|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, February 2, 2024
Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use
MAYOR ADAMS TAKES MAJOR STEPS TO ADVANCE ‘DINING OUT NYC,’ NATION'S LARGEST OUTDOOR DINING PROGRAM
Final Rules Offer Clear Guidance to Restaurant Owners, Expands Access to Safe, Clean Outdoor Dining in All Five Boroughs
Program Applications to Open in March, First Approved Dining Out NYC Setups Expected to Be On City Streets This Summer
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, and Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu today released the final rules for the city’s permanent outdoor dining program, "Dining Out NYC.” Offering clear guidance for restaurant owners as they work to create new set-ups before the program’s launch in March, the final rules prioritize equity, expanding access to safe, clean outdoor dining in all five boroughs. The rules were finalized following a robust public outreach and engagement campaign, led by DOT and the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS).
Dining Out NYC represents one of the most significant efforts of the last decade to reimagine the city's streetscape to support all New Yorkers and small restaurants while creating vibrant public spaces that improve quality of life and continue to accelerate the city's economic recovery. The new program draws on lessons learned from the temporary outdoor dining program created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saved 100,000 jobs across the city but led to quality-of-life issues as a subset of restaurant owners were unable to maintain loosely regulated outdoor dining setups.
“Between Dining Out NYC, our campaign to get trash bags off of New York City streets, our efforts to remove scaffolding that has been up for far too long, and the hundreds of millions we’re investing in public realm projects across the city, we’re fundamentally transforming what it feels like to be outside in New York,” said Mayor Adams. “As we build the largest outdoor dining program in the country from the ground-up, we must center our efforts in equity to make sure every New Yorker in every borough and every neighborhood has the opportunity to enjoy our city.”
"The largest outdoor dining program in the country is here,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “A transformative effort to reimagine our streetscape and support our small businesses at the same time, Dining Out NYC will create inviting, vibrant, attractive, and safe outdoor dining setups that work for restaurants and work for New York City. We can't wait to see the whole city dining al fresco in style this summer."
“Outdoor dining has activated our streets, breathing new life into our public spaces and creating lively gathering spaces,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “Diners can now enjoy the atmosphere of our city while supporting our local small businesses. Through the finalized rules that incorporate community and local businesses feedback, Dining Out NYC will build on the lessons learned during the pandemic to improve safety and quality of life — while still allowing for creative, flexible, and beautiful setups. We look forward to the rollout of New York City’s new and historic permanent outdoor dining program.”
“Outdoor dining saved nearly 100,000 jobs during the peak of the pandemic, and fundamentally changed the way we view our city streets,” said SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “Since then, we've created best practices from real-world experiences, and are now ready to make the outdoor dining revolution permanent. SBS is eager to work alongside our partners at DOT to ensure that Dining Out NYC creates the largest — and greatest — outdoor dining scene in the world.”
“This administration has found a way to continue outdoor dining in New York City while prioritizing cleanliness,” said New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “Under these rules, New Yorkers will be asking for a table, and the rats will be saying, ‘Check please!’”
"Outdoor dining was a lifeline during the pandemic, creating hope for the future of the city when it wasn't always so easy to come by," said Chief Public Realm Officer Liu. "Now it's time for the program to mature; these new 'rules of the road' will help solidify outdoor dining as a permanent part of our landscape, while banishing many of the negatives. Restaurant owners, it's your turn! Please sign up! Help us beautify outdoor dining for everyone who lives and works in this spectacular city."
"Once again, New York City is showing its commitment to making spaces more hospitable to humans and less hospitable to rats," said Director of Citywide Rodent Mitigation Kathy Corradi. "The Dining Out NYC program incorporates both the design and management elements that support a rat-free outdoor dining program. Congratulations to DOT, the Public Realm team, and all New Yorkers."
