MAYOR ADAMS ENDS 90-DAY RULE FOR ALL POPULATIONS, EXPANDS ELIGIBILITY TO CITY-FUNDED RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR ALL NEW YORKERS IN SHELTER

 

Emergency Rule Change to CityFHEPS Housing Voucher Program Will Expand Eligibility for Both Families and Single Adults, Helping Even More New Yorkers in Shelter Access Permanent Housing More Quickly

 

Adams Administration Has Connected Record Number of Households to CityFHEPS This Year, Increased Placements From Shelter Into Permanent Housing 20 Percent Year-Over-Year

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today issued emergency rules eliminating the 90-day length-of-stay requirement for New Yorkers in shelter to be eligible for City Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) housing vouchers — the largest city-funded rental assistance program in the nation — vastly expanding the number of New Yorkers in shelter who will now be able to access city-funded rental assistance. Effective immediately, families as well as individuals in shelter will have expanded access to city-funded rental assistance and expedited connections to permanent housing. With New York City continuing to manage the unprecedented asylum seeker crisis largely on its own, this emergency rule will build on progress to quickly move New Yorkers out of shelter and into permanent housing.

 

“Today, we’re taking our efforts to house more New Yorkers to the next level — building on our work expanding voucher eligibility, cutting red tape, and reducing bureaucracy that we’ve focused on since day one,” said Mayor Adams. “By removing the 90-day length of stay requirement for our CityFHEPS rental assistance program for individuals and families in shelter, we’ll help more people exit shelter for permanent housing faster. To really build the housing New Yorkers need, the state Legislature must pass a 421-a replacement, allow more office conversions, and lift the cap on housing in Midtown Manhattan. We’ll continue to advocate for those changes and use every tool available to move New Yorkers into homes.”

 

Today’s announcement builds on last year’s robust package of CityFHEPS reforms Mayor Adams implemented to help New Yorkers exit the shelter system and move more quickly into permanent affordable housing. The New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) has also made numerous technology, staffing, process, and training improvements over the past year to expedite shelter move-outs. These improvements have resulted in an overall increase in exits from shelter to permanent housing across all shelter populations during the first four months of Fiscal Year 2023, with the largest increase in placements moving New Yorkers into subsidized housing and contributing to a more than 40 percent increase in placements for single adults residing in shelter.

 

“The changes announced today will help us more efficiently provide families and individuals with the services and housing supports they need,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “This new tool will help us to connect New Yorkers experiencing homelessness with more permanent housing.”

 

“From day one, the Adams administration has put New Yorkers, especially those experiencing homelessness, at the center of our city’s housing policy and committed to slashing through the red tape and dysfunction that keeps a safe, dignified home out of reach for too many of our neighbors,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “CityFHEPS vouchers have proven themselves to be an effective tool for getting our fellow New Yorkers into stable, long-term housing options and we are thrilled to expand this opportunity to more families and individuals.”

 

“Since day one, this administration has worked to eliminate barriers to permanent housing and expand access to city-funded rental assistance for New Yorkers in shelter,” said DSS Commissioner Molly Wasow Park. “Today, we’re taking our robust reforms one step further so even more families and individuals in shelter can access CityFHEPS vouchers even faster. We are also using every tool at the city’s disposal to address the urgent need for shelter capacity as we respond to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. With this emergency rule change, we will build on the progress we are already making, moving more New Yorkers from shelter to permanent housing, while freeing up much-needed capacity within the DHS shelter system to ensure that we are effectively continuing to provide shelter to asylum seekers in need.”

 

“Rental subsidies are a vital tool to help New Yorkers experiencing homelessness leave shelter,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “The housing and homelessness blueprint focused on ending administrative burdens that keep New Yorkers from attaining housing and ensuring that those who have experienced homelessness help to shape our policies. This announcement will create a more efficient, effective, and equitable process to deliver the housing and assistance that New Yorkers need and deserve.”

 

The program established under the CityFHEPS rule allows individuals and families to rent apartments at competitive market-rate rents based on the annual New York City Housing Authority Section 8 Payment Standards. By eliminating the length of stay requirements in shelters through these emergency rules, additional households will be eligible to move out of shelter and into permanent housing.

