Attorney General James and Governor Hochul Release Report on the Role of Online Platforms in the Buffalo Shooting

 

Report Details Shooter’s Radicalization on Fringe Websites, Use of Mainstream Platforms to Livestream Violence 

AG James and Governor Hochul Call for Federal and State Legislative Reforms to Combat Online Extremism and Violence  

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul today released a report on the role of online platforms in the tragic Buffalo mass shooting where 10 Black individuals were killed and three others were injured at the Tops grocery store. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) reviewed thousands of pages of documents and social media content to examine how the alleged shooter used online platforms to plan, prepare, and publicize his attack. This investigation and subsequent report were completed in accordance with a referral from Governor Hochul. During the course of the investigation, OAG obtained and reviewed external and internal content and policies of several of the online platforms used by the shooter. The report concludes that fringe online platforms, like 4chan, radicalized the shooter; livestreaming platforms, like Twitch, were weaponized to publicize and encourage copycat violent attacks; and a lack of oversight, transparency, and accountability of these platforms allowed hateful and extremist views to proliferate online, leading to radicalization and violence. 

In the wake of these findings, Attorney General James and Governor Hochul are calling for federal and state reforms to combat online extremism and violence, including state legislation that would criminalize graphic images or videos created by a perpetrator of a homicide and penalize individuals who reshare or repost those same images or videos. In addition, Attorney General James and Governor Hochul are recommending changes to Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act to increase accountability of online platforms and require companies take reasonable steps to prevent unlawful violent criminal content from appearing on their platforms. 

“The tragic shooting in Buffalo exposed the real dangers of unmoderated online platforms that have become breeding grounds for white supremacy,” said Attorney General James. “Today I met with the victims’ families to share the findings of this report. This report is further proof that online radicalization and extremism is a serious threat to our communities, especially communities of color. We saw this happen in Christchurch, Charlottesville, El Paso, and Buffalo, and we cannot wait for another tragedy before we take action. Online platforms should be held accountable for allowing hateful and dangerous content to spread on their platforms. Extremist content is flourishing online, and we must all work together to confront this crisis and protect our children and communities.” 

“For too long, hate and division have been spreading rampant on online platforms — and as we saw in my hometown of Buffalo, the consequences are devastating,” said Governor Hochul. “In the wake of the horrific white supremacist shooting this year, I issued a referral asking the Office of the Attorney General to study the role online platforms played in this massacre. This report offers a chilling account of factors that contributed to this incident and, importantly, a road map toward greater accountability.” 

The OAG report examined several online platforms used by the shooter, including 4chan, 8kun, Reddit, Discord, Twitch, and YouTube, and other online platforms where OAG found graphic content of the shooting or the shooter’s manifesto, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Rumble. The OAG subpoenaed these companies and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Investigators looked at how platforms have been used to distribute and promote racist and antisemitic memes and messages and share graphic media of previous racially motivated violence, both of which contributed to the alleged shooter’s radicalization. The report also details how several more mainstream platforms were used to livestream the shooting with the goal of inciting additional violent acts, and how graphic video of the shooting proliferated online.  

In sum, the report confirms that several online platforms played an undeniable role in this racist attack, first by radicalizing the shooter as he consumed voluminous amounts of racist and violent content, helping him prepare for the attack, and finally allowing him to broadcast it. The report notes these takeaways: 

•   Fringe Platforms Fuel Radicalization: By his own account, the Buffalo shooter was radicalized by virulent racist and antisemitic content on anonymous, virtually unmoderated websites and platforms that operate outside of the mainstream internet, most notably 4chan. In the wake of the Buffalo shooting, graphic video of the shooting recorded by a viewer of the shooter’s livestream proliferated on fringe sites. The anonymity offered by 4chan and platforms like it, and their refusal to moderate content in any meaningful way, ensures that these platforms continue to be breeding grounds for racist hate speech and radicalization.
  
  
•   Livestreaming Has Become a Tool for Mass Shooters: Livestreaming has become a tool of mass shooters to instantaneously publicize their crime, further terrorizing the community targeted by the shooter and serving as a mechanism to incite and solicit additional violent acts. The Buffalo shooter was galvanized by his belief that others would be watching him commit violence in real-time. Although the platform he used to livestream his atrocities disabled the livestream within two minutes of the onset of violence, two minutes is still too much.
  
