NYPD Announces Citywide Crime Statistics for September 2023

 

Shootings, Murders, Robberies, and Burglaries Driven Down across New York City

Mirroring the downward trend experienced through the first nine months of this year, overall index crime declined again in September 2023 compared to September 2022, led by an ongoing reduction in violence and the demonstrable effects of intelligence-driven precision policing.

For the month of September 2023, New York City saw a 34.2% drop in shooting incidents compared to September 2022 (77 v. 117). This distinct decline extended the 27.1% decrease in shooting incidents citywide through the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period one year ago (760 v. 1,043) – which translated to 378 fewer people shot this year compared to last year. Additionally, the number of homicides in September 2023 dropped by 27.9% (31 v. 43).

In September, the NYPD continued to make hundreds of gun arrests – 413 arrests resulting in 550 illegal firearms seized during the month. Overall, NYPD officers have effected 3,353 gun arrests and seized nearly 5,100 illegal firearms through the first nine months of 2023. Since the start of this administration, police have arrested nearly 8,000 people for illegal gun possession and seized more than 12,200 illicit firearms – each of which will never claim another victim.

The NYPD’s progress in driving down crime reflects the department’s gun-violence reduction strategies, which include building trust, strengthening relationships, and leveraging partnerships in communities across the five boroughs.

Overall index crime declined by 5.6% (10,574 v. 11,207) in September 2023 compared to the same period a year ago. Individual crime increases were driven mainly by grand larceny auto, which rose by 19.5% (1,439 v. 1,204). At the same time, New York City saw a drop in five of the seven index crime categories in September, including a 27.0% reduction in burglary (1,057 v. 1,447), a 9.4% drop in grand larceny (4,155 v. 4,588), and a 7.3% decline in robbery (1,419 v. 1,530). Overall index crime in the city’s transit system decreased by 12.5% (95 v. 157) in September, while the city’s housing developments saw a 6.1% reduction (462 v. 492). The total number of bias incidents investigated by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force dropped by 14% (43 v. 50) in September, and by 21% (386 v. 486) over the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year.

NYPD officers made 2.5% more arrests in the seven major crime categories (4,446 v. 4,338) during September 2023. And through the first nine months of this year, officers arrested 12.7% more people (39,885 v. 35,378) for committing major crimes than during the same period last year.

During the NYPD’s 2023 summer initiative, which stretched from the beginning of May through mid-September, and saw hundreds of officers temporarily reassigned to dozens of commands throughout the city, overall index crime dropped by 1.4%, shooting incidents decreased by 25.8%, and overall enforcement – arrests and summonses – exponentially increased compared to the same period in 2022.

Heading into the final three months of 2023, the men and women of the NYPD remain steadfast in their ongoing efforts to drive down crime, improve quality of life, and earn the confidence of everyone who lives in, works in, and visits New York City.

“New York City continues to see a significant, sustained reduction in violent crime,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “And this is no accident. These public safety gains are the direct result of the relentless, intelligence-driven work of your NYPD officers – and that work will continue every day, in every neighborhood. We will never stop fighting to make New York City better tomorrow than it is today.”

*All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change.*

Index Crime Statistics: September 2023

	September 2023	September 2022	+/-	% Change
Murder	31	43	-12	-27.9%
Rape	120	144	-24	-16.7%
Robbery	1419	1530	-111	-7.3%
Felony Assault	2353	2251	102	4.5%
Burglary	1057	1447	-390	-27.0%
Grand Larceny	4155	4588	-433	-9.4%
Grand Larceny Auto	1439	1204	235	19.5%
TOTAL	10574	11207	-633	-5.6%

Additional Statistics For September 2023

September 2023	September 2022	+/-	% Change
Transit	175	200	-25	-12.5%
Housing	462	492	-30	-6.1%
Shooting Incidents	77	117	-40	-34.2%

Rape Incident Reporting Statistics: September 2023

(Reports from September 1 – September 30 in years indicated)

Year	Total  Incidents  Reported	Incident  Occurred  Same Year	Incident  Occurred  Previous  Year	Incident  Occurred  2 Years  Prior	Incident  Occurred  3 Years  Prior	Incident  Occurred  4 Years  Prior
2023	120	97	10	6	0	0
2022	144	116	8	6	1	2
2021	131	101	11	3	1	0
2020	145	113	10	3	2	1
2019	172	143	10	4	4	4
2018	145	107	11	3	3	1

Rape continues to be underreported. If you are a victim of sexual assault, please come forward. The 24-hour NYPD Special Victims Division hotline is: 212-267-RAPE (7273).

Hate Crimes Statistics Summary for September 2023

(Representing September 1st – September 30st for calendar years 2023 and 2022)

Motivation	2023	2022	Diff	% Change
Asian	5	2	3	150%
Black	8	5	3	60%
Ethnic	0	13	-13	-100%
Gender	0	1	-1	-100%
Hispanic	1	0	1	100%
Jewish	16	18	-2	-11%
Muslim	1	2	-1	-50%
Religion	2	1	1	100%
Sexual Orientation	10	8	2	25%
TOTAL	43	50	-7	-14%

Note: Statistics above are subject to change upon investigation, as active possible bias cases may be reclassified to non-bias cases and removed from counted data.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

These stats are for reported crimes only, as a former police commissioner admitted much crime goes unreported.

