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Friday, August 11, 2023
Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use
Dynamic Star Reveals Renderings For One Fordham Landing In The Bronx
Dynamic Star has revealed the first renderings and detailed plans for One Fordham Landing, a mixed-use, high-rise development at 320 West Fordham Road in The Bronx. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the property is taking shape in the University Heights neighborhood, just south of West Fordham Road along the Harlem River waterfront.
The building comprises roughly 350,000 square feet of leasable area. While future occupants have not been confirmed, the space is designed to accommodate community organizations, medical and educational tenants, and small businesses.
When complete, the building will have 18-foot ceiling spans, a 20,000-square-foot landscaped roof deck, and minimal interior columns to provide tenants with modern, open workspaces. Future tenants will also have access to a pickleball court, a lap pool, a basketball court, and a fitness center located in an adjacent apartment building.
To maximize health and wellness, the building is equipped with a high-efficiency ventilation system, enhanced air filters with UV light components, touchless doors and elevator technology, and LED light fixtures.
“We are excited to offer The Bronx a new standard in community facility buildings,” said Dynamic Star’s CEO Gary Segal. “We believe that a healthy environment, combined with a rich mix of tenant amenities and a spectacular waterfront location, is essential for productivity and overall well-being.”
The project team has not announced an anticipated construction schedule.
Permits Filed For 717 Bartholdi Street In Williamsbridge, The Bronx
Permits have been filed for a four-story residential building at 717 Bartholdi Street in Williamsbridge, The Bronx. Located at the intersection of Bartholdi Street and Cruger Avenue, the corner lot is near the Gun Hill Road subway station, serviced by the 2 and 5 trains. Gjovan Rroku of New Line Construction is listed as the owner behind the applications.
The proposed 50-foot-tall development will yield 7,255 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 14 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 518 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a penthouse, a 45-foot-long side yard, and seven open parking spaces.
Statement From Governor Hochul on Meeting With Tom Perez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to President Biden
“For months, I've been in close communication with the White House about the asylum seeker crisis and have had repeated conversations with President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, Chief of Staff Zients and other Administration officials. As a result of that outreach, I was pleased to welcome Tom Perez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President, to New York. Building on our daily conversations thus far, today’s meeting was frank and productive as we discussed the federal help New York desperately needs: additional financial resources, federally-owned land like Floyd Bennett Field, and expedited work authorization for asylum seekers. I am committed to continuing these efforts until the federal government provides us with the resources and support we are urging them to deliver."
VCJC News & Notes 8/11/23
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 date @ 7:41 pm
Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am. Please join the services if you can do so safely.
Shabbos Ends Saturday date @ 8:44 pm
Book of Remembrance
The flyers have been mailed out. Please return ASAP.
The flyers have been mailed out. Please return ASAP.
VCJC Committees
The current edition of the Center Light has the list of committees. We’d welcome participation from members! Let us know of your interest!
Discussion Group
The Board has endorsed our having a regular discussion group. It could be a book club, political, current events, or all of those plus more. We need some volunteers to make it happen. Interested? Let us know.
Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463Thursday, August 10, 2023
Corficolombiana to Pay $80M to Resolve Foreign Bribery Investigations
Corporación Financiera Colombiana S.A. (Corficolombiana), a Colombian financial services institution, has agreed to pay over $80 million to resolve parallel bribery investigations by criminal, civil, and administrative authorities in the United States and Colombia stemming from the company’s involvement in a scheme to pay millions of dollars in bribes to high-ranking government officials in Colombia.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s resolution is coordinated with authorities in Colombia, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
According to court documents, Corficolombiana entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department in connection with a criminal information filed in the District of Maryland charging the company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Corficolombiana was majority-owned and controlled by Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A., a Colombian holding company and issuer in the United States.
According to court documents, between 2012 and 2015, Corficolombiana conspired to offer and pay more than $23 million in bribes to high-ranking Colombian government officials in order to win a contract to construct and operate a highway toll road known as the Ocaña-Gamarra Extension. Corficolombiana conspired with Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a global construction conglomerate based in Brazil, to pay bribes to Colombian government officials in the executive and legislative branches and to an executive at Colombia’s state-owned infrastructure agency, in order to win the rights to construct and operate the Ocaña-Gamarra Extension. To carry out the bribery scheme, Corficolombiana caused other entities to enter into fictitious contracts with companies associated with intermediaries that passed along the bribe payments to the Colombian government officials. Ultimately, Corficolombiana earned approximately $28.63 million in profits from the corruptly obtained business.