  
•   Mainstream Platforms’ Moderation Policies Are Inconsistent and Opaque: Many large, established platforms improved on their response time for identifying and removing problematic content related to the Buffalo shooting, including graphic video of the shooting and the shooter’s manifesto, as compared to past events. However, the platforms’ responses were uneven, with one platform unable to identify posts that linked to off-site copies of the shooting video even after those posts were flagged through user reports. Many platforms also do not fully disclose how they moderate hateful, extremist, or racist content.
  
  
•   Online Platforms Lack Accountability: Online platforms enjoy too much legal immunity. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act largely insulates platforms from liability for their content moderation decisions, even when a platform allows users to post and share unlawful content.

In response to the findings in the report, Attorney General James recommends a variety of reforms that are supported by Governor Hochul and would tackle online extremism and increase accountability of online platforms. These recommendations include: 

•   Create Liability for the Creation and Distribution of Videos of Homicides: New York and other states should pass legislation imposing criminal liability for the creation, by the perpetrator, of images or videos depicting a homicide. New York should explore establishing civil liability for anyone who transmits or distributes such images or videos beyond the perpetrator. In concert with appropriate revisions to Section 230, this liability would extend to online platforms, including social media and livestreaming platforms, that do not take reasonable steps to prevent such content from appearing.
  
  
•   Add Restrictions to Livestreaming: Livestreaming was used as a tool by the Buffalo shooter, like previous hate-fueled attacks, to instantaneously document and broadcast his violent acts to secure a measure of fame and radicalize others. Livestreaming on platforms should be subject to restrictions — including verification requirements and tape delays — tailored to identify first-person violence before it can be widely disseminated.
  
  
•   Reform Section 230: Currently, Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act protects online platforms from liability for third-party content that they host, regardless of those platforms’ moderation practices. Congress should rethink the ready availability of Section 230 as a complete defense for online platforms’ content moderation practices. Instead, the law should be reformed to require an online platform that wishes to retain Section 230’s protections to take reasonable steps to prevent unlawful violent criminal content from appearing on the platform. This proposal would change the default. Instead of simply being able to assert protection under Section 230, an online platform has the initial burden of establishing that its policies and practices were reasonably designed to address unlawful content.
  
  
•   Increase Transparency and Strengthen Moderation: Online platforms should provide better transparency into their content moderation policies and how those policies are applied in practice, including those that are aimed at addressing hateful, extremist, and racist content. They should also invest in improving industry-wide processes and procedures for reducing the prevalence of such content, including by expanding the types of content that can be analyzed for violations of their policies, improving detection technology, and providing even more efficient means to share information.
  
  
•   Call on Industry Service Providers to Do More: Online service providers, like domain registrars and hosting companies, stand in between fringe sites and users. These companies should take a closer look at the websites that repeatedly traffic in violent, hateful content, and refuse to service sites that perpetuate the cycle of white supremacist violence.

In May 2022, Governor Hochul provided a referral to OAG under New York Executive Law Section 63(8) to investigate the role of online platforms in the Buffalo shooting. 

The investigation and subsequent report were conducted by the Bureau of Internet and Technology and the Hate Crimes Unit of the Civil Rights Bureau, with special assistance from the Research and Analytics Division and the Division for Criminal Justice. 

ADAMS ADMINISTRATION PARTNERS WITH CDC TO DELIVER 10,000 ACCESSIBLE AT-HOME COVID-19 TESTS TO THOSE WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION

 

Allotment Marks One of Largest Distributions of Accessible At-Home Test Kits to Any Municipality Across Nation

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and NYC Health + Hospitals/Test & Treat Corps (H+H/T2) today announced that the city will distribute 10,000 COVID-19 at-home test kits that are more accessible to New Yorkers that are blind or have low vision. The at-home test kits — manufactured by Ellume and sent to New York City by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — utilize easier-to-use test components for those who are blind or have low vision and communicate with a user’s smartphone to give an electronic text readout of their result. The more accessible test kits will be distributed in the coming weeks and will be available through MOPD and a host of additional partner organizations.

 

“Every New Yorker deserves to have access to free testing to ensure that they and their loved ones are protected against COVID-19,” said Mayor Adams. “Having at-home test kits available and accessible to the blind and low-vision community will ensure that their health remains a top priority and that they can test in the privacy of their home before coming in contact with others. We thank the CDC for the allotment of these 10,000 more accessible test kits and our partners for helping to distribute them. It’s important we remember that we’re all in this together.”

