Thursday, April 4, 2024

NYPD ANNOUNCES CITYWIDE CRIME STATISTICS FOR MARCH, FIRST QUARTER 2024


Substantial reductions attained in subway system while shootings, major crime categories continue downward trends 

New York City saw continued reductions in overall crime through the first quarter of 2024, both above ground, on streets throughout the five boroughs, and below ground, within the nation’s largest subway system. The single month of March 2024, compared to the same month last year, experienced even more drastic crime declines.

Overall crime in the transit system plummeted 23.5 percent in March, an achievement directly attributable to the 1,000 additional uniformed NYPD officers surged into the network each day. Another 800 NYPD officers were also recently deployed as part of “Operation Fare Play,” an initiative focused on enforcing fare evasion. The year-over-year crime decrease was led by double-digit percentage drops in major categories: Robbery was reduced 51.9 percent (26 vs. 54), grand larceny decreased 15.2 percent (89 vs. 105), and felony assault dropped 10.9 percent (49 vs. 55). From January 1 through March 31, 2024, overall crime in the transit system was down 1.1 percent (538 vs. 544), compared to the first quarter of 2023.

Since the start of 2024, overall arrests in the subway system are up almost 53 percent compared to last year (4,813 vs. 3,147), including an 83.3 percent increase in gun arrests (22 vs. 12), a nearly 80 percent jump in fare-evasion arrests (1,864 vs. 1,038), and a 24.1 percent hike in grand larceny arrests (108 vs. 87). In that time frame, Criminal Court summonses issued by police jumped 65.3 percent (1,666 vs. 1,008), and included an increase of nearly 5.5% (370 vs. 351) in those written specifically for fare evasion. The total number of Transit Adjudication Bureau (TAB) summonses issued for various offenses also climbed 28.1% (48,771 vs. 38,082).

“There cannot be a sense of lawlessness in the subway system, and it begins at the turnstiles,” said Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “It is highly encouraging to see the tangible results of our hard work – the investment we are making is clearly paying dividends. We vow to maintain our tight focus on the drivers of crime in order to improve transportation safety – and perceptions of safety – at every station, on every train, at all hours of the day and night. That is what New Yorkers expect and deserve.”

Citywide in March 2024 compared to March 2023, overall crime dropped 5 percent, a reduction of 505 incidents. Continued declines were recorded across many bellwether crimes, including murder, down 19.4 percent (29 vs. 36); burglary, down 17.4 percent (1,005 vs. 1,217); and grand larceny, down 7 percent (3,883 vs. 4,176). Robbery was flat in March (1,264 vs. 1,264), while grand larceny auto – the theft of motor vehicles – declined for the fourth month in a row, down 10.9 percent (1,037 vs. 1,164). From January 1 through the end of the first quarter of 2024, major crime and violence throughout the five boroughs dropped 2.4 percent, a decrease of 711 incidents.

Shooting incidents in March 2024 were reduced 25.9 percent (63 vs. 85), equating to 29 fewer shooting victims compared to the same month last year (71 vs. 100), a 29 percent decrease. This correlates to 358 people arrested for possession of an illegal firearm, a 7.5 percent increase from the same period last year. Shooting incidents for the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2023 were down 18.5 percent (181 vs. 222), meaning that 56 fewer people (212 vs. 268) were shot in New York City since the start of the year, a 20.9 percent reduction. From January 1 through the end of March, the NYPD took nearly 1,600 illegal guns off New York City streets, adding to the 15,180 total guns seized since the start of 2022.

In March 2024, compared to the previous March, the total number of bias incidents investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force across the five boroughs increased by 27 incidents. Overall crime in New York City public housing developments dropped 6.2 percent.

For all major index crimes in March, 479 additional people were arrested compared to a year ago, an 11 percent increase (4,826 vs. 4,347). Since the start of the year, 1,398 more people were arrested for major crimes this year, marking an 11.1 percent jump (13,980 vs. 12,582).

