Governor Hochul Awards $1.1 Million to Financial Literacy Programs Across the State

 

Funding for 11 Community-Based Organizations Will Help Low Income Families Understand Purchasing Power

Programs Will Provide One-On-One Coaching With Financial Professionals Offering Training and Education on Budgeting and Financial Management

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York Department of State has awarded $1.1 million in grant funding to 11 community-based organizations across six regions of New York State. $100,000 grants will be used to fund financial literacy programs in these communities. Individuals with incomes at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines will be eligible to participate in the programs. Language access services will also be made available to individuals that have limited English proficiency.

“Financial literacy is crucial to helping New Yorkers save their hard-earned money as they work to build a better life for their families,” Governor Hochul said. “Through these programs, we can arm New Yorkers in communities across the state with the tools they need to build a more secure economic future for themselves and their loved ones.”

The Financial Literacy Programs will provide one-on-one coaching with experienced financial professionals offering training, as well as education regarding budgeting and financial management. A key component of the initiative is to help individuals and families better understand their purchasing power. Participants will receive information regarding homeownership, improving credit scores, decreasing dependence on credit card debt, opening checking and savings accounts, asset building and how to avoid financial scams.

Each of the participating organizations will partner with community banking institutions as well as local, state and/or federal agencies for referral to additional services that may be available to help strengthen and improve their financial standing.

Programs will be in the following regions of New York State:

• New York City
• Capital Region
• Mohawk Valley
• Western New York
• Southern Tier
• Finger Lakes

These programs are fully funded through the federal Community Services Block Grant and will be managed by the Department of State’s Division of Community Services. The programs were awarded based on a competitive RFP process.

About The Division of Community Services

The New York Department of State’s Division of Community Services works with an extensive network of regional community action agencies to combat poverty among poor and low-income families. The Division of Community Services directs funding to these non-profit organizations to help provide low-income and poor families across New York State with necessary services, including employment assistance and training, emergency food and housing, childcare, home heating and much more. Community action agencies are beneficiaries of New York State’s Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds, which are administered by the Division of Community Services. The Division monitors and tracks agencies’ progress in fulfillment of goals, while also ensuring compliance to CSBG guidelines. More information is available on the Department of State website.

DEC AND NEW YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE ANNOUNCE CONVICTION OF ROCKLAND COUNTY MAN FOR FELONY ILLEGAL COMMERCIALIZATION OF IVORY

 

Defendant Receives Probation and Financial Penalties at Sentencing

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York County District Attorney’s Office today announced the conviction of a Rockland County man for felony illegal commercialization of elephant ivory worth approximately $70,000, concluding a joint investigation that first began in 2020. On Feb. 8, defendant Kenneth Kerner, 59, from the town of Clarkstown pleaded guilty to a class D Felony for the illegal commercialization of ivory over $25,000. The judge’s sentence mandated five years’ probation, 200 hours of community service, an obligation to donate $10,000 to a wildlife Non-Governmental Organization, relinquishing the three ivory pool cues offered during the illicit sale, and reimbursing the DA’s Office for the $15,000 cash. Kerner was also compelled to post a public statement on his social media account to increase awareness and discourage the illegal ivory trade.  

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “I applaud the hard work, diligence, and dedication of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement and our partners at the New York County District Attorney’s Office in investigating this case and bringing the defendant to justice. The fight to protect the world’s wild elephant population is ongoing and New York remains on the front lines of that fight as we bust the businesses that fuel the illegal ivory trade and promote, directly or indirectly, the horrific and senseless poaching of these awe-inspiring animals.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, “Kenneth Kerner illegally sold and offered for sale $70,000 in pool cues manufactured from elephant ivory. In Manhattan, we will continue to hold those accountable who attempt to take part in the illegal ivory trade. I thank our law enforcement partners for their partnership in this case.”

Investigators from the New York County District Attorney’s Office and DEC Division of Law Enforcement Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigators (BECI) began a joint investigation in summer 2020 into the illegal commercialization of billiard cues made of elephant ivory. The high-end items, with asking prices as high as $45,000, were offered for sale on social media sites. Undercover Investigators contacted the seller and arranged an in-person buy in September 2020. The seller offered three ivory cues for sale, one of them for $15,000. Once the BECI Investigator cleared the sale, Officers with the District Attorney’s Office arrested the seller. 

