Owner and Employees of the Sayville Motor Lodge Indicted for Sex Trafficking and Managing a Drug Premises

 

Defendants Conspired to Traffic Women, Including a Minor

 An indictment was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip charging Narendarakuma Dadarwala, his wife Shardaben Dadarwala, their son Jigar Dadarwala, Ashokbhai Patel, and Himanshu, Inc. d/b/a Sayville Motor Lodge with sex trafficking conspiracy.  The Dadarwalas, Patel, and Himanshu, Inc. are also charged with managing a drug premises, and Narendarakuma Dadarwala is charged with distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses.  Patel was arrested in Nebraska and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.  The other defendants were arrested and will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Lee G. Dunst. A fifth co-conspirator remains at large.

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

“As alleged, the defendants made the Sayville Motor Lodge a money-making refuge for prostitution and narcotics trafficking, and a blight on the surrounding community,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “With these arrests, we send a clear message that our Office will prosecute those who use motels or any other venue as their base of operations for trafficking human beings and drugs.”

Mr. Peace also thanked the United States Marshal Service, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, United States Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance.

“We allege the owner and employees of the Sayville Motor Lodge looked the other way when pimps trafficked human beings in their hotel. More egregiously, we allege they took money from those pimps and drug dealers, who beat and abused the women involved in front of them. Other hotel owners who operate in a similar fashion should take heed, we will hold them accountable for their actions in allowing sex trafficking to take place in their establishments. We're asking anyone who is a victim of human trafficking, or believes they know of someone who is, to call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI," stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

 “From the outside, the Sayville Motor Lodge appeared to be a typical roadside motel, but in reality, there was far more than just overnight stays occurring there,” stated SCPD Commissioner Harrison.  “The owners and employees facilitated sex trafficking and drug sales for financial gain at the expense of women, including a minor. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who exploit victims of human trafficking and will continue to help these victims receive the services they need to get their lives back on track.”

“These defendants are alleged to have not only knowingly allowed criminal behavior to run rampant at the Motor Inn for years, they also financially benefited from these same illegal activities directly through kickbacks," stated District Attorney Tierney. "Thanks to our partnership with U.S. Attorney Breon Peace and the Suffolk County Police Department, this blight on the community will no longer be open for illicit business.”

As set forth in court filings, the Dadarwalas have owned and operated the Sayville Motor Lodge since approximately 1984.  They reside and work at the motel.  From 2017 to 2019, Ashokai Patel was employed and also lived there.  The Dadarwalas and Patel facilitated the criminal activity at the Sayville Motor Lodge and profited from the prostitution and narcotics activity that routinely took place there.  Specifically, the Dadarwalas and Patel conspired with traffickers.  They exercised control over room rentals and booked dates and set room rates for commercial sex.  They were aware that women engaged in prostitution, including at least one minor trafficking victim.  They warned traffickers and women engaged in prostitution when law enforcement was on the premises and observed traffickers inflict physical violence on their victims and customers. They also financially benefited from the commercial sex activity at the Sayville Motor Lodge.  The traffickers, sex workers, and drug dealers at the Sayville Motor Lodge frequently interacted with the staff and called Narendarakuma Dadarwala “Dad” and “Pa” and Shardaben Dadarwala “Mom” and “Ma.”

From approximately 2014 until 2018, an unapprehended co-conspirator allegedly operated his sex trafficking business out of the Sayville Motor Lodge, in coordination with the Dadarwalas and Patel.  The co-conspirator trafficked several women out of the motel, including a minor, and routinely subjected the women who worked for him to physical violence.  In furtherance of his operation, the co-conspirator kept the women who worked for him addicted to drugs and introduced them to prostitution in exchange for drugs, posted ads on the internet and set rates for commercial sex acts, confiscated proceeds from prostitution, and mentally and physically abused the women and minors who worked for him.

In addition, from 2014 to the present, the Dadarwalas, Patel, and Himanshu, Inc. profited from the narcotics trafficking that was conducted openly on Sayville Motor Lodge property.  The defendants allowed customers to freely use drugs, including heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, in plain view and in motel rooms.  Much like the traffickers, drug dealers paid the Sayville defendants for the privilege of selling drugs at the Sayville Motor Lodge.  Narendarakuma Dadarwala wired funds from the rental of rooms for prostitution and narcotics trafficking to his son and Patel.

