New Jersey Man Sentenced To 12 Years in Prison for Receiving Military-Type Training From Hezbollah, Marriage Fraud and Making False Statements

 

 The Justice Department today announced that Alexei Saab, aka Ali Hassan Saab, aka Alex Saab, aka Rachid, 46, was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for receiving military-type training from Hezbollah, marriage fraud, and making false statements.

According to court documents, Saab was convicted by a jury in May 2022 after a two-week trial. The sentence was imposed by the Honorable Paul G. Gardephe, who also presided over the trial.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shia Islamic organization with political, social and terrorist components. Hezbollah was founded in the 1980s with support from Iran after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and its mission includes establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon. Since Hezbollah’s formation, the organization has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds, including U.S. citizens and military personnel. In 1997, the U.S. Department of State designated Hezbollah a Foreign Terrorist Organization, pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and it remains so designated today. In 2001, pursuant to Executive Order 13224, the U.S. Department of Treasury designated Hezbollah a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. In 2010, State Department officials described Hezbollah as the most technically capable terrorist group in the world and a continued security threat to the United States.

The Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), which is also known as the External Security Organization and “910,” is a component of Hezbollah responsible for the planning and coordination of intelligence, counterintelligence, and terrorist activities on behalf of Hezbollah outside of Lebanon. In July 2012, an IJO operative detonated explosives on a bus transporting Israeli tourists in the vicinity of an airport in Burgas, Bulgaria. The detonation killed six people and injured 32 others. Law enforcement authorities have disrupted several other IJO attack-planning operations around the world, including the arrest of an IJO operative surveilling Israeli targets in Cyprus in 2012, the seizure of bomb-making precursor chemicals in Thailand in 2012, and a seizure of similar chemicals in May 2015 in connection with the arrest of another IJO operative. In June 2017, two IJO operatives were arrested in the U.S and charged with terrorism-related offenses in the Southern District of New York. In May 2019, a jury convicted one of those two IJO operatives on all counts, and in December 2019, he was sentenced principally to 40 years in prison.

Saab joined Hezbollah in 1996. Saab’s first Hezbollah operations occurred in Lebanon, where he was tasked with observing and reporting on the movements of Israeli and Southern Lebanese Army soldiers in Yaroun, Lebanon. Among other things, Saab reported on patrol schedules and formations, procedures at security checkpoints, and the vehicles used by soldiers. Saab also, alongside his brother, planted an improvised explosive device that detonated and hit Israeli soldiers, seriously injuring at least one.

In approximately 1999, Saab attended his first Hezbollah training. The training was focused on the use of firearms, and Saab handled and fired an AK-47, an M16 rifle, and a pistol, and threw grenades. In 2000, Saab transitioned to membership in Hezbollah’s unit responsible for external operations, the IJO, and he then received extensive training in IJO tradecraft, weapons, and military tactics, including how to construct and detonate bombs and other explosive devices and how to best use these devices in attacks. Specifically, Saab received detailed instruction in, among other things, triggering mechanisms, explosive substances, detonators, and the assembly of circuits. In pre-arrest interviews with the FBI, Saab was able to diagram multiple improvised explosive devices that would have been viable if constructed as diagrammed.

In 2000, Saab entered the United States. While living in the United States, Saab remained an IJO operative, continued to receive military training in Lebanon, and conducted numerous operations for the IJO. For example, Saab surveilled dozens of locations in New York City — including the United Nations headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and local airports, tunnels, and bridges — and provided detailed information on these locations, including photographs, to the IJO. In particular, Saab focused on the structural weaknesses of locations he surveilled in order to determine how a future attack could cause the most destruction. Saab’s reporting to the IJO included the materials used to construct a particular target, how close in proximity one could get to a target, and site weaknesses or “soft spots” that the IJO could exploit if it attacked a target in the future. Saab conducted similar intelligence gathering in a variety of large American cities, including Boston and Washington, D.C., Saab admitted that his surveillance was designed to best position the IJO to attack the U.S. in the future. Saab also was tasked by Hezbollah with opening a front company that he could use to obtain fertilizer in the United States for use as an explosives precursor.