 

With a vacancy rate for affordable housing ranging between one and five percent, many New Yorkers have a difficult time finding an apartment even after receiving a voucher. To address this issue, the Adams administration has focused on accelerating production of new housing and advancing development projects in neighborhoods around the city. Mayor Adams also continues to call on the state to take action on a new affordable housing incentive program — easing conversion of vacant offices to housing and eliminating the cap on housing in Midtown Manhattan.

 

Since the implementation of city-funded rental assistance in 2014, nearly 150,000 New Yorkers in 63,000 households have been helped to move into permanent housing or remain stably housed. So far this fiscal year, from July 2022 through April 2023, DSS has connected a record number of households to CityFHEPS vouchers, and is on track outpace the number of households connected to CityFHEPS in prior years. Currently, the CityFHEPS program alone supports 30,000 households by providing a rental subsidy.

 

“We are facing the greatest homelessness crisis since the Great Depression, and this moment demands creative solutions that help New Yorkers get out of shelter and into permanent housing faster. That is exactly what repealing the 90-day rule will do, and I applaud Mayor Adams for supporting our homeless neighbors with this change,” said Christine C. Quinn, president and CEO, Win. “Repealing this outdated, illogical rule will create more capacity in shelter for asylum seekers, lead to better futures for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, and save the city and taxpayers millions of dollars. It’s a win-win for New Yorkers, and an important step forward in our efforts to break the cycle of homelessness.”

 

“The Children’s Rescue Fund strongly supports the change to the 90-day CityFHEPS requirement,” said Orlando Ivey, president and CEO, Children’s Rescue Fund. “This change will allow families to rapidly return to their communities, which is the goal of both the DSS and the Children’s Rescue Fund. In addition, this action in conjunction with receiving wraparound services provided by community-based organizations will enable the families to successfully transition back to independent living. We thank our elected officials for taking this bold step to addressing the homeless crisis our city is currently facing.”

 

“As the largest provider of domestic violence shelter services in the county, Urban Resource Institute provides shelter and services to more than 2,200 hundred people each night – approximately one in 35 people in New York City who need shelter on any given night,” said Nathaniel Fields, CEO, Urban Resources Institute (URI). “Our primary responsibility to our clients is to provide support and to help secure safe, stable, and permanent affordable housing. URI’s dedicated staff begins providing comprehensive, client-centered, trauma-informed care to our clients and their families the moment they walk through our door; with this rule change, they can also immediately begin working to help our clients find their next home. The struggle to find affordable housing is real, and URI applauds Mayor Adams and his administration for removing a significant barrier to safety and healing for people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence.”

 

“With homelessness at a record-level high, we applaud the mayor’s decision to remove the requirement that the homeless be required to be in shelter for 90 days to qualify for a CityFHEPS voucher,” said Eileen Torres, executive director, BronxWorks. “The requirement is further exacerbating the homelessness crisis in New York City which is facing unprecedented pressure due to the asylum seeker crisis. By removing this requirement, families and individuals can avoid lengthy and expensive stays in shelter. CityFHEPS is an effective tool at the city's disposal to fight homelessness. A failure to use this tool immediately upon entry into shelter is an unnecessary financial burden for the city and not in the best interest of the client. We look forward to working with the mayor and his administration on other policy changes that will reduce homelessness.”

 

“Access to affordable housing is one of the keys to preventing and ending episodes of homelessness,” said George Nashak, president and CEO, Care for the Homeless. “Mayor Adams and his team should be applauded for expanding access to housing vouchers, a key strategy to making housing more affordable in New York City.”

 

“Housing is the best prescription we can write for unhoused families and individuals facing complex mental health challenges,” said Jody Rudin, president and CEO, Institute of Community Living (ICL). “A permanent home helps people build stability and better health. Our goal should be moving people from shelter to permanent housing as quickly as possible.  Now, thanks to Mayor Adams, we will eliminate one of the barriers to reducing shelter stays and moving people to housing.”