 

According to an analysis from New York City Department of City Planning, there are approximately 1 million people across the city that have disclosed having some type of disability, of whom about 200,000 reported having vision difficulty. The Ellume at-home test kits were initially made available to people by the federal government through a White House initiative where individuals could order 12 at-home tests online. Through advocacy from the Mayor’s Office, the CDC sent these at-home test kits directly to New York City. In a robust effort to make at-home COVID-19 tests readily available to every person and community in New York City, the Adams administration will continue to explore avenues for procurement of additional test kits to serve the blind/low-vision community and all New Yorkers.

 

Along with MOPD, organizations receiving the COVID-19 test kits will be:

 

• Alphapointe
• Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled
• Bronx Independent Living Services
• Center for Independence of the Disabled of New York
• Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School
• Helen Keller Services for the Blind
• Independence Care System
• Lighthouse Guild
• New York Public Library – Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services Commission for the Blind
• State University of New York College of Optometry
• VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

 

“At-home test kits have been and will remain a significant part of our strategy to keep New York City moving and thriving. We must ensure that test kits are available and truly accessible to everyone across the city, and today’s announcement is a step in that direction,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Based on recent statistics, there are approximately 200,000 New Yorkers who have disclosed that they are blind or have low vision. Those New Yorkers are our partners, our parents, our grandparents, our children, our friends, and our colleagues. They need and deserve access to COVID-19 test kits that will give them the ability to protect their health, the health of their loved ones, and the health of their community. Thank you to the interagency group that led this effort, thank you to our federal partners, and thank you to all the service providers that will distribute these kits in the community.”

 

“Improving the offering of at-home testing kits that reduce accessibility barriers for people who are blind or have low vision is a step in the right direction,” said MOPD Commissioner Christina Curry. “Now, people who are blind or have low vision can privately and independently take precautions against COVID-19 for themselves and their loved ones.”

 

“Our mission is to make city government work for all New Yorkers, and that is what drives us as we seek to ensure everyone has access to critical resources like these Ellume at-home test kits for those who are blind or have low vision,” said DCAS Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “We are pleased that our role in facilitating the delivery of thousands of free COVID-19 at-home test kits can make a difference in so many lives and help protect some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. We thank our partners at the CDC for providing the free test kits and our sister agencies, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and NYC Health + Hospitals, for help coordinating this effort.”

 

“We are committed to providing all New Yorkers the convenience to get tested in the comfort of their homes and receive immediate access to life-saving treatment by calling 212-COVID-19, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Ted Long, MD, executive director, NYC Test & Treat Corps; senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “That’s why we’ve distributed over 60 million free at-home tests across the city — no matter your location, income, insurance, immigration status, language, or disability. We are proud to work with over 1,200 city and community distribution partners to meet New Yorkers where they are. Delivering 10,000 audible tests designed for people who are blind or have low vision will further that mission and continue to make our city more equitable and safe.”

 

“New Yorkers have embraced at-home tests as a convenient way to guide their behavior and protect those around them from COVID,” said New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “As a city and a nation, we have a responsibility to match that acceptance with accessibility. This is an important initiative to promote that goal.”

 

“New York City is committed to centering equity in our ongoing COVID-19 response. Diversity is our strength, and we must meet the unique needs of all New Yorkers,” said Mayor's Office of Equity Commissioner Sideya Sherman. “The rollout of these new test kits will ensure that everyone has access to the tools needed to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

 

To request an accessible at-home test kit, New Yorkers should contact one of the receiving organizations or MOPD by calling 212-788-2830.  New Yorkers who are deaf or hard of hearing and use American Sign Language should contact MOPD via ASL Direct at 646-396-5830. A community call via zoom will be made available by MOPD where representatives from H+H/T2 will demonstrate the use of the test kits and answer COVID-19 related questions. To sign up for this call, New Yorkers can register online.

