HPD Pursues Climate Resilient, Affordable Housing Project At 351 Powers Avenue In The South Bronx

 

New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has announced a request for proposals to construct a climate resilient, 100 percent affordable housing complex at 351 Powers Avenue in the South Bronx. Located between East 141st Street and East 143rd Street in the Mott Haven neighborhood, the site is an undeveloped, city-owned lot totaling approximately 17,400 square feet.

When complete, the project is expected to yield approximately 80 new affordable homes. Submissions for design and construction will be expected to address the extreme heat of the area. According to HPD, the South Bronx is one of several New York City communities vulnerable to extremely high temperatures and expected to increase due to climate change.

“The science is clear – New York City’s affordable housing stock must be built to withstand increasingly high temperatures and rising sea levels, particularly in parts of the city that are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” said HPD commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “We look forward to reviewing proposals for the 351 Powers Avenue site that are designed with the city’s future and the residents’ well-being in mind.”

A pre-submission conference will be held on September 13. The call for submissions will close on November 18, 2022.

BP GIBSON HOSTED JAMAICAN FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY TO COMMEMORATE 60 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

 

Bronx Borough President Gibson joined Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Assembly Member Chantel Jackson, Council Member Althea Stevens, Mistress of Ceremonies, WCBS-TV Reporter Alecia Reid, and others to host an inaugural Jamaican flag-raising ceremony to commemorate 60 years of Jamaica`s independence. With an estimated 308,000 Jamaicans living in New York City, which is the largest nationwide according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2019), the Bronx represents a significant number of them who live in the Wakefield, Edenwald, Williamsbridge, and Baychester sections of the Borough.

“This is a celebration to acknowledge the history and heritage of Jamaican-Americans living in New York City and the Bronx. With so many other countries represented here in our Borough, hosting this flag-raising ceremony is an opportunity to amplify the culture, heritage, and countless contributions made by Bronx-based Jamaican-Americans each day,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson.

Attorney General James Announces 296 Guns Turned in at Utica Gun Buyback

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 296 firearms, including 177 ghost guns, were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event hosted by her office and the Utica Police Department. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. Yesterday’s event is a part of Attorney General James’ ongoing efforts to combat gun violence and protect New Yorkers throughout the state. To date, Attorney General James has taken more than 3,300 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other initiatives since taking office in 2019.

“Gun violence is a scourge that devastates neighborhoods and endangers New York families,” said Attorney General James. “Gun buybacks, such as the one we hosted yesterday, are one of the many ways I am working to combat this crisis, reduce crime, and protect New Yorkers from harm. Every gun that was turned in is a potential tragedy prevented and a potential life saved, and I thank the Utica Police Department for their invaluable support and collaboration.”

Yesterday’s community gun buyback resulted in the collection of 296 guns, including 177 ghost guns, 42 long guns, 41 handguns, 33 non-working guns, and 3 assault rifles. Since 2013, OAG has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected more than 5,300 firearms. To date, Attorney General James has helped remove more than 3,300 guns out of communities since 2019.

In exchange for the firearms, OAG offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards, when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.

Former State Employee Pleads Guilty in Unemployment Insurance Fraud Case

 

 Former New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) employee Wendell Giles, age 52, of Albany, pled guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, New York Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG).

As part of his guilty plea, Giles admitted that he and another former NYSDOL employee, Carl J. DiVeglia III, abused their state computer systems access to create and approve false unemployment insurance (UI) applications in 2020 and 2021, including applications for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

Giles recruited relatives, friends and friends-of-friends to submit false benefits applications over the phone to DiVeglia after Giles had instructed them to lie in response to eligibility questions. Giles and DiVeglia then took a share of the benefits paid by NYSDOL on the false claims.  Giles used his share to enrich himself, including by purchasing a three-wheeled motorcycle. In text messages, DiVeglia suggested a vanity license plate for Giles’s new vehicle, “TY PUA,” which Giles understood to mean “Thank You Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.” Giles responded, “Lol.”  Giles had been employed as a Senior Employment Security Clerk, and DiVeglia as a Labor Services Representative.

