Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Coop-City Town Hall Meeting

 

Saturday Afternoon Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held her first Town Hall meeting in auditorium C of 177 Dreiser Loop in Coop-City near where her new Coop-City office is located in Room 3 of 177 Dreiser Loop. Hundreds of people were in attendance to see and hear their new congresswoman that redistricting had given them. Many in the audience were familiar with their new representative in congress, and most of them approved of the job she is doing.   

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's Town Hall meeting opened with a short welcoming by Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, and then the Congresswoman spoke about the SUV Crime Intervention unit at Jacobi Hospital where she was able to obtain $1.2 million dollars,  She continued saying that one million dollars was obtained for the overhaul of the Westchester Square area to make it safer for pedestrians, and while she was talking several people stood up in protest of the United States support of the war in the Ukraine. The protesters were escorted out of the auditorium.

As Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez continued she  spoke abut the Debt Ceiling, fighting cuts to programs such as Social Security and Medicare, new energy credits, and the removal of former President Trump's tax credits for the rich. When she got into the Question and Answer part of the Town Hall, she was interrupted  on the first question when a voice shouted out why she voted against the Infrastructure Bill in Congress, where she explained there was the promise of including much needed support for public housing such as NYCHA that was cut out from the bill.

To a question on the budget, the congresswoman answered that her opposition to the defense budget is because there i no accounting of how the money allocated is spent. As for the problems at Rikers Island she is in favor of federal receivership of the jail which she stressed is only a jail and not a prison. She mentioned a queens hospital where a new maternal health center was created with her getting federal funding with additional city funding to open the maternal health center, and when this reporter was able to ask the congresswoman if she would do the same thing at the empty building #2 at Jacobi Hospital in her district, her answer was a resounding yes because she knows of the problem that women in the Bronx have during pregnancy. After the Town Hall ended Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez met those who wanted to speak to her one on one. 

Congresswoman opened up her Town Hall meeting with ideas of how to deal with the Republican Majority in Congress now.

Shortly after she began several protesters of the U.S. support of Ukraine stood up with signs protesting, and were shortly escorted out of the crowded room.

The congresswoman then moved on to Key Facts on Immigration.

After speaking on some other subjects the congresswoman informed the audience where her new Coop-City office is, right in the same building where the Town Hall meeting was being held.

The Congresswoman then went into a Question and Answer period taking questions from the audience.

Before the first question could be asked there was another heckler from the back of the packed auditorium, who was quickly ejected by security. 

The congresswoman is asked a question about Social Security and Medicare, that was answered that she will not vote for any cuts to those programs.

Here the congresswoman is interviewed by News 12, and after the interview I was able to ask if she would support placing a Woman's Health, Birthing, and Wellness center in Building #2 at Jacobi Hospital in place of a potential parole home for detainees and inmates of Rikers Island. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said she would love to support a Woman's Health, Birthing, and Wellness Center in Building #2 at Jacobi Hospital which is in her district.

After the Town Hall and interviews Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez then answered individual questions members of the audience may of had. You can see one of the government agents watching to make sure there was no threats to the congresswoman.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES PLACEMENT OF NEW HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RELIEF CENTER

 

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal Will Open in Coming Weeks to Assist Single Adult Men Seeking Asylum

 

New York City Continues to Handle Unprecedented Crisis Almost Entirely on Its Own

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city will soon open a fifth Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to temporarily serve the continued influx of asylum seekers arriving in New York City. As the estimated number of asylum seekers that have arrived in the city since last spring surpasses at least 41,000, this humanitarian relief center will assist single adult men and provide them with a range of services, in addition to ensuring they can reach their desired destination, if not New York City, until it closes ahead of cruise season this spring. The humanitarian relief center at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will serve single adult men who will move from the Watson Hotel humanitarian relief center, in addition to other newly arriving adult men, as space permits. Once open, this site will serve approximately 1,000 asylum seekers and will offer the same services as adult men have been receiving at humanitarian relief centers, including on site medical, food, laundry, and reconnections. The Watson Hotel humanitarian relief center will transition to serve arriving families with children seeking asylum.

 

“With more than 41,000 asylum seekers arriving in New York City since last spring and nearly 28,000 asylum seekers currently in our care, our city is at its breaking point,” said Mayor Adams. “We continue to surpass both our moral and legal obligations and meet the needs of people arriving in New York, but as the number of asylum seekers continues to grow, we are in serious need of support from both our state and federal governments. This fifth Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will provide approximately 1,000 asylum seekers with a place to stay, access support, and get to their final destination.”

