The Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association(PPNA) is hosting our annual Back To School Supply Giveaway to the less fortunate in the Bronx community. We have plans to hold this on Sunday August 20 at 12 noon at 2134 Barnes Avenue ,Bx NY 10462 . We would welcome and appreciate your participation.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the placement of a new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center in Queens as the number of asylum seekers currently in the city’s care surpasses 56,200. In partnership with New York State, the city will construct and open a new humanitarian relief center in the parking lot adjacent to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center to serve up to 1,000 single adult men seeking asylum. New York state is providing this space and will reimburse the city for the associated costs of the site including construction, maintenance, and staffing. This humanitarian relief center will provide a range of services, in addition to ensuring asylum seekers can reach their desired destination, if not New York City.
“New York City continues to receive thousands of asylum seekers each week, and we have stepped up and led the nation, but this national crisis should not fall on cities alone to navigate. We need a national solution here,” said Mayor Adams. “We’re grateful to New York State for this support opening our newest humanitarian relief center as we continue to work to help asylum seekers reach their final destination. New York City needs additional support from all our partners to address this issue.”
“As we have consistently communicated, this is a humanitarian crisis unlike any in recent memory,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “New York City is continuing to find creative ways to support asylum seekers, but we know it is an unsustainable effort absent a national decompression strategy from the federal government. As we open this space as part of a temporary solution, we will continue to call on more support from all levels of government.”
“Throughout this crisis, we’ve had to balance an increasing need for assistance against finite resources," said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. "Still, the team has gone above and beyond in identifying new locations and getting these centers up and running. The city has done a phenomenal job in providing the necessary support for asylum seekers so they can continue on their journey.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals is committed to helping the city rise to the challenge of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis by providing asylum seekers the assistance they need to find a better life for themselves and their families,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “The comprehensive on-site services offered at the Creedmoor humanitarian relief center will build upon the success of our work at our other humanitarian relief sites, which have helped thousands of asylum seekers complete their journeys. I am proud to be a part of the Adams administration that, in the absence of federal assistance, has mounted a monumental response to this crisis.”
“The opening of the newest Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center is a testament to New York City's resilience and our commitment to provide for those in need. While we mark this as a significant milestone, we also recognize the immense challenge ahead and we urgently call on our federal partners to bolster their commitment and meet their responsibility to support this effort,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “Financial support, policy change, and faster work authorizations for asylum seekers are necessary components of an effective response. The responsibility of addressing this critical matter should not rest on any single city.”
Since this humanitarian crisis began, New York City has taken fast and urgent action — opening over 190 emergency shelters, including 12 other large-scale humanitarian relief centers already, with a 13th relief center (not including the site at Creedmoor) set to open in the coming weeks. The city has also stood up navigation centers to connect asylum seekers with critical resources; enrolled thousands of children in public schools through Project Open Arms; launched the Asylum Application Help Center to help migrants with their asylum applications; and more. Earlier this spring, the city released “The Road Forward: A Blueprint to Address New York City’s Response to the Asylum Seeker Crisis,” detailing how the city will continue to manage the influx of asylum seekers and advocate for support from federal and state partners.
Defendants Misappropriated Funds of Dozens of Clients, Some of Whom Are Elderly and Disabled
A 16-count indictment was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip charging investment advisers Adam Kaplan and his brother, Daniel Kaplan, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, investment advisor fraud, and money laundering in connection with several schemes to steal millions of dollars from their clients. The defendants were arrested today and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged, the Kaplans engaged in years-long schemes violating the trust that their clients, some of them elderly and vulnerable, had placed in them to manage their money safely and honestly,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendants lined their pockets at the victims’ expense, but with their lies and frauds exposed, they will be held to account for their conduct.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission for their assistance with the case.
“As alleged, the Kaplans engaged in multiple investment fraud schemes that victimized their clients, many of whom were elderly or disabled. This type of illegal activity is unfortunately all too common and even more egregious when vulnerable groups are targeted,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Curtis. “The FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who exploit their clients by misappropriating their funds for personal gain.”
As set forth in the indictment and other public filings, between May 2018 and November 2022, Adam and Daniel Kaplan acted as investment advisors for hundreds of clients. The defendants used their positions of trust to misappropriate millions of dollars from their clients, some of whom were elderly and disabled. The defendants used various schemes to misappropriate the victims’ funds, including overbilling for advisory fees, siphoning money from bank accounts through fraudulent advisory fee charges and through purported “investments” defendants never intended to make. The defendants lied to their clients about the fraudulent charges, forged their clients’ signatures on documents, and made misrepresentations to financial institutions. In total, the defendants misappropriated at least $5 million, using the funds for personal expenses and to purchase luxury goods.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison.
If you were a client of Adam Kaplan or Daniel Kaplan and would like to file a complaint, please visit www.iC3.gov. Please reference “Adam Kaplan” or “Daniel Kaplan” in your complaint.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Caffarone, Paul Scotti, and Adam Toporovsky are in charge of the prosecution.