John F. Calvelli, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society said, “We congratulate the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York County District Attorney’s Office for their continued efforts to enforce laws around the sale of elephant ivory. This effort in New York State is vital to efforts to protect elephants in Africa and Asia. We were proud to partner with DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos on our '96 Elephants' campaign to strengthen the law banning the sale of elephant ivory in New York State. At WCS, our teams in the elephant range countries have seen the positive effects of governments across the world taking stands to end the sale of elephant ivory.”

Wild elephant populations worldwide number fewer than 500,000 and are listed as endangered species. New York’s Environmental Conservation Law makes the sale of ivory without a permit illegal: https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/fish-wildlife-plant/special-licenses/sale-of-elephant-mammoth-ivory-rhinoceros-horn.

In 2014, New York State strengthened its laws on interstate ivory sales, increasing penalties against buyers and sellers whose actions further endanger elephant populations worldwide. Since the law took effect, DEC has focused on the illegal ivory trade and charged several corporations and individuals, including those brought down during “Operation White Gold,” an undercover operation launched by DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement from 2015 to 2018 in New York City focused on high-end antique dealers and wholesale distributors throughout the five boroughs. The ivory seized during the undercover operation weighed two tons and had a combined market value of more than $12 million. DEC destroyed most of the seized ivory in a massive crush in New York City’s Central Park in 2017.

New York City Council Files Motion to Intervene in Lawsuit Against Mayor Adams’ Administration for Failure to Comply with CityFHEPS Laws

 

The New York City Council filed a motion with the Supreme Court of the State of New York to intervene in the class action lawsuit by several low-income New Yorkers against Mayor Adams for his administration’s failure to implement enacted laws to reform the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program. The Council is seeking to become an intervening petitioner in the Vincent, Tejeda, Cronneit, and Acks v. Adams and the City of New York lawsuit to represent the city legislature’s interests in the proceedings on local laws it enacted in July 2023 that went into effect on January 9, 2024, but have not been implemented. If its motion is granted, the Council would become a party to the existing lawsuit as a petitioner. The Council filing argues the importance of the separation of powers within government, and the distinct City Charter-mandated responsibilities of the legislative body to pass laws and for the mayor to implement them.

The Council’s legal filings can be found here:

Motion to Intervene

Petition

Memorandum of Law

Excerpts from Memorandum of Law:

“Because the Council validly enacted the CityFHEPS Reform Laws, the Mayor is now legally required by the Charter to implement them. But he refuses to do so. His refusal not only deprives New Yorkers of housing benefits to which they are entitled under the law; it usurps the powers of the Council, a co-equal branch of City government, and it upends the separation of powers enshrined in the City Charter. What he could not secure through the Charter-established process, the Mayor is now attempting to achieve by unlawfully abdicating his duties.”

“The Council’s powers are derived, ultimately, from the State Constitution, which mandates that ‘[e]very local government . . . shall have a legislative body elective by the people thereof.’ The State Constitution also empowers ‘every local government’ to ‘adopt and amend local laws’ relating to…‘the government, protection, order, conduct, safety, health and well-being of persons . . . therein.”

The Council’s action supports the existing request for court relief under Article 78 that would compel implementation of the local laws and makes an additional request for the Court to issue a declaratory judgment that the laws do not conflict with existing law or authority. The Council’s legal action would seek a judicial order to provide clarity on insinuations inconsistently made by Mayor Adams’ administration that question the Council’s legal authority to pass these laws regarding CityFHEPS. In its filing, the Council argues this assertion has no basis in law and contradicts years of previous CityFHEPS laws being enacted and implemented, including during the current administration, without such insinuations being raised.

Excerpt from Memorandum of Law:

“The Mayor, in his veto letter and through his DSS Commissioner, has suggested that the Reform Laws are legally invalid. In broad strokes, the Mayor contends that the Reform Laws are preempted by the New York State Social Services Law and should have been passed through referendum. By raising the issue of a mandatory referendum, the Mayor appears to be suggesting that the Council violated the doctrine of “curtailment,” which prohibits a local law from transferring or curtailing a Charter-imposed power without a referendum.

“These arguments lack merit. For the reasons stated below, the laws are valid; they are not preempted by state law and they do not curtail budgetary authority such that they must have been passed by a referendum. More fundamentally, if the Mayor believed that the Reform Laws were unlawful, he should have taken his concerns up with the courts himself. He had ample time—six months from the laws’ enactment—to do so. Instead, he unilaterally decided the Reform Laws were invalid and that he would not implement them, and in doing so, usurped the role of the judiciary. This cannot be the way that disputes between the political branches are addressed.”