 

“We are and will continue to meet our obligations and serve all people seeking asylum with dignity and care,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Thank you to our team for compassionately executing this work at each of our sites across the city.” “Our strategy from day one has been to continuously reassess our response to this crisis and find creative solutions to care for asylum seekers upon their arrival here,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “As the numbers and demographics shift, so does our approach. What remains is our focus on addressing their needs, providing them with critical services, and ensuring a foundation is there for them to begin building their new lives.”

“As the demands of this humanitarian crisis evolve, New York City remains unwavering in our commitment to help those seeking asylum in our country,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “New York City has been a beacon of hope for generations of immigrants and is rising again to meet the moment. I am proud to support the unprecedented Adams administration response.”

“New York City will always remain a beacon of hope for those seeking a better life,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “The Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Center at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will aid asylum seekers as they transition into American society. Our team will continue to work with our partners to find alternative ways to support this humanitarian crisis.”

Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has taken fast and urgent action, managing the arrival of a rapidly increasing number of buses across New York City with virtually no coordination from states sending them — opening 77 hotels as emergency shelters and four other humanitarian relief centers already, standing up navigation centers to connect asylum seekers with critical resources, enrolling children in public schools through Project Open Arms, and more.

Queens Man Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Prize Notice Fraud Scheme

 

 Scott Gammon was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 36 months in prison for participating in a mass mailing scheme that tricked consumers into paying fees for falsely promised cash prizes. As part of the sentence, Gammon was also ordered to forfeit $139,611.97.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and Daniel B. Brubaker, Inspector-in-Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), announced the sentence.

“Financially exploiting the elderly and other victims through fraudulent prize schemes is a form of abuse and deserving of punishment as today’s sentence demonstrates,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “A term in prison should deter others from preying on the vulnerable.”

“Participants in fraud schemes face the prospect of federal prison,” stated Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Boynton. “The Department of Justice is committed to protecting elderly and vulnerable Americans and to prosecuting individuals who engage in such schemes.”

“This sentencing brings to a close the investigation of Mr. Gammon, who devised a fake prize promotion scheme designed to defraud older Americans and steal from those who believed they had won a prize.  Unfortunately, for those who participated, they realized too late that they had been swindled. When a prize did not materialize, and their money was not returned, they became victims. Postal Inspectors remind consumers to be ever vigilant and play an active role in protecting their money.  If you’re asked to pay for a prize you didn’t enter to win, it’s a scam,” stated USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Brubaker.

From August 2014 through August 2019, Gammon engaged in a direct-mail scheme that sent fraudulent prize notification mailings to thousands of consumers. The mailings induced consumers to pay a fee, purportedly in return for a large cash prize. None of the consumers who sent a fee ever received such a prize.  Co-defendants Christopher King and Natasha Khan also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and are awaiting sentencing.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Charles P. Kelly of the Eastern District of New York’s Long Island Criminal Division is prosecuting the case with Trial Attorneys Daniel Zytnick and Timothy Finley of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.  Assistant United States Attorney Tanisha Payne of the Eastern District’s Asset Recovery Section is handing forfeiture matters.

The department seeks to prevent the widespread losses seniors and other consumers suffer from fraud schemes.  The best method to prevent fraud is to share information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud, and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES: GENERAL MOTORS WILL INVEST OVER $68 MILLION AT ROCHESTER MANUFACTURING PLANT, BRINGING NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY COMPONENT PRODUCTION, FUELING REVIVAL OF FINGER LAKES AUTO INDUSTRY AND SUPERCHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLE FUTURE

 

Schumer Lead The Charge To Protect & Keep Rochester GM Plant Open When It Was On The Verge Of Closure After 2008 Auto Industry Crash And Fought Non-Stop Personally Calling On GM To Bring New Work To UAW Workers Of The Finger Lakes  

Now Electric Battery Components Built At GM Rochester Plant Will Help Power Future EV Production And Lead GM’s Transformation To All-Electric Cars

Schumer: New GM Investment Will Put Rochester Plant in ‘Driver’s Seat’, To Power America’s Electric Vehicle Future 

After fighting to save the Rochester plant from closure years ago, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced that following his push, General Motors will invest $68 million at their Rochester manufacturing plant for the production of electric vehicle battery components that will position the plant at the forefront of the rapidly growing electric vehicles market as well as for production of components for GM’s next-generation Gen6 V8 light duty truck engine. The represents the culmination of years of efforts by Schumer to bring new work to the Rochester GM facility, personally lobbying GM, and creating new federal incentives to spur electric vehicle production in America. Schumer said Rochester’s production facility will now be at the heart of GM’s transformation to all-electric and that this work will help sustain their nearly 750 workers for years to come.