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: New York's Employee Stock Ownership Plans Lead Nation in Assets

 

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released a report today that explains how employee ownership models, which give workers a stake in the companies that employ them, not only help stabilize companies’ bottom lines, but can increase employees’ income levels and improve their retirement security. “Employee ownership can help improve company performance, increase employees’ morale and strengthen their financial and retirement security,” DiNapoli said. “Giving employees a stake in a company allows employers to convert or sell their business to the employees who helped build the company, and provide opportunities for workers and the communities they live in. State leaders have the opportunity to provide resources on the expansion of employee ownership programs and increase employers’ and employees’ understanding of how they can benefit all stakeholders.” Employee ownership (EO) is a broad concept describing arrangements in which employees own a defined element of the company they work for. It does not necessarily mean that employees exercise control over the company’s operations. Currently only one in 10 Americans hold equity shares in the companies they work for, and only 12% of the U.S. workforce is employed in companies that are employee owned. One of the most popular forms of employee ownership is Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) which combine employee ownership with a qualified retirement plan. New York ranks fourth nationally in the number of ESOPs, and these plans hold more assets than those in any other state. In 2020, companies headquartered in New York sponsored 313 ESOP plans with $287 billion in assets for 1.6 million employees, providing on average $176,000 in retirement savings for each employee, 34% more than ESOPs nationally. Another employee ownership structure is the Worker Cooperative, which are businesses 100% owned and governed by their employees, and emphasize the goal of empowering employees through collective decision making and democratizing member control. Lastly, an Employee Ownership Trust is a profit-sharing plan that increases employee compensation by distributing company profits directly to employees every year. DiNapoli said the state should encourage employee ownership more broadly by developing strategies to: Expand networks and partnerships of business owners, employees, labor unions, and economic developers to provide technical assistance to and educate potential employee-owners on the benefits and drawbacks of EO; Creatively leverage resources or identify new opportunities that can support EO as a way to create or retain jobs and strengthen communities; and Develop ways to educate the public on what EO is and which companies around the state and in their local communities are employee owned. Report Employee Ownership of Businesses In New York State

LONGTIME CITY CONTRACTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO $1 MILLION INSURANCE FRAUD

 

Dragonetti Brothers Landscaping Paid $1.2 Million in Restitution, Barred from New York City Department of Design and Construction and New York City Business Integrity Commission Contracts for 3 Years

 Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”) Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber especially requiring oversight monitors, sends a clear message that companies cannot line their pockets at the expense of their employees.”announced the guilty pleas and sentencing of DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING, NURSERY, & FLORIST INC. (“DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING”), and D.B. DEMOLITION, INC. (“D.B. Demolition”), as well as their respective presidents NICHOLAS DRAGONETTI, 49, and VITO DRAGONETTI, 53, for evading more than $1 million in insurance premiums while working on City of New York contracts for sidewalk and road repair. 

 Corporate defendant DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING pleaded guilty to Insurance Fraud in the Second Degree. Corporate defendant D.B. DEMOLITION pleaded guilty to Insurance Fraud in the Second Degree. VITO and NICHOLAS DRAGONETTI each pleaded guilty to Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree.

 The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Construction Fraud Task Force and DOI led the joint investigation with assistance from the New York State Insurance Fund (“NYSIF”) and the New York City Business Integrity Commission (“BIC”).

 “Workers doing dangerous work should be afforded every protection possible, yet these city contractors misclassified their employees for financial gain. As a result, they put their workers at risk, while also undermining the integrity of the public bidding process,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This outcome, especially requiring oversight monitors, sends a clear message that companies cannot line their pockets at the expense of their employees.”

 “Dragonetti Landscaping, D.B. Demolition, and its principals placed workers' livelihoods in jeopardy to enrich themselves, pocketing more than $1 million in unpaid insurance premiums. As part of their guilty plea, the defendants have paid restitution to the New York State Insurance Fund and will be supervised by integrity monitors that report to DOI and BIC,” said DOI Commissioner Strauber. “DOI thanks the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, its Construction Fraud Task Force, and the City Business Integrity Commission for their commitment to pursuing unscrupulous businesses that seek to profit at the expense of workers on City projects.”

 “Holding companies accountable to regulatory standards, especially when a criminal case is involved, is crucial to ensuring public trust and safety,” said BIC Commissioner and Chair Elizabeth Crotty. “BIC is proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners at the Manhattan District Attorney, the City Department of Investigation and the New York State Insurance Fund on this investigation and we thank them for their hard work.”

