|
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Third Avenue Business Improvement District - Visit the South Bronx
Attorney General James Calls for Full Cancelation of Federal Student Loan Debt
In Letter, AG James and Multistate Coalition Urge President Biden
to Cancel All Publicly Held Debts for Student Borrowers
New York Attorney General Letitia James led a multistate coalition of eight attorneys general in urging U.S. President Joe Biden to fully cancel federal student debt owed by every federal student loan borrower in the country. In a letter to President Biden, Attorney General James and the coalition stress that immediate relief is needed for borrowers struggling with the unmanageable burden of student loan debt. The attorneys general acknowledge the administration’s commitment to addressing the issue, however, the coalition urges President Biden to immediately exercise his authority under the Higher Education Act to cancel all federal student loan debt for every borrower.
“While I commend President Biden for giving serious consideration to forgiving $10,000 per borrower, we must take bolder, more decisive action to end this crisis and provide Americans with the tools they need to thrive,” said Attorney General James. “Student debt keeps millions of struggling borrowers from reaching financial stability and leads to a cycle of financial burdens that follow them throughout their lives. I join my colleagues in urging President Biden to lead one of the most impactful racial and economic justice initiatives in history by canceling this debt, in its entirety, for all.”
Currently, student borrowers owe more than $1.7 trillion to the federal government. In their letter, the coalition argues that a full cancelation of student debt is necessary to address the sheer enormity of debts owed, systemically flawed repayment and forgiveness systems, and the disproportionate impact of the debt burden on millions of borrowers. While state attorneys general have taken key actions to ease debt burdens wherever possible, the coalition contends that only permanent action by the Biden administration can provide the widespread relief that is needed by millions of federal student loan borrowers.
The coalition further argues that the cancelation of federal student loan debts will reduce stress and mental fatigue and provide countless opportunities for borrowers, such as saving for retirement and purchasing new homes.
Joining Attorney General James in sending the letter to President Biden are the attorneys general of Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Washington.
Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Preventing Colleges From Withholding Student Transcripts Because Of Unpaid Debts
Legislation S.5924-C/A.6938-B Ensures Students Have Access to Transcript Data Necessary to Complete Their Degree and Obtain Employment
Governor Previously Ordered SUNY and CUNY to End this Practice
Accomplishes 2022 State of the State Goal of Ending Transcript Withholding Statewide
Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation S.5924-C/A.6938-B that prohibits colleges from withholding a student’s transcript because of unpaid debts or charging individuals who owe debts a higher fee to obtain their transcript. This legislation ensures that students can access their transcript when necessary so that they may continue their education or find a job.
“Transcripts are critical for students to continue pursuing their educational and career goals,” Governor Hochul said. “To hold transcripts hostage until outstanding debts are paid is an unfair, predatory practice that prevents our students from reaching their full potential. I was proud to make ending transcript withholding a top priority and took action to end this practice at SUNY and CUNY in January. Today, we put an end to this abhorrent policy for all higher education institutions to ensure a level playing field for New York’s students.”
The tactic of withholding student transcripts or overcharging for their release has been used by some colleges in the state to leverage collection of outstanding debts, however one is not related to the other. Withholding a student’s transcript is a punitive measure that penalizes students with less resources, while ironically making it more difficult for them to advance in higher education or obtain employment that will allow them to make outstanding payments.
Governor Hochul made the proposal to end this practice in her 2022 State of the State Address. In January, the Governor announced that the SUNY board and CUNY board voted to end the practice.
.jpg)
MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CITY HALL TO BE LIT BLUE AND WHITE TONIGHT IN HONOR OF ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE DAY
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings will be lit up blue and white tonight in honor of Israeli Independence Day, marking the 74th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.
“Today, we join in celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day,” said Mayor Adams. “As home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, New York City stands with State of Israel as they mark 74 years as a beacon of hope and opportunity, and join with our collective yearning for peace, security, and the spread of democratic values throughout the Middle East.”
In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up blue and white starting tonight at sundown:
- The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
- Bronx Borough Hall: 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451
- Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11424
- Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I want to thank Mayor Eric Adams for this heartwarming gesture,” said Asaf Zamir, Israel’s Consul General in New York City. “These lights demonstrate the eternal strength of the bond between New York City and the State of Israel that will continue to flourish under the mayor’s leadership.”
Yom Ha’atzmaut (Day of Independence) marks the day on the Hebrew calendar that corresponds to the day the new State of Israel formally declared its independence in 1948 after the cessation of the British Mandate. It is preceded annually by Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s official memorial day honoring fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.