 

“$68 million in new investment is about to supercharge Rochester’s GM facility, sparking the next generation of electric vehicle battery production right here in the Finger Lakes, and helping bring this historic manufacturing plant back to the future. This factory invented fuel injection and now Rochester workers will help power the future of electric cars in America,” said Senator Schumer. “I lead the charge to save the Rochester plant when it was on the verge of closure after the 2008 auto industry crash, and this investment will ensure its long term prosperity for years to come. This new EV battery component line will put this factory in the ‘driver’s seat’ to lead GM’s transformation to an all-electric future.”

 

Schumer added, “As majority leader, I am proud to have led the historic investments in EV production to help bring this industry back from overseas and I applaud GM for awarding this new work to Rochester.  Rochester’s powerhouse union workforce is second to none and I can think of no better team to lead the charge to fuel America’s future and the fight against climate change.”  

 

Dan Maloney President UAW local 1097 said, "The union represented workers at GM Rochester are grateful for the tenacious advocacy Senator Chuck Schumer brings to help secure a long-term future for our manufacturing facility. With his unyielding support for workers, good paying jobs, and New York businesses, we will maintain and grow our Upstate economy.   With Senator Schumer leading our political delegation, and keeping the focus on expanding job opportunities, I know our members and our community will prosper. "

The $68 million new investment in the Rochester facility will help put the plant at the center of GM’s transformation to all-electric while building critical components to support GM’s industry-leading truck business. Schumer explained that $56 million will help prepare the facility to build battery pack cooling lines for EV production and $12 million will be invested to prepare the facility to build intake manifolds and fuel rails for GM’s next-generation Gen6 V8 engine. Schumer said this new work to build new parts for both internal combustion and electric vehicles firmly positions Rochester at the heart of GM’s cutting-edge transformation by both helping lead GM’s transition to an all-electric future, while having the flexibility to support production of GM’s Gen6 V8 light duty truck engine manufacturing.  The new EV Battery Cooling Line components made in Rochester will be used for the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV and other upcoming EV vehicle releases.

GM’s Rochester facility currently employs nearly 750 workers, including 605 UAW Local 1097 Members.  GM has invested $174 million in Rochester since 2011, and nearly $770 million across their Western New York manufacturing plants in the same time period.

This announcement follows more than a decade of work by Schumer to keep the Rochester auto facility open and successful.  In 2009, following his support for the U.S. Auto Industry Rescue package,  Schumer led the charge to keep the Rochester plant open when it’s then-owner, Delphi, closed dozens of other plants as a result of its bankruptcy.  Dozens of other Delphi plants closed, but thanks to Schumer’s intervention Rochester was one of only a few plants that stayed in business.  Schumer ultimately succeeded in his push with the Obama Administration and GM  to have GM reacquire both the Rochester plant and the Lockport, NY plant from Delphi, thereby keeping these workers and plants in business and safe from closure.   Over the past several years in personal letters and calls to GM’s CEO, Schumer has advocated for GM to award new product lines to the Rochester facility and worked with Rep. Joe Morelle to make the case to GM to add new production in Rochester.

Schumer stressed he wants this to only be the beginning of new work building America’s electric vehicle future at UAW-staffed plants in the Finger Lakes and Western New York. Schumer noted that the growing need for electric vehicles should drive new investment at the neighboring GM facilities in Lockport and Tonawanda, as well as the Ford Stamping Plant in Blasdell. The senator just helped deliver a $154 million investment at the GM Lockport manufacturing facility last year for the production of electric motor components. Schumer stated that all four facilities are critical to Upstate New York’s economy and that he would do everything in his power to ensure their continued prosperity and connection to new opportunities in the fast-growing electric vehicle market.

 

Senator Schumer has long been leading the charge at the federal level to make electric vehicles affordable, and expand electric vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing in the U.S. In October 2019, Schumer unveiled his Clean Cars For America Climate Proposal to help accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century by making clean cars and charging infrastructure accessible and affordable to all Americans, all while investing in the domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles and batteries to ensure the U.S. leads the world in this industry. Schumer was able to realize many of these goals in groundbreaking Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in fighting climate change ever. The Inflation Reduction Act expands consumer tax credits for clean vehicle purchases by providing a new tax credit of $4,000 for the sale of used clean cars, a new tax credit of $7,500 for commercial clean vehicles, and expanded tax credits of up to $7,500 for purchasers of certain new clean vehicles that meet domestic content and critical mineral content requirements that scale over time, as well as specifications on the cost of the vehicle and its final assembly. The law also includes incentives for EV charger deployments and funding to retrofit existing manufacturing facilities to make clean vehicles. These tax credits are expected to create huge new market demand and are what have largely spurred companies like GM to double down on their production of clean electric vehicles making investments like this possible.