 As part of this plea, the defendants have paid $1.2 million in restitution to NYSIF and have been debarred from all New York City Department of Design and Construction (“DDC”) and BIC contracts for the next three years. This means that any firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which it has a substantial interest (defined as at least ten percent of ownership) is ineligible to apply for or receive any contract or subcontract awarded by DDC and BIC.

 In addition, both companies have put a monitor in place to ensure good corporate citizenship/best practices going forward. DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING must pay for an integrity monitor that reports to DOI and BIC. As a result of that monitorship, the company instituted remedial measures that include barring VITO and NICHOLAS DRAGONETTI or any entities they own from working on DDC projects, establishing a code of conduct and training employees on it, and moving their company to a new facility that is not owned by DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING or its affiliates.

 For three years, the monitor, under DOI and BIC management, will oversee the company's operations, making sure, among other things, it adheres to all the remedial measures, including instituting and training employees on a new code of conduct; creating a 24-hour hotline number to facilitate reporting of improper conduct; moving the shares of VITO AND NICHOLAS DRAGONETTI into a trust; naming a new Managing Director for DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING; and hiring a worker’s compensation premium expert to ensure the correct premiums are paid.

insurance classification Since 1998, DRAGONETTI BROTHERS has secured more than a hundred New York City contracts for park landscaping and maintenance, as well as for sidewalk reconstruction and pedestrian crosswalk ramp construction. Sidewalk and ramp construction workers have higher-risk jobs that include using heavy machinery to demolish and replace pavement and ramps, and accordingly, a higher workers’ compensation.

 DRAGONETTI BROTHERS bid on and won contracts for excavation, sidewalk reconstruction, and pedestrian ramp replacement for residential blocks throughout the City totaling millions of dollars, and falsely classified 217 laborers, foremen, and heavy-equipment operators as florists, office workers, or sales representatives.

 DRAGONETTI BROTHERS evaded more than $1.1 million in insurance premiums between 2017 and 2019 by intentionally misclassifying numerous employees on its applications to NYSIF for workers’ compensation insurance in order to avoid paying required premiums.

 During the same time period, D.B. DEMOLITION evaded more than $81,000 in insurance premiums by also misclassifying several workers in NYSIF paperwork, claiming the individuals were office workers while simultaneously listing them as commercial drivers in paperwork filed with BIC, the agency that oversees the private carting industry in New York City.

 Workers are encouraged to send tips related to wage theft, fraud, and safety lapses in the construction industry directly to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Construction Fraud Task Force through text or WhatsApp at (646) 712-0298. Workers can send tips anonymously, in any language, and regardless of immigration status.

NYC Schools Face Funding Shortfalls As They Step Up to Meet Needs of Migrant Students

 

Comptroller estimates DOE should allocate at least $34M in FSF to enroll migrant students at individual NYC schools, many of which saw budget cuts this year

New York City School Chancellor David Banks gave an update today on the Department of Education’s efforts to welcome newly arrived immigrant children. The NYC School system has enrolled more than 5,500 new migrant students, and is working to provide transportation, food, language assistance, and mental health services to these new students.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement regarding the support needed for individual schools to be able to serve the new students joining their classrooms:

“In the past several months more than 19,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, including 5,500 students who entered the public school system. These children – who have little English proficiency, varying degrees of grade level readiness, possible special education needs, and extreme trauma to overcome – need extensive academic and social emotional support. Chancellor Banks, the NYC Department of Education, parent volunteers, and the dedicated education professionals in our schools deserve praise for working hard to welcome them with open arms and rising to this challenge.

“In order to meet the needs of these students and schools, my office estimates that NYC Schools need at least $34 million in Fair Student Funding.

“Yet this year, over three-quarters of public schools experienced nearly half a billion dollars in Fair Student Funding cuts that caused loss of staff and programming. Schools where enrollment exceeded DOE projections this fall are already operating at a deficit of staff, and now face even greater shortfalls as they take in new students who they were not budgeted to support.

“The Department of Education must move swiftly to provide schools with the necessary funding to support students from migrant families. We cannot wait until the mid-year budget adjustments to begin to hire the staff needed at schools that are seeing entire classes of new students arrive.

“Schools doing this critical work to embrace these new students cannot stretch their current resources until federal funding arrives. The City should immediately allocate $34 million of Fair Student Funding to enable principals to staff up to serve their new students.”