Further, as set forth in the indictment, the government is seeking to forfeit the Sayville Motor Lodge.  To ensure the property is preserved for forfeiture, the United States has obtained an order restraining the defendants from transferring, encumbering or operating the Sayville Motor Lodge in violation of law.

If convicted, the defendants each face a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment on the sex trafficking charge.  Jigar Dadarwala, Narendarakuma Dadarwala, Shardaben Dadarwala and Ashokai Patel face up to 20 years for the managing a drug premises charge; and Narendarakuma Dadarwala faces up to 5 years on distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses charge.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

If you were a victim, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Attorney General James Sues Fraudulent Brooklyn Property Owner for Cheating Immigrant Families

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Xi Hui “Steven” Wu, his ex-wife Xiao Rong Yang, and his companies TCJ Construction Inc. (TCJ Construction) and 345 Ovington LLC for taking advantage of at least 20 Chinese immigrants and their families by illegally selling them non-existent condominiums in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and collecting fraudulent monthly “mortgage” payments and building fees totaling more than $5 million. Wu never provided the purchasers with deeds to the condos they bought from his company and used their deposits and monthly payments for his own personal expenses, rather than holding the funds in segregated escrow accounts as required by law. In the lawsuit filed today, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) seeks to recover all the money stolen from the families and permanently ban Wu, Yang, and his companies from conducting real estate business in New York state.

“Steven Wu took advantage of hardworking immigrants and sold them and their families a lie,” said Attorney General James. “He earned their trust as a pillar of the community only to exploit it and steal their life’s savings. These families were cheated out of their livelihoods, so we’re taking action to ensure they get their money back.”

In January 2013, Wu submitted an offering plan to OAG for a new construction 25-unit condo building at 345 Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The offering plan and subsequent effectiveness amendment were filed with OAG at the time, but Wu never filed the necessary paperwork with the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) to make the building a condo. As a result, DOF never subdivided the building into separate tax lots, and no separate deeds were created to transfer individual condo units to purchasers.

Though he could not legally transfer the titles to individual condo units in the building, Wu nevertheless proceeded to “sell” condo units to at least 20 immigrant families in the community who subsequently moved into the property. These purchasers knew and trusted Wu because of his role as a wealthy developer in the neighborhood, and in lieu of formal contracts, many signed just single-page agreements prepared in Chinese before paying Wu for what they believed to be a home of their own. In reality, there were no homes to sell, and the families paid Wu in exchange for nothing. Many residents of 345 Ovington Avenue believed they were condo unit owners, but Wu never legally transferred a title to a unit to any purchaser. He couldn’t have, because a legal condo was never created.

In addition to collecting down payments — and in some cases, full payments — from the families, Wu also collected monthly residential mortgage payments from many of the residents who did not pay for their units in full. Nearly all of the residents were also making monthly payments to Wu, which they believed to be monthly condominium common charges. However, because no condominium actually existed, these payments were essentially direct payments to Wu. 

Over the years, Wu cheated at least 20 families out of their life’s savings, totaling more than $5 million, none of which went to purchasing their units. Instead, Wu used the money for other expenses, including payments on loans against the building and building construction.

Wu has repeatedly lied and fabricated documents in an effort to avoid enforcement. For example, when OAG questioned the legitimacy of the purchase agreements used to declare the offering plan effective, Wu submitted the single-page “purchase agreements” and documentation of individual escrow accounts, each holding a $5,000 deposit purportedly paid by the purchasers, as proof of the validity of the sales. However, OAG has since uncovered that Wu personally funded those escrow accounts to represent the deposits received but kept the purchasers’ additional down payments and never deposited those funds into escrow accounts as required by law. 

The OAG’s investigation revealed Wu’s ex-wife Xiao Rong Yang was closely involved in executing Wu’s scheme, and their deception continues to this day, violating OAG regulations, the Martin Act, Rent Stabilization laws, and New York State Executive Law. Shimon Avrahami, Yechiel Shimon Sprei, and John Does #1 to #10 are named as relief defendants in the lawsuit, as they may have a financial interest in 345 Ovington but are not accused of wrongdoing.