Lewis Allegedly Provided Confidential Information About Publicly Traded Companies to his Romantic Partners, Personal Assistants, Friends, and Private Pilots, Including Patrick O’Connor and Bryan “Marty” Waugh, Who Are Also Charged
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging JOSEPH LEWIS and his co-conspirators, PATRICK O’CONNOR and BRYAN WAUGH, a/k/a/ “Marty Waugh,” with insider trading securities fraud and related charges. The defendants were arrested this morning and will be presented later today.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “My Office, the Southern District of New York, has indicted Joe Lewis, the British billionaire, for orchestrating a brazen insider trading scheme and his co-conspirators and personal pilots, Patrick O’Connor and Bryan ‘Marty’ Waugh. We allege that, for years, Joe Lewis abused his access to corporate boardrooms and repeatedly provided inside information to his romantic partners, his personal assistants, his friends, and his pilots. Those folks then traded on that inside information – and made millions of dollars in the stock market – because, thanks to Lewis, those bets were a sure thing. None of this was necessary. Joe Lewis is a wealthy man, but as we allege, he used inside information as a way to compensate his employees or to shower gifts on his friends and lovers. That’s classic corporate corruption. It’s cheating. And it’s against the law – laws that apply to everyone, no matter who you are.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Christie M. Curtis said: "As alleged, Lewis and his associates used material, non-public information for the personal benefit of themselves and close associates, despite knowing that the activity was illicit. This type of behavior - blatant disregard for the law - is not only illegal but undermines the integrity of our financial markets. The FBI is determined to ensure that anyone willing to perpetrate insider trading schemes is held accountable in the United States criminal justice system."
According to the allegations contained in the Indictments unsealed in Manhattan federal court and court filings:1
JOSEPH LEWIS is a billionaire businessman and investor who is the principal owner of the Tavistock Group, an international private investment organization. By virtue of LEWIS’s investments in certain companies, he has controlled one or more board of director seats at those companies and has deputized employees to serve on various company boards. In turn, through these employees, LEWIS received material, non-public information about these companies, including, for example, information about upcoming favorable test results for biochemical companies. LEWIS, on multiple occasions over the course of several years, then misused and misappropriated this confidential information to provide stock tips to various individuals in his life, including his employees, romantic partners, and friends, as a way to provide them with compensation and gifts. These individuals, in turn, traded on the tips provided by LEWIS for vast personal gain.
In addition, LEWIS conspired with others to hide his ownership shares of a pharmaceutical company through a pattern of false filings and misleading statements. More specifically, LEWIS was required to file schedules of share ownership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) because he was an owner of more than 10% of the stock of Mirati Therapeutics (“Mirati”). LEWIS reported to the SEC that he owned between 16 and 19.99% of the stock, when, in reality, he beneficially owned more than 19.99% of Mirati stock through an elaborate array of shell companies and other entities, including an offshore trust purportedly for the benefit of his granddaughter. As a result of the false disclosure of his ownership, LEWIS was able to exercise warrants in Mirati that he would otherwise not have been able to exercise, at vast financial gain. At one point, when HSBC bank inquired about a transaction related to Mirati, LEWIS’s employee falsely told HSBC that the transaction was the repayment of a loan from LEWIS, a false explanation that LEWIS had told him he was “happy with,” despite knowing it was false.
PATRICK O’CONNOR and BRYAN WAUGH are two pilots employed by LEWIS to fly his private aircraft. LEWIS tipped both O’CONNOR and WAUGH and encouraged them to trade based on material, non-public information. In one instance, LEWIS gave O’CONNOR and WAUGH loans, each worth $500,000, so they could buy a company’s stock before the public release of favorable clinical results. In connection with that loan, O’CONNOR texted a friend to buy the stock, told the friend the “Boss is helping us out and told us to get ASAP,” and assured the friend that “All conversations on app is encrypted so all good. No one can ever see.” O’CONNOR also texted the friend that “Boss mentioned around 6 to 8 weeks for [Mirati] to take profit” and that he thought “the Boss has inside info” and “knows the outcome” of not-yet-public clinical testing. O’CONNOR and WAUGH later sold the stock they had purchased on the basis of these tips for a profit, as did LEWIS’s assistant and friends.
LEWIS, 86, a British national, has been charged with 13 counts of securities fraud under Title 15, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; three counts of securities fraud under Title 18, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison; and three counts of conspiracy, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
O’CONNOR, 66, of Preston Hollow, New York, has been charged with four counts of securities fraud under Title 15, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; three counts of securities fraud under Title 18, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
WAUGH, 64, of Lynchburg, Virginia, has been charged with four counts of securities fraud under Title 15, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; three counts of securities fraud under Title 18, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. He also expressed appreciation for the SEC, which separately initiated civil proceedings against the defendants today. Mr. Williams further thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance during this investigation.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas Roos, Jason A. Richman, and Alex Rossmiller are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictments 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 Indictments and the description of the Indictments set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James today took action to stop members of Red Rose Rescue, an anti-abortion extremist group, from blocking access to abortion care in New York. Following the lawsuit she filed against Red Rose Rescue last month, Attorney General James today filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prohibit the organization and its members from coming within 30 feet of any reproductive health care facility in New York state pending trial.
