Dear Friends, The new school year is almost here! Please join our Community Office this Thursday, August 24th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm for a Back to School Bash at Whalen Playground. Working in partnership with several local organizations we will giveaway free bookbags, school supplies and more. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions please contact our Office at 718-409-0109.
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Are you on other political email lists?
If so, you probably regularly receive urgent and panicky emails asking for money. Too many politicians and organizations see their grassroots supporters as an ATM machine. They use scare tactics, guilt and shame, and downright misleading language to coax people into donating.
It’s bad, and getting worse. Team AOC is determined to rise above that and treat you and our other grassroots supporters with respect. Here’s what we believe:
- Instead of scaring you to donate, we want to inspire you to take action.
- Instead of guilt-tripping you for not donating enough, we want our emails to provide value to you. We try to send out informative, educational content.
- Instead of misleading you about fake 5X matches or faux threats, we’re honest with you about what’s going on and how you can help.
- Instead of only hitting you up when we need money, we’ll also send you opportunities to volunteer or help other candidates and causes who need it.
But just like all the other campaigns in your inbox, we do have fundraising goals and deadlines. Everything we raise each quarter is detailed in our public FEC report, and we want to post the biggest possible fundraising numbers. But we’re not going to scare or scam you into donating. We’ll just ask nicely because your donations to AOC are important and meaningful.
The truth is that this email list is powerful. It’s powerful precisely because you’re here, with so many others. It’s powerful because when so many of us take collective action all at once, we can make real change.
But maybe you’ll get something of value from the next email we send. Or perhaps you’ll join us for a volunteer activity down the road.
No matter what, we’re glad you’re here. Thanks for being part of this movement,
Team AOC
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), and Edward A. Caban, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today that GIBRAN GUERRERO, a/k/a “Cojito,” and YORVIN GOMEZ, a/k/a “Julbie,” were charged with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering, and firearms offenses related to their membership in a street gang known as the “Trinitarios” that operated in or around the Bronx and other locations. GUERRERO and GOMEZ are also charged with participating in a robbery on December 15, 2022. During the robbery, one of the victims, Johnny Gaston, was shot and killed. The other victim was shot but survived. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.
GUERRERO and GOMEZ were in state custody and were transferred into federal custody today. They were presented this afternoon in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Gibran Guerrero and Yorvin Gomez are alleged to have terrorized the Bronx in connection with their membership in the Trinitarios gang. Their alleged violent conduct included engaging in gunpoint robberies of multiple victims, with one robbery resulting in the tragic death of Johnny Gaston. Today’s indictment furthers this Office’s work to chip away at the gang violence that threatens public safety in our community.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said: “Every crime carried out by Trinitarios gang members in New York City is met with tenacious work by the NYPD and our law enforcement partners to ensure justice – and this case is no different. Behind the charges unsealed today against these two defendants is a proactive, aggressive investigation to ensure the strongest possible prosecution. I want to thank our NYPD detectives and all of our partners, including the agents of the HSI New York Field Office and the prosecutors of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, for their steadfast collaboration in bringing this important case.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
From at least in or about 2021 up to and including 2023, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, GIBRAN GUERRERO and YORVIN GOMEZ were members of the Trinitarios gang. In order to fund the gang, protect its territory, and promote its standing, members of the Trinitarios engaged in, among other things, robberies, frauds, narcotics trafficking, and other acts of violence, including murder.
On December 15, 2022, GUERRERO, GOMEZ, and other Trinitarios members lured two victims to a location in the Bronx and robbed them. During the robbery, one of the victims, Johnny Gaston, was shot and killed. The other victim was shot but survived.
In addition, on or about July 30, 2022, and September 26, 2022, GUERRERO and other Trinitarios members participated in gunpoint robberies of several victims located in the Bronx.
GIBRAN GUERRERO, 20, and YORVIN GOMEZ, 26, both of the Bronx, New York, are each charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison or death; one count of causing death through use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison or death; and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. GUERRERO is also charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of carrying and brandishing firearms in connection with a crime of violence, which each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are 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 HSI and the NYPD.