 

VCJC News & Notes 6/16/23

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Reminders Shabbos Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar. Here are the times you need:   Shabbos Candles Friday 6/16/23 @ 8:11 pm Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely.  Shabbos Ends Saturday 6/17/23 @ 9:14 pm   Happy Father's Day 6/18/23!    Happy Juneteenth 6/19/23!   Happy Summer 6/21/23! Van Cortlandt Jewish Center 3880 Sedgwick Ave Bronx, NY 10463

BRONX COUPLE INDICTED FOR IMPRISONING, ENDANGERING TWO GIRLS, AGES THREE AND FOUR YEARS OLD

 

Left Alone Without Food, Children Began to Eat Foam Mattress; Apartment Was in Deplorable Condition 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx woman and her boyfriend have been indicted for the horrific neglect of the woman’s two young daughters, who were found by police locked in a feces-dotted room, naked and bruised and eating bits of a foam mattress.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendants allegedly kept these little girls in a house of horrors. They illegally occupied an apartment and left the children alone without food or clothing. Fortunately, police rescued the girls, and a nurse discovered signs of abuse for which they are being treated. The situation is beyond the pale.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Stephanie Grabowski, 40, and Mark Russell, 45, who were squatters in apartment at 300 East 138th Street, were indicted on two counts of second-degree Kidnapping, two counts of second-degree Unlawful Imprisonment, second-degree Burglary, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, for conduct that occurred on or about May 3, 2023 in the apartment. Grabowski additionally was indicted on two counts of firstdegree Kidnapping for conduct occurring on or about and between, November 14, 2022 through May 3, 2023 at 420 East 169th Street and the 138th Street apartment.

 They were arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio and bail was continued for Grabowski at $150,000 cash/$400,000 bond/$400,000 partially secured bond at 10%, and for Russell at $100,000 cash/$200,000 bond/$200,000 partially secured bond at 10%. They are due back in court on September 13, 2023.

 According to the indictment, on May 3, 2023 at approximately 10:30 a.m., NYPD Officers from PSA 8 and Field Intelligence Detectives were vacating a NYCHA apartment at 300 East 138th Street that was inhabited by known squatters, and upon entry were determined to be Russell and Grabowski. The apartment was in terrible condition with urine and feces about the place and there did not appear to be sufficient food, amenities, clothing or clean diapers. The officers observed the doorknob of a bedroom and doorknob of an adjacent closet door tied together with a ropelike cord. They kicked in the bedroom door and found two girls naked and bruised on a filthy spongelike mattress on the floor, and feces, dirty diapers and garbage throughout the room. One officer observed the children to be eating pieces of the mattress.

 Officers discovered that Grabowski had a Family Court warrant after absconding from Administration for Children’s Services in November 2022, and brought her to Family Court. Orders of Protection were issued at that time. The officers brought the children to the Children’s Advocacy Center on May 4, where a nurse examined the children and enhanced the case, and alerted the NYPD Bronx Child Abuse Squad. On May 5, the girls were examined at Jacobi Medical Center, where they were observed to have significant bruising and marks in various stages of healing, rashes throughout their bodies and difficulties walking, standing and speaking.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Johnathon Concepcion and Christina Flores of the Bronx Child Abuse Squad, and NYPD Field Intelligence Officer, Detective Michael Heinz for their work in the investigation.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

MAYOR ADAMS LAUNCHES EFFORT TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE, ALLEVIATE FLOODING, BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMES IN JEWEL STREETS NEIGHBORHOOD

 

Adams Administration Plan Includes Over $75 Million Investment, Urgent Infrastructure Improvements in Area Plagued by Excessive Flooding and Sewage Problems That Have Gone Unaddressed for Decades

 

City Agencies and Community Leaders Will Kick off Community Planning Process to Prepare Comprehensive, Long-Term Plan for Affordable Housing and Economic Opportunity

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today kicked off the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan, an effort to deliver much-needed quality of life improvements — including infrastructure improvements to alleviate flooding as well as new affordable housing — to the “Jewel Streets” neighborhood, also known as “the Hole,” on part of the Brooklyn/Queens border. Backed by more than $75 million in initial funding, the Adams administration’s planning process aims to bring resiliency measures to this chronically flood-prone area, improve street infrastructure and pedestrian safety, and create new, affordable housing and economic opportunity for residents of this community that has long suffered from flooding and been deprived of public investment.