Statement from The Bronx Democratic Party and Chair Jamaal T. Bailey on Draft Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe V. Wade
"The draft Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade is poised to undo decades of progress on reproductive rights and equality. If this ruling holds in the final decision, it will have dire consequences for the autonomy, safety, and wellbeing of people and care providers across the country and set a dangerous precedent for the preservation of all our fundamental rights. The right to choose is fundamentally an issue of equity. Reversing Roe will not end abortions, it will only make safe legal abortions further out of reach for those who have historically struggled with inequitable access.
The lives and futures of people everywhere are at stake. With abortion access and reproductive rights under attack in states across the country, the draft decision by the Court’s conservative majority is devastating and blatantly regressive. We refuse to go backwards. On behalf of millions of Americans and our collective future, we will not back down in this fight to safeguard and expand the fundamental right to choose in New York and across the country."
Congressman Ritchie Torres - A Quick Reintroduction
|
Former Bank Branch Manager Sentenced To Prison For Tech Support Fraud Scheme That Exploited The Elderly
Technical Support Scheme Deceived Victims Across the United States and Canada, Many of Whom are Elderly, into Paying for Phony Computer Repair Services
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendant ARIFUL HAQUE was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for participating in a technical support fraud scheme. This conspiracy exploited victims, including elderly victims, by remotely accessing their computers and convincing victims to pay for computer support services that they did not need, and which were never actually provided. As part of this scheme, HAQUE registered a purported technical support company, which defrauded more than 100 victims located across the United States and Canada. HAQUE previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Ariful Haque participated in a conspiracy that caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers—pop-up windows that claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victim’s computer. Through this and other misrepresentations, this fraud scheme deceived scores of victims across the country into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to the perpetrators for computer support services they did not need. Thanks to our partners at Homeland Security Investigations, this scheme has been dismantled and another participant has been sentenced to prison.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information, court filings, and statements made in court:
From approximately November 2017 through June 2019, HAQUE was a member of a criminal fraud ring (the “Fraud Ring”) based in the United States and India that committed a technical support fraud scheme that exploited score of victims located across the United States and Canada, including in the Southern District of New York. The Fraud Ring’s primary objective was to trick victims into believing that their computers were infected with malware, in order to deceive them into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for phony computer repair services.
The scheme generally worked as follows. First, the Fraud Ring caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers. The pop-up windows claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victim’s computer. The pop-up window directed the victim to call a particular telephone number to obtain technical support. In at least some instances, the pop-up window threatened victims that, if they restarted or shut down their computer, it could “cause serious damage to the system,” including “complete data loss.” In an attempt to give the false appearance of legitimacy, in some instances the pop-up window included, without authorization, the corporate logo of a well-known, legitimate technology company. In fact, no virus had infected victims’ computers, and the technical support phone numbers were not associated with the legitimate technology company. Rather, these representations were false and were designed to trick victims into paying the Fraud Ring to “fix” a problem that did not exist. And while the purported “virus” was a hoax, the pop-up window itself did cause various victims’ computers to completely “freeze,” thereby preventing these victims from accessing the data and files in their computer—which caused some victims to call the phone number listed on the pop-up window. In exchange for victims’ payment of several hundred or thousand dollars (depending on the precise “service” victims purchased), the purported technician remotely accessed the victim’s computer and ran an anti-virus tool, which is free and available on the Internet. The Fraud Ring also re-victimized various victims, after they had made payments to purportedly “fix” their tech problems.
The Fraud Ring operated through at least 15 fraudulent entities. In November 2017, HAQUE registered one of these fraudulent entities in New York State. HAQUE’s entity defrauded more than approximately 100 victims as part of this scheme. As part of his involvement in the fraud, HAQUE opened U.S. bank accounts to receive funds from victims, deposited victim checks, received a victim complaint, and repeatedly provided a co-conspirator in India (“CC-1”) with authentication codes so that CC-1 could wire funds out of these bank accounts. HAQUE, a former bank branch manager in New York City, also tried to use his banking experience to further the scheme, including by advising CC-1 that it was “[n]ot a good idea to deposit” certain checks, some of which would risk the involvement of “the Feds.” Moreover, on occasion, HAQUE also assisted another co-conspirator (“CC-2”), who had registered a different fraudulent entity that was part of the Fraud Ring, as well. In total, as he admitted in his plea agreement, HAQUE is responsible for losses exceeding $600,000.
In addition to his prison term, HAQUE, 36, of Queens, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $38,886.32, and restitution of $470,672.16.
HAQUE’s co-defendant, Romana Leyva, was previously sentenced to 100 months in prison, three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $4,679,586.93, and restitution of $2,707,882.91.
Mr. Williams praised the New York Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”)’s El Dorado Task Force, Cyber Intrusion/Cyber Fraud Group for its outstanding work on the investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked the New York City Police Department for its assistance on this case.