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

Index Crime Statistics: March 2024


March 2024March 2023+/-% Change
Murder2936-7-19.4%
Rape1481321612.1%
Robbery1264126400.0%
Felony Assault227821601185.5%
Burglary10051217-212-17.4%
Grand Larceny38834176-293-7.0%
Grand Larceny Auto10371164-127-10.9%
TOTAL964410149-505-5.0%

Index Crime Statistics: Q1 (Jan. 1 – March 31)


Q1 2024

Q1 2023

+/-% Change
Murder8299-17-17.2%
Rape366380-14-3.7%
Robbery393737751624.3%
Felony Assault639061592313.8%
Burglary31293629-500-13.8%
Grand Larceny1160611838-232-2.0%
Grand Larceny Auto31583499-341-9.7%
TOTAL2866829379-711-2.4%

Additional Statistics: March 2024


March 2024March 2023


+/-

% Change
Transit
166217-51-23.5%
Housing
486518-32-6.2%
Shooting Incidents
6385-22-25.9%

Additional Statistics: Q1 (Jan. 1 – March 31)


Q1 2024

Q1 2023


+/-

% Change
Transit
538544-6-1.1%
Housing
14241479-55-3.7%
Shooting Incidents
181222-41-18.5%

Rape Incident Reporting Statistics: March 2024

(Reports filed from March 1 – March 31 in years indicated)

Yea 

r 

Total 
Incidents 
Reported 
 

Incident 
Occurred 
Same Year 

Incident 
Occurred 
Previous 
Year 

Incident 
Occurred 
2 Years 
Prior 

Incident 
Occurred 
3 Years 
Prior 

Incident 
Occurred 
4 Years 
Prior 

Incident 
Occurred 
5+ Years 
Prior 

2024 

148 

106 

20 

2 

3 

1 

16 

2023 

132 

92 

16 

8 

1 

3 

12 

2022 

131 

79 

24 

8 

3 

3 

14 

2021 

140 

86 

17 

8 

4 

4 

21 

2020 

103 

75 

20 

3 

3 

1 

1 

2019 

158 

114 

17 

6 

4 

1 

16 


Rape continues to be underreported. If you are a victim of

sexual assault, please come forward. The 24-hour NYPD

Special Victims Division hotline is: 212-267-RAPE (7273). 

Hate Crimes Statistics: March 2024

(March 1 – March 31 for calendar years 2024 and 2023)

Motivation20242023Diff% Change
Asian
64250%
Black
660 0%
Ethnic
101***
Gender
02-2-100%
Hispanic
000 0%
Jewish
43291448%
Muslim
505***
Religion
211100%
Sexual Orientation
1248200%
White
02-2-100%
TOTAL
75482756%

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

Justice Department Secures $4.14 Million Settlement for Student-Athletes to Remedy Title IX Violations at University of Maryland, Baltimore County

 

Settlement Requires Financial Relief and Systemic Action to Address Sexual Abuse and Discrimination of Student-Athletes by Former Coach

The Justice Department announced a settlement agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to resolve the department’s findings that UMBC allowed a former head coach of the swimming and diving team to sexually harass male student-athletes and discriminate against female student-athletes for years. The department conducted its investigation under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).

“A school’s responsibility is to protect its students, not abusers who seek to exploit their positions of power,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The young student-athletes at UMBC experienced a double betrayal: their coach’s prolonged abuse compounded by their university’s utter failure to acknowledge, respond to or remedy this egregious conduct. UMBC has now taken full responsibility for its failures and has expressed its commitment to addressing them and rebuilding the trust of its community. The Justice Department recognizes the brave and resilient student-athletes who came forward and continue to come forward to share their stories with us. This settlement should send a resounding message to our nation’s colleges and universities: sexual assaults and harassment of students will not be tolerated.”  

The department found that in 2015, students reported that the head coach may have used a camera to film them while they showered in a UMBC locker room. Rather than investigate this report or take action to protect students, UMBC administrators warned the coach that campus police planned to search his locker, thwarting the criminal investigation. In 2019, a student reported unwanted sexual touching and harassment by the coach of male swimmers and again, UMBC failed to investigate or otherwise respond. The department also found that during this time, UMBC did not respond to female students’ reports of sex discrimination, including dating violence, while on the team. As a result of these glaring failures by the university, student-athletes were subjected to ongoing sexual abuse, harassment and other sex discrimination by their coach for years.