Additionally, in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, that Schumer led to passage, he successfully secured $7.5 billion to build out a national network of EV chargers, including $175 million for New York, that will put America on the path to a convenient and equitable network of 500,000 chargers across the country. This investment by the federal government is key to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles; making electric vehicles and the infrastructure they rely on more accessible to all Americans.

The GM Rochester Facility on Lexington Avenue opened in 1939 has produced the highest quality fuel systems and emission control devices for General Motors for over 80 years.   Schumer praised GM for its foresight in locating this new production in Rochester and said GM’s employees at the Rochester plant are hard-working, productive and second to none.  Rochester’s GM Lexington Avenue Facility invented mechanical fuel injection for the automotive in the 1950's, quadrajet carburation in the 1960's, refined hydrogen fuel cell technology in the 1990's and made the world’s best direct injection systems for GM.  

Attorney General James Recovers Over $422,000 for Hundreds of Long Island Tenants Illegally Denied Security Deposits

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James today recovered more than $422,000 for hundreds of tenants whose security deposits were illegally withheld by Fairfield Properties (Fairfield), one of the largest residential property owners on Long Island. The real estate company illegally withheld full or partial security deposits without providing tenants with a written itemized list of deductions, inspected apartments without the tenant present, and did not allow tenants to make repairs before vacating their apartment to avoid penalties. As a result of today’s agreement, Fairfield must return security deposits that it illegally withheld to approximately 900 former tenants, including interest, and pay $90,000 in penalties. 

“New Yorkers shouldn’t have to worry that their landlord will illegally withhold money that belongs to them,” said Attorney General James. “Fairfield withheld thousands of dollars that belonged to hardworking people, and today, we are returning that money to tenants who were shortchanged. We will always go after landlords that violate the law and the rights of New Yorkers.” 

Fairfield owns and operates 196 rental buildings with 13,620 rental units in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) received complaints from tenants that Fairfield was withholding their security deposits, and after an investigation, OAG found that the real estate company routinely violated several housing and tenant protection laws. 

New York law requires landlords to provide an itemized list of any deductions on security deposits within 14 days or else a security deposit must be returned in full. Fairfield withheld full security deposits or returned partial deposits without providing tenants a written itemized list of deductions. New York law also requires landlords to give tenants written notice of their right to be present when the apartment is inspected and must allow tenants the opportunity to clean or fix anything that would be deducted from their security deposit. Fairfield routinely inspected apartments without the tenant present and did not give tenants the opportunity to make repairs or clean their apartment before vacating it.  

As a result of today’s agreement, Fairfield will return $422,598.21 back to 899 former tenants who had some or all of their security deposits withheld. Fairfield will contact former tenants and send them their checks. The company will also pay $90,000 in penalties to the state and will be required to provide reports to OAG about its compliance with this agreement. The company has agreed to comply with all laws regarding security deposits and must send certificates affirming their compliance every year or whenever requested by OAG for three years. They will also train current staff on correct security deposit procedures and will provide annual trainings in the future.  

“Enforcement by the New York Attorney General is the key to tenants’ rights actually being obeyed in the marketplace,” said Ian Wilder, Executive Director, Long Island Housing Services. “It is unfortunate that law enforcement is forced to step in to make sure that tenants are protected. As both a Fair Housing and HUD-certified Housing Counseling agency, we see that laws passed by the legislature to ensure that tenants are on equal footing with their landlords are often ignored. Tenants regularly find themselves without the resources to ensure that their rights are obeyed. We appreciate that the New York Attorney General stepped forward to protect our fellow Long Islanders.”

“We applaud Attorney General James for fighting to protect renters’ rights, a large portion of tenants across the region are young professionals, minorities, and millennials who work tirelessly to afford quality housing on Long Island,” said Dan Lloyd, Founder and President, Minority Millennials. “We should not have to stress about property owners taking advantage of us and pocketing our earnings.”

This agreement is part of Attorney General James’ ongoing efforts to protect tenants and hold bad landlords accountable. In December, Attorney General James barred a Queens property manager from locking tenants out of their homes. In November, she stopped real estate company Compass from denying housing to low-income New Yorkers. In October, Attorney General James and the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force announced a settlement with Greg Fournier and his real estate company, Greenbrook Holdings, for harassing tenants and engaging in unlawful practices in managing its buildings in Brooklyn. In September, Attorney General James secured $4 million from landlords after uncovering an illegal kickback scheme to deregulate apartments.