Giles admitted responsibility for $826,530 in losses to pandemic-related UI benefits programs administered by the state.  He has agreed to pay full restitution to NYSDOL. DiVeglia previously pled guilty to related charges and also agreed to pay restitution.

The mail fraud conviction carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The aggravated identity theft conviction carries a mandatory term of 2 years in prison, to be imposed consecutively to any other term of imprisonment.  Giles is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2023 by Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI and USDOL-OIG, with assistance from the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Chisholm and Joshua R. Rosenthal.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of Eastbound Paving Project on Long Island Expressway

 Resurfacing on the Eastbound Long Island Expressway Completed Thursday Night

Meadowbrook State Parkway & Eastbound Southern State Parkway also Completed

Pavement Renewal on Westbound Long Island Expressway and Westbound Southern State Parkway Targeted For Completion and On Schedule for the End of 2022

Projects Announced in April Funded by $157 Million Investment For State Roads in Nassau and Suffolk County

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that pavement resurfacing on the eastbound Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) from the Nassau-Suffolk border to State Route 112 is now complete, marking a significant milestone in one of the largest resurfacing projects in New York State. Westbound repaving on the Long Island Expressway is now well underway and on schedule be completed by the end of the year.  

"Millions of motorists each year rely on Long Island's network of highways to reach their destinations, and completing critical infrastructure projects like this is part of our commitment to help ensure smoother, safer travel," Governor Hochul said. "We are seeing real results from our investments in paving projects here and across New York State, and this important work will continue on roads large and small."

Thursday night marked the final night of pavement work on the eastbound Long Island Expressway, with the conclusion of roadway milling, laying of new asphalt, and the installation of new highly reflective pavement markings and rumble strips. On the westbound Long Island Expressway, similar work began in July and is nearly one-third completed.  

With today's announcement, new asphalt now covers more than 300 lane miles of state highways across Long Island following projects that began earlier this year on key sections of the Long Island Expressway, the Southern State Parkway, the Meadowbrook State Parkway, and several other roads. These projects, which were announced this past April and totaled $157 million, are already easing travel and improving mobility for motorists in Nassau and Suffolk Counties

On Long Island's South Shore, pavement renewal along the eastbound Southern State Parkway between the Grand Avenue/Baldwin Road exit in Nassau County and Route 110 in Suffolk County finished on Friday, August 19 and work began this week on the westbound lanes.   

Resurfacing in both directions of the Meadowbrook State Parkway was completed before the Memorial Day weekend and the turf shoulder rehabilitation is ongoing between Merrick Road and Ocean Parkway in the Town of Hempstead.   

Major work on the Long Island Expressway, Southern State Parkway and Meadowbrook State Parkway is progressing on schedule and will be completed by the end of this year. In fact, more than 60 percent of the Long Island paving work announced by the Governor earlier this year has been completed during the spring and summer months.  

Other completed locations include:  

• Southern State Parkway between State Route 231 and the Sagtikos State Parkway in Suffolk County;  
• State Route 25A between Lawrence Road and State Route 25 in the Town of Smithtown;  
• State Route 114 between Stephen Hands Path and the Shelter Island South Ferry terminal in Village of Sag Harbor, Village of North Haven, and Town of East Hampton;  
• Sunrise Highway North Service Road between Udall Road and Manor Road in the Town of Islip;  
• Sunrise Highway South Service Road between Udall Road and Malts Avenue in the Town of Islip.  

Additionally:  

• State Route 111 between Suffolk Avenue and the Long Island Expressway in the Town of Islip is anticipated to be completed in September.  
• On State Route 109, sidewalk ramp safety enhancements are currently underway between the Nassau/Suffolk border and State Route 27A in the Town of Babylon with full completion including pavement renewal scheduled by the end of 2023.  