Despite multiple convictions in New York and across the country, Red Rose Rescue and its members — including Christopher “Fidelis” Moscinski, Matthew Connolly, William Goodman, Laura Gies, and John Hinshaw — have repeatedly trespassed at abortion clinics and physically blocked access to reproductive health care services in an effort to stop clinics from operating. Obstructing or interfering with access to reproductive health care clinics, including abortion clinics, is illegal under the United States Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) and the New York State Clinic Access Act.
“Red Rose Rescue continues to threaten reproductive health care providers and the patients they serve in New York and nationwide,” said Attorney General James. “Every person has the right to access reproductive health care clinics without obstruction or interruption. New Yorkers have my word: I will always take action to defend your right to make your own choices about your own bodies.”
Red Rose Rescue is a radical anti-abortion group whose members seek to prevent abortions by trespassing into private medical facilities and clinics and refusing to leave until they are physically removed by law enforcement. In the past two years, Red Rose Rescue has delayed and interfered with the provision of reproductive health care services at three clinics in New York — Planned Parenthood in Hempstead, Nassau County; All Women’s Care in Manhasset, Nassau County; and All Women’s Health in White Plains, Westchester County. At each of these clinics, multiple patients’ appointments were delayed or missed due to Red Rose Rescue’s actions.
Red Rose Rescue eschews legally protected peaceful protest, and instead the group’s members repeatedly violate clinic protection laws by physically interfering with the provision of abortion care services. In light of Red Rose Rescue’s documented refusal to cease this hateful, disruptive, and criminal misconduct, Attorney General James is seeking a preliminary injunction to prohibit the organization and its associates from knowingly coming within 30 feet of any New York facility that provides reproductive health care.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Attorney General James launched a pro bono legal hotline to provide legal support to patients and health care providers nationwide. New Yorkers are encouraged to call the New York abortion rights legal hotline at (212) 899-5567 for free legal information and resources about accessing abortion.
Bottom Line Construction and Development, LLC, a subcontractor under the prime contractor Masterpiece, U.S., Inc., reached a settlement with the New York City Comptroller’s Office regarding prevailing wage violations. The settlement payments total $14,215.64, including back-wages, benefits, interest, and a civil penalty.
Two employees suspected that Bottom Line Construction paid less than the mandated prevailing wage for carpentry, construction, and masonry work performed at two Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) stations in Brooklyn and Queens. The workers raised their concerns to the Comptroller’s Office, which initiated a thorough investigation, focusing on the activities at six MTA stations covered by the prime contract.
“Every construction worker deserves full pay for their work on public projects, yet companies like Bottom Line skim rightfully earned wages from its workers. This settlement serves as a reminder that contractors doing business with the city must adhere to prevailing wage laws, and companies that neglect to pay their workers will be held accountable,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.
“When companies deny workers their rightful wages, they both violate the law and undermine labor standards and fairness. The settlement our Bureau of Labor Law reached with Bottom Line is a display of our commitment to fair pay for the New Yorkers who work tirelessly to build and improve our city,” said Claudia Henriquez, Director of Workers’ Rights at the Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law.
Bottom Line Construction performed work at the Broad Channel station in Queens and the 86th Street station in Brooklyn. The investigation revealed that the company underpaid the workers who filed complaints, and further scrutiny uncovered that Bottom Line paid four additional workers incorrectly.
Over the four-and-a-half-month period between August and December 2019, the workers collectively lost $8,086.20 in wages and supplemental benefits due to prevailing wage violations. After factoring in additional penalties, interest, and administrative costs incurred from the violations and subsequent investigation, Bottom Line Construction agreed to pay a total settlement of $14,215.64.
Under New York State law, the New York City Comptroller sets and enforces prevailing wage laws for public works projects, including those at MTA stations and building service work on New York City government-funded work sites. Section 220 of New York State Labor Law sets out how prevailing wages shall be determined.
Permits have been filed to expand a two-story structure into a three-story residential building at 3467 Knox Place in Norwood, The Bronx. Located between West Gun Hill Road and West Mosholu Parkway North, the lot is near the Mosholu Parkway subway station, serviced by the 4 train. Yosef Eliav is listed as the owner behind the applications.
The proposed 34-foot-tall development will yield 4,035 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have ten residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 403 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar and a 30-foot-long rear yard.
Leandro Nils Dickson Architect is listed as the architect of record.
Demolition permits will likely not be needed as the project calls for a vertical expansion. An estimated completion date has not been announced.
|
Join Bronx Chamber members, elected officials, and friends for a Summer evening of networking, great food & drinks, and conversation. The evening includes live music, barbeque, dancing, and networking.
Individuals wishing to golf before hand must contact Pelham Bay and Split Rock Golf Course directly.
| Reserve Your Spot - Click Here |