 

Building on more than a year of engagement with elected officials, community members, and local organizations like the East New York Community Land Trust and the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), in partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and other city agencies, will present ideas to the community for alleviating flooding, build stable and affordable housing on vacant city-owned land, and create economic opportunities.

 

“The decades of government ignoring this community and leaving residents to fend for themselves against regular flooding ends now,” said Mayor Adams. “The infrastructure, quality-of-life improvements, and economic opportunities we are prepared to deliver for this community would be a game-changer. We are excited to bring this plan to the residents, get their feedback, and chart a path forward together.”

Flooding on Amber Street in the Jewel Streets neighborhood. Credit: New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development

New York City Department of Environmental Protection workers making construction improvements on drainage upgrades in the Jewel Streets neighborhood. Credit: New York City Department of Environmental Protection

The Sweet Brook Bluebelt on Staten Island, one kind of tool being considered for the Jewel Streets area. Credit: New York City Department of Environmental Protection

“No community in our city should suffer from the chronic flooding and lack of basic infrastructure that has persisted in the Jewel Streets neighborhood for years,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “With the city’s planning effort, we will make critical investments in resilient infrastructure and facilitate the creation of jobs, housing, and community services to ensure that this is an inclusive ‘jewel’ of an area for years to come.”

 

“The community of Jewel Streets urgently deserves the basic infrastructure foundation and reliability that the rest of New York City takes as a given: proper drainage after storms and a connected sewer system,” said Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi. “The time is now to meet these needs and go beyond by also developing affordable housing and economic opportunities. Working together within government and with the community, we will build a stronger and broader world for the current and future residents of Jewel Streets, rendering the infamous name ‘the Hole’ a distant memory.”

 

“Residents of the Jewel Streets have endured conditions no New Yorker should have to face, and the city is honored to work with them to build the neighborhood they deserve,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Following through on the housing and homelessness blueprint’s vision to keep New Yorkers safe in their homes in a changing climate, the Jewel Streets plan will be a model to create a climate resilient future for the city.”

 

“When we talk about investing in the Jewel Streets, what we’re really talking about is treating Black and Brown New Yorkers with dignity and respect. Having visited the Jewel Streets myself, I’m outraged at the deplorable conditions people live with right here in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and we have the opportunity to change that now,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “In collaboration with the impacted community, we are working on immediate infrastructure solutions and a master plan that is driven by how best we can serve these New Yorkers, reverse decades of environmental injustice, and build more affordable housing and a better quality of life. Rather than being called ‘the Hole,’ the Jewel Streets must be a shining example of resiliency and heathy living. I look forward to the first workshop later this month.”

 

“The Jewel Streets neighborhood sits in a bowl roughly 10 to 15 feet below the surrounding streets, which makes building a functional drainage system challenging, but the short-term upgrades we have made over the last year have provided some real relief to residents,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “We will continue to work with our partners and the community as our engineers study the feasibility of other longer-term drainage solutions, including the use of green infrastructure or more traditional sewer upgrades.”

 

“Jewel Street residents know far too well the impacts that climate hazards such as flooding can have on housing, safety, and quality of life,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Acting Executive Director Victoria Cerullo. “We look forward to our continued partnership with elected officials and community members on resilient stormwater infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic opportunity to advance environmental justice and deliver on our PlaNYC initiatives.”

 

The effort to bring quality-of-life improvements and economic opportunity to the Jewel Streets neighborhood delivers on a key strategy in “PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done” to implement multilayered strategies for flood resilience. It also builds on central planks of Mayor Adams’ “Housing Our Neighbors” blueprint focused on fostering resilient neighborhoods and keeping New Yorkers safe in their homes amid climate change.