Two Defendants Convicted Of Murder For Hire In Fatal Shooting of Perceived Business Rival in Queens

A federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Qing Ming Yu, also known as “Allen” and Zhe Zhang, also known as “Zack,” on both counts of an indictment charging them with murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy in connection with the February 12, 2019 killing of 31-year-old Xin “Chris” Gu, outside of a karaoke bar in Queens. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon.  When sentenced, each defendant faces a mandatory term of life in prison.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.

“The victim worked long hours to start his own company only to be murdered execution-style by these treacherous defendants who thought nothing of snuffing out a human life as part of their own business plan,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Thanks to the jury, and the outstanding work of the prosecutors, NYPD detectives and FBI special agents, justice has been served and the defendants will be deservedly punished for this vicious killing.”

 As proven at trial, Allen Yu was the president of Amaco, a multi-million dollar construction company that renovated apartments in New York City. In 2015, Xin Gu joined Amaco as a project manager.  Although Amaco’s business nearly quadrupled after he joined the company, Xin Gu became concerned about the company’s financial viability and resigned in 2018 to start his own property development company called KG Management.  After Xin Gu’s departure, several clients and employees also cut ties with Qing Ming Yu’s business. Multiple companies took their lucrative projects from Amaco to KG Management, including one project valued at $1,000,000. Enraged at Xin Gu’s perceived disloyalty, Qing Ming Yu hired co-conspirator You You and Zhe Zhang to kill Xin Gu in exchange for payment.  Zhang in turn hired another co-conspirator, Antony Abreu, to assist in carrying out the murder. 

On the evening of February 11, 2019, into the following morning, Xin Gu’s new company hosted a celebration of the Lunar New Year at Lake Pavilion restaurant in Flushing. After that dinner, Xin Gu and a smaller group went to a karaoke bar, Grand Slam KTV on Fowler Avenue. The hit team learned of the party and with You You acting as a lookout and Zhe Zhang serving as the getaway driver, Abreu allegedly shot the victim multiple times as he waited for an Uber, killing him. Over the next three months, Qing Ming Yu paid $150,000 to You You for the murder.

You You pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire conspiracy in June 2023 and is awaiting sentencing.  Abreu is awaiting trial.

Victory Automotive Group Inc. Agrees to Pay $9 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection Program Loan

 

Port Richey, Florida-based automotive management company Victory Automotive Group Inc. (VAG) has agreed to pay $9 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by knowingly providing false information in support of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application it submitted.

Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide emergency loans to small businesses suffering economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized these businesses to seek forgiveness of the loans if they spent the loan funds on eligible expenses. Only small businesses were eligible for PPP loans. Whether an applicant qualified as a small business depended on various factors, including the number of employees, amount of revenues and net worth of the applicant, along with any other corporate affiliates that share common operational control. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications.

VAG’s application for a PPP loan certified it was a small business with fewer than 500 employees. However, VAG shared common operational control with dozens of automobile dealerships across the country, and VAG and its affiliates had more than 3,000 employees in total. For that reason, VAG was not eligible for the $6,282,362 PPP loan it received, which was later forgiven in full. 

“PPP loans were intended to help small businesses during the pandemic,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to holding accountable those who undermined the purpose of the PPP program and knowingly obtained PPP funds for which they were not eligible.” 

“Even though the PPP Program has ended, our mandate to investigate and redress the harm from improper PPP loans to companies and sole proprietors continues,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to seek repayment of those loans and, where appropriate, additional sanctions from applicants who obtained a loan to which they were not entitled.”

“This resolution demonstrates the department’s resolve in pursuing businesses that improperly received pandemic relief funds,” said Director Michael C. Galdo of the Justice Department's COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. “I want to thank the Small Business Association (SBA) and our law enforcement partners for their assistance with the Justice Department’s pandemic fraud enforcement efforts.” 

“The settlement in this matter demonstrates the excellent results achieved through the combined efforts of SBA and the Department of Justice to uncover and forcefully respond to PPP misconduct,” said SBA General Counsel Therese Meers. “The federal government is strongly committed to identifying and aggressively pursuing any instances of fraud or misconduct within the Paycheck Protection Program.” 

The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the FCA, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam lawsuit is captioned U.S. ex rel. Jones v. Victory Automotive Group, Inc, et al., No. 8:21-cv-1742 (M.D. Fla.). The whistleblower will receive a total of approximately $1.62 million in connection with the settlement. 

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and the SBA's Office of Inspector General.

This matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Benjamin C. Wei of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Saxe Griffin for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from Christopher J. McClintock of the SBA.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the Justice Department's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

DEC Announces More Than $1.35 Million in Grants to Land Trusts to Secure Forest Conservation Easements

Conserving Forested Land Combats Climate Change and Sustains Benefits to Local Communities

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced more than $1.35 million in grants to six land trusts to help protect local forests that are key to achieving the state’s objectives to protect open space and reduce the emissions that cause climate change. Grant funding will be used to acquire new easements to help keep forests as forests, safeguarding the ecosystem services they provide that include stormwater mitigation, temperature regulation, carbon sequestration, and climate resiliency.

“Working in close partnership with land trusts across New York State is critical to protecting forest lands from the pressures of development,” Commissioner Seggos said. “In the face of the ever-increasing challenges of climate change, the $1.35 million in land trust grants announced today are helping conserve New York’s forests by sustaining their ability to provide wildlife habitat and forest products, reduce air and water pollution, and contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of local communities.”

The grants, managed by DEC in partnership with the Land Trust Alliance, were made available through the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT) Grant Program.

“Protecting forests in New York does so much for nature and people,” said Jamie Brown, New York Program Manager for the Land Trust Alliance. “This program helps to ensure that forests will continue to offer many benefits for future generations, both in terms of connected ecosystems and the local economy. The Land Trust Alliance and our nearly 90 New York land trust members appreciate Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York State Legislature, and the DEC's support of this program that will continue to allow land trusts to work with willing landowners to protect their forested lands and benefit all of the people of New York.”

Funded projects include: 

Adirondack Land Trust, Warren County: $350,000 to purchase a conservation easement that will protect 500 acres of forest in the Adirondack Park. The forest is comprised of beech and sugar maples with strands of hemlock-northern hardwoods. In addition to the forest, the easement will protect wild shoreline along the Hudson River, 1.5 miles of streams, and significant wetlands. Additionally, the property will improve recreational opportunities and protect wildlife habitat in the Hudson River corridor, goals established in the New York State Open Space Plan.

Saratoga PLAN, Saratoga County: $301,497 to purchase a conservation easement on a 435-acre forested property located in the towns of Greenfield and Wilton. The property is a key project in the PLAN’s initiative to protect the 40,000 Palmertown Range that is part of the southeastern corner of the Adirondack Foothills. Saratoga County is under extreme development pressure, and the Palmertown Range represents an area critical for the movement of wildlife, providing climate resilient habitat, and recreational opportunities. The conservation easement will allow the landowners to sustainably harvest the forested tract while ensuring it will remain a forest and continue to provide these benefits for future generations.

Western New York Land Conservancy, Cattaraugus County: $227,474 to purchase the Perrysburg Headwater Forest conservation easement consisting of approximately 152 acres of forested area within the headwaters of the Allegheny River. The property contains both mature hemlock-northern hardwoods forest and maple basswood forests, as well as mature beech trees free from any diseases. The land is also a part of the Western New York Wildway, an initiative to protect and connect the region’s largest and most climate resilient forests to benefit people and wildlife.

Dutchess Land Conservancy, Dutchess County: $189,605 to purchase a conservation easement on the 71-acre Johnston Forest property, which is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail and West Mountain State Forest. The property is in a critical forested corridor that connects the northern and southern Appalachians. The forest offers great value for habitat connection and a portion of the land has been classified as “Important Foraging Area for Rare Bat” by the New York Natural Heritage Program. Protection of the land will help ensure that important water sources remain safe and clean, as it contains nearly 2,000 feet of DEC Class A stream and several springs that supply local drinking water to nearby communities. Mature and undisturbed oak and hickory are the predominant trees on this forested parcel.

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, Lewis County: $181,150 to purchase a conservation easement that will protect 375 acres of forest and wetlands within the core of the Tug Hill Plateau forest – an area listed as a priority for protection in the New York State Open Space Plan. The Campell Conservation Easement property is surrounded by thousands of acres of protected forest owned by The Nature Conservancy, New York State, and Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust. The easement will protect a beech-maple mesic forest, a marsh headwater stream, and a spruce-fir swamp, along with significant wetlands.

Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy, Montgomery County: $104,609 to purchase a conservation easement in the town of Esperance that will protect 102 acres of mostly forested land. The forest contains a wide variety of species, including red pine, mature Eastern hemlock, birch, aspen, and healthy beech trees. The land offers breeding habitat for several birds listed as “species of greatest conservation need,” including American woodcock, American kestrel, eastern meadowlark, and bobolink. It also is located within a “pinch point” of climate resiliency and wildlife movement that connects the Adirondacks with the Catskills. The landowner is committed to using the property for environmental education and as a catalyst for additional future forest protection in an area under increasing development pressure.  

Funding for this grant program was provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). In the 2023-24 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul maintained EPF funding at $400 million, the highest level of funding in the program's history. The EPF also provides funding for critical environmental programs such as farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.

Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents more than 950-member land trusts and their 6.4 million supporters nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and operates several regional offices. More information about the Alliance is available at the Land Trust Alliance website.