“Dining Out NYC demonstrates the Adams administration’s significant efforts to revitalize the city’s streetscape and do so safely and responsibly,” said “New” New York Executive Director B.J. Jones. “This initiative will make this great city even more welcoming across the five boroughs as people live, work, play — and dine here!”
Today’s released final rules outline requirements for a safe, clean outdoor dining program, while providing restaurant owners with the flexibility to develop creative outdoor dining setups that are appropriate for their establishments. Final program rules include clear design requirements; siting criteria on where outdoor dining setups can be located in relation to other street features, like subway entrances, fire hydrants, and more; and the types of materials that can be used in outdoor setups. They also require that the setups preserve clear sidewalk paths and emergency roadway lanes — including water-filled, rat-resistant protective barriers for roadway setups —– and use easily moveable furniture and coverings. Ultimately, the final rules will create a lighter-weight outdoor dining experience with lines of sight, as compared to the fully-enclosed shacks of the temporary, COVID-19-era program.
Before 2020, outdoor dining in New York City was permitted exclusively on the sidewalk, and almost only within Manhattan. Under Dining Out NYC, outdoor dining will be expanded citywide, permitted year-round on the sidewalk and, from April 1st to November 29th, in the roadway. The new program creates an equitable, accessible fee structure for participating restaurants, with rates varying by location and setup size as codified by local law, and with significantly lower fees than those under the previous sidewalk café program. In the pre-pandemic program, run by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, sidewalk cafés south of 96th Street in Manhattan paid $40 per square foot, while the rest of the city paid $30. The new program expands eligibility to more parts of the city and significantly reduces fees for cafes everywhere, with cafes outside Manhattan and above 125th Street paying 67 to 80 percent less, and cafes below 125th Street in Manhattan paying 22 to 75 percent less.
With the rules now finalized, in March, DOT will launch a streamlined online application portal where restaurants can apply to participate in Dining Out NYC. A restaurant's outdoor dining setup will need to comply with the program's design requirements within 30 days of their application approval. On this timeline, the first approved Dining Out NYC setups will hit New York City streets in the summer of 2024. DOT will notify all restaurants now participating in the temporary program to submit applications for the permanent program through an extensive in-person and digital outreach campaign. Restaurants that did not participate in the temporary Open Restaurants Program are also welcome to apply for Dining Out NYC.
“Outdoor dining saved thousands of restaurants and 100,000 jobs during the pandemic, while creating a more social and economically vibrant streetscape,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director, and Robert Bookman, counsel, New York City Hospitality Alliance. “It’s been a long road, with lots of consideration and compromise by many stakeholders to develop a more standardized and sustainable outdoor dining system. We now look forward to working with the city of New York and restaurants across the five boroughs as they transition from the pandemic-era Open Restaurants program into the new Dining Out NYC alfresco system.”
"After several years under a temporary program, New Yorkers finally have rules to govern the future of outdoor dining,” said Maulin Mehta, New York director, Regional Plan Association. “The new program balances business and community needs to improve our streets and give all neighborhoods an opportunity to enjoy alfresco dining. We are excited for this evolution in our streets and congratulate Mayor Adams, Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu, Commissioner Rodriguez, NYC Council and all the city staff, advocates and business leaders that helped make this program a reality."
“Today, with the release of these highly anticipated rules, New York City takes a monumental step towards reclaiming its streets and reimagining the possibilities of our public spaces,” said Jesse Lazar, associate executive director, American Institute of Architects New York. “For years now, we championed a permanent outdoor dining program, envisioning a city where vibrant structures replace parking lanes, where the hum of conversation mingles with the sounds of the city, and where greater access to businesses is made available to New Yorkers of all abilities. We thank Mayor Adams and Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu for their leadership on this program, as well as Commissioner Rodriguez, the New York City Council, and all the staff, business leaders, and advocates that helped bring this program to fruition.”