“Corficolombiana, together with its co-conspirators, agreed to pay more than $20 million in bribes to high-ranking government officials across the Colombian government to win a massive infrastructure project,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s resolution – the first-ever coordinated with Colombian authorities in a foreign bribery case – reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to working shoulder-to-shoulder with our foreign partners to combat transnational corruption and hold accountable companies that brazenly pay bribes for economic gain.”
“Corficolombiana has acknowledged its role in a significant foreign bribery scheme, and for that it is being held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Under the DPA, the company is paying a substantial criminal penalty and will continue to cooperate with the United States in criminal investigations relating to this conduct. My office is pleased to be part of this first-ever joint FCPA bribery prosecution with Colombian authorities.”
Pursuant to the DPA, Corficolombiana will pay a criminal penalty of $40.6 million. The Department has agreed to credit up to half of that criminal penalty against money that the company and its subsidiary, Estudios y Proyectos del Sol S.A.S. (Episol), paid to Colombia’s Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC), for violations of Colombian laws related to the same conduct, so long as the company and Episol drop their appeals of the SIC resolution. In addition, Corficolombiana will pay over $40 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest as part of a resolution of the SEC’s parallel investigation.
Corficolombiana also agreed to continue cooperating with the Department in any ongoing or future criminal investigations relating to this conduct. In addition, under the agreement, Corficolombiana agreed to continue enhancing its compliance program and providing reports to the Department regarding remediation and the implementation of compliance measures for the term of the DPA.
“Today’s resolution shows that justice has a steep price for those who attempt to bribe foreign government officials,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Schemes like these violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and are an attempt to fundamentally undermine the spirit of economic competition. The FBI is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the global marketplace, which means investigating bribes of any amount, and preventing the corruption of officials at all levels.”
The Department reached this resolution with Corficolombiana based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. Corficolombiana received credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which included (i) timely providing the facts obtained through the company’s internal investigation; (ii) making numerous detailed factual presentations that distilled certain key factual information; (iii) producing documents that the government may not otherwise have had access to in ways that did not implicate foreign data privacy laws; (iv) providing sworn testimony from Colombian criminal and administrative proceedings of relevant witnesses whom the government could not independently interview; (v) proactively identifying information previously unknown to the government; and (vi) collecting and producing voluminous relevant documents and translations, including documents located outside of the United States.
The company promptly engaged in extensive remedial measures including, among other things (i) conducting a root cause analysis of the conduct identified during internal investigations and promptly taking actions to enhance its corporate governance and controls at joint venture entities, as well as improving its oversight of non-controlled joint ventures and investments; (ii) overhauling its compliance program; (iii) enhancing its third-party intermediary risk management process; (iv) implementing a robust process for reporting and investigating allegations of misconduct; (v) establishing a disciplinary process overseen by a cross-functional ethics committee; (vi) conducting testing of its anticorruption compliance program; and (vii) engaging in a periodic review of and updating of its anticorruption compliance program. In light of these considerations, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 30% reduction off the bottom of the applicable guidelines fine range.
The FBI’s International Corruption Squad in Miami is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Colombia’s Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio, and the Fiscalía General de la Nación provided substantial assistance in the matter.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Bronx Man Sentenced To 78 Months In Prison For Shooting Outside Of Bronx Deli
Demont Christian Shot at a Pedestrian in a Busy Intersection in Longwood
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DEMONT CHRISTIAN was sentenced today to 78 months in prison in connection with a shooting at the corner of Westchester Avenue and Faile Street in the Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, on October 7, 2022. CHRISTIAN previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who also imposed today’s sentence, to one count of possessing ammunition after conviction for a felony.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “On October 7, 2022, Demont Christian pulled a loaded handgun from his pocket and opened fire on a pedestrian in front of a Bronx deli. Christian perpetrated this senseless act of violence at a busy intersection filled with New Yorkers on nearby sidewalks and in passing vehicles. Today’s sentence sends an important message that we will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute gun violence to the fullest extent of the law.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in open court:
At approximately 10:24 pm on October 7, 2022, in the vicinity of a deli located at 1126 Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, CHRISTIAN, wearing a ski mask, pulled a gun from his pocket and fired four shots at a Victim using a .380 caliber handgun. CHRISTIAN fired at the Victim from approximately two to four car lengths away as the Victim walked away across Westchester Avenue. At the time of the first gunshot, the Victim had not even reached the yellow center line, while CHRISTIAN aimed his gun from the sidewalk. Surveillance footage shows that CHRISTIAN took deliberate aim at the Victim while bystanders stood just feet away:
CHRISTIAN was not permitted to possess ammunition because of his prior New York State conviction for attempted assault in the second degree, for which he was sentenced to two to four years in prison. CHRISTIAN has at least 15 prior criminal convictions.
In addition to his prison term, CHRISTIAN, 28, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department.