With this lawsuit filed today, OAG aims to compel full disgorgement of all stolen and illegally obtained funds to be returned to the families Wu cheated, and to permanently bar Wu, Yang, and all defendants from offering or selling real estate in New York.

Recently, Wu’s lender, from which he borrowed $5.8 million to develop the building, began foreclosure proceedings and residents were faced with possible eviction. A group of the purchasers Wu stole from then forced 345 Ovington LLC into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Eastern District of New York, which paused the foreclosure. The OAG has appeared in these proceedings. Bankruptcy court may prove to be an opportunity to negotiate with Wu’s creditors to assist the defrauded residents and return the money they lost. 

Former Rikers Correction Officer Sentenced To More Than Two Years In Prison For Taking Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RASHAWN ASSANAH was sentenced today to 27 months in prison and more than $18,000 in financial penalties for taking bribes from inmates to smuggle contraband into a Rikers Island facility.  ASSANAH previously was arrested on May 26, 2021, and later pled guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges.  United States District Judge Colleen McMahon imposed today’s sentence. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Rashawn Assanah violated his oath to protect inmates in his care when he accepted cash bribes to smuggle dangerous contraband into Rikers Island.  That conduct was outrageous and unacceptable.  His prison sentence should send a clear message to any correction officer who may be tempted to smuggle contraband to inmates: this is a serious crime that leads to serious jail time.”

As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and statements made in public proceedings:

RASHAWN ASSANAH abused his position as a correction officer to smuggle contraband, including cigarettes, K2, and a weapon, into the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island in return for over $7,500 in bribes from at least in or about November 2020 up through and including in or about February 2021.

Following ASSANAH’s guilty plea and before sentencing, and in order to adjourn his sentencing, ASSANAH lied to the court by claiming to have cancer and be undergoing chemotherapy — even submitting a forged note from a doctor who does not exist to substantiate his bogus claims. 

ASSANAH, 26, of Queens, New York, pled guilty on October 22, 2021, to one count of conspiracy to commit federal crimes and one count of federal program bribery.  In addition to his prison term, ASSANAH was sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $7,500.00, and directed to pay $10,935.60 in restitution to the New York City Department of Correction. 

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.

RALLY WITH LEE ZELDIN IN THE BRONX

 

You should know that this Friday, November 4th at 11:30 A.M. on Fordham Road and Grand Concourse there will be a Political Rally in favor of Congressman Lee Zeldin, Republican Candidate for New York State Governor.

Many Democrats will be present to show our support to Lee Zeldin. We will lift our voices, to show that as Democrats we are sick and tired of the chaotic conditions that our State is in. On this day we Democrats, will rally and join the Republicans, Conservatives and we the people, will unite to say that we have had Enough of the chaos that has been created by the Democrat Party!  

 

I am Reverend Ruben Diaz, and This Is What You Should Know.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE DEFENDS THE ‘RIGHT TO RECORD’ POLICE ACTIVITY IN NEW COURT FILING

 

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams defended the right to record police activity in all public spaces, and his 2020 law codifying that right, as part of a new court filing in support of an ongoing suit against the New York City Police Department. His office, together with LatinoJustice PRLDEF, filed an amici brief with United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday in support of plaintiff Patricia Rodney and her right to record and in opposition to the City’s motion to dismiss the case.

Patricia Rodney was 61 years old in December 2020 when she was forcibly detained, and her arm broken, after saying she would record officer activity while in the vestibule, a public space at the 62nd precinct. Rodney was attempting to obtain a police report for her lost glucometer – essential medical equipment for diabetics.

As part of the brief, Public Advocate Williams included a declaration that the Right to Record Act, which codifies New Yorkers’ ability to document police actions, supersedes the unlawful ‘No Recording Policy’ which the NYPD has in place to prevent recording within police precincts.