 

The Jewel Streets is a 12-block neighborhood that straddles East New York in Brooklyn and Lindenwood in Queens. Because the neighborhood is a low-lying area without comprehensive stormwater and sanitary sewer infrastructure, residents experience year-round flooding, even on sunny days. Most streets in the neighborhood today contain open industrial uses or overgrown, vacant lots, including a 17-acre city-owned site. And though wild plants grow tall along street edges, industrial uses and septic tank leaks have contaminated the land and groundwater. Pedestrian safety has also been an ongoing challenge, with few sidewalks or crosswalks available for pedestrians and tractor trailers, recreational vehicles, and other abandoned vehicles frequently stored on the street.

 

Beginning this month, the Adams administration will kick off a holistic community planning proposal where residents will be able to weigh in on a series of tools to address flooding, including a bluebelt and a drainage pond to divert rainwater from sewers; green infrastructure, like rain gardens to provide additional capacity to absorb rainwater; upgraded sewers with expanded capacity to serve as the first line of defense against flooding from rain events; and additional supportive tools such as raised streets. Community members will also have an opportunity to share perspectives on ways the city can make streetscape upgrades to improve safety and connectivity to nearby neighborhoods, create affordable housing on city-owned land, stimulate the creation of good jobs and community amenities, and develop a long-term land use and zoning plan.

 

In partnership with the community, the Adams administration will develop targeted resiliency strategies for the respective areas north and south of Linden Boulevard. The city has received $2.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds that will go towards planning work around resiliency measures and affordable housing creation. For the northern area, the administration is investing $72.8 million in new and upgraded resiliency infrastructure. In the southern area, community engagement will inform efforts to redirect water to Jamaica Bay and reduce current and future flood risk, explore green infrastructure to further reduce flooding, build new affordable housing, and create retail space and good-paying jobs.

 

The planning process, which will cover both sides of Linden Boulevard, is organized around five core goals:

• Build resilient, green infrastructure and improve community resilience.
• Outline a community-supported vision for city-owned land, including a 17-acre vacant lot.
• Improve street infrastructure, pedestrian safety, and connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods.
• Facilitate the creation of jobs, community services, and amenities.
• Develop a long-term land use plan for the Jewel Streets.

 

This stage of the process will begin with the first of five public workshops on June 24, 2023, with the Adams administration planning to bring final recommendations to the community by early 2024 and a final neighborhood plan in place later in 2024. Community members will have additional opportunities to learn about the process and share feedback both in person and online. Anyone interested in participating can find more information or submit questions or comments online.

 

Since April 2022, the Adams administration has been working closely with a community coalition led by New York City Councilmember Charles Barron, the East New York Community Land Trust, and the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation to develop solutions to the long-term challenges facing residents of the Jewel Streets. Since then, DEP has completed projects in 2022 and 2023, installing new storm sewer infrastructure and catch basins both north and south of Linden Boulevard. Photos of the project completed this year are available online.

 

In addition, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) are working jointly to tow illegally parked cars and conduct targeted clean-ups of vacant lots. Since February 2023, the agencies together have removed more than 400 vehicles in 26 coordinated joint agency operations. Overall, the NYPD this year has towed 220 large trucks parked illegally overnight on residential streets across the city.

 

“This administration is committed to equity, and DOT is proud to join in this effort to deliver services to the residents of the area,” said New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We look forward to this planning process and working with our partner agencies to enhance resiliency and accessibility in the Jewel Streets area and to continue delivering projects in historically underserved communities.”

 

“The NYPD fully embraces our city’s ongoing mission to foster safe and secure environments that enable communities to prosper,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “Our officers work tirelessly to ensure that New Yorkers are safe and that they feel safe, too. And this seamless, multiagency effort advances the very best of our cohesive public-safety vision.”

 

“New Yorkers who live in the Jewel Streets neighborhood deserve clean, safe streets, and ‘New York’s Strongest’ have been proudly running targeted clean-ups of this area throughout 2023,” said DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “Mayor Adams’ investment will make a meaningful difference in the quality of life of this long-ignored community.”