NYC Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough Presidents and 28 Council Members Urge President Biden and FEMA to Accelerate Aid to NYC for Asylum Seekers

 

Letter from a majority of NYC elected officials asks the federal government to fulfill “national obligation” toward asylum seekers

In a letter sent to President Joseph R. Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell earlier this week, organized by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a majority of New York City elected officials urged the federal government to accelerate funding to municipalities to support arriving asylum seekers. The elected officials pressed for the City of New York to get its due share of the $800 million in assistance for municipalities allocated by Congress to FEMA in December, under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Schumer, as well as other categorical grants.

The elected officials write:

“The right to flee persecution, and to seek asylum in another country, is a human right guaranteed under both international and U.S. law. Under those laws, guaranteeing that right is an obligation of the federal government. While New York City, as a city of immigrants that has thrived on the contributions of newcomers for more than 400 years, is proud to play a significant role in helping our nation meet that obligation, the costs of meeting this national obligation should be borne by the federal government.”

The letter also urged the federal government to move quickly to accelerate work authorization for recent arrivals, noting the significant backlogs in immigration courts that may mean years before those arriving in recent months can receive work permits.

Many of the signatories have repeatedly called for increased state and federal support in recent months. Comptroller Lander and Public Advocate Williams spoke with Senator Schumer about accelerating resources and work authorization for asylum seekers in October 2022. As part of the budget agreement in December, Senator Schumer negotiated changes to the structure of FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program to better enable cities like New York City to access these funds.

The letter, signed by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Borough Presidents Vanessa Gibson, Mark Levine, and Antonio Reynoso, and twenty-eight members of the City Council, is available here.

Lawrence Ray Sentenced For Years-Long Predatory Crimes Against Students At Sarah Lawrence College And Others

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LAWRENCE RAY, a/k/a “Lawrence Grecco,” received a sentence of 60 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, violent crime in aid of racketeering, extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, tax evasion, and money laundering offenses.  RAY was sentenced by United States District Judge Lewis J. Liman after being convicted at trial in April 2022.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Larry Ray is a monster.  For years, he inflicted brutal and lifelong harm on innocent victims.  Students who had their lives ahead of them.  He groomed them and abused them into submission for his own gain.  Through physical and psychological abuse, he took control over his victims’ minds and bodies and then extracted millions of dollars from them.  The sentence imposed today will ensure that Ray will never harm victims again.  I commend the brave victims who testified in Court in the face of incredible trauma.  I also thank the career prosecutors in this Office and our law enforcement partners who made the just conviction and sentence in this case possible.”

According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:

From in or about 2010 through the present, LAWRENCE RAY subjected a group of college students and other victims he met after moving into his daughter’s dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College to sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse.  RAY’s tactics included sleep deprivation, psychological and sexual humiliation, verbal abuse, threats of physical violence, physical violence, threats of criminal legal action, alienating the victims from their families, and exploiting the victims’ mental health vulnerabilities. 

Through this manipulation and abuse, RAY extracted false confessions from the victims to causing purported damages to RAY and his family and associates and then extorted payment for those purported damages through several means.  The victims made payments to RAY by draining their parents’ savings, opening credit lines, soliciting contributions from acquaintances, selling real estate ownership, and at RAY’s direction, performing unpaid labor for RAY and earning money through prostitution. 

Through fear, violence, and coercion, RAY forced one female victim to engage in commercial sex acts to pay damages to RAY that she did not actually owe.  Beginning when she was just a college student, RAY sexually groomed this victim and collected sexually explicit photographs and other personal information, which he then used to coerce her into continued commercial sex acts.  RAY also used physical violence.  On one occasion, RAY tied his victim to a chair, placed a plastic bag over her head, and nearly suffocated her.  RAY collected millions of dollars in forced prostitution proceeds from this victim.

In addition, RAY forced three female victims to perform unpaid labor on a family member’s property in North Carolina.  Through a course of psychological and physical abuse, RAY forced these three victims to do extensive physical labor, sometimes in the middle of the night, for no pay.

Associates of RAY helped RAY collect and transfer the criminal proceeds, which RAY shared with at least two associates.  RAY then laundered his criminal proceeds through an internet domain business and evaded paying taxes on his proceeds. 

At the sentencing today, Judge Liman underscored “the resiliency of the human spirit and the courage of the victims.”

