First Defendant Ever Charged With Violating Anti-Doping Act Sentenced to Three Months in Prison for Distributing Performance-Enhancing Drugs in an Effort to Taint the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ERIC LIRA was sentenced to three months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield for his role in providing banned performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”) to Olympic athletes in advance of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021. LIRA is the first defendant to be charged and convicted, following his guilty plea in May 2023, under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which criminalizes the operation of doping schemes for the purpose of influencing international sports competitions, such as the Olympic Games.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “This sentence sends a clear message: violating the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act comes with serious consequences up to and including incarceration. That message is especially important this year with the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Paris. It is imperative that those tempted to supply performance-enhancing drugs to Olympians understand the severity of their actions. Doping not only distorts fair play but also erodes the essence of sportsmanship, tarnishing the sanctity of international sporting events and betraying the trust of athletes and spectators alike. It has no place in any community, and this Office is committed to rooting out efforts to compromise the integrity of sports and other affected events.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, the Indictment, other filings in this case, and statements during court proceedings:
The charges in this case arise from an investigation of a scheme to provide Olympic athletes with PEDs, including drugs widely banned throughout competitive sports, such as human growth hormone and the “blood building” drug erythropoietin, in advance of and for the purpose of corrupting the 2020 Olympic Games, which convened in Tokyo in the summer of 2021. LIRA, who claims to be a “kinesiologist and naturopathic” doctor operating principally in and around El Paso, Texas, obtained unapproved versions of these and other prescription drugs from sources in Central and South America before bringing those drugs into the U.S. and distributing them to, among others, the two athletes referred to in the Indictment. Throughout the scheme, LIRA and an athlete competing for Nigeria communicated via encrypted electronic communications regarding the sale, shipment, and use of LIRA’s illegal drugs and specifically discussed the “testability” of those drugs by anti-doping authorities. LIRA separately communicated with an athlete competing for Switzerland via encrypted electronic communications on the use of human growth hormone and erythropoietin. Both athletes tested positive for prohibited substances, and in both cases, LIRA directly and indirectly advised that the athletes should blame the positive drug test on contaminated meat, knowing full well that the drug tests had accurately detected the presence of banned, performance-enhancing drugs.
In addition to the prison term, LIRA, 44, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $16,410.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the FBI’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for their support of this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Mortazavi, Josiah Pertz, and Benjamin A. Gianforti are in charge of the prosecution.
Takeshi Ebisawa, Leader within the Yakuza Transnational Organized Crime Syndicate, Allegedly Trafficked Nuclear Materials, Including Uranium and Weapons-Grade Plutonium
A superseding indictment was unsealed in Manhattan today charging a Japanese national with conspiring with a network of associates to traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries.
According to court documents, Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, and co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri, 61, were previously charged in April 2022 with international narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, and both have been ordered detained.
“The defendant stands accused of conspiring to sell weapons grade nuclear material and lethal narcotics from Burma, and to purchase military weaponry on behalf of an armed insurgent group,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “It is chilling to imagine the consequences had these efforts succeeded and the Justice Department will hold accountable those who traffic in these materials and threaten U.S. national security and international stability.”
“As alleged, the defendant brazenly trafficked material containing uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Burma to other countries,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “He did so while believing that the material was going to be used in the development of a nuclear weapons program, and while also negotiating for the purchase of deadly weapons. It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of this conduct. I want to thank the career prosecutors of my office and our law enforcement partners for ensuring that the defendant will now face justice in an American court.”
“As alleged, the defendants in this case trafficked in drugs, weapons, and nuclear material – going so far as to offer uranium and weapons-grade plutonium fully expecting that Iran would use it for nuclear weapons,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “This is an extraordinary example of the depravity of drug traffickers who operate with total disregard for human life. I commend the men and women of DEA and this prosecution team for their tireless work to protect us from such evil.”
