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Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Third Avenue BID // News You Can Use
BRONX WOMAN AND HER BOYFRIEND INDICTED IN MURDER OF HER 8-YEAR-OLD SON
Medical Examiner Determined Boy Died of Battered Child Syndrome; Child Suffered from Starvation and Head Trauma
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx woman and her boyfriend have been indicted on Murder and Manslaughter charges in the June 2021 death of the woman’s eight-year-old autistic son.
District Attorney Clark said, “These defendants allegedly starved and beat an eight-yearold autistic child. The boy was severely malnourished and had marks and scars all over his body. The defendants allegedly did not seek medical attention for the boy. They have now been charged with Murder and Manslaughter. We will seek justice for the little boy, whose life was cut short so tragically.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Sharay Barney, 30, and Michael Ransom, 33, both of 580 East 166 Street, were arraigned today on second-degree Murder and second-degree Manslaughter before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. The defendants were remanded and are due back in court on August 17, 2022.
According to the investigation, Barney, who was the biological mother of the child, and Ransom, who was the stepfather, were the sole caretakers of Joseph Barney, 8, who was autistic and non-verbal. On June 1, 2021, the child was found unresponsive in their home. The defendants took the child to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The defendants allegedly admitted that they did not get him medical attention when they knew the boy was not eating and was having difficulty breathing for approximately 24 hours before his death.
According to the investigation, the child’s body was covered in fresh and healing wounds, which were consistent with blunt force trauma, and ligature marks to the wrists, which suggested he was restrained. Additional injuries also indicated child abuse. At death, Joseph weighed 40 pounds and was four feet, two inches tall, less than the weight an eight-year-old child should be, according to medical examiners.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the boy died of Battered Child Syndrome, specifically starvation and head trauma. The defendants were arrested on March 21, 2022.
District Attorney Clark also thanked NYPD Detectives James McBrown of the 47th Precinct and Brianna Constantino of Bronx Homicide for their assistance in the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Attorney General James Secures Student Debt Relief for Thousands of New Yorkers
PHEAA to Automatically Review Accounts for More Than 10,000 New York Borrowers, Provide Corrections and Monetary Relief After Years of Mismanagement
AG James Continues Efforts to Help Students Weighed Down by Student Debt Crisis
New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured student debt relief for thousands of New York borrowers whose federal loans were allegedly mismanaged by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). In an agreement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), PHEAA is required to audit thousands of accounts to identify errors that may have caused borrowers to miss out on benefits, such as income-driven repayment (IDR) plans or debt forgiveness for eligible borrowers under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PHEAA, which operates as FedLoan Servicing and American Education Services (AES), will correct errors identified in borrowers’ accounts and provide monetary relief as restitution for some borrowers as appropriate. More than 300,000 borrowers are eligible to have their accounts reviewed for free and are encouraged to request an audit. This agreement resolves an earlier lawsuit brought against the student loan servicer over allegations that it failed to properly manage student loans and administer the PSLF program by inaccurately counting loan payments, improperly denying applications, and not processing applications in a timely manner.
“Negligent student loan servicers like PHEAA left countless students buried in debt and contributed to the national student debt crisis,” said Attorney General James. “As one of the largest student loan servicers in the country, it’s a shame that PHEAA did not do more to help students and caused public servants to miss out on loan forgiveness. Today’s agreement will correct years of mismanagement by PHEAA and put borrowers on a path to finally being debt free. We must all do our part to tackle the student debt crisis and that means holding negligent student loan servicers accountable for their role in creating it.”
Under the agreement, PHEAA will automatically review the accounts of nearly 10,000 New York borrowers for potential errors. PHEAA will be reviewing accounts for various errors, including incorrect information provided about PSLF or IDR eligibility, inaccurate monthly payment that borrowers were charged, and more. A full list of the errors that will be corrected can be found on OAG’s frequently asked questions page. If the review shows that errors were made, PHEAA will either ensure the borrower gets credit for all their payments by adjusting accounts appropriately or will provide comparable monetary relief.
In addition, more than 300,000 current New York residents with an active Direct Loan or Family Federal Education Loan (FFEL) that is currently being serviced by PHEAA or was serviced by PHEAA as of December 1, 2021 may be eligible to have their accounts reviewed at no cost to borrowers. A complete description of those borrowers who are eligible can be found on OAG’s frequently asked questions page.
Under the agreement, PHEAA will begin to send out notices to borrowers within 30 days, and all notices will be sent within 90 days. The notices will arrive using the method that PHEAA normally uses to communicate with borrowers and will give instructions on how to request a review. Borrowers can also request a review by going to their online account at MyFedLoan.org.