 

“This interagency effort is starting to correct the mistakes of the past and is charting a path towards a better, brighter future for this community,” said New York City Department of City Planning Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick.

 

Glaziers Recruit Apprentices

 

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Finishing Trades Institute of New York will conduct a recruitment from July 14, 2023 through July 27, 2023 for 50 glazier apprentices, the New York State Department of Labor announced today.

Please note that the openings listed for apprentices represent the total number for three recruitment regions – the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and New York City regions.

Applications can be obtained, in person only, from the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Finishing Trades Institute of New York, 45-15 36th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the recruitment period. This is a limited-application recruitment. Only 500 applications will be distributed, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The recruitment will be offered for 10 business days or until 500 applications have been issued, whichever comes first.

The Committee requires that applicants:

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Must have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma (such as TASC or GED). Proof will be required after selection and prior to enrollment in apprenticeship.
• Must be physically able to perform the work required, as determined by a site evaluation and personal statement. More information will be provided during a mandatory 3-day orientation.
• Must sign an affidavit stating that they are physically able to perform the work of a glazier, which may include:
  • Lifting and carrying material and equipment up to 70 pounds.
  • Working from ladders, scaffolds, lifts, and suspended scaffolds
• Must be able to read, hear, and understand instructions and warnings in English.
• Must take a mandatory drug testing after selection and prior to enrollment and random throughout apprenticeship.

For further information, applicants should contact Finishing Trades Institute of New York at (718) 937-7440. Additional job search assistance can be obtained at your local New York State Department of Labor Career Center (see: dol.ny.gov/career-centers).

Apprentice programs registered with the Department of Labor must meet standards established by the Commissioner. Under state law, sponsors of programs cannot discriminate against applicants because of race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, or marital status. Women and minorities are encouraged to submit applications for apprenticeship programs. Sponsors of programs are required to adopt affirmative action plans for the recruitment of women and minorities.

Attorney General James Secures $6.9 Million from Bayer and Monsanto for False Advertising of Roundup® Weedkillers

 

Bayer CropScience and Monsanto Allegedly Falsely Claimed Certain Roundup® Consumer Products Were Safe and Non-Toxic, Violating an Agreement with OAG

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement with Bayer CropScience LP (Bayer) and Monsanto Company (Monsanto) for allegedly making false and misleading claims regarding the safety of certain Roundup® consumer weedkillers. Bayer and Monsanto repeatedly claimed in advertising that Roundup® consumer products containing the active ingredient glyphosate were safe and non-toxic without adequate substantiation. These claims violated state laws against false and misleading advertising, and also breached a previous settlement the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) reached with Monsanto in 1996, in which Monsanto committed to stop making unsubstantiated claims regarding the safety of Roundup® products that contained glyphosate.

“Pesticides can cause serious harm to the health of our environment, and pose a deadly threat to wildlife, including pollinators and other species vital to agriculture,” said Attorney General James. “It is essential that pesticide companies — even and especially the most powerful ones — are honest with consumers about the dangers posed by their products so that they can be used responsibly. Once again, Monsanto and the company’s current owner, Bayer, made false and misleading claims about the safety of their products, but we will not allow them to get away with endangering our environment. My office will continue to protect the health of New York’s environment by ensuring our laws are respected and followed.”

Roundup® is among the leading brands of weedkillers in the United States. For many years, glyphosate was the most common primary active ingredient in Roundup® brand products. Scientific studies have determined that some formulations of Roundup® brand pesticides may be toxic to wildlife, particularly pollinator species such as honeybees and butterflies, as well as fish, amphibians, and other aquatic organisms. According to a 2022 report of the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey, at least 40 percent — and as many as 60 percent — of pollinator species native to New York are at risk of disappearing from the state, potentially threatening the future growth of crops and wildflowers statewide.