According to the allegations contained in the indictment, beginning in early 2020, Ebisawa informed UC-1 and a DEA confidential source (CS-1) that Ebisawa had access to a large quantity of nuclear materials that he wanted to sell. Later that year, Ebisawa sent UC-1 a series of photographs depicting rocky substances with Geiger counters measuring radiation, as well as pages of what Ebisawa represented to be lab analyses indicating the presence of thorium and uranium in the depicted substances. In response to Ebisawa’s repeated inquiries, UC-1 agreed, as part of the DEA’s investigation, to help Ebisawa broker the sale of his nuclear materials to UC-1’s associate, who was posing as an Iranian general (the General), for use in a nuclear weapons program. Ebisawa then offered to supply the General with “plutonium” that would be even “better” and more “powerful” than uranium for this purpose. An example of a photograph sent by Ebisawa is shown below:
Source: Superseding Indictment, filed publicly in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, case S3:22-cr-2566.
Photo sent by the defendant depicting rock substances with Geiger counters measuring radiation.
During their discussions regarding Ebisawa’s access to nuclear materials, Ebisawa also engaged with UC-1 concerning Ebisawa’s desire to purchase military-grade weapons. To that end, in May 2021, Ebisawa sent UC-1 a list of weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, that Ebisawa wished to purchase from UC-1 on behalf of the leader of an ethnic insurgent group in Burma (CC-1). Together with two other co-conspirators (CC-2 and CC-3), Ebisawa proposed to UC-1 that CC-1 sell uranium to the General, through Ebisawa, to fund CC-1’s weapons purchase. On a Feb.4, 2022 videoconference, CC-2 told UC-1 that CC-1 had available more than 2,000 kilograms of Thorium-232 and more than 100 kilograms of uranium in the compound U3O8 — referring to a compound of uranium commonly found in the uranium concentrate powder known as “yellowcake” — and that CC-1 could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in Burma. CC-2 also advised that CC-1 had provided samples of the uranium and thorium, which CC-2 was prepared to show to UC-1’s purported buyers. CC-2 noted that the samples should be packed “to contain . . . the radiation.”
About one week later, Ebisawa, CC-2 and CC-3 participated in a series of meetings with UC-1 and CS-1 in Southeast Asia to discuss their ongoing weapons, narcotics, and nuclear materials transactions. During one of these meetings, CC-2 asked UC-1 to meet in CC-2’s hotel room. Inside the room, CC-2 showed UC-1 two plastic containers, each holding a powdery yellow substance (the Nuclear Samples), which CC-2 described as “yellowcake.” CC-2 advised that one container held a sample of uranium in the compound U3O8, and the other container held Thorium-232. UC-1 photographed and video-recorded the Nuclear Samples, an example image of which is shown below:
Source: Superseding Indictment, filed publicly in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, case S3:22-cr-2566.
Photo of the Nuclear Samples
With the assistance of Thai authorities, the Nuclear Samples were seized and subsequently transferred to the custody of U.S. law enforcement authorities. A U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory examined the Nuclear Samples and determined that both samples contain detectable quantities of uranium, thorium and plutonium. In particular, the laboratory determined that the isotope composition of the plutonium found in the Nuclear Samples is weapons-grade, meaning that the plutonium, if produced in sufficient quantities, would be suitable for use in a nuclear weapon.
A table containing the charges and maximum penalties for Ebisawa and Singhasiri is set forth below. The 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 a judge.
Count
Defendant(s)
Maximum Penalty
Count One: conspiracy to commit international trafficking of nuclear materials
Ebisawa
20 years in prison
Count Two: international trafficking of nuclear materials
Ebisawa
10 years in prison
Count Three: narcotics importation conspiracy
Ebisawa and Singhasiri
Life in prison; mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison
Count Four: conspiracy to possess firearms, including machineguns and destructive devices
Singhasiri
Life in prison
Count Five: conspiracy to acquire, transfer, and possess surface-to-air missiles.
Ebisawa
Life in prison; mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison
Count Six: narcotics importation conspiracy
Ebisawa
Life in prison; mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison
Count Seven: conspiracy to possess firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices
Ebisawa
Life in prison
Count Eight: money laundering
Ebisawa
20 years in prison
The DEA Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the DEA Tokyo Country Office, DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Chiang Mai Resident Office, DEA Jakarta Country Office, DEA Copenhagen Country Office, DEA New York Field Office, DEA New Delhi Country Office, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and law enforcement partners in Indonesia, Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand.