In addition to the prison term, RAY, 63, of Piscataway, New Jersey, was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.  He was also ordered to forfeit $2,444,349, the proceeds from the sale of his GoDaddy portfolio, and the Pinehurst, North Carolina, residence where the forced labor took place.  Restitution will be decided by the Court within 90 days of today’s sentencing.

Mr. Williams praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.

RAY's co-defendant Isabella Pollok is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. 

Governor Hochul Recognizes First Responders and Community Heroes for Their Actions During December Blizzard

 

Governor Hochul: "For the rest of our lives we'll be grateful to all the firefighters and the snowmobile clubs and the citizens and the emergency personnel and the police and elected leaders and just the food banks - everybody who showed me that my pride in this community is so justified. This is an extraordinary community. You rose up, showed up when others hunkered down. You were there, Western New York. And I'm so proud to be your Governor."

 Good afternoon. I want to thank President Katherine Conway Turner for inviting us to her house. She has been an extraordinary leader during her tenure. I know we're supposed to say goodbye in a few months, but she's really left her mark on this institution and we're so proud as the Buffalo State University President that she's hosting us here today. Let's give President Conway Turner a round of applause.

Father Pat, thank you for reminding us of the presence of God in our daily lives, but also in times of crisis when some of us get down on our knees and pray to God for strength and courage because that is what God delivered to the people in this room. All of you had a show — unbelievable strength and courage and adversity, or you would not be sitting here today. So, thank you Father Pat. Let's give him a round of applause. Kimera Lattimore, thank you for saying the Lord's Prayer in a way that I'll never forget. That was absolutely beautiful. So, thank you for sharing your talents with us here today. Let's give round applause to Kimera.

You know, there's a part of this community that's celebrating what will be an extraordinary event tomorrow. I stopped in some diners. Everybody's dressed in their Bills clothes. Nobody does it finer than our Mayor, but the backdrop to all that excitement and the energy is also a call to all of us to not forget. Not forget the people we lost. I'm sure many of them were Buffalo Bills fans who would've enjoyed this experience, who on one of the most holy, beautiful holidays, holy days of the year, we lost some really good people from our community. So, it's a somber experience today and beyond because we are all called to never forget the individual lives that were lost in that tragedy that Mother Nature just unleashed, which such fury. It was unbelievable. Those of us who old enough to have lived through the Blizzard of '77 and other blizzards just thought we'd seen it all. But we are wrong. We are pushed, we are challenged. And the people in this room representing so many others, you rose up and the ordinary citizens who found the strength and the courage that we ask God for. Because of your efforts, there are more of God's children still with us today, and that is what we also acknowledge, the loss, but also the life, the lives that were saved. I'll get back to that in a minute, but it's been a really tough year for my hometown.

And you look across the country and you never want to be one of those cities that's listed when they talk about the mass shootings. It was never us. It was always somewhere else, somewhere else far away. We sent our prayers and our love across the nation to help communities heal. But on May 14th, we were on the receiving end of all that as the world watched stunned that this could happen. A mass murder, a hate crime, so heinous, we lost the lives of 10 good people. Again, courage on display there. Courage of the people in the store and in the parking lots and individuals just going by - bystanders, trying to save lives. The urgency, the fear, were there others out there ready to attack them? But no one worried about themselves. In a true Buffalo way, we honor those lives always, but also the people who stepped up in this community and responded.

And then you go through a kind of a tough storm in November, broke some records, seven feet of snow. We went out and saw the damage to homes and businesses and livelihoods at a time when people should have been out and about experiencing getting ready for Thanksgiving. Heroes were there again. And as if they weren't exhausted enough, the same people, the same communities, the same first responders, the same firefighters, the same National Guard, the same State Police, the same county and city and local snowplow drivers and forklift drivers and DOT members and everybody else - you had to do it all over again. Had to do it all over again.

And this time, we had reinforcements from a community that just did extraordinary things. Again, ordinary citizens, not ordinary in a bland sense, but just regular people, regular Buffalonians, Western New Yorkers. And throughout, not just Erie County, but Niagara and Genesee, Chautauqua, they showed what I brag about all over the state to the extent that people are tired of me talking about Buffalo. Sorry, rest of state. I love you too, but this is my home. I know the heart of the people here. How tough we are because we've seen a lot of good and we've seen some bad. Not just this year, but the history, losses, businesses, flight of our young people during a lot of the time when I was growing up. Factories shuttered. We have been through so much together as a community and yet there is no community or people stronger than right here in Buffalo because we have been tested. We've been tested by fire, we've been tested by snow, we've been tested by blizzards and winds that were just unbelievable — record-setting in every measure.

