NYC BANKING COMMISSION ANNOUNCESMEASURES TO ENSURE CITY’S DESIGNATED BANKS MORE ACCOUNTABLE TO PUBLIC

Required Certifications Will Reinforce Banks’ Obligation to Provide Details on Commitment to Combating Lending and Employment Discrimination 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and New York City Department of Finance (DOF) Commissioner Preston Niblack today announced two important transparency measures that will help gauge the consumer and community service experience of the city’s designated banks and provide a tool for better assessing the commitment of banks looking to hold city deposits to non-discrimination in lending and employment.

 

Starting with this year’s biennial designation cycle, the New York City Banking Commission (consisting of Mayor Adams, Comptroller Lander, and DOF Commissioner Niblack) will include a public comment process for the Banking Commission’s public hearing to designate banks that will be eligible to hold deposits of city funds. The public will be able to submit written comments ahead of the meeting and in-person comments during the public comment session of the hearing.

 

Additionally, the certificates banks must submit ahead of designation have been revised to reinforce the obligation for depository banks to provide detailed plans and specific steps to combat different forms of discrimination in their operations.

 

“Financial institutions are critical pillars of our communities, and we must demand the highest standards from any bank that is entrusted with public funds,” said Mayor Adams. “These new steps will ensure the Banking Commission is designating only those banks that have shown that they can protect taxpayer money and that are committed to promoting equity in all aspects of their operations.”

 

“Consumer banks play a vital role in New York City’s communities, and their practices in lending, employment, and banking products and services reverberate through all five boroughs,” Comptroller Lander. “In pursuit of a shared and prosperous economy for all, the city must be vigilant in evaluating the banks that hold its money and hear from New Yorkers about their experiences with these institutions. I am grateful to Mayor Adams and Commissioner Niblack for their partnership in this work, as we continue to take a hard look at who the city is choosing as banking partners.”

 

“Providing an opportunity for public comment will add a new dimension to the Banking Commission’s designation review,” said New York City Treasurer Mary Christine Jackman, DOF designee, New York City Banking Commission. “We look forward to hearing from the public and banking community as we review applications for designation for the important role of depository of the public’s funds.”

 

Designated banks will be eligible to hold New York City deposits. The banks are expected to provide approved banking products and services for city entities. By law, the banks must provide total collateralization for any money held.

 

“The ability to hold and profit from New Yorker’s hard-earned city deposits is a privilege, not a right,” said Barika X. Williams, executive director, Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. “We applaud the Banking Commission on taking this step to accept public comments and call on the city to incorporate the findings into their final determinations. We hope this is just a first step in deepening community engagement, scrutiny, and transparency in this public process. The city must demand more of banks seeking the privilege of holding New York City’s deposits and should not do business with banks that ignore, divest, exploit, or discriminate against communities of color.”

 

“We are pleased that the New York City Banking Commission will seek the public’s input on how best to ensure that banks holding city deposits meet the highest standards,” said Andy Morrison, associate director, New Economy Project. “Where the city deposits its billions of dollars is a fundamental matter of public policy, and we must demand that our public money is not held by banks that redline and otherwise harm New Yorkers and New York City neighborhoods.”

 

Upcoming meetings of the New York City Banking Commission will be held on the following dates: May 11, 2023, for the discount/late payment rate recommendation meeting and May 25, 2023, for the bank designation meeting, including public comments. Bank designations will be voted on by the commission at the latter meeting. More information can be found online.

Governor Hochul Announces $234 Million in Additional Food Assistance for February

All SNAP Households to Receive at Least the Maximum Level of Food Benefits

Federal Action Discontinues Monthly Supplemental Food Benefits After February 

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that all New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive a supplemental allotment of food benefits for February, including those already receiving the maximum allowable level. Issued monthly to help New Yorkers weather the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the supplemental benefits will conclude after this month due to the changes prescribed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which was adopted by Congress late last year.

“In addition to SNAP, these monthly benefits have proven to be invaluable to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers dealing with food insecurity throughout the pandemic,” Governor Hochul said. “With these emergency supplemental benefits ending, we will continue to focus our efforts protecting New Yorkers who are struggling to feed themselves and their families by expanding eligibility and maximizing assistance through SNAP.”

The emergency assistance supplement will be provided to all households receiving SNAP – a federally funded program overseen by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) –and result in an infusion of $234 million in federal funding into New York’s economy this month. All households, including those already receiving the maximum benefit for the household's size and households that formerly would have received a monthly supplement of less than $95, will receive a supplement of at least $95.

SNAP households in all counties outside of New York City should see these extra benefits issued by Friday, February 24. SNAP households in New York City should see their benefits issued by Tuesday, February 28.