Trial Attorney Dmitry Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Li, Kaylan E. Lasky and Kevin T. Sullivan for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
City to Implement Additional 10 Percent Savings on Budgeted City-Funded Asylum Seeker Costs in FY25 Executive Budget — On Top of 20 Percent Cut Previously Announced — While Continuing to Provide Migrants With Intensive Case Work to Build Self-Sufficient Lives
Moody’s Investors Service Applauds Adams Administration’s for “Robust Financial Management,” “Successful Implementation of Budget Measures to Help Close Budget Gaps”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the cancellation of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Executive Budget Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) for city agencies — a direct result of decisive actions early on by the Adams administration to stabilize the budget through continued strong fiscal management, better-than-expected economic performance in 2023 that resulted in an upward revision to the city’s tax revenue forecast, and additional cuts to asylum seeker spending. The Adams administration is more specifically cutting an additional 10 percent in budgeted city-funded asylum seeker costs on top of the successful 20 percent asylum seeker PEG in the Preliminary Budget that already saved more than $1.7 billion in city spending, while continuing intensive case work for migrants to help them on their path to self-sufficiency. In addition to cancelling the city agency PEGs, the administration is moving from a near full hiring freeze to a 2-for-1 model and easing other than personal spending (OTPS) freeze restrictions.
“Our administration came into office with a mission to protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make our city more livable for everyday New Yorkers. After two years of hard work, we are heading in the right direction: Jobs are up, crime is down, tourists are back, and we are delivering for working-class New Yorkers every day,” said Mayor Adams. “And despite facing a perfect fiscal storm that included a multi-billion-dollar budget gap driven by an asylum seeker crisis, the sunsetting of COVID-19 federal stimulus funding, and the cost of inherited outstanding labor costs, our administration was able to successfully make the strong fiscal decisions to navigate us to prosperity. The combination of our tough, but necessary financial management decisions, including cutting asylum seeker spending by billions of dollars, along with better-than-expected economic performance in 2023, is allowing us to cancel the last round of spending cuts, as well as lift the near total freezes on city hiring and other than personal spending. Make no mistake — we are not yet out of the woods, as we still need Albany and Washington, D.C. to play their roles in providing New Yorkers with additional support. But this new chapter is the result of a full collaboration across city government, our nonprofit partners, and so many others, and will allow us to continue to deliver on our mission for a safer, cleaner, more prosperous New York City for all.”
Last summer, the city faced a multi-billion budget gap due to the growing asylum seeker crisis, drying up federal COVID-19 stimulus funding, expenses from labor contracts this administration inherited that went unresolved for years, and slowing tax revenue growth. To manage these concerns, the administration implemented PEG savings programs and a near total freeze on hiring and other than personnel spending in the November Financial Plan, as well as in the Preliminary and Executive Budgets. But, as a direct result of the Adams administration’s proactive fiscal management and decisive action, the administration achieved a record $6.6 billion in PEG savings over FY24 and FY25 in the November Financial Plan and the Preliminary Budget. This included $1.7 billion in asylum seeker PEG savings — a 20 percent cut — achieved over FY24 and FY25 by helping put migrants on a path to self-sufficiency with intensified case management and reducing the household per-diem costs of providing care.
These actions helped balance the FY25 Preliminary Budget and stabilize the city’s financial position without layoffs, tax hikes, or major disruptions to city services — and their success, along with another 10 percent in migrant spending cuts and better-than-expected tax revenue growth, have allowed the administration to restore funding for savings initiatives that are mayoral priorities related to public safety, quality of life, and young people, as well as fully cancel the FY25 Executive Budget agency PEG.
New York City has continued to effectively manage the asylum seeker humanitarian crisis largely on its own without substantial aid. To date, New York City has provided care for more than 178,600 asylum seekers, with approximately 65,000 currently still in the city’s care. The city has also provided case management, shelter, food, and more to asylum seekers; stood up navigation centers with support from community-based organizations to connect new arrivals with critical resources; and enrolled tens of thousands of school-aged children to public schools through Project Open Arms. As a result of the administration’s responsible policies — including providing 30 to 60 days of intensified case management — more than 60 percent of the asylum seekers who have come through the city’s intake center have left the city’s care and are taking the next steps in their journeys towards self-sufficiency. Additionally, as of the Preliminary Budget, daily growth of the number of migrant households in the city’s care had slowed by nearly 60 percent since the implementation of these policies. Through the Asylum Application Help Center and the city’s satellite sites, the city has helped submit more than 35,000 work authorization, temporary protected status, and asylum applications — moving asylum seekers that much closer to being able to legally work and be self-sufficient.
A federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted two Chinese nationals for participating in a sophisticated scheme in which they submitted more than 5,000 inauthentic phones to Apple Inc., intending to cause a loss of more than $3 million to Apple.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from May 2017 to September 2019, Haotian Sun, also known as Hao Sun, Jack Sun, and Frank Sun, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Pengfei Xue, 33, of Germantown, Maryland, along with their co-conspirators, submitted counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repair to get Apple to exchange them with genuine replacement iPhones. Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.
In 2017, Sun opened eight UPS Store mailboxes using his Maryland driver’s license and university identification card. U.S. postal inspectors arrested Sun and Xue in December 2019.
The jury convicted Sun and Xue of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on June 21 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office made the announcement.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that nine Rikers Island inmates
have been indicted on Attempted Gang Assault in the First Degree and other related charges for
pummeling and stomping on an inmate, leaving him unconscious.
District Attorney Clark said, “Brutality in the jails will not be tolerated. These defendants
allegedly carried out an unprovoked assault on a fellow inmate, fracturing his nose, and now they
are being held accountable. But beyond our prosecution of violence, there must be prevention of
these incidents.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Najee Johnson, 22, Nasir Gutzman, 26, Jerrold
Merriweather, 25, Darius Johnson, 24, Reggie Johnson, 24, Michael Rogers, 23,David Medrano
Torres, 26, Lloyd McLean, 28, and Zachary Quiles, 27, were indicted on Attempted Gang Assault
in the first degree, second-degree Assault and third-degree Assault. All but Marriweather were
arraigned on February 13, 14 and 15 in Bronx Supreme Court and they are due back in court on
April 16, 2024.
Bail was set for McLean and Gutzman at $75,000 cash, $150,000 bond by Bronx Supreme
Court Justice Steven Hornstein. Bail was set for Quiles and Darius Johnson at $5,000 cash,
$20,000 bond. Bail for the remaining four defendants was set at $2,500 cash, $20,000 bond by
Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera.
According to the investigation, on December 25, 2023 in the Eric M. Taylor Center on
Rikers Island, the defendants, who were serving sentences of one year in jail, acted in concert to
attack a 39-year-old inmate, punching, kicking, and stomping the victim repeatedly. The victim
was also struck multiple times with a plastic chair. The victim lost consciousness and sustained
bruising, swelling as well as a fractured nasal bone. He was transported via EMS to a hospital for
treatment.
District Attorney Clark thanked Department of Correction Central Intelligence Bureau
Investigators Korab Hasangjekaj, James Ruiz, Walter Holmes and Jeffrey Rios, for their work in
the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Teen Girl and 21-Year-Old Man Died; Another Girl Critically Injured
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Queens man has been
indicted for Manslaughter, Criminally Negligent Homicide and other related charges for
speeding and recklessly driving his car, which crashed into a fuel truck, killing two people and
critically injuring a third who were passengers in his vehicle.
District Attorney Clark said, “Two people died and a third suffered life-threatening
injuries because of the defendant’s alleged stunt driving on a Bronx street in the presence of
numerous bystanders and other vehicles. His car careened into a fuel oil truck, and it is fortunate
that more lives were not ruined.”
District Attorney Clark said Enrique Lopez, 23, of Beach 28 Street, Queens, was arraigned
today on two counts of second-degree Manslaughter, three counts of second-degree Assault,
third-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, two counts of Criminally Negligent
Homicide, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, fourth-degree Criminal Mischief, second-degree
Reckless Endangerment, Reckless Driving and Speed, Contests, Races before Bronx Supreme
Court Justice Brenda Rivera who also suspended Lopez’s driver’s license at the People’s request.
The defendant is due back in court on June 5, 2024.