So, I saw resilience, camaraderie. The "City of Good Neighbors," being so much more than a slogan, but it was also the region of good neighbors. It was not just a city, it's what we did in the neighboring towns and suburbs. So, this will go down in the history books. I can go through all the statistics. Thirty-seven hours of blizzard, meaning blinding, dangerous conditions. The longest sustained blizzard in the continental U.S. for any place under 5,000 feet. I never heard of that statistic before. It's kind of interesting. Put that one in the books. Twice as long as the next closest blizzard in a place known for blizzards, Buffalo, New York. You know the prior blizzard had been recorded at the airport, it was 16 hours. Skyway - I look out my window where I live right in downtown Buffalo, almost hit 80 miles an hour. Surprised the structure stood up itself. 

But the statistics don't tell the story. The images that went viral around the world, the disbelief of people seeing the amount of snow piled up in front of houses, in front of substations that are supposed to give us the power to warm our homes, make that Christmas Eve dinner, the Christmas Day dinner, was gone for so many. Our power was out for many, many days. Flooding, still without heat - trying to get that fixed. So, we were just one small example of what I know really hit this community so hard. Walls of ice, houses in covering, in ice that you couldn't even break through. But those images pale in comparison to the human story. Those are the physical effects. We all saw it. I mean, in disbelief. You could not see out your window for so long. I was here. 

But the human toll — I went to the Buffalo Police Garage the day after Christmas. I just wanted to look in the eyes of people from all over. This was a gathering point for other law enforcement who told me about the pain they felt. These guys are tough. They don't really want to talk about it, but I asked them. I said, "That had to be really hard going into homes and vehicles and trying so hard to break through the storm. And some people didn't make it." And I told them, I said, "I know this takes a toll on you. How can it not? You're a human being for God's sake, but please focus on just so many more you saved. Don't forget that." There are people here today whose lives were saved. There's a baby in the front row. You're going to meet little Ellen, who is alive today because of the courage of the people in this room. And those of you represent citizens also, those who are trained. So, we've had a lot of tragedy. We've overcome so much. 

Today we'll focus on heroism and what that means. What does it mean to be a hero? It means knocked down and get up. There are people like our friend from the Buffalo Bills, and we have Steve Tasker to represent their incredible story, the Glory Years that are back. But Damar Hamlin, I had a chance to speak to him the other day, and he spoke about something that I was so touched by. I said, "You know, people all over this world, all over the city of - " I said, "You're a household name, even in New York City." He was so surprised by that. I said, "Your story is so powerful of what prayer has done, but your fighting spirit." And we talked about how we can use his story to go into places, you know, inner cities where a lot of kids have given up hope and talk about being a fighter, overcoming the odds, literally coming back to life.

That also is the story of what happened during this blizzard. The desire to just stay alive and fight for people to also save their lives. The power of prayer as we prayed for God to just deliver us from what was going on and help us find more people. So, we talk about those, again, we lost, but the stories of those citizens who did the extraordinary, shared their homes, put themselves in danger, shared a meal. There's so many stories, and they've been in the news, but you know, you think about people like Jay Withey, known as "Merry Christmas Jay." That's a great thing to have associated with you, Merry Christmas Jay, because people ask, "What does that mean?" It's a mechanic who rescued 24 people from their cars when others couldn't get through and shelter them in a school. That's what I'm talking about when I talk about the everyday heroes who could just taken care of themselves, said, "I can't go out there, it's cold. Something could happen to me." That was all pushed aside.

Sha'Kyra Aughtry, who jumped in action when she heard a stranded man cry for help outside her house. It was safer and warmer in her house. I'm not sure if your power was on, but I guarantee you it was warmer than it was out in that street. But she listened to the voice calling her. She felt it. She thought, "What else could I do? I had to respond." That's an everyday hero. She used a blow dryer to melt off his frostbite. She cared for him for hours until the first responders came. Craig Elston, the owner of C&C Cuts, who kept his barbershop open during the worst of the storm, probably wanting to go home, probably wanting to check in on the family, but he stayed there so people could be warm, becoming a beacon of light for the community.