BACKGROUND:

The Comptroller’s office’s new analysis finds that DOE would need to allocate at least $34 million in Fair Student Funding (FSF) to schools to support these new students. This $34 million does not include the estimated $10 million in programmatic funding needed for Universal Pre-K and 3K seats for newly enrolled students or the funding that might be needed for children with disabilities who likely do not have IEPs, which could represent up to $5 million more once they are evaluated.

At the individual school level, PS 124 in Brooklyn, located across the street from two family shelters, budgeted for 215 students, yet has more than 35 new migrant students as of this month. We estimate PS 124 should receive at least $223,000 in additional FSF for their new students. So far the school has only received an additional temporary guidance counselor, but no new funding or bilingual teachers or staff.

PS 16 in District 11 (where the Chancellor visited today) received a psychologist intern, an ENL teacher, and district level supports, such as an extra Students in Temporary Housing (STH) coordinator, support from the Office of Food & Nutrition Services, and language access support from the Family and Community Empowerment team (FACE). PS 16 is operating out of its FY 2023 FSF budget allocated in June – which was cut nearly $90,000 from the previous fiscal year based on our analysis.

The Comptroller’s FY 2023 Schools budget analysis is available here.

Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Strengthening Support Network for LGBTQ Older New Yorkers

 Legislation (S.78-A/A.7855) Clarifies the Federal Older Americans Act Phrase "Greatest Social Need" To Strengthen State Service Programs for LGBTQ Older Adults Lacking in Traditional Sources of Support and Caregiving

 Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation (S.78-A/A.7855) that amends the program administered by New York State's Office for the Aging to support older New Yorkers. This law clarifies that the Older Americans Act of 1965, which directs funding and services based on "greatest social need", includes consideration of barriers or isolation caused by racial and ethnic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status. These factors are non-economic factors that can impact an older adult's ability to perform normal daily tasks and this bill will ensure that these factors are used to direct services to support each individual's capacity to live independently.

"As Governor, one of my top priorities is making sure all New Yorkers receive the care and help they need regardless of their identity," Governor Hochul said. "There is drastic inequity in physical and mental care for older adults in the LGBTQ community, and this legislation is an important step in addressing those inequities while helping ensure LGBTQ older New Yorkers receive the same respect and support as anyone else in the state."

Currently, Federal law requires that state plans that administer Older Americans Act (OAA) programs and services target populations in rural areas, with several disabilities, with limited English proficiency, with Alzheimer's and related disorders, those at risk for institutional placement, those with the greatest economic need, and those with the greatest social need.

According to SAGE, (Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders), LGBTQ older adults often lack traditional sources of support and caregiving, tend to have poorer physical and mental health and higher rates of poverty than their non-LGBTQ counterparts, and face pronounced cultural and social isolation as a result of decades-long experience of real and perceived discrimination.

The federal OAA of 1965 does not explicitly include LGBTQ older adults in its guidance. Through the law's guidance, states can include LGBTQ older adults in their state plans for administering OAA programs and services, and this legislation will codify their inclusion, as well as include older adults living with HIV as populations of "greatest social need" in New York State's Elder Law. New York will join other states that already recognize the unique social needs of this population such as California and Illinois, and it will ensure that New York State is providing LGBTQ older adults with the services and supports that they need as they age.

Father-And-Son Owners Of Orange County Car Dealership Sentenced For Fraud

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SAAED MOSLEM and his father MEHDI MOSLEM were sentenced to 96 months in prison and 40 months in prison, respectively, for defrauding their lenders and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).  The defendants were previously found guilty of multiple offenses following a two-and-a-half-week jury trial in June 2021.  U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel imposed the sentence in White Plains federal court.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “This father and son duo spent nearly a decade lying about their finances to get millions of dollars in fraudulent loans while hiding their income from the IRS and, in Saaed Moslem’s case, evading his creditors through a fraudulent bankruptcy filing.  Today’s sentences send a strong message that perpetrators of fraud will be held accountable and brought to justice for their actions.”

According to statements in the Indictment, evidence presented at trial and sentencing, other public filings, and statements in court:

From 2009 through 2018, MEHDI MOSLEM and SAAED MOSLEM conspired to defraud the United States by concealing profits relating to their car dealership, Exclusive Motor Sports, and other businesses from the IRS.  To falsely lower their business income, MEHDI MOSLEM and SAAED MOSLEM, among other things, caused their accountant to prepare partnership tax returns that significantly understated Exclusive Motor Sports’ inventory.  The fraudulent business income figures passed through to MEHDI MOSLEM’s and SAAED MOSLEM’s personal tax returns, contributing to a nearly $1 million underpayment in federal and state taxes. 