According to the investigation, on January 21, 2024, at approximately 3:17 a.m., near Viele
Avenue and Bryant Avenue in Huntsvehicle to defendant, driving a 2013 Chrysler 300 with three
passengers inside, allegedly performed stunt driving maneuvers including spinning rapidly in
circles near bystanders on the street and other vehicles, made rapid accelerations and turns, and
then accelerated his motor vehicle to more than twice the legal speed limit of 25 miles per hour,
before crossing the double yellow line and crashing sideways into a truck filled with fuel oil.
Sabrina Villagomez, 15, who was seated in the backseat of the car, was killed, along with
Giovante Roberson, 21, who was seated in the front passenger seat. A 17-year-old who was seated
in the rear of the vehicle was placed into a medically induced coma for injuries sustained from
the crash. The investigation revealed that the defendant’s car contained a stolen Hellcat engine.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Officer Douglas Gerber of the NYPD Collision
Investigation Squad for his work on the case.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Grants Will Protect Watershed Communities from Future Flooding, Enhance River Access and Education, and Promote Environmental Stewardship
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced grant awards totaling more than $1.8 million for 26 projects to help communities along the Hudson River Estuary improve water quality, enhance environmental education and advance stewardship of natural resources. The grants complement the Governor’s comprehensive plan to protect communities from the impacts of climate change by investing in resilience.
"New York State is investing in projects that will improve resiliency and protect our natural resources both in the Hudson River Valley and across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “These 26 local grants will provide dozens of communities support to improve recreation, expand river access and education, and preserve and protect this iconic river for future generations of New Yorkers.”
Now in its 21st year, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Hudson River Estuary Grants Program implements priorities outlined in the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda 2021-2025. To date, DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program awarded 643 grants totaling more than $28 million. Funding for DEC’s Estuary Grants program is provided by New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), a critical resource for environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, water quality improvement, and environmental justice projects. Governor Hochul’s proposed 2024-25 Executive Budget maintains EPF funding at $400 million, the highest level of funding in the program’s history.
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s sustained efforts to bolster community resiliency to climate change’s impacts, $1.8 million in grants awarded today for 26 projects will help Hudson River Valley communities develop plans to both protect residents and natural resources from severe weather driven by climate change while strengthening ecosystems. These grants build upon local conservation efforts and priorities to sustainably improve water quality and protect the Hudson River.”
Grant recipients listed by region are:
MULTI-REGION
Riverkeeper, Inc.: $150,000 for “Dam Reconnaissance” on 12 Hudson River tributaries, targeting at least 16 priority dams whose removal will restore natural stream flow, improve habitat and aquatic connectivity, and benefit river herring and American eel, two Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
Hudson River Watershed Alliance: $75,000 for “Building Organizational Capacity for Watershed Planning and Implementation,” which will create a regional guidance document to define specific key roles on watershed planning and implementation for community-based watershed groups throughout the Hudson River Estuary Watershed.
Pace University: $49,811 for “Flood Resilience Network Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program,” a project with the Land Use Law Center which will implement a community-based Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) training program for five to seven municipalities that are members of the Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network. The training provides climate change adaptation-focused policy, planning, and regulatory tools for shoreline resiliency and resilient communities.
CAPITAL REGION
Albany County
Radix Ecological Sustainability Center: $65,625 for “Renewable Remediation for River Regeneration Round 2,” which will continue operation of Radix’s solar-powered boat to deploy and monitor artificial floating wetlands in the Hudson River near Albany’s South End neighborhood.
Columbia County
Columbia Land Conservancy, Inc.: $75,000 for “Columbia County Countywide Conservation and Open Space Plan,” which will engage a broad coalition of community partners to ensure that the countywide conservation vision responds to the needs of diverse communities, considers suitable renewable energy siting, and provides opportunities for the development of affordable housing.
Rensselaer County
Riverkeeper, Inc.: $150,000 for “Planning and Engineering for Kenwood Mill Dam Removal,” to continue working with Princeton Hydro to conduct hydrologic and hydraulic modeling on Kenwood Mill Dam on Mill Creek and produce final engineering design plans and permit applications, resulting in a shovel-ready project.
MID-HUDSON VALLEY
Dutchess County
Town of Red Hook: $109,000 for “Willets Drive West and East Culvert Replacements,” to develop shovel-ready designs for the replacement of two stream crossings in poor condition on town-owned Willets Drive West and East.