Or heroes like the Buffalo-Niagara Airport Police and Firefighters. Assistant Fire Chief Joel Eberth. Mark Wolhfiel, Brian Patterson, Louis Lubert, Richard Russo. They alone rescued 42 people from their vehicles and brought them to the warmth of the airport firehouse. And then they made sure Santa was there to help bring some gifts to a young family so they could open gifts on Christmas, never forgetting there's little kids who don't know why Santa didn't come. Someday their parents will tell them but tell them Santa's going to be there next year. These are just some of the stories. And I was luckily in a hotel we could find because my house is not in a condition, with broken pipes and flooding, to be in. But I think about the people even in hotels, restaurants who wanted to go home on Thursday, but were still working.

Just a couple of people — cooking for hundreds of stranded people who should have been able to fly out of the airport — were still there by Tuesday, exhausted trying to feed people anything they could. And I want to also recognize —and our leaders in the county and the city will recognize their teams but — state government teams who came here. I saw a statistic they had 650 saves, and I said, "What - that sounds kind of cold. What is a save?" 650 lives that were saved during the heat of the storm or the cold of the storm by just the state workers who came in.

And I'm talking about snowplow drivers from the DOT. I'm talking about State Police officers and National Guard and Parks workers, and you know, the crews, the medical support. Extraordinary. 650 people because of that effort alone, can watch that football game tomorrow and cheer on the Bills and think about the next Christmas and how it's going to be better. That's what I want the people in this room to share with the people who are out there, who are dealing with, I'm sure, something of remorse for the lives they couldn't save. I want you to know that just from the state effort alone, and there's thousands of other stories, 650 people are still walking God's Earth. So please remember that. Please remember that.

And I went to the National Guard, the Armory, had to plow our way through. I saw a lot of empty cots. I mean they're all empty. They should have been taking a break. They've been out there for 24 hours; it was time to take a break. And they were not there. They're still out in the streets just trying to get people out there, bringing medical workers to ECMC and hospitals, trying to get people to dialysis. If they had missed their dialysis appointment, they might not have been with us. So many stories.

I do want to do a shout out to the organizations from the State and thank the Department of Transportation for prepositioning hundreds and hundreds of personnel and plows before the storm even hit, before the first snows came, you were here on the ground. Marie Therese Dominguez, our Commissioner of DOT. Please stand up, Commissioner Dominguez. Our Office of Emergency Management, police and fire, stand up, Thruway Authority, Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of Parks, Office of Mental Health, People with Disabilities, and my God, our State Police, Steve Nigrelli. It's nothing like someone from Hamburg run your State Police during the blizzard, Steve Nigrelli.

And Jackie Bray. Jackie Bray. Please stand up, Jackie. Thank you. Thank you for all the work that you have done. So, our healthcare workers, nurses, county agencies, I could go on forever and ever. You can tell this is something that, while little time has passed, I want people just to settle in, but also know that for the rest of our lives we'll be grateful to all the firefighters and the snowmobile clubs and the citizens and the emergency personnel and the police and elected leaders and just the food banks - everybody who showed me that my pride in this community is so justified.

This is an extraordinary community. You rose up, showed up when others hunkered down. You were there, Western New York. And I'm so proud to be your Governor. And I'm going to ask all of our honorees to stand who rep - all of you, all of you stand up - who we are honoring here today, and we'll recognize your generosity and your spirit. And we're going to be giving recognition to everyone.

And also, the utility crews. I was on the phone nonstop with utility crews. We pre-positioned, is it 700? Whatever. 7,000, sorry, I forgot. 7,000 utility crews ready to turn on the power as soon as they could get access. The stories of them walking an hour in the cold trying to break into a station that was frozen solid so they could bring lifesaving heat and warmth to people. And they were so frustrated they couldn't get through the ice. They felt the pain too. I honor them. I honor them. And again, back to - there's lessons to be learned from this. We'll always do better the next time based on the experiences. Without a doubt, we're going to have an after-action report. We're going to have outside consultants give us advice because in life, we can always do better in everything we do.

There will be more storms. Mother Nature has had a really bad couple years with us. Those a hundred-year floods that happen in our creeks, in our lake seem to be happening every couple of years now. So, we cannot deny the effect of climate change. Look at California, for God sakes. So, New York has had a lot of effects, but all I know is that whatever Mother Nature brings, and maybe we can get her to calm down one of these days, show some mercy on us, we'll be ready. The lessons from this storm, but also the stories that we want to repeat again from this storm. And that is to know that we have the reinforcements from an extraordinary community. No matter how many people we put on the ground, knowing that all of you are out there for us. So, you are the ambassadors for this region to the rest of the world. You showed what you're made of. Again, I'm humbled to represent the heroes - the every day, and those who are trained in uniform - who saved so many lives. And again, those we lost in our hearts forever.

But you did something extraordinary and for that, I thank you.