“New Yorkers love curbside dining! Now, with these rules, the already popular program can grow into an equitable and well-managed fixture of New York City culture,” said Jackson Chabot, director of advocacy and organizing, Open Plans. “This is the future Open Plans is working towards — where the curblane is part of dynamic, accessible public space for eating, drinking, meeting friends, and doing business. We thank Mayor Adams and Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu for their leadership, and congratulate Commissioner Rodriguez, the New York City Council, fellow advocates, and everyday New Yorkers on this latest step toward reimagining our streets for everyone, everyday."
Foreign National Charged for International Money Laundering Conspiracy and Role in Operation of Unlicensed Digital Currency Exchange BTC-e
An indictment was unsealed charging a Belarusian and Cypriot national with money laundering conspiracy and operation of an unlicensed money services business.
According to the indictment, between 2011 and July 2017, Aliaksandr Klimenka, 42, allegedly controlled BTC-e, a digital currency exchange, with Alexander Vinnik and others. Klimenka also allegedly controlled Soft-FX, a technology services company, and FX Open, a financial company.
The indictment alleges BTC-e was a significant cybercrime and online money laundering entity that allowed its users to trade in bitcoin with high levels of anonymity and developed a customer base heavily reliant on criminal activity. BTC-e allegedly facilitated transactions for cybercriminals worldwide and received criminal proceeds from numerous computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware scams, identity theft schemes, corrupt public officials, and narcotics distribution rings, and allegedly was used to facilitate crimes ranging from computer hacking to fraud, identity theft, tax refund fraud schemes, public corruption, and drug trafficking. BTC-e’s servers, maintained in the United States, were allegedly one of the primary ways in which BTC-e and its operators effectuated their scheme. Those servers were allegedly leased to and maintained by Klimenka and Soft-FX.
Despite doing substantial business in the United States, BTC-e allegedly was not registered as a money services business with the U.S. Department of Treasury, had no anti-money laundering process, no system for appropriate “know your customer” or “KYC” verification, and no anti-money laundering program as required by federal law.
Klimenka was arrested in Latvia on Dec. 21, 2023, at the request of the United States and made his initial appearance in San Francisco yesterday. He is currently being held in custody.
If convicted, Klimenka faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California, Special Agent in Charge William Mancino of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Criminal Investigative Division, Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Chief Jim Lee of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI), and Special Agent in Charge Tatum King of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco made the announcement.
The USSS; FBI; IRS:CI Oakland Field Office and Cyber Crime Unit in Washington, D.C.; and HSI are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Claudia Quiroz for the Northern District of California, both members of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Lloyd-Lovett for the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Latvian government to secure the arrest of Klimenka.
The NCET was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Within the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that are enabling the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also works to set strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and lead the department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects More Than $2.2 Billion In Civil And Criminal Actions In Fiscal Year 2023
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that the Southern District of New York collected $2,249,716,748.68 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $550,594,893.86 was collected in criminal actions, $63,979,949.82 was collected in civil actions, and $1,632,141,905 was collected in asset forfeiture actions.
Additionally, the Southern District of New York worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $2,379,785.90 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $81,164.56 was collected in criminal actions, and $2,298,261.34 was collected in civil actions.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As advocates for the victims of criminal and civil wrongdoing, this Office has perennially been the nation’s leader in securing forfeiture, restitution, and other financial penalties – this year collecting over $2.2 billion. I could not be prouder of the career prosecutors of this Office who work tirelessly to hold bad actors accountable and return property to those who have been victimized.”
A highlight of the Office’s work this year includes the July 2023 sentencing of Allianz Global Investors U.S. (“AGI”). AGI was sentenced in connection with a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme involving a series of private investment funds managed by AGI after pleading guilty to securities fraud. AGI was sentenced to financial penalties comprised of over $463 million in forfeiture, over $2.32 billion in restitution, and over $2.33 billion in fines.