In addition to his attack-planning activities in the United States, Saab conducted operations abroad. For example, in or about 2003, Saab attempted to murder a man he later understood to be a suspected Israeli spy. Saab pointed a firearm at the individual at close range and pulled the trigger twice, but the firearm did not fire. Saab also conducted surveillance in Istanbul, Turkey, and elsewhere.

Finally, in or about 2012, Saab entered into a fraudulent marriage in exchange for $20,000. The purpose of the marriage was for Saab’s purported wife to apply for her citizenship. Saab later falsely affirmed, under penalty of perjury, and in connection with his purported wife’s efforts to obtain status in the U.S., that the marriage was not for any immigration-related purposes.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.

The FBI and its New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department, investigated the case.

Governor Hochul Honors Fallen Emergency Medical Services Providers With Memorial Dedication During EMS Week

 

Eight EMS Providers Who Died in the Line of Duty were Honored During Ceremony in Albany

Governor Issues Two Proclamations Recognizing Emergency Medical Services for Children Day and Emergency Medical Services Week

Governor Kathy Hochul honored eight Emergency Medical Services Providers who died while serving and protecting New Yorkers. The Governor also issued two proclamations to recognize May 21 - May 27 as Emergency Medical Services Week and May 24 as Emergency Medical Services for Children Day. The ceremony to honor the fallen EMS providers took place at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, in observance of EMS Week.  

"Today we recognize the ultimate sacrifice made by eight of New York's brave uniformed public servants," Governor Hochul said. "My thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones, as these heroes are added to this great memorial. We will never forget their incredible service."

The memorial ceremony honored the bravery of eight EMS professionals who died as a result of injuries or illnesses incurred in the line of duty. Their names will join the 120 other heroes etched into the New York State EMS Memorial:

• Faye Baughmann - Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Captain who died in October 2020 from illness related to the World Trade Center terror attacks in 2001. 
• Richard Chatterton - The FDNY Deputy Chief succumbed in March 2022 to illness related to the WTC attack. 
• Michael Earley - FDNY Captain Earley participated in rescue and recovery efforts at the WTC site and died of cancer in January 2022. 
• Gloria "GiGi" Gordon - The FDNY Lieutenant died in September 2021 from multiple injuries and illnesses from exposure to the WTC attacks. 
• Pablo Guzman - A 29-year veteran of the FDNY's EMS, the Lieutenant lost his battle with WTC-related illness in February 2022. 
• Gregory C. Miglino, Sr. - The South Country Ambulance Captain suffered a heart attack while responding to a motor vehicle crash in March 2007 and died the following day. 
• Alison Russo - Paramedic Russo was on duty near her Astoria FDNY station quarters in September 2022 when she was assaulted and stabbed to death. The Lieutenant was posthumously promoted to Captain. 
• Steven Thorsen - A 27-year EMS veteran, Captain Thorsen succumbed to WTC-related illness in June 2022.  

Senator Gustavo Rivera's Safer Consumption Services Act Passes the Senate Health Committee

 

State Senator Gustavo Rivera released the following statement today after the Safer Consumption Services Act (S399A) was reported out of the Senate Health Committee. This bill, which is sponsored by State Senator Gustavo Rivera in the New York State Senate and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal in the New York State Assembly, will establish a process for Overdose Prevention Centers to open and operate in New York State. The bill is now referred to the Senate Finance Committee.  "We are at a crossroads in our fight against the opioid overdose epidemic. We are losing more New Yorkers to overdose deaths than ever before while criminalization and stigmatization are only deepening an already dire situation. I am incredibly proud that today my Safer Consumption Services Act passed the Senate Health Committee. This evidence-based, internationally implemented public health approach will prevent overdose deaths, stop the spread of disease, and provide a path to recovery. The two overdose prevention centers that are currently operating in New York City have saved the lives of almost 1000 New Yorkers. We have the tools, we just need the will to bring life-saving measures over the finish line for New Yorkers."