OTDA began issuing the emergency supplemental benefits in April 2020 to those SNAP households receiving less than the maximum monthly benefit amount. When New York State's emergency declaration expired in June 2021, the agency successfully worked with the federal government to secure the authority to continue issuing the maximum allotment for all SNAP households.

The recently approved federal spending bill ends these temporary emergency allotments this month, meaning SNAP recipients will receive their regular monthly benefit beginning in March and moving forward. New York State received roughly $6.5 billion in additional federal food assistance between April 2020 and December 2022.

OTDA is mailing letters and sending text messages to all SNAP households to let recipients know that these additional monthly benefits are ending. The agency also has additional information at its website.

Other programs and services that SNAP recipients may be eligible for include:

• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which is available for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children under age 5 receiving SNAP may automatically qualify for.
• FreshConnect, Double Up Food Bucks and NYC Health Bucks, which provide coupons to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets or participating food retailers.
• The Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides discounts toward residential internet costs.
• The Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides home heating assistance.
• Food assistance from area food pantries.

As with the prior months, the February payments will be delivered directly to recipients' existing Electronic Benefit Transfer accounts and can be accessed with their existing EBT cards. Like regular SNAP benefits, the supplemental benefits can be used to purchase food at authorized retail food stores.

Any unused SNAP benefits will automatically carry over to the following month. SNAP benefits will not be removed from a recipient’s card if they use their benefits any time within 274 days.

Find more information on the emergency supplemental SNAP benefits, including answers to frequently asked questions, here. New Yorkers interested in enrolling can check their SNAP eligibility, as well as apply online, by visiting mybenefits.ny.gov.

California Man Pleads Guilty To Submitting False Declarations To Court In $50 Million Lawsuit

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROVIER CARRINGTON pled guilty in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni to submitting false declarations to the court in connection with a $50 million civil lawsuit. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Rovier Carrington submitted fake evidence in court, knowingly swore that the fake evidence was true, and doubled down on his lies when confronted.  This conviction sends a message: when a party in civil litigation swears to tell the truth, breaking that oath has consequences.”

According to the Indictment and statements made in court proceedings and filings:

In a civil lawsuit that CARRINGTON filed in Manhattan federal court (the “Civil Case”), CARRINGTON sued Hollywood executives alleging that the executives had sexually assaulted him and that they had defrauded him in connection with a decision to refuse to produce CARRINGTON’s reality television program.  CARRINGTON sought damages of $50 million in the Civil Case. 

CARRINGTON submitted to the court several falsified emails (the “Faked Emails”) as exhibits to his amended complaint in the Civil Case, which included the following fabricated exchanges:

• CARRINGTON: My mind is scrambled after last night. I can't remove “Our Jewish bodies” and “Call me Mr. [Executive-1]” from repeating in my head. I can’t properly sit down after being viciously assaulted yet again by that two-sided shit [Executive-1]. This was too far. Too damn far. I have cuts on my face and thighs from him forcing himself into me. That bastard can’t take NO for an answer and he remains using his title to force himself onto me.
• CARRINGTON: Also, If [third party] thinks he can mute me like the others with an envelope filled with cash driving by his personal driver, he’s sadly mistaken. I get assaulted two days ago at the “Super 8” premiere by [Executive-1] who's been stalking me prior to this. Did [Executive-1] tell you he shows up at my place begging for me to be his private Boyfriend ? and say’s, “If I cared about my career I’d obey” ? He threaten my career becuase [sic] I want to work and not fly private with him or attend art museums when his trophy isn't there. This dude is newly married and doesn't comprehend he forces himself onto me. [Executive-1] clearly knows he's crossed the line after spitting in my face and grabbing my genitals while relaying “I'll never work again”.
• CARRINGTON: Here’s the dramatic series I was discussing with you. I appreciate you finally moving forward with both shows. Especially with our contract in place.
  Executive-2: I’ll present the material to my business associates and we’ll figure out how to combine the reality show with the series. You keep me happy and we’ll do well together. :)

When confronted about the Faked Emails, CARRINGTON submitted a false affidavit to the court in the Civil Case, in which he swore under penalty of perjury that “Each and every email annexed to my Amended Complaint, and hereto, are forwarded copies of the original email I received, or exchanged, in the exact same condition, upon which the email was received, or exchanged . . . I have not doctored, fabricated, or altered, any of the emails annexed to my Amended Complaint, and hereto.”

