East Bronx History is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: East Bronx History Forum-January 2024 Time: Jan 23, 2024 07:30 PM Eastern Time

 

 Dear East Bronx History Forum Member,

The East Bronx History Forum is pleased to announce it will be holding its 181st meeting on Tuesday, January 23rd at 7:30 pm with a Zoom presentation by Justin Rivers.

New York City and the Bronx are no stranger to shipwrecks. The city’s surrounding waters hide over 300 ill-fated ships, many of which met their end due to treacherous waterways and capricious weather. In this talk with Untapped NY Chief Experience Officer, Justin Rivers, will explore how the tidal gateway to the Bronx was one of the most dangerous waterways in the world and how the largest man made explosion before the atom bomb was detonated to make it navigable. The talk will also explore the HMS Hussar which still lies in its unknown resting place somewhere near the Bronx today with a multi-million dollar treasure that has eluded divers and fortune seekers to this day. And, of course, one of the most tragic maritime disasters in American history, the General Slocum, washed up on Bronx shores. 

For more information, please visit our website www.BronxNYC.com as well as our Facebook and Instagram pages. This will Justin Rivers’ second time presenting with the History Forum.

See below for the Zoom link. Stay safe.

Dorothy A. Krynicki 

Secretary 

 

Save the Date: Representative Adriano Espaillat to Host the 6th Annual Dominicans on the Hill - Wednesday, February 7, 2024

 

SAVE the DATE: 

Representative Adriano Espaillat to Host the Sixth Annual Dominicans on the Hill

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Eventbrite

Save the date for Representative Adriano Espaillat's sixth annual Dominicans on the Hill event that will be held live and in-person on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at the United States Capitol, Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) Auditorium, in Washington, DC. 

Held annually during Dominican Heritage Month, Dominicans on the Hill was created by Rep. Espaillat to recognize the growing civic engagement of the Dominican-American community and throughout the diaspora. 

Since its inception, Dominicans on the Hill has become a signature event held at the United States Capitol that is attended by hundreds of community leaders, professionals, students, and elected officials of Dominican descent and groups from around the nation. 

Visit online for updates about the 2024 event and check X/Twitter and Facebook: @RepEspaillat and @DominicansHill and on Instagram at @RepAdrianoEspaillat.

Members and Associates of Grape Street Crips Gang Admit Roles in Drug Trafficking Organization

 

A Newark man admitted his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics, including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine; and possessing with intent to distribute various narcotics, Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the DEA New Jersey Field Division and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Ali Carney, 45, of Newark, pleaded guilty on Jan. 17, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court to a superseding information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine; and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

From April 2021 through October 2022, Carney and others – members and associates of the Grape Street Crips gang – participated in a drug trafficking organization that controlled the drug trade in and around the Oscar Miles Village housing complex in Newark. Carney admitted his role in the conspiracy and that he sold controlled substances on a near daily basis during the conspiracy.

The narcotics conspiracy and distribution counts to which Carney pleaded guilty each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing for Carney is scheduled for May 22, 2024.

All 11 of Carney’s co-defendants – Thomas Barney, Najuwan Blake-Williams, Altray Brown, Najee Carney, Tyrone Cradle, Jaquan McAllister, Ikaim McSwain, Latif Terry, Shaquan Ward, Taji Williams, and Zaid Williams – previously pleaded guilty in connection with their respective roles in the conspiracy.

A year-long investigation revealed that the drug trafficking organization distributed over a kilogram of fentanyl-laced heroin and over 280 grams of crack cocaine. Law enforcement also seized multiple firearms, which were used in furtherance of the narcotics trade, from the members of the conspiracy.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; investigators of the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; investigators from the U.S. Marshal Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; investigators of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; and the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director of Public Safety Fritz G. Fragé, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (“VCI”). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

Georgia Owner of Long-Term Care Facilities Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Attempting to Obstruct IRS

 

Defendant Caused Tax Loss in Excess of $17 Million

A Georgia man was sentenced to two years in prison for obstructing the IRS in its efforts to collect employment taxes.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2003, Douglas K. Mittleider, of Adairsville, operated long-term care facilities throughout the United States and was responsible for paying the IRS the federal income and Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from employees’ wages. In June 2004, the IRS assessed against him personally the employment taxes Mittleider had not paid—also known as the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty. Beginning in at least November 2011, Mittleider took multiple steps to conceal business funds and impede the IRS’s ability to collect his outstanding tax liability. Among other things, Mittleider directed the commingling of funds among businesses he controlled and used funds for purposes other than to pay the IRS. Mittleider also caused the creation of new operating companies and bank accounts to make it more difficult for the IRS to locate assets and levy accounts. In total, Mittleider’s conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $17 million.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia ordered Mittleider to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $17,080,566 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