Attorney General James Recoups $550,000 from Erie County Medical Management Company for Failing to Protect Patients’ Data

 

Practicefirst’s Weak Cybersecurity Compromised the Personal Information of 1.2 Million Individuals, Including Over 428,000 New Yorkers

 New York Attorney General Letitia James recouped $550,000 from a medical management company, Professional Business Systems, Inc. d/b/a Practicefirst Medical Management Solutions and PBS Medcode Corp. (Practicefirst), for failing to protect New Yorkers’ personal information, including health records. Practicefirst’s failure to make a timely software update made their networks susceptible to a cyberattack, which affected more than 1.2 million individuals nationwide, including over 428,000 New Yorkers. Practicefirst’s data security failures violated both state law and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). As a result of today’s agreement, Practicefirst has agreed to pay $550,000 in penalties to New York, strengthen its data security practices, and offer affected consumers free credit monitoring services.

“When a person is seeking medical care, their last concern should be the security of their personal information,” said Attorney General James. “Each and every company charged with maintaining and handling patient data should take their responsibility to protect personal information, particularly health records, seriously. New Yorkers can trust that when companies fail at their duty, my office will step in to hold them accountable.”

Practicefirst is a medical management company that helps health care organizations with medical billing, coding, credentialing, and other services. In January 2019, Practicefirst’s firewall provider released a new version of its software that was designed to patch a critical vulnerability. Practicefirst failed to update its software and failed to conduct penetration tests, vulnerability scans, or other security testing that would have identified security problems. In November 2020, a hacker exploited the critical firewall vulnerability and successfully gained access to Practicefirst’s systems. The hacker later deployed ransomware and pulled out files containing patients’ personal information. Days later, screenshots containing personal information of 13 consumers were discovered on the dark web.

Practicefirst’s investigation revealed that 79,000 files were taken by the attacker. These files contained personal information, including dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, diagnoses, medication information, and financial information for over 1.2 million patients of Practicefirst clients, including over 428,000 New Yorkers. This information, maintained on Practicefirst’s network, was not encrypted.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) determined that Practicefirst failed to maintain reasonable data security practices to protect patients’ private and health information, including by failing to maintain appropriate patch management processes, conduct regular security testing of its systems, and encrypt the personal information on its servers.

As a result of today’s agreement, Practicefirst will pay $550,000 in penalties and offer affected consumers free credit monitoring services. In addition, Practicefirst will be required to adopt measures to better protect personal information, including:

• Maintaining a comprehensive information security program that will be regularly reviewed and updated;

• Encrypting private and health information;

• Adopting appropriate account management and authentication procedures, such as multi-factor authentication;

• Implementing a patch management solution that will ensure security patches and updates are timely installed;

• Developing a vulnerability management program that includes regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing as well as appropriate remediation of vulnerabilities revealed by such scanning and testing; and

• Updating its data collection, retention, and disposal practices to ensure that private health information is maintained only to the minimum extent necessary to accomplish legitimate business purposes.

Affected consumers can access their free credit monitoring services by following the instructions under the “What You Can Do” section on Practicefirst’s website.

Last month, Attorney General James released a comprehensive data security guide to help businesses and organizations strengthen their cybersecurity measures to protect New Yorker’s personal information. Today’s agreement continues Attorney General James’ work to hold companies accountable for having poor cybersecurity. In December 2022, Attorney General James secured $200,000 from a student cap and gown producer, Herff Jones, for failing to protect consumers’ personal information. In October 2022, Attorney General James announced a $1.2 million agreement with the owner of SHEIN and Zoetop for failing to properly handle a data breach that compromised the personal information of millions of consumers nationwide. In June 2022, Attorney General James secured $400,000 from Wegmans and required the retailer to improve data storage security after a data breach exposed consumers’ personal information. In March 2022, Attorney General James issued a consumer alert advising T-Mobile customers to take appropriate steps to protect their personal information following a data breach. 

MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT ON NEW YORK CITY’S RIGHT TO SHELTER LAW

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement after the New York City Department of Law filed an application for modification of provision of final judgment following a 1984 consent decree in Callahan v. Carey related to the city’s Right to Shelter law: 

 

“From the start, let us be clear, that we are in no way seeking to end of the right to shelter. Today’s action will allow us to get clarity from the court and preserve the right to shelter for the tens of thousands in our care — both previously unhoused individuals and asylum seekers. Given that we’re unable to provide care for an unlimited number of people and are already overextended, it is in the best interest of everyone, including those seeking to come to the United States, to be upfront that New York City cannot single-handedly provide care to everyone crossing our border. Being dishonest about this will only result in our system collapsing, and we need our government partners to know the truth and do their share.     

 

“For more than a year, New York City has — largely on its own — provided shelter, food, clothing, and more to over 70,000 migrants who have arrived in our city. We now have more asylum seekers in our care than New Yorkers experiencing homelessness when we came into office. When the original Callahan consent decree came down almost 40 years ago, no one could have contemplated, foresaw, or even remotely imagined a mass influx of individuals entering our system — more than doubling our census count in slightly over a year. Our city has done more to support asylum seekers than any other city in the nation, but the unfortunate reality is that the city has extended itself further than its resources will allow.” 

 

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander Releases FY 2024 Executive Budget Analysis and Testifies to City Council

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released his office’s Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget Analysis and will testify to the City Council on New York City’s economy and City finances today.

“While fiscal challenges and economic uncertainty remain on the horizon, New York City stands on solid economic footing. We do need a serious, long-term savings plan to address outyear gaps, but cutting supportive housing, CUNY, and meals for home-bound seniors is shortsighted. New York City must remain a place that people want to grow families, build businesses, and create new ideas – and the City can ensure that by investing in the essential services and infrastructure that make the five boroughs an affordable, safe, and thriving place to live,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. 

New York City’s Economy and City Finances  

The Mayor’s FY 2024 Executive Budget totals $106.69 billion, an increase of $4.03 billion over the Preliminary Budget, but $2.22 billion less than the $108.91 billion currently planned for FY 2023; with much of the difference stemming from the drop-off of Federal COVID-19 aid. The City’s tax revenues for FY 2023 through April are 5.8% above those for FY 2022, and the Comptroller’s Office projects a $1.7 billion surplus in FY 2023 to close the FY 2024 gap. The Comptroller’s office projects that tax revenues will dip slightly in FY 2024 before regaining growth in each successive year of the plan.

While revenues are above expectations and the budget is balanced this year, large gaps remain in the outyears. The Comptroller’s Office projects that, before accounting for the risk that the cost of services to asylum seekers will grow even beyond the Administration’s projections, outyear gaps will be $2.1 billion in FY 2024, $6.4 billion in FY 2025, $9.0 billion in FY 2026, and grow to $10.4 billion by 2027 accounting for risks, underbudgeting, and the drop-off of federal stimulus funds.

Asylum Seekers 

The ongoing cost of providing shelter to asylum seekers (including whether and when the federal government will step up to reimburse a meaningful share of these costs) is the largest unknown in the budget planning process. The City projects that the cost of providing shelter and services to households seeking asylum will reach $2.9 billion in FY 2024, with the City paying $1.7 billion of that cost. Based on a variety of scenarios of the flow of new arrivals and daily costs, the Comptroller’s Office estimates providing services could cost an additional $1.15 billion in City funds in FY 2024, growing to $2.94 billion in FY 2025, and $3.65 billion in FYs 2026 and 2027, particularly if additional State and Federal funding does not materialize. If this were the case, the overall budget gaps could grow to $3.29 billion in 2024 ($1.6 billion after the rollover of FY 2023 surplus) and just over $14 billion (12.9% of budget) in FY 2027.

Over 99% of the City’s spending on asylum seekers has been for emergency shelter, and less than 1% on legal and support services. Comptroller Lander and Council Member Shahana Hanif sent a letter earlier this month asking the administration to add at least $70 million in funding for legal services to assist new arrivals to meet the one-year deadline to apply for asylum and get work authorization applications filed that will allow them to work legally and move out of shelter into permanent housing.