Excerpt from Petition:

“Wherefore, Petitioner (Council) demands judgment as follows:

1. Directing and compelling Respondent and his agencies, officers, and employees immediately to implement the CityFHEPS Reform Laws.
2. Declaring that the CityFHEPS Reform Laws are not preempted and do not curtail any budgetary powers.
3. Granting other such, further, or different relief as the Court deems just and proper, including reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees.”

The new laws that remove barriers to CityFHEPS were originally passed on May 25, 2023, amidst rising homelessness and increased evictions in the aftermath of the state’s eviction moratorium expiring. They reform the program to ensure housing vouchers are utilized to better prevent homelessness amidst a rising number of evictions and a record-high shelter population. They remove the requirement for people to have resided in a DHS shelter to be eligible, which blocks many low-income New Yorkers from help, including young people residing in Department of Youth and Community Development shelters. The laws also update the value of vouchers to account for utilities so that applicants do not lose apartments, remove work requirements while updating income levels to remove disincentives for recipients to pursue greater employment opportunities and housing simultaneously, and further reform eligibility criteria to help more New Yorkers facing eviction.

Background:

There have been more than 18,000 eviction cases filed since the beginning of Mayor Adams’s administration in 2022. The lack of housing supply, demonstrated by New York City’s Housing and Vacancy Survey showing that the percentage of housing units available dropped to 1.4 percent, is a crisis that the Council is working with the administration to confront by collaboratively advancing increased housing production. The even lower vacancy rate for the most affordable apartments only underscores the need to help low-income New Yorkers with apartments to remain in their homes through comprehensive solutions. By keeping low-income New Yorkers in their homes with vouchers, the City can prevent more New Yorkers from joining the pool of those in need of housing assistance in searching and competing for a limited supply of housing.

The mayor vetoed the bills in June 2023, primarily based on policy differences, and the Council followed the City Charter’s process to override his vetoes and duly enact the legislation into law in July 2023.

Earlier this year, Speaker Adrienne Adams sent a letter to Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park warning that the Council would take legal action if the agency does not “take concrete, verifiable steps to implement these local laws by February 7, 2024.”

The local laws are the following:

Local Law 99 prohibits the Department of Social Services from deducting a utility allowance from the maximum amount of a CityFHEPS voucher, except in limited circumstances.

Local Law 100 removes shelter stay as a precondition to CityFHEPS eligibility. This eliminates previous eligibility barriers, reduces lengths of stay in the shelter system and prevents new shelter entrants.

Local Law 101 removes certain eligibility restrictions for CityFHEPS to allow applicants at risk of eviction or experiencing homelessness access to vouchers.

Local Law 102 changes the eligibility for a CityFHEPS voucher from 200 percent of the federal poverty level to 50 percent of the area median income and removes work and source of income requirements that make it difficult for individuals to pursue employment and housing concurrently.

Fourteen Charged with Federal Dog Fighting Offenses in Three-State Arrest Operation

 

Fourteen men – residents of Georgia, Florida and Alabama – were charged for participating in a major dog fighting event that occurred in April 2022 in Donalsonville, Georgia. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia unsealed the indictment in conjunction with arrests that occurred this week. The defendants are:

• Tamichael Elijah, 47, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
• Marvin Pulley III, 52, of Donalsonville and Jakin, Georgia;
• Brandon Baker, 41, of Panama City, Florida;
• Christopher Travis Beaumont, 37, of Panama City, Florida;
• Herman Buggs Jr., 56, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
• Terrance Davis, 45, of Pansey, Alabama;
• Timothy Freeman, 26, of Bainbridge, Georgia;
• Terelle Ganzy, 34, of Panama City, Florida;
• Gary Hopkins, 66, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
• Cornelious Johnson, 39, of Panama City, Florida;
• Rodrecus Kimble, 43, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
• Donnametric Miller, 41, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
• Willie Russell, 43, of Blakely, Georgia; and
• Fredricus White, 36, of Panama City, Florida.

According to court documents filed in this case, the defendants all converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, on April 24, 2022, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. The defendants and others brought a total of 24 dogs to fight that weekend in a series of matches. Law enforcement personnel who disrupted the event found numerous dogs inside crates in cars on the property. The participants used their cars to store dogs who had already fought, as well as those whose turns had not yet come.

As alleged in the indictment, Elijah resided on the property and acted as the host, having taken money from Pulley for hosting the dog fights. Pulley was the primary organizer. He and Russell acted as referees for matches that occurred before law enforcement arrived. Beaumont, Davis and Miller were witnessed fighting dogs at the event. Baker, Beaumont, Ganzy, Johnson and White brought three dogs from Florida to fight. Buggs, Davis, Freeman, Hopkins, Pulley and Kimble also brought dogs to the fight. Under federal law, it is illegal not only to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce, but also to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes. Miller is also charged with the unlawful possession of a firearm subsequent to a prior felony conviction.

