further information on this project can be found here.

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, residential, 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 email at ombuds@oasas.ny.gov.