The U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state compensation and victim assistance programs. In addition, forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
Attorney General James Secures $150 Million Multistate Settlement in Principle with Hikma Pharmaceuticals to Help Combat Opioid Crisis
AG James Leads Multistate Coalition to Secure Latest Settlement with Opioid ManufacturerSettlement with Hikma Follows Today’s Announcement of $350 Million Settlement with Publicis Health for its Role in Opioid Crisis
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $150 million multistate settlement in principle that her office secured with opioid manufacturer Hikma Pharmaceuticals (Hikma) for its role in fueling the opioid crisis. Hikma produces a range of generic opioid products and sells hundreds of millions of opioid doses every year. The attorneys general allege that from 2006 to 2021, Hikma failed to monitor and report suspicious opioid orders from potentially illegal distributors, even while its personnel knew their systems to monitor suspicious orders were inadequate and prone to failure. The settlement in principle announced today will provide $115 million in cash and $35 million in opioid addiction treatment medication to resolve claims brought by states and local communities against Hikma. States that don’t accept the medication will receive cash in lieu of medication.“Hikma was part of an industry that flooded the country with dangerous opioids, profiting off the products that have caused our current national public health crisis,” said Attorney General James. “While this settlement won’t fully repair the devastation opioids have caused, the funds we secured will help combat the crisis of addictions and overdoses, and help people across the country get the treatment they need.”
As part of the settlement in principle, Hikma will pay $150 million to participating states and localities, encompassing $115 million in cash and $35 million worth of opioid addiction treatment medication.
The settlement in principle was negotiated by Attorney General James and the attorneys general of California, Delaware, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia, in coordination with an executive committee consisting of the attorneys general of Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon.
In addition to the settlement with Hikma, today Attorney General James also announced a $350 million multistate settlement with Publicis Health, LLC (Publicis) for its role in fueling the opioid crisis through its work with Purdue Pharma. New York will receive $19 million from its settlement with Publicis.
In 2019, Attorney General James filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit against opioid distributors and manufacturers for their role in the opioid epidemic. Since then, Attorney General James has recovered more than $2.7 billion to support New York opioid abatement, treatment, and prevention efforts from companies including Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt, Allergan, Endo, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen. Attorney General James has also led multistate coalitions in reaching settlements for billions of dollars with CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart for their role in failing to properly regulate opioid prescriptions. Additionally, Attorney General James, co-led a coalition of nearly every attorney general in the nation in delivering more than $573 million — more than $32 million of which was earmarked for New York state — toward opioid treatment and abatement in an agreement and consent judgment with McKinsey & Company.
“Hikma was part of an industry that flooded the country with dangerous opioids, profiting off the products that have caused our current national public health crisis,” said Attorney General James. “While this settlement won’t fully repair the devastation opioids have caused, the funds we secured will help combat the crisis of addictions and overdoses, and help people across the country get the treatment they need.”
As part of the settlement in principle, Hikma will pay $150 million to participating states and localities, encompassing $115 million in cash and $35 million worth of opioid addiction treatment medication.
The settlement in principle was negotiated by Attorney General James and the attorneys general of California, Delaware, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia, in coordination with an executive committee consisting of the attorneys general of Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon.
In addition to the settlement with Hikma, today Attorney General James also announced a $350 million multistate settlement with Publicis Health, LLC (Publicis) for its role in fueling the opioid crisis through its work with Purdue Pharma. New York will receive $19 million from its settlement with Publicis.
In 2019, Attorney General James filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit against opioid distributors and manufacturers for their role in the opioid epidemic. Since then, Attorney General James has recovered more than $2.7 billion to support New York opioid abatement, treatment, and prevention efforts from companies including Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt, Allergan, Endo, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen. Attorney General James has also led multistate coalitions in reaching settlements for billions of dollars with CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart for their role in failing to properly regulate opioid prescriptions. Additionally, Attorney General James, co-led a coalition of nearly every attorney general in the nation in delivering more than $573 million — more than $32 million of which was earmarked for New York state — toward opioid treatment and abatement in an agreement and consent judgment with McKinsey & Company.