From 2011 through 2019, MEHDI MOSLEM and SAAED MOSLEM also conspired to commit bank fraud by providing falsely inflated net worth statements and fabricated tax returns in connection with loan applications, including for a $1.5 million mortgage on the Exclusive Motor Sports property in Central Valley.  SAAED MOSLEM then made numerous false statements to conceal his assets from financial institutions and other creditors when he filed for bankruptcy in 2015.  As a result, more than half a million dollars of unsecured debt was fraudulently discharged in the proceedings.  In 2019, SAAED MOSLEM committed aggravated identity theft by using a customer’s personal identifying information in connection with a fraudulent car loan application.

In addition to their prison terms, MEHDI MOSLEM, 73, and SAAED MOSLEM, 39, both of Central Valley, New York, were sentenced to three years of supervised release.  MEHDI MOSLEM was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,040,685.58 and a $100,000 fine.  SAAED MOSLEM was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1,927,303.25 and a $200,000 fine.

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI and IRS-CI.

MAYOR ADAMS SIGNS TWO BILLS TO PROMOTE BROAD-BASED ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN NYC

Intro. 116 Will Create One-Stop Shop Business Portal, Fulfilling Key Item in Mayor’s Economic Blueprint

 

Intro. 383 Will Increase Frequency and Timeliness of Data Reporting on Commercial Vacancies 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed two bills to promote a broad-based, equitable economic recovery in New York City. One of the bills — Intro. 116 — fulfills a key commitment from the mayor’s “Renew, Rebuild, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” to create an “NYC Business Portal” that will offer all required applications, permits, licenses, and other documentation needed to open and operate a business in the city on a single, user-friendly digital interface.

 

“For too long, the boulder of bureaucracy has gotten in the way of working New Yorkers and small business owners,” said Mayor Adams. “Small businesses are driving our recovery, and we want to make it easier for New Yorkers to set up shop across the five boroughs. With the signing of these two bills, we will ensure we are serving our small business community better through a one-stop shop portal to help them open and operate their businesses and by keeping better data on commercial vacancies in our city. Promises made, promises kept.”

 

Intro. 116 — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Julie Menin — would require the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to create a “One-Stop Shop NYC Business Portal,” that would offer all applications, permits, licenses, and related documentation needed to open and operate a small business in the city in a single, easily accessible, and easy-to-navigate location. A user could submit and check on the status of applications, permits, and licenses through this portal as well as settle or pay any outstanding balances on notices of violation. The SBS commissioner also must review the effectiveness and efficiency of the portal every three years, including through a survey of participating small businesses.

 

The administration committed to building a one-stop-shop Business Portal in its economic recovery blueprint, allowing every business in New York City to execute and track all interactions with the city in real time. The portal will ensure greater accessibility and transparency, enable more predictability of processing times, and facilitate compliance with city rules and regulations. The buildout of the portal is underway, with SBS, the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation, and the Mayor’s Office of Efficiency spearheading an interagency taskforce earlier this year.

 

Intro. 383 — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer — would require that supplemental registration statements for commercial properties be filed by August 15 (for the period from January 1 through June 30) and February 15 (for the period from July 1 through December 31) each year, rather than a single filing on June 30, as required under current law. Supplemental registration statements would be required for any property that is vacant at the end of a given reporting period. It would also require that the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) release this supplemental registration statement data within 60 days of the reporting deadline, compared to within six months under current law. The bill’s goal is to increase the frequency and timeliness of reported data on commercial vacancies in the city.

 

“Re-envisioning the use of vacant commercial properties is critical to bringing our city’s economy back and building an equitable future,” said First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo. “But to manage it, you have to measure it. Intro. 383 will help us do just that, by providing more timely data on commercial vacancies that can help inform decision-making going forward.”

 

“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, and so many of them continue to struggle as our city recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “Through the new ‘One-Stop Shop NYC Business Portal,’ we will clear away bureaucratic obstacles for small business owners, allowing them to focus their time and energy on growing their core business.”