In 2020, Attorney General James began an investigation into whether Monsanto, and its current owner Bayer, were again engaging in false advertising of their Roundup® products, in violation of Monsanto’s 1996 settlement with OAG. The investigation found that a number of claims made in advertising, including promises that Roundup® products “won’t harm anything but weeds,” and “do not pose a threat to the health of animal wildlife,” were not adequately substantiated. The investigation also revealed that the companies made claims that implied Roundup® products were safer and less toxic than dish detergent and soap, a practice Monsanto had agreed to cease in the 1996 settlement. Following the investigation, Attorney General James concluded that the companies’ claims about these products violated New York laws against persistent business fraud and false and misleading advertising, and breached Monsanto’s obligations under the prior settlement.

The OAG’s investigation and settlement are related to the environmental impacts of Roundup® products; the impact of Roundup® products on human health is currently the subject of ongoing nationwide private-party litigation.

As a result of the settlement announced today, Bayer and Monsanto will pay $6.9 million to OAG, which will be used to prevent, abate, restore, mitigate, or control the impacts of toxic pesticides such as those containing glyphosate on pollinators or aquatic species. The specific programs and projects that will be supported with these funds have yet to be determined, but may include research, monitoring, and education, as well as habitat management, restoration, and enhancement.

The settlement also requires Bayer and Monsanto to immediately remove or discontinue any advertisements that represent Roundup® consumer products containing glyphosate as safe, non-toxic, harmless, or free from risk to pollinators and other wildlife. Bayer and Monsanto must also direct distributors and retailers of these consumer Roundup® weedkillers to cease the dissemination of any marketing materials that contain these allegedly false representations. Per the agreement, Bayer and Monsanto will submit an annual report and certification of compliance with the agreement to OAG, and the companies will be subject to a $100,000 penalty for each failure to uphold the obligations of the settlement.

Construction Company Owners Charged With $5.4 Million Fraud Scheme

 

Rawinder Dhillon and Amninder Singh Allegedly Submitted Fraudulent Surety Bonds to New York State to Obtain Construction Payments on False Pretenses

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging RAWINDER DHILLON and AMNINDER SINGH, the owners of a construction company, with participating in a scheme to submit fraudulent bonds to the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (“GOSR”) in order to obtain payments on false pretenses in connection with construction projects funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”).  The defendants were arrested this morning and will be presented in Manhattan federal court later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “The defendants allegedly conspired to obtain over five million dollars from the state of New York based on phony construction surety bonds.  Unfortunately, this is another example of a program intended to help communities recover from disaster being targeted for manipulation and fraud.  The FBI is committed to ensuring that individuals who conspire to commit fraud against the government face the consequences for their schemes.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]

GOSR was established in 2013 – following Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Superstorm Sandy – to centralize recovery and rebuilding efforts in impacted areas of New York State.  GOSR utilizes federal funding to provide aid for housing recovery, small businesses, community reconstruction, and infrastructure.  DHILLON and SINGH owned and operated a construction company based in Staten Island, New York (“the Construction Company”).  The Construction Company was awarded contracts by GOSR in connection with certain construction projects (the “Construction Projects”) funded by HUD. 

For each of the Construction Projects, the Construction Company was required to obtain surety performance bonds (meant to ensure satisfactory completion of a construction company’s contractual obligations) and payment bonds (meant to ensure payment by a construction company to subcontractors and/or vendors supplying labor and/or materials).  In or about April 2021, the Construction Company emailed to GOSR documents purporting to be the required performance bonds and payment bonds for the Construction Projects.  Following the submission of the purported bonds, GOSR paid the Construction Company more than approximately $5.4 million in connection with the Construction Projects.

In or about February 2022, a subcontractor (the “Subcontractor”) that had contracted with the Construction Company to perform roofing work in connection with one of the Construction Projects contacted GOSR to report that the Construction Company had not paid the Subcontractor for its work.  In response, GOSR provided the Subcontractor with a copy of one of the purported bonds so that the Subcontractor could obtain payment from the insurance carrier.  However, when the Subcontractor contacted the insurance broker that allegedly issued the bond, the insurance broker informed the Subcontractor, in substance and in part, that the insurance broker had no record of issuing the bond and that the bond was fraudulent.  Thereafter, the insurance broker informed GOSR, in substance and in part, that each of the purported payment and performance bonds provided by the Construction Company to GOSR were fraudulent.  Accordingly, on or about February 20, 2022, GOSR terminated its contracts with the Construction Company.