Savings and Cuts 

Despite the uncertainties and risks in the budget, the Comptroller contends that the Administration is making a strategic misstep by cutting critical services, including supportive housing rental assistance, CUNY, public libraries, meals for homebound seniors, and therapeutic and post-incarceration programs for detained individuals. Comptroller Lander calls for a more strategic and long-view approach to achieving savings through attrition and efficiencies, and proposes agencies be accountable for reducing claims by making settlement payouts from the responsible agency’s budget rather than the City’s general fund.

New Revenues 

With looming outyear budget gaps and the need to maintain essential services, the Comptroller argues that a savings program alone, while necessary, will not enable the City of New York to make the ambitious investments required for New York City to remain a place where people both want and can afford to grow families, buy homes, launch new businesses, and create the ideas and culture that drive our economic success. New revenues will be required, and therefore Comptroller Lander released Raising Revenues, an analysis of proposed tax changes for high income earners and high value properties that could provide progressive sources of additional revenue to fund new investments in the infrastructure and services for New York City’s future.

The Comptroller’s testimony as prepared for delivery is available here.

The Comptroller’s Office’s FY 2024 Executive Budget Report is available here.

The Comptroller’s revenue proposals and analysis are available here.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - Bronx Week 2023

 

Dear Neighbor,

 

We did it! Thank you to everyone who joined us for Bronx Week 2023! Thank you for making this year's celebration a special and memorable experience. We poured our all into these events and we are so grateful to our Bronx community for showing up the last two weeks!

Thank you to all of our partners for their collaboration and dedication to Bronxites; and a special thank you to The Bronx Tourism Council, Bronx Economic Development Corporation, Montefiore Einstein, the Bronx Community Foundation, JP Morgan and Chase CO., BronxNet, Pix11, News12 and Schneps Media who worked with our team at Borough Hall to ensure that Bronx Week 2023 was successful. We look forward to seeing all of you next year as we celebrate everything and everyone that makes the Bronx a primer destination. 

The festivities continue tomorrow. Join us as we host our first Bronx Taste of Africa event at Bronx Community College from 12PM-5PM. We look forward to seeing you there!

Lastly, we are proud to announce that the Bronx Economic Development Corporation will award up to $1 million to any Bronx-based college or university to develop creative climate-focused projects that address on-campus sustainability and work to establish efforts to address the Bronx's environmental challenges. To read more about the Bronx Green Action Challenge, click here.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 718-590-3500 or email us at webmail@bronxbp.nyc.gov.

 

In partnership,

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

Bronx Week 2023 was a hit! Thank you for joining us on this journey. Congratulations to this year’s Bronx Week 2023 Walk of Fame honorees: SWV, Sunny Hostin, Juliet Papa, God-Is Rivera, and our first People’s Choice Award Winner, Principal Luis Eladio Torres! Congratulations as well to our Key to the Borough recipients, MC Sha Rock and Cold Crush Brothers! Hip hop luminaries representing the very best of the Bronx. Lastly, a huge thank you to the Bronx Zoo and Wildlife Conservation Society for hosting our Bronx Ball Gala and Celebration for the first time in Bronx Week history. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Bronx Week Bankers Breakfast! Our banks are so important to the health of our local economy. They provide Bronxites with opportunities to invest and save, and create a pathway to the middle class. We were approved for the SBA community advantage program to approve loans from $5,000 to $350,000 for businesses that typically would not receive them. This opportunity will pour into the economy of our Borough. Thank you to Villa Barone for hosting us and to our sponsors for helping make this event possible. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Prom Dress and Suit Giveaway! We value our youth and understand the significance of Prom Season. This is a special time for our students, and we wanted them all to feel their very best. It really takes a village. With the help of our volunteers and donors, we were able to service nearly 1,000 students! Thank you for joining us for Bronx Week 2023 Film at the Pregones Theatre for a screening of Kiss the Ground! Arts and advocacy go hand-in-hand. Kiss the Ground was inspiring! It was a reminder that we have the solution to climate change and sustainability right beneath our feet. Thank you to Pregones Theatre, and Bronx Swab for collaborating with us for this wonderful event. UPCOMING EVENTS