Town of Milan: $93,500 for “Woody Row Road Culvert Replacement,” to develop a shovel-ready design for the replacement of the stream crossing in poor condition on town-owned Woody Row Road.
Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum: $37,925 for “River Lab at the Discovery Museum,” a project to develop Hudson River Estuary education programs for elementary-age school groups and the public at the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Pavilion and in the museum.
Orange and Ulster Counties
Bard College: $69,300 for “River Harmful Algal Blooms Watershed Characterization and Communication Toolkit,” to develop a Watershed Characterization report and communication materials focused on harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Walkill River in partnership with the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance, Hudson River Watershed Alliance, and Riverkeeper. Inc.
Putnam County
Town of Kent: $40,825 for “Town of Kent Open Space Plan Initiative,” to complete a town-wide Open Space Inventory and Plan to develop strategies to conserve and protect its natural resources.
Putnam and Westchester Counties
Riverkeeper Inc.: $59,543 for “Nutrient Analysis in Peekskill Hollow Brook, a Regional Drinking Water Source,” a project that will use DEC’s Loading Estimator of Nutrient Sources (LENS) tool to estimate point and nonpoint phosphorus contributions in the Peekskill Hollow Brook watershed, to inform drinking water-source monitoring and protection or clean water plan development for the city of Peekskill and other stakeholders.
Rockland County
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York: $75,245 for “Hudson River Education: Extending the Pathway into Climate,” a project that supports summer high school interns in Rockland County Potential Environmental Justice Area communities to deepen their science connection as they work on climate change impacts on the Hudson River.
Village of Nyack: $17,000 for “Nyack Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan,” to conduct a vulnerability assessment and create an adaptation plan for Nyack residents and businesses that will address climate change hazards. The assessment will include frequency and duration of heat waves, increasing intensity of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, storm surge, and climate change-related disease.
Ulster County
Arm of the Sea Productions, Inc.: $46,350 for “Resilient Electrical Service and ADA Lift for Tidewater Center,” to install resilient electrical service to the Arm-of-the-Sea Tidewater Center, connect that service to the outdoor performance space and Program Support Center, and install an electrically-powered, ADA-compliant lift for the Program Support Center.
Town of Hurley: $36,800 for “Town of Hurley Natural Resources Inventory,” to engage a consultant to develop a Natural Resources Inventory to be used in conjunction with the 2018 Hurley Open Space Plan and an updated Comprehensive Plan to provide the tools needed to incorporate climate resilience and mitigation elements, improved wetland and watercourse protections, and critical environmental area protection in the Town Zoning Code.
Hudson River Maritime Museum: $20,000 for “Accessible Gangway for A-dock,” to purchase and install an ADA-compliant aluminum gangway to improve accessibility to the floating docks on the western side of the museum campus, referred to as “A-dock.”
Town of Lloyd: $19,176 for “Illinois Mountain Connectivity Plan,” to complete a connectivity plan for Illinois Mountain Park, which will serve to evaluate and conserve natural resources through the creation of a connectivity plan and inform the development of a future conservation plan for the mountain.
Westchester County
Hudson Valley Stream Conservancy: $114,920 for “Sprout Brook Dam Removal Phase 2: Final Planning, Deconstruction and Stream Restoration,” which will complete the Sprout Brook Dam removal and stream restoration and will restore aquatic connectivity to the stream for migrating fish and eels.
Village of Hastings-on-Hudson: $75,000 for “North Broadway/Zinsser Drainage,” a project to conduct the necessary planning and preliminary design for a new stormwater system to implement drainage improvements to control flooding in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson.
Village of Ardsley: $59,384 for “Village of Ardsley Natural Resources Inventory,” to engage a consultant to complete a Natural Resources Inventory to identify areas for plant and animal habitat improvement, enhanced flood storage to facilitate resiliency, and to guide opportunities for green infrastructure in the Downtown Business District.
Town of Cortlandt: $50,000 for “Town of Cortlandt and Village of Croton Intermunicipal Natural Resources Inventory,” for the town of Cortlandt and village of Croton to complete an intermunicipal Natural Resources Inventory for both communities, to identify critical natural resources and to develop preservation and management strategies.