DHILLON, 32, of Staten Island, New York, and SINGH, 37, of New Hyde Park, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence. 

The minimum and maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants would be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY DARCEL D. CLARK ANNOUNCES TWO INDICTMENTS FOR FRAUD AGAINST ELDERLY VICTIMS; ON WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY, CLARK WARNS SENIORS TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST SCAMMERS

 

Disbarred Bronx Lawyer Allegedly Stole $700,000 From 5 Clients in Riverdale; L.I. Man Allegedly Cashed $120,000 in Checks, Nearly Depleting Woman’s Account

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that two men have been charged in separate indictments for stealing from elderly people, highlighting economic abuse of seniors who put their trust – and life savings – in the hands of fraudsters.

 One indictment charges a disbarred Bronx attorney for stealing from the living and the dead—in a real estate fraud scheme and from estates that left funds to charities.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly ingratiated himself with mostly elderly clients in Riverdale, gaining power of attorney or becoming executor of their wills, and took profits from selling their homes or kept money that was left to charities. His alleged actions led to unsurmountable financial harm, as well as stress for people of advanced age. It is elderly abuse.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Paul Frieary, 69, of Shendaken, NY, who had a law office on Riverdale Avenue, is charged with second-degree Grand Larceny, third-degree Grand Larceny, fourth-degree Grand-Larceny, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, first-degree Scheme to Defraud, and second-degree Scheme to Defraud. Frieary was arraigned June 1, 2023, before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. The defendant was placed on supervised release and is due back in court on August 23, 2023.

 According to the investigation, between July 2014 to January 2021 the defendant took thousands of dollars from victims in retainer fees to represent them in their real estate closing, and allegedly never dispersed money to clients when he received money from buyers. Frieary was disbarred from the practice of law in October of 2020 following the Attorney Grievance Committee’s investigation into predatory practices by him while acting as an attorney on behalf of multiple interested parties to various land sale contracts and probate petitions.

 In one incident, Frieary represented buyers of a home owned by a couple in their 90s. He allegedly gave them some $329,000 but kept more than $277,000. They passed away after trying for years to no avail to get the rest of the money owed to them.

 In another incident, an elderly woman, whose husband predeceased her and who had no family in the U. S., hired Frieary and gave him full power of attorney and made him the executor of her estate. In her will, she left $350,000 to seven charities including the Bowery Mission, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, Food Bank for New York City, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In 2014 she passed away, and the charities listed confirmed that there were never any donations given by the woman’s estate, Paul Frieary, nor any of his companies.

 In the second case, the defendant nearly depleted a 95-year-old woman’s savings by alleged check fraud.

 District Attorney Clark said, “A 95-year old woman who does not speak English entrusted her checkbook to someone. Allegedly, the checks wound up in the hands of the defendant, who cashed over $120,000 worth of checks. The victim bravely testified to the grand jury. It’s a cautionary tale for everyone, particularly seniors, that no one should give their account information to anyone unless they have made sure the person is trustworthy.”

 District Attorney Clark said Rudolf Drauch, 60, of West Babylon, NY, is charged with second-degree Grand Larceny, third-degree Grand Larceny, fourth-degree Grand Larceny, second-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, third-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing, fourth-degree Criminal Tax Fraud, and fifth-degree Criminal Tax Fraud. He was arraigned on June 13, 2023 before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. He is due back in court on September 28, 2023.

 According to the investigation, between February and August 2022, the victim, a 95-yearold Bronx woman who does not speak English, gave blank checks to someone to pay bills for her. While she was temporarily in a nursing home, the defendant allegedly cashed 72 of them totaling $120,263. The defendant allegedly withdrew almost all the victim’s savings. The victim’s nephew, who grew suspicious over his aunt’s finances, contacted the Bronx DA’s Office in 2022 and a joint investigation with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance uncovered the check fraud and failure to report the income on tax returns.

 District Attorney Clark thanked the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Criminal Investigations Division, for their work in the investigation.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.