Authorities rescued 27 dogs from the April 2022 dog fighting event, and another 51 in conjunction with the arrests that occurred this week.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count of animal fighting charges. Miller also faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the firearm charge. 

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) made the announcement.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General and detectives with the Seminole County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case, which remains ongoing. Detectives with the Bay County, Florda Sheriff’s Office also provided invaluable assistance.

Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Criminal Chief Leah McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Northern District of Florida and Middle District of Alabama also assisted with the operation.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

DASHBOARD UPDATE: NYC Comptroller Releases New Monthly Data on Department of Correction Operations with New Charts Tracking Deaths in Custody

The New York City Comptroller’s Office released its monthly update to the Department of Correction (DOC) Dashboard, available here. New this month, the Comptroller’s office includes two regularly updated charts related to deaths in custody from the past several years: a timeline of deaths by race/ethnicity and cause of death, respectively.

Last year, DOC stopped consistently notifying the media when an incarcerated individual dies – a troubling development from a transparency and oversight perspective. Two people reportedly died in custody since the beginning of 2024. On January 4, Chima Williams collapsed on the basketball court, and on January 19, Manuel Luna died after found unresponsive in his cell. 

“We cannot manage what we cannot measure, and so my office will fill this oversight gap through the new additions to our DOC Dashboard,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Awaiting trial at Rikers should not be a potential death sentence, and DOC should not hide people’s deaths, and dangerous conditions, under a shroud of secrecy. If DOC won’t inform the public about the deaths occurring under their custody, my office will – by tracking and identifying those wrongly killed under the City’s watch.” 

• As of February 1, the number of people housed in DOC jails was 6,167, an increase of 148 from the previous month as fewer individuals were released in January.
• In January, admissions to DOC jails increased by 316 people from December, totaling 1,929 – the largest admissions increase since March 2023.  

• • Discharges decreased by 11 to 1,743. 

• Incarcerated persons missed medical appointments 11,930 times in December 2023, a 15% decrease compared to November. 

• • This was a decrease not seen since September 2023 and the fewest missed medical appointments since June 2023.  

• Violence within DOC jails decreased slightly in January compared to the previous month: 

• • 36 assaults on staff occurred, 2 fewer incidents. 
  • Slashings and stabbings totaled 29, down 1 incident. 
  • Fights decreased to 438, 20 fewer fights than in December.  

• 417 officers (7%) were on sick leave in January – 8 fewer officers from the previous month.
• 5% of officers were on medically restricted leave – those with serious physical or psychological limitations who cannot work with people in custody – as of December 2023.  

The Comptroller’s dashboard, first published in August 2022, monitors pervasive issues in the City’s jails, including staff absenteeism, missed medical appointments, and incidents of violence among detained people and staff. It also tracks the jail population every month and length of stay. The Comptroller’s office publishes data to this dashboard monthly to provide increased transparency and accountability over the City’s jail system. 

View the DOC Dashboard here.

RIKERS ISLAND INMATE INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER; STABBED DETAINEE IN HEART WITH 7-INCH PLEXIGLASS SHARD

 

Victim Required Open Heart Surgery After Brutal Assault

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Rikers Island inmate was indicted on Attempted Murder in the second degree for stabbing another detainee in the chest and back, causing life-threatening injuries requiring open-heart surgery. 

District Attorney Clark said, “This vicious attack was caught on video, which showed the defendant allegedly stabbing the victim multiple times with a piece of plexiglass fashioned into a knife, causing life-threatening injuries. Department of Correction Officers swiftly stopped him before the victim was killed.” 

District Attorney Clark said Shane Delisle, 25, was arraigned on Attempted Murder in the second degree, two counts of second-degree Assault, two counts of first-degree Promoting Prison Contraband, third-degree Assault, two counts of fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and two counts of second-degree Promoting Prison Contraband before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera. The defendant was remanded. He is due back in court on May 14, 2024. 

According to the investigation, on December 20, 2023, at approximately 8:34 p.m. inside the George R. Vierno Center, Delisle, allegedly a member of Gorilla Stone Bloods, allegedly stabbed inmate Charles Satterwhite, also allegedly of the Gorilla Stone Bloods, in the back and chest with a seven-inch plexiglass “knife.” Correction Officers were able to detain the defendant after using pepper spray. They allegedly recovered two plexiglass knives from Delisle’s cell. Satterwhite was transported to Elmhurst Hospital where he underwent open heart surgery. The defendant and victim are believed to have known each other before the incident.