If you are a PHEAA borrower and you do not receive a notice but you believe you are entitled to a review of your account, you should contact PHEAA by calling 1-800-699-2908 (for FedLoan borrowers) and 1-800-233-0557 (for AES borrowers).
If PHEAA does not find any errors during either the automatic review or following a requested review, borrowers will have an opportunity to appeal that determination at no cost to them. The OAG will receive regular reports on the review and appeals process to make sure it is working properly and will also be able to intervene on borrowers’ behalf, as appropriate, if they appeal PHEAA’s determination.
Today’s agreement also expands the benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s PSLF temporary waiver program adopted in October 2021 to assist borrowers who may not have been able to make use of the waiver due to PHEAA’s mismanagement. Under the new, temporary rules, the waiver program will count payments on FFEL, Perkins, or other non-Direct federal loans as qualifying towards the PSLF requirement of 120 payments for loan forgiveness. In addition, certain payments on loans that were late, less than the full amount due, or made under the wrong payment plan will also count. Borrowers who are eligible for these benefits should review their account status with Federal Student Aid and contact them with any questions. PHEAA’s review under its agreement with OAG is separate from the U.S. Department of Education’s review.
This agreement continues Attorney General James’ longstanding commitment to addressing the national student debt crisis. Last month, Attorney General James urged former DeVry students who were deceived by the university to apply for federal loan discharge and OAG previously recovered more than $2.25 million for students who were defrauded by DeVry. In January 2022, Attorney General James secured more than $110 million in debt relief for thousands of New York students deceived by student loan servicer, Navient. In May 2021, Attorney General James sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education calling for significant reforms to help student borrowers and shield them from predatory for-profit colleges.
While PHEAA has announced that it will stop serving federal student loans when its current contract with the U.S. Department of Education ends in December 2022, it has committed to taking the necessary steps to complete the automatic and discretionary reviews as part of the agreement. This includes borrowers whose accounts already have or will be transferred to new servicers, including MOHELA, Aidvantage, Edfinancial, or Nelnet, before completion of PHEAA’s review.
Governor Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Lieber Commend Heroic MTA Workers at April Board Meeting
Hochul Makes History as First Governor to Attend an MTA Board Meeting
Governor Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber today commended 18 heroic MTA workers for their life-saving actions responding to the shooting at the 36 St station on Tuesday, April 12. The decisive actions of these 18 MTA employees helped to ensure the safety of passengers during the Sunset Park subway incident. The ceremony marked the first time that a sitting governor visited an MTA Board meeting.
“During the tragic shooting that occurred on the subway on April 12, one man set out to divide us. In response, our MTA workers sent a clear message: Don’t mess with New Yorkers, because if you attack one of us, you attack all of us,” Governor Hochul said. “These workers stepped up without hesitation to do everything they could to protect their fellow New Yorkers, and today we honor their heroism. Time and time again we see the heroes of the MTA work around the clock calmly in the midst of mayhem to ensure New Yorkers have efficient and safe transportation, and I am incredibly grateful for all their hard work and courage.”
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “Thank you to Governor Hochul for honoring our MTA colleagues for their role in responding to the April 12 shooting. Even with all the training that employees undergo, you can’t begin to appreciate what it’s like to experience something like this tragic incident until it happens. But these brave MTA employees stepped up – like they always do – to take care of New Yorkers and each other. They represent the best of New York. It is their hard work that keeps our system running day in and day out, in rain, in snow, and in all conditions – during a pandemic no less! – 24/7, 365 days a year. They are the heart and soul of the MTA, and we thank them, today and every day, for their service and dedication.”
Governor Hochul presented commendations to the following MTA employees:
· David Artis, Train Operator
· Raven Haynes, Conductor
· Joseph Franchi, Train Operator
· Dayron Williams, Conductor
· Niall Maguire, General Superintendent
· Gilberto Rosado, Train Service Supervisor
· Jose Martinez, Conductor
· Mark Wolodarsky, Line Superintendent
· Sheila Hutson, District Customer Service Manager
· Rolando Hernandez, Group Station Manager
· Louis Lanfair, Group Station Manager
· Chantay Adams, Group Station Superintendent
· Angel Oquendo, Cleaner, NYC Transit Authority
· Charlene Gardner, Cleaner, NYC Transit Authority
· Peter Stone, Train Service Supervisor
· Tanyia Brand-Jones, Digital Communications, Staff Analyst II, Digital Communications Unit
· Annie Morrison, Digital Communications, Staff Analyst II, Digital Communications Unit
· Tyler Schow, Digital Communications, Manager, Customer Communications, Digital Communications Unit
Artis and Haynes were the N train crew members who helped passengers to evacuate the Manhattan-bound train at the 36 St station. Franchi and Williams were operating a Brooklyn-bound N train one station away and stopped the R train at the 25 St station to ensure the train's riders were not heading into a dangerous situation.