“I intended and expected that passage of the [Right to Record Act] would supersede the NYPD No Recording Policy and prohibit police officers from impeding recording in public spaces, including such spaces within police precincts,” said Public Advocate Williams in his declaration. “...In addition, I envisioned that a more robust protection of a citizen’s right to record would address past concerns of police violence in our communities by shifting power differentials between police officers and the communities they police… I also trusted and continue to believe that the affirmative defenses we placed into the bill struck a balance that would ensure the safety of police officers, while also ensuring the civil liberties of our fellow New Yorkers.”

The Public Advocate argues that recording law enforcement is one the most powerful, effective ways to hold officers accountable for and prevent misconduct; that the Right to Record Act was designed to present officer interference with that recording in public spaces; and that public spaces such as vestibules within precincts are no exception to the law. 

“The NYPD and its lawyers tend to litigate cases like this one – where video shows them brutalizing citizens for no reason – by demanding judges believe police, and not their own lying eyes,” said J. Remy Green, lead lawyer for plaintiff Patricia Rodney. “Faced with that, it's hard to understate the value of having government officials like Public Advocate Williams speaking up for the truth and for accountability – and it shows that a better world is possible and we don't have to settle for a government that lies to us."  

“Recording officers is the best way to hold them accountable,” said Andrew Case, LatinoJustice Senior Counsel. “The NYPD decided on a whim to deny people the right to record police activity, even after the city council passed the Right to Record Act. LatinoJustice hopes the court will recognize that the NYPD should not be allowed to interfere with this right."

The right to safely document members of the NYPD is essential for transparency, accountability, and fairness for everyone in New York City. The Right to Record Act codified into local law a person's right to record New York City police officers or peace officers acting in their official capacity, while not interfering with police activity. The legislation originally came after a number of prominent instances when civilians' right to record was deliberately infringed, and was enacted in the wake of the protests after George Floyd’s death on camera.

Read the full brief, including the Public Advocate’s declaration, here. A pre-settlement conference call will be held tomorrow, November 3, 2022.

Recidivist Fraudster Convicted At Trial Of Over $10 Million COVID-19 Loan Fraud Scheme

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that earlier today a federal jury found ADEDAYO ILORI guilty of all six counts of an Indictment for his participation in a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $10 million in government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The defendant was found guilty following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.  The jury further found that ILORI committed these crimes while on pretrial release.  Sentencing is currently scheduled for January 31, 2023, before Judge Vyskocil.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Adedayo Ilori used the stolen identities of innocent victims to steal Government money that was set aside to help small businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Ilori illegally profited from a national emergency.  Making matters worse, he did so while on pretrial release in another serious criminal case brought by this Office.  Thanks to the hard work of the Department of Justice-Office of Inspector General and the career prosecutors in this Office, a unanimous jury has found Ilori guilty of committing another fraud scheme.”

According to the Superseding Indictment and the evidence presented at trial:

From at least in or about August 2020 through at least in or about October 2021, ILORI and his co-defendant, Chris Recamier, engaged in a rampant COVID-19 loan fraud scheme.  Utilizing false identities, sham tax records, and corporate documents, ILORI and Recamier successfully obtained more than $1 million and attempted to obtain more than $10 million through two loan programs of the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the Paycheck Protection Program ( “PPP”) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) Program.  In particular, ILORI and Recamier applied for 14 PPP and EIDL loans.  In applying for these loans, ILORI and Recamier claimed stolen identities of third parties and claimed full control of a number of companies, which they purported, cumulatively, employed more than 200 people and paid monthly salaries of more than $3.2 million in wages.  In reality, they did not operate these companies.  In submitting these applications, ILORI and Recamier, among other things, submitted falsified tax documents which were never actually filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

ILORI and Recamier transferred the majority of these stolen government funds toward cryptocurrency investments, the purchase of stocks, cash withdrawals, and personal expenses, including leasing luxury apartments and a Mercedes.  The investment accounts were also opened by ILORI and Recamier in the stolen identities of third parties.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the SBA’s PPP.  Pursuant to the CARES Act, the amount of PPP funds a business is eligible to receive is determined by the number of employees employed by the business and their average payroll costs.  Businesses applying for a PPP loan must provide documentation to confirm that they have previously paid employees the compensation represented in the loan application.  The CARES Act also expanded the separate EIDL Program, which provides small businesses with low-interest loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing due to COVID-19.  To qualify for an EIDL loan under the CARES Act, the applicant must have suffered “substantial economic injury” from COVID-19.