The court in the Civil Case conducted a detailed investigation into whether the Faked Emails were real, which CARRINGTON tried to obstruct.  Among other things, CARRINGTON (i) deleted one of the email accounts from which he had purportedly sent some of the Faked Emails the day after he filed his amended complaint; (ii) deleted another email account from which he had purportedly sent some of the Faked Emails, after the court began its investigation, and then called the email provider to confirm that the account’s emails would never be accessible; and (iii) failed to appear in court for questioning about the Faked Emails.

The court in the Civil Case ultimately dismissed the Civil Case and imposed sanctions on CARRINGTON, ruling, “these emails were fabricated, and that was bad enough, but the deactivation of the accounts, the efforts undertaken to really foreclose what is necessary discovery in this case, and the stream of lies to me necessitate the sanctions that I am imposing.”

CARRINGTON, 34, of Los Angeles, California, pled guilty today to one count of submitting a false declaration to a court, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  CARRINGTON is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Caproni on June 1, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use

 

Upcoming Events, Legislative News, Grant Opportunities, & More

During February we also acknowledge the tremendous contributions, struggles, and achievements of the Black community during Black History Month.  The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is proud to have a diverse membership and during this month we highlight the importance and impact of Black owned businesses and leaders on the Bronx and New York City. I invite you all to join me in celebrating Black History Month during the Bronx Chamber’s annual Black History Month Networking Reception, on Wednesday, February 15 at 6:00pm at the Residence in by Marriot, 1776 Eastchester Road. To register, Click Here. Throughout the evening we will hear from inspiring Black leaders and business owners, sample delicious food, and participate in speed networking to enhance our businesses.

BLACK HISTORY IN THE BRONX - GO BRONX PODCAST

The Go Bronx Podcast walks us through Black History in the Bronx. Did you know that Lincoln Hospital began as a school for “colored nurses?” Or that the first Black jockey competed (and won) at the Jerome Racetrack? What African American notables are interred in Woodlawn and St. Raymond’s cemetery? New York was built on the backs of Black enslaved people. Many fought in the Revolutionary War and even spied for General George Washington. In honor of Black History Month, we delve into the history of Black people in The Bronx and honor the legacy of our brothers and sisters. Find out more in this episode.

BLACK HISTORY IN OPTOMETRY - METRO OPTICS EYEWEAR

UPCOMING EVENTS

New York State Executive Budget Presentation w. Empire State Development Commissioner Hope Knight Tuesday, February 21 from 12:00am to 1:00pm Virtual The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Bronx NYS Executive Budget Presentation by the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. Hope Knight, President, CEO, and Commissioner of Empire State Development will outline the Governor's budget and policy priorities and how they impact the Bronx, New York City and New York State. To Register: Click Here Coffee & Conversation w. NYC Councilmember Amanda Farias Chair, New York City Council Committee on Economic Development Wednesday, February 22 at 10:00am Virtual Bronx Chamber President Lisa Sorin, and Legislative & Policy Chair, Michael Brady moderate a discussion with Councilmember Farias, on Bronx economic development, workforce development, women's health and wellness, and merchant organizing. To Register: Click Here

Women of Distinction Luncheon Save the Date Friday, March 31, 2023 from 11:30am to 2:00pm Villa Barone Manor 737 Throggs Neck Expressway Bronx, New York For 18 years, the Women of Distinction Luncheon has recognized outstanding women leaders for their contributions to the Bronx community. Each year with the support of local Bronx businesses and Bronx Chamber members we are able to provide scholarships to deserving college-bound female students through the Bronx Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Ticket & Sponsor Opportunities available by emailing: foundation@bronxchamber.org Bronx Gamechangers Night w. the NY Yankees Tuesday, April 4 - 6:30pm Doors Open 7:05pm Game Time Yankee Stadium Luxury Suites 1 East 161st Street Bronx, New York Celebrate the Spring season with The Bronx Chamber of Commerce as the New York Yankees take on the Phillies! Enjoy an all-inclusive luxury suite, private stadium entrance, open bar, dinner, and a great view of the diamond while networking with industry leaders, thought partners and supporters working to make the Bronx thrive. Advance Ticket Purchase, Click Here

Over 200 notable thought partners, colleagues in business, and influential New Yorkers will tee off for the 2023 Joseph P. Kelleher Memorial Golf Tournament at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. Take in the stunning New York City skyline from the award-winning Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. The 18-hole links-style course offers golfers a tournament quality experience, top tier entertainment, and dining. The 2023 Tournament features two (2) tee times, breakfast, lunch, cocktails, and the 2023 Awards Dinner honoring NYC Housing, Preservation, and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion, Jr. To Purchase Foursomes & Sponsorships - Click Here

For the complete Bronx Chamber Events Calendar, featuring educational workshops, networking events and other opportunities hosted by the Chamber, its members, & partners, please visit and bookmark our website events calendar link in your browser - new events are added weekly!