Schow, Morrison, and Brand-Jones were members of the MTA’s Digital Communications Unit, who rapidly responded to the incident by providing clear service information, and they responded to an enormous volume of customer inquiries. Brand-Jones wrote the initial delay message for this incident, keeping a cool head and gleaning the most important service impact information as multiple conflicting reports came in.
Hutson, Lanfair, Hernandez, and Adams were station management team members who, upon notification of the incident, immediately made their way to 25 St and then 36 St to evaluate the situation. They provided support to MTA workers at the two stations and coordinated customer service to assist riders whose journeys were impacted by the incident. They also aided law enforcement by placing blue tarping around the station to allow the investigation to proceed securely.
Stone is a Train Service Supervisor who was in Bay Ridge at the 95 St station at the time of the incident. He went to 36 St immediately, where his detailed knowledge of the station proved invaluable to the NYPD as the investigation proceeded. He also applied the hand brake on the incident train to keep it secured in the station and contacted train crews to make sure they would know to bypass 36 St during the period of the incident and investigation.
Oquendo and Gardner were station cleaners on the scene at the 36 St and 25 St stations as the incident occurred. They calmly alerted booth agents and were among the first MTA employees to respond to the incident.
Maguire, Rosado, Martinez, and Wolodarsky were at the 38 St Yard and headed right to the 36 St station after initial reports about the incident. Without knowing the full details of the situation and without hesitation, they were among the first MTA employees to arrive on the scene to respond. They ensured that all customers on incident trains, as well as those on stalled trains on the same line, were able to detrain safely.
Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on New York City’s FY 2023 Executive Budget
Following the release of Mayor Eric Adams’ FY 2023 Executive Budget, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:
“The Fiscal Year 2023 budget is our chance to set New York City on a path towards an inclusive and resilient recovery. The Mayor’s Executive Budget includes several important steps forward on transportation, parks, and safe shelter to bring our city back stronger. But more work remains to achieve a budget that learns from this crisis to be more prepared for the ones to come.
“First, the City needs to spend its remaining federal COVID funds effectively, starting with the money allocated for our children’s academic, social, and emotional wellness. The Department of Education has billions of dollars intended for student recovery that remain unspent, and this budget does not include a clear action plan for how to make the best use of these funds. In addition, with unemployment among Black and Latino New Yorkers still higher than twice the national average, more of this finite federal funding should be targeted at stimulating our economic recovery.
“The increased commitments to Safe Havens and stabilization beds are a critical step, but a significant share of these rooms must be private—and must function as a step toward permanent housing—if we are to truly address the needs of unsheltered New Yorkers. Confronting our interconnected homelessness and housing challenges will require significantly more funding for permanent affordable and supportive housing.
“Despite better-than-projected city tax revenue, this budget only adds drops to the Rainy-Day Fund bucket we will need to face future storms.
“Meanwhile, the plan proceeds to hire 500 new Corrections officers without making urgent reforms to the staffing management failures that have left our jails in crisis with nearly a fifth of officers calling out sick each week.
“I look forward to reviewing the executive budget proposals closely, and ensuring that our public funds, including one-time federal stimulus dollars, are used effectively to secure a safe and sustainable future for every New Yorker.”
BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSING GHOST GUNS
Had Built Six Assault Rifles, Had Parts for Two More
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon for possessing six “ghost guns” --assault-style rifles that he built from parts-- as well as components to assemble two more.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant assembled deadly weapons that would have been untraceable, and could have unleashed havoc on our community. We continue our efforts to stem the proliferation of ghost guns and prosecute those who sell or use them.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Peter Rivera, 67, of 300 Reservoir Place, was sentenced Monday, April 25, 2022, to two years in prison, two years post-release supervision and 90 days of alcohol treatment by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormack. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon on March 16, 2022.
According to the investigation, on November 20, 2020 inside the defendant’s home in the Norwood section of the Bronx, a search warrant was executed in which investigators recovered six completed assault-style rifles, none with serial numbers, as well as firearm components capable of being constructed into at least two other assault-style rifles. Investigators also found numerous imitation pistols, unfinished receivers, and a work bench and tools for the construction of firearms. The defendant purchased the weapons parts online.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Victor Cardona of the Criminal Intelligence Section for his assistance in the investigation.