ILORI committed these offenses while facing charges in a separate case filed in the Southern District of New York involving fraud, identity theft, and money laundering in United States v. Ilori, 20 Cr 378 (LJL).  As part of that case, ILORI was sentenced on March 3, 2022, to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in connection with a commercial loan fraud and bank bribery scheme.

ILORI, 43, of Queens, New York, was convicted of: (1) major fraud against the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (2) conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison; (3) wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison; (4) bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison; (5) aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison; and (6) conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentences in this case, which are increased by the jury’s finding that these crimes were committed while ILORI was on pretrial release, are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

ILORI’s co-defendant, Chris Recamier, 59, of New York, New York, previously pled guilty to major fraud against the United States and was sentenced on October 17, 2022, by Judge Vyskocil to nine years in prison.

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the DOJ-OIG.  Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Aviation Administration for their assistance in this investigation.

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) - Keep It In Fiction opens November 3rd at BRAC Gallery

 

Molly Goldfarb, Santa Hey, 2018, digital painting, ed of 5, 30 x 61 inches

Bronx River Art Center Presents Keep It In Fiction A study of the different fictional narratives artists create in their work November 3-December 10, 2022 Opening Reception: Thursday November 3, 2022 6:30-9pm Curated by Stephanie Young Artists: Marcy Brafman, Jason Bryant, Jennifer Deppe Parker, Molly Goldfarb, Sally Jerome, Kerry Lessard, Marianne Petit, Zoia Skorodapenko, Mark Torres, Chao Wang, Natalie Collette Wood Bronx River Art Center is pleased to announce an exhibition that explores how artists disguise truth with fiction in order to arrive at a number of different conclusions. Through visual explorations artists seek out unlimited possibilities to distort reality in order to cope, reinvent, or escape their daily realities. Through art we can engage in a fictional form of truth. The eleven artists chosen for "Keep It In Fiction" will present narrative inspired work that range in media from paper and book arts, sculpture, prints, paintings and digital media. To expand the exhibition's intent each artist created a narrative excerpt, poem or video to accompany the pieces.

Click Here to RSVP for Opening Reception

Marianne Petit, The Story of the Man Who Went Out Hunting, 2014, Eleven paper cuts mounted on Canson watercolor paper, with Cover and Text pages (13 pages total) in handmade box, 9 x 13.25 inches, edition of 30,

"This is the man that shoots the hares: this is the coat he always wears: with game-bag, powder-horn, and gun he's going out to have some fun." This excerpt is from the classic German Struwwelpeter Fairy tale "The Story of the Wild Huntsman", a cautionary tale of tables reversed where animal becomes hunter and the hunter hunted. Throughout history artists have essentially disguised truth with fiction in order to arrive at perhaps a more accurate truth, one loaded with nuances. Struwwelpeter opted to create with the notion that it would teach young children important life lessons. He used the fairy tale format to get his ideas across. For this show Marianne Petit presents her version of Stuwwelpeter's fairytale ("The Man Who Went Out Hunting") represented in nine paper cuts that are presented in its entirety. This excerpt is from the classic German Struwwelpeter Fairy tale "The Story of the Wild Huntsman", a cautionary tale of tables reversed where animal becomes hunter and the hunter hunted. Throughout history artists have essentially disguised truth with fiction in order to arrive at perhaps a more accurate truth, one loaded with nuances. Struwwelpeter opted to create with the notion that it would teach young children important life lessons. He used the fairy tale format to get his ideas across. For this show Marianne Petit presents her version of Stuwwelpeter's fairytale ("The Man Who Went Out Hunting") represented in nine paper cuts that are presented in its entirety. Sculptor Natalie Collette Wood chose a video to accompany her sculpture. She is known for chairs elaborately overgrown with vegetation that could be imagined to be found in the abandoned garden of a Mrs. Havisham (from Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations —1861). Her video "Dream Dance" depicts dancers overlaid with nature, their movements representative of the tangled and random foliage found growing on her chairs. Jennifer Deppe Parker chose to create a poem that puts her in the first person of a natural disaster. Her painting "Typhoon" is depicted as a black and white account that strips away the details and leaving only raw emotion. These excerpts, along with those of the other eight artists, are displayed alongside the art works in order to push the artist and the viewer out of their comfort zones and encourage them to create their own ideas about the works. The following events will be presented in conjunction with this exhibition. Artist Talk: Saturday November 19th, 5 - 6:30 PM Closing Holiday market/party Saturday Dec 10th , 6 - 9 PM Curator Stephanie Young is an independent publisher/curator working in New York City. She publishes Vellum Magazine (www.vellumartzine.com) and has curated shows throughout NYC and beyond. She was the Assistant Director at Central Booking NYC (2014-2017) which specializes in Artist’s Books and curates exhibitions furthering the intersection between science and art. For additional Information contact Gail Nathan, (718) 930-7861 BRAC Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 2 - 6 PM Saturday: 12 - 5 PM Entry is Free