Motorists are urged to plan accordingly and drive responsibly in work zones.  Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone.  Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual's driver license.

For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

Follow NYSDOT on Twitter at @NYSDOT and @NYSDOTLI.  Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NYSDOT.

Queens Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

 

Awais Chudhary Planned to Commit Knife Attack in Queens on Behalf of ISIS

 Awais Chudhary, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.  This proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy.  When sentenced, Chudhary faces up to 20 years in prison.

Breon S. Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Matthew G. Olsen, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty plea.

“Awais Chudhary has admitted to planning to carry out a lone wolf terrorist attack in Queens against innocent civilians in an embrace of ISIS’s murderous cause,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Thanks to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Chudhary’s efforts to commit deadly violence on behalf of ISIS were thwarted, lives were saved, and he now awaits sentencing for his heinous crime.”

“As he admitted, Mr. Chudhary planned to bring terror to the people of New York City on behalf of ISIS.  The Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), with its tireless vigilance, was able to successfully disrupt his plot, keeping our city safe from this potential lone wolf terrorist.  The FBI, along with our partners on the JTTF, remain committed to our highest priority of defending the United States from terrorism,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

“Mr. Chudhary has admitted to providing material support, from American soil, to terrorists based overseas,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell.  “He is a naturalized U.S. citizen who abandoned the country that took him in, and instead pledged allegiance to ISIS and repeatedly and diligently promoted its violent objectives. Clearly, the threat of ISIS-inspired terrorism remains very real, and the members of our FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force will never stop working to identify anyone aiding groups that consider our country their sworn enemy.”

According to court filings, in August 2019, after watching violent terrorist propaganda videos, Chudhary pledged his allegiance to ISIS’s then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and began planning for a knife or bomb attack as a lone wolf ISIS supporter.  Chudhary identified targets, including the pedestrian bridges over the Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing Bay Promenade, where he intended to carry out the attacks.  Chudhary sought guidance from individuals whom he believed to be ISIS supporters, including what type of knife to use and how to prevent detection from law enforcement by not leaving “traces of finger prints [or] DNA.”  Chudhary also sent a screenshot of a document from an ISIS propaganda magazine that included a diagram of the human body depicting where to stab victims with a knife.  Chudhary conducted several reconnaissance trips to these locations and made video recordings of the areas he intended to attack. 

Chudhary ordered items online that he intended to use to commit a terrorist attack, including a tactical knife, a mask, gloves, and a cellphone chest and head strap to facilitate his recording of the attack, which he hoped would serve as inspiration to other ISIS supporters.  Chudhary was arrested as he attempted to retrieve the items from an online retailer’s locker in Queens.

Defendant Admits To 2014 Murder

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DONOVAN GRANT pled guilty in Manhattan federal court to participating in the armed robbery of Jercar Brooks in the Bronx on January 23, 2014.  As part of his guilty plea, GRANT admitted that during the robbery, he shot and killed Brooks.  GRANT is scheduled to be sentenced before the Honorable Alvin K. Hellerstein on November 28, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Eight years ago, Jercar Brooks was murdered inside his apartment in the Bronx.  Thanks to the tireless efforts of the New York City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Donovan Grant has now been held accountable for this senseless crime.  Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office will continue to bring justice to the victims of violent crime.”

According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment and other documents filed in federal court, as well as statements made in public court proceedings:

On January 23, 2014, GRANT planned to rob Brooks at gunpoint during a supposed marijuana deal.  GRANT brought a gun and bag of pretend money to Brooks’ apartment located at 634 East 233rd Street in the Bronx, intending to take the marijuana by force if the plan to deceive Brooks was unsuccessful.   During the course of the armed robbery, GRANT shot Brooks two times and killed him.  GRANT fled the building, taking with him the box of marijuana that he had planned to steal. 

GRANT, 60, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951, which carries a maximum term of twenty years in prison. 

The maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigating work of the FBI and the NYPD.

Celebrating the life & legacy of Leroy R. Archible (aka Archie)