District Attorney Clark thanked NYC Department of Correction Officer Omari Townsend and Investigators Paul Smith, Cecil Philips, and Nathaniel Williamson from the NYC Department of Correction Intelligence Bureau for their work in the investigation. 

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt. 

Governor Hochul Releases New Tool to Protect Low-Income New Yorkers From Losing EBT Benefits to Scams or Skimming

 

New EBT Card Lock Feature Helps Secure Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards and Restricts Unauthorized Purchases

Benefit Recipients Need to Remain Vigilant and Take Steps to Protect Themselves from Scam-Related Theft

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a new tool for New Yorkers who receive government assistance via an Electronic Benefit Transfer card to protect themselves from criminals who use "skimming" devices to steal benefits. Beginning today, February 21, a new EBT lock/unlock tool on the ConnectEBT app will enable card users to easily lock their EBT cards when not in use to protect their benefits from scammers.

“Low-income New Yorkers shopping for food and other essential items for their families should never have to find out at the checkout that their benefits have been stolen by scammers,” Governor Hochul said. “We will continue to take action to protect New Yorkers from scam-related theft and ensure that EBT cardholders have effective tools to protect their benefits.”

Across New York State and nationwide, thieves are using card skimmers, covertly placed over card reading machines at legitimate retailers, to copy EBT card and personal identification number information from EBT users. Scammers use the stolen card data to drain funds from victims’ EBT accounts.

The new lock/unlock EBT card feature helps prevent skimming theft by enabling EBT cardholders to quickly and easily lock their card through the ConnectEBT app after making a purchase. Locking the EBT card blocks all purchases, balance inquiries, and transactions on the card.

The new lock/unlock card feature is the latest step in Governor Hochul’s continued work to protect EBT card users from scammers. To raise awareness about skimming, Governor Hochul in December signed legislation that requires stores accepting EBT cards to warn customers of skimming and how they can protect themselves from the practice. The Governor worked with New York’s Congressional delegation and the Legislature to secure federal and State funding for partial reimbursements to theft victims. OTDA, which oversees SNAP and Public Assistance in New York State, began accepting applications for replacement benefits in August. More than $20 million in stolen benefits has been reimbursed through the end of December.

When shopping, consumers should inspect the card reading machine for an overlay device that may hide parts of the machine or anything unusual like glue marks, damaged or loose parts. If anyone suspects something is wrong with the machine, they should not use their card, notify a store manager, and contact the local police.

Additionally, EBT card users should:

• Protect their benefits by shielding the PIN pad when entering their PIN.
• Change their PIN frequently and do not share it. It is best to change the PIN immediately after each transaction.
• Lock their card immediately after use.
• Check their EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges.
• If a transaction is unexpectedly declined or a user receives an error code, contact the EBT Customer Services Helpline to verify the transactions on the account.

To learn more about scams targeted at Electronic Benefit Transfer cardholders, how to protect benefits, and how to have stolen benefits replaced, click here.

Rep. AOC Announces Re-Election Bid in the NY-14

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress plans a campaign launch rally in March

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez officially announces that she will seek another term in Congress to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress, the campaign, will formally launch with a kickoff rally that will be hosted in March—details to come. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez released the following statement:

“I’m so proud of the work we have accomplished for our communities in The Bronx and Queens over my past term in Congress. We’ve brought in historic investments directly to the residents of the NY-14 from creating green energy job training programs in Throggs Neck and reducing air pollution in Co-op City, to improving street safety of Astoria Boulevard and Westchester Square, and expanding pre-K programming in Corona. These projects, paired with our tireless fight in Washington to take on special interests and support working families, have shown what the possibilities of good governance can look like.

"My campaign is part of a movement of everyday working people committed to building a better future for The Bronx and Queens. We are in a pivotal moment with so much at stake, and now is not the time to be complacent. We must fight for affordable housing, Medicare for All, reproductive freedom, a bilateral ceasefire in the Middle East, a Green New Deal, millions of good union jobs, and, most importantly, a New York where everyone can thrive—not just the 1%. That’s why I’m running for re-election.

It is a privilege to represent the people of the NY-14 without taking a dime in corporate money. This campaign is 100% people-powered, and is part of a grassroots movement that is already winning a better future. Now it’s time to fight for more.”