Click Here to RSVP for Opening Reception

Kerry Lessard, Eric, 2020, oil on canvas 20 x 20 inches

Up to date proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all ages for entry to the gallery Attendees will also be required to be masked.

Hearing on NYC's Purchase of CSX Property - Wednesday, November 9th at 10 AM

 

Hearing on NYC's Purchase of CSX Property

Wednesday, November 9th at 10 AM

 

We are thrilled to announce that New York City will (finally!) purchase a section of property, currently owned by CSX, stretching from Van Cortlandt Park South to West 230th Street. The purchase of land will make it possible to extend the Putnam Greenway and implement the Daylighting of Tibbetts Brook, the largest green infrastructure project in New York City.

 

Learn more about the Daylighting Project.

Led by NYC Parks and NYC DEP, this momentous development has been decades in the making and could not have happened without the leadership of NYC Council Member Eric Dinowitz. Van Cortlandt Park Alliance's bold advocacy took the daylighting project above ground, instead of relegated to an underground pipe, as originally designed. Community Board 8 and Bronx Council for Environmental Quality have been essential, vocal supporters. 

 

The hearing is open to the public and will take place by conference call on November 9, 2022 at 10:00 am: Conference Call: 1-646-992- 2010, Access Code 717 876 299

 

You can submit written comments 2 days before the Real Property Hearing on 11/9. 

Please send your comments directly to Jacqueline Galory at jackie.galory@mocs.nyc.gov. 

If you decide to submit written comments, you must mention that the comments are related to the Real Property Public Hearing, Calendar#3 on November 9, 2022. 

 

CITYWIDE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES: PUBLIC HEARINGS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS PUBLIC HEARING, in accordance with Section 824 of the New York City Charter, will be held on November 9, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. via Conference Call No. 1-646-992- 2010, Access Code 717 876 299.

 

IN THE MATTER OF the acquisition of certain lots, parcels, or pieces of land, known as Block 3266, Lot 11, Block 3267, Lot 72, Block 3268, Lot 30, Block 3269, Lot 118, Block 3270, Lot 75, Block 3271, Lot 100 in the Borough of the Bronx (the “Property”), as shown on the tax map of the City of New York. The City is acquiring the Property, to facilitate the Department of Environmental Protection’s Tibbetts Brook Daylighting Project, and Department of Parks and Recreation’s Putnam Greenway Extension. 

The proposed acquisition was approved by the City Planning Commission, pursuant to NYC Charter Sections 197-c and 199 on January 5, 2011 (ULURP No. C 090196 MMX; Cal. No. 19). The proposed purchase price is $11,200,000.

 

Further information, including public inspection of the proposed contract of sale, may be obtained, at One Centre Street, Room 2000 North, New York, NY 10007. 

 

To schedule an inspection, please contact Jason Morris, at (212) 386-5083.  

 

If you need further accommodations, please let us know at least five business days in advance of the Public Hearing via email at DisabilityAffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or via phone at (212) 298-0734.