MAYOR ADAMS, NYPD COMMISSIONER CABAN OFFER CITY COUNCILMEMBERS OPPORTUNITY TO RIDE WITH NYPD OFFICERS, WATCH COMMUNITY POLICING FIRSTHAND

 

Intro. 586-A Could Make NYC Streets Less Safe, Undo Two Years of Work to Bring Crime Down

 

Bill Could Slow NYPD Response Times, Undermine Community-Oriented Policing, and Add Tens of Millions of Dollars in Overtime to NYPD’s Budget

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward A. Caban today issued an open call to members of the New York City Council to ride with NYPD officers as they patrol the city and employ the community policing strategies that helped drive down overall crime, including violent crime, across the city in 2023. The call follows Mayor Adams’ veto of Intro. 586-A, a bill that could make New York City less safe by forcing NYPD officers to spend more time filling out reports after Level 1 interactions with the public instead of patrolling the street and keeping the public safe.

 

Under the Adams administration, overall crime — including violent crime — was down in 2023. However, Intro. 586-A could slow NYPD police response times, erode years of progress building police-community relationships and preventing crime through community-oriented policing, and add tens of millions of dollars in additional NYPD overtime each year, while Mayor Adams looks to lessen spending on overtime.

 

“As elected officials, we have a sacred responsibility to keep our constituents safe, and I am confident that my colleagues in the City Council share our administration’s commitment to keeping New York the safest big city in America,” said Mayor Adams. “With a bill pending that could make the city less safe, city councilmembers deserve to see firsthand how our NYPD officers are keeping the public safe and building relationships in our communities — and they deserve to understand how this bill would force those officers to spend more time filling out paperwork instead of protecting New Yorkers and keeping our streets safe. We encourage all of them to take advantage of this opportunity.”

 

“In their ongoing work to keep New York City the safest big city in America, the men and women of the New York City Police Department have millions upon millions of interactions with the people they serve each year,” said NYPD Commissioner Caban. “These interactions are the bedrock of policing, and the proposed ‘How Many Stops Act’ turns this critical public safety tool into a burdensome drain on our police officers’ time and resources. So in an effort to continue our good-faith discussions with the authors and supporters of this bill, we invite any and all members of the City Council to join our officers as they do the vital work of keeping our city and its people safe. We want to show them firsthand the sheer scale of what NYPD cops and detectives do every day. And we need them to understand how essential it is that our officers spend their time doing police work, not paperwork.”

 

In 2023, the city saw a drop in overall crime, including decreases in five of the seven major crime categories, a 12 percent decline in homicides, and a 25 percent drop in shooting incidents. Crime has fallen as a result of proactive strategies deployed by the Adams administration, including the continued focus on community-oriented policing and plans to crack down on auto thefts, retail thefts, and gun violence through a $500 million blueprint to keep communities safe. The NYPD also made the most grand larceny auto arrests in 20 years, shut down more than 50 illegal smoke shops while seizing more than $23 million in illegal products, and took more than 6,500 illegal guns off the street last year — including the highest number of 3D-printed ghost guns in New York City history — bringing the total number of firearms taken off New York City streets to more than 13,700 since the start of the Adams administration.

The Bronx Museum - You're Invited: Opening Party for The 6th AIM Biennial!

 

Yelaine Rodriguez, 'La Hija de shango | An Ode from Flo-Jo to Ivy Queen,' 2022.

Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial

Opening Party: Friday, January 26 • 7–9PM • Free!

All are invited to join us in exactly one week at our Opening Party for Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial! Part one of the Biennial features work by 26 artists who participated in the Museum’s flagship AIM Fellowship program from 2020 through 2023.

The Fellows' works vary widely in media and approach but united in critiquing systems of power and investigating their impact on personal and collective identities. Many of the exhibiting artists will be at the Opening Party to celebrate and would appreciate your support!

Plus, our friends at Uptown Vinyl Supreme will be spinning records all evening and should not be missed.

This program is free and open to all. Please RSVP via Eventbrite.

RSVP FOR FREE

New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - Save the Date - 2024 Women in Business Luncheon

 

Housing Lottery Launches For 3941 White Plains Road In Olinville, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 3941 White Plains Road, a four-story mixed-use building in Olinville, The Bronx. Designed by Leder-Luis Building Design, the structure yields eight residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are three units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $74,880 to $227,630.

Residences come with dishwashers, intercoms, and name-brand kitchen appliances, countertops, and finishes. Amenities include an on-site resident manager and a virtual doorman. Tenants are responsible for electricity and gas, which includes stove, heat, and hot water.

At 130 percent of the AMI, there is one one-bedroom with a monthly rent of $2,184 for incomes ranging from $72,000 to $124,150; one two-bedroom with a monthly rent of $2,443 for incomes ranging from $83,760 to $198,250; and one three-bedroom with a monthly rent of $3,084 for incomes ranging from $105,738 to $227,630.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than February 9, 2024.