The charges contained in the Indictment 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 Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Working With NYC Health + Hospitals and The International Rescue Committee, State Funding Will Be Used to Triage and Expedite Overcoming Barriers to Exit Shelter, Including Filing for Asylum and Work Authorization
Casework Surge Builds on State’s $10 Million Investment in Legal Services in FY24 Budget, Part Of $1.5 Billion Commitment to Covering Shelter, Health Care and National Guard Costs
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a $20 million investment to speed the casework filing process for more than 30,000 asylum seekers. This investment, which is in addition to the $1.5 billion the State has already allocated to addressing this crisis, will help connect asylum seekers with case management services to speed the process of exiting shelter and, when necessary, filing asylum claims. The ultimate goal of these social services is to support asylum seekers as they attain legal work status, exit the shelter system and begin independent living.
“The path out of this crisis is work authorization,” Governor Hochul said. “New York has always welcomed immigrants and new arrivals — and getting asylum seekers on track to work authorization will help them become self-sufficient and come out of the shadows. New York State has provided significant humanitarian aid for more than a year, and we’re committed to continuing to support the City in managing this ongoing crisis.”
This new effort will engage at least 30,000 asylum seekers being sheltered by NYC Health + Hospitals, NYC Emergency Management, and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development with proactive exit-support case management services. The program is designed to immediately engage asylum seekers upon their arrival and continue the engagement throughout their stay in shelter, connecting them with social services that will help them make plans to exit shelter. These social service providers will include the Asylum Application Center, which is also funded by the State of New York.
Utilizing a framework developed by the International Rescue Committee, the internationally recognized NGO, asylum seekers in the City’s shelters will be triaged using a new color-coded scale: green indicates no significant barriers to exiting shelter; yellow indicates barriers to exit that have a path to resolution; and red indicates more complex barriers to exit that require extensive resources. This triage method will speed exit from shelter, facilitate the connection to services or resources required to exit shelter, and put families on the path to independent living. Individuals and families will be engaged on arrival at the City’s arrival center and on an ongoing basis throughout their time in shelter.
This funding is in addition to $10 million that the state provided in the FY24 budget to help the City of New York offer legal services to migrants, which was used to establish the city’s Asylum Application Center. It also builds on existing efforts from the State to shelter unprecedented numbers of asylum seekers, most recently including State-funded Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs) opened on Randall’s Island and at Creedmoor Psychiatric Facility. The State has also committed $1.5 billion to support the City’s efforts to shelter asylum seekers and has deployed more than 1,800 members of the New York National Guard to provide logistical and operational support at City-run shelters.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement on Floyd Bennett Field:
“For months, Governor Hochul and I have been urging the federal government to allow us to use Floyd Bennett Field to help house some of the more than 100,000 asylum seekers who have sought our care here in New York City, and I’m grateful that we have a tentative agreement to move forward on this site. I thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to pay for this site, and I’m looking forward to more of this kind of partnership with our friends in Albany as we manage this ongoing crisis. But let’s be clear: because we haven’t seen meaningful policy changes that would alter the course of this crisis, we’ve been forced to play an unsustainable game of ‘whack-a-mole’, opening new site after new site as asylum seekers continue to arrive by the thousands. We will continue to advocate for expedited work authorization for asylum seekers, a federal declaration of emergency, and a national and state decompression strategy, and we’re committed to making today’s announcement the beginning of a new era of enhanced partnership between our local, state, and federal governments.”
“After months of negotiations, the Biden Administration has provided us with a tentative contract that would allow New York to utilize Floyd Bennett Field as a shelter for asylum seekers. Once the final agreement is signed, we will work with Mayor Adams and his team to set up a Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Center at Floyd Bennett Field with the capacity to shelter more than 2,000 asylum seekers. We are grateful to President Biden for his support of this initiative and committed to continuing our advocacy on behalf of the people of New York.
"Ultimately the path out of this crisis is granting work authorization immediately, so these individuals can move out of shelter and into independent living arrangements. This site will be critical in the interim for the City of New York to provide humanitarian aid, as we work collectively to get people on the path to asylum seeker status and legal work."