NEW YORK CITY
Kings County
Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Inc.: $100,000 for “Enhancement of Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s Environmental Education Center and Program,” a project to fund the conceptualization and design of several new state-of-the-art exhibits themed around the urban ecology of the New York Harbor.
Kings, Queens, and New York Counties
City Parks Foundation: $100,000 for “Learn Coastal Classroom,” a project to support City Parks Foundation’s Coastal Classroom program, which teaches elementary, high school, and college students about the city’s waterways, from coastal ecology and human impacts on the environment, to stewardship, and more.
New York County
Downtown Boathouse: $75,000 for “Expansion of Free Kayaking Programs in Manhattan,” to increase free and inclusive recreational access to the Hudson River by purchasing new adaptive equipment and specialty boats for people with disabilities, and by broadening community engagement with its off-season pool program.
New York Restoration Project: $47,364 for “The Living Shoreline at Sherman Creek Park [Phase 2]” to extend the Living Shoreline model to include and restore a five-acre tidal mudflat on the Harlem River waterfront in Northern Manhattan’s Sherman Creek Park.
In January, Governor Hochul announced a comprehensive resiliency plan to protect New Yorkers from extreme weather, flooding, and other climate impacts as part of her 2024 State of the State and included $435 million in the Executive Budget proposal to help implement the initiatives. Highlights include:
Creating the ‘Resilient & Ready’ Program to establish a flexible fund to support resiliency efforts for low- and moderate-income homeowners ahead of future storms. The program will enable State Homes and Community Renewal to assist households that experience flood damage to make necessary repairs in the aftermath of storms and will cover the cost of proactive flood mitigation improvements.
Creating the Blue Buffers Voluntary Buyout Program, with $250 million included in the 2024-25 Executive Budget to encourage buyouts in communities most vulnerable to flooding. The program will prioritize outreach and education first and then begin identifying voluntary projects based on the level of flood risk, ensuring we protect our communities that are most vulnerable to high water and storm surges.
Making major investments in statewide disaster response to put more boots on the ground, improve training and preparedness, and address evolving threats as they come.
Update Coastal Erosion Hazard Area (CEHA) Maps, which are essential to the protection of beaches, dunes, and bluffs that maintain and enhance flood resilience, so that communities and permit applicants quick quickly determine if a property is within a CEHA.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Notice how not a penny is given to the Bronx in the form of the Hudson Greenway to protect the shoreline of the Hudson River in the Bronx to protect against flooding. Good work Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of MILES MCNEAL, 25, for sexually abusing an 8-year-old student multiple times in a Harlem afterschool program. MCNEAL is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the Second Degree, one count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. [1]
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Child Abuse Bureau and NYPD Child Abuse Squad are continuing to investigate these allegations as there may be additional survivors. The Office has specially trained professionals who can speak to children and their families in a child-friendly setting, and any parent who believes their child had contact with MCNEAL should call 212-335-4300.
“As alleged, Miles McNeal abused his power as an afterschool program teacher to sexually abuse an 8-year-old student. These alleged acts are despicable, and no student or parent should ever have to fear that they may face this abusive behavior at a school,” said District Attorney Bragg. “We believe that there may be additional survivors, and this remains an ongoing investigation. Please reach out to our Office if you believe your child may have been abused by Miles McNeal – our team has extensive experience and trauma-informed training to handle these investigations with the care and sensitivity they deserve.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record, on multiple occasions between September 8, 2022, and August 18, 2023, MCNEAL molested and sexually abused the 8-year-old at a Harlem afterschool program.
MCNEAL was the survivor’s afterschool and camp teacher. He would routinely take her out of class and away from other students into an empty classroom, where the abuse would occur. MCNEAL’S abuse escalated in severity, beginning with photographing the survivor’s body, then rising to sexual abuse.
Assistant D.A. Samantha LiTrenta is handling the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Heather Buchanan (Bureau Chief of the Child Abuse Bureau). Trial Preparation Assistant Ryan Dyke and Investigative Analyst Tessa Ferrall are also assisting with the case.
D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective Denisse Caceres of the Special Victims Division.
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.