UMBC has agreed to pay up to $4.14 million in financial relief to student-athletes who were subjected to sex discrimination by the former head coach. Under this settlement agreement, UMBC will also:

  • Significantly improve UMBC’s process for responding to complaints of sex discrimination;
  • Provide additional resources and staffing for its Title IX compliance program, including a permanent Title IX Coordinator;
  • Provide a full-time support person for those who have experienced sexual assault;
  • Deliver training to student-athletes and athletics department employees on healthy relationships, intimate partner violence, power dynamics within the coach-athlete relationship and retaliation;
  • Create and enforce a policy outlining expectations for coaching staff behavior and
  • Administer surveys to student-athletes about their experiences with sex discrimination and take all necessary and appropriate corrective action.

The department will monitor UMBC’s implementation of the agreement, which will remain in place through the 2028-2029 academic year. View a summary of the agreement here.

Attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland conducted the investigation, with UMBC’s full cooperation.

Individuals with information related to the department’s findings are encouraged to contact the Justice Department at Community.UMBC@usdoj.gov.

The month of April is observed as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The enforcement of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault, in education programs and activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance, is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. This settlement is part of the division’s work to combat sexual harassment and follows the division’s resolution of investigations involving allegations of sexual assault of students at San José State University and at Case Western Reserve University. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Former Pharma Executive And Cousin Plead Guilty To Insider Trading Of Kodak Stock


Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the guilty pleas of JAMES ANDREW STILES and EDWARD GRAY STILES in connection with a scheme to commit insider trading based on misappropriated information about potential government loans to be made to the Eastman Kodak Company to finance the production of COVID-19-related pharmaceutical components. ANDREW STILES and GRAY STILES were arrested in 2023 and pled guilty to securities fraud based on insider trading before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Andrew Stiles betrayed the trust and confidence of his employer by stealing confidential business information and using it alongside his cousin, Gray Stiles, to make unlawful trades in Kodak’s stock based on inside information.  Even secret codes and lies to regulators could not stop them from getting caught.  No one is above the law, and this Office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the financial markets remains a priority.” 

As alleged in the Indictment, other public court documents, and statements made during court proceedings:

Between June and July 2020, ANDREW STILES conducted an insider trading scheme in which he misappropriated material, non-public information (“MNPI”) and used it to trade in the stock of the Eastman Kodak Company (“Kodak”).  He further provided that MNPI to his cousin, GRAY STILES, so that he would likewise trade on the MNPI.

During that time, ANDREW STILES was an executive at a company (“Company-1”) that was working with Kodak to collaborate on the production of chemicals for pharmaceutical manufacturing in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Company-1 was also assisting Kodak in its application for a significant government loan, which ultimately resulted in the news, on July 27, 2020, of a government “letter of interest” to provide Kodak with a loan of $765 million (the “LOI”).  In the following days, Kodak’s stock rose substantially, at one point increasing to more than 2,500% above the closing price prior to the news of the LOI.

During June and July 2020, ANDREW STILES was kept apprised of Kodak’s efforts to obtain the government loan, and he both traded using that non-public information and passed that information to GRAY STILES.  For example, on July 9, 2020, when Kodak had applied for a loan in the amount of $655 million, ANDREW STILES and GRAY STILES exchanged the following coded text messages:

GRAY:           Any update on the film we sent off a few weeks ago to get developed

ANDREW:     600+.  Maybe 2 weeks out

GRAY:            I can live with that hahaha

Between June 2020, after ANDREW STILES learned about the potential loan to Kodak, and July 27, 2020, the date the LOI was first publicized, ANDREW STILES purchased more than 90,000 shares of Kodak stock, including multiple purchases the day before the LOI was scheduled to be announced.  GRAY STILES purchased more than 30,000 shares, more than half of which were purchased the day prior to the scheduled announcement of the LOI.  In fact, on July 27, 2020, ANDREW STILES texted GRAY STILES, “Tmw,” indicating the expected date of the announcement.  Less than one minute later, GRAY STILES responded, “Hot damn.”  Following that exchange, and before the news was announced, ANDREW STILES and GRAY STILES each purchased more than 10,000 additional shares. 

ANDREW STILES and GRAY STILES each sold the entirety of their shares in the days and weeks after the announcement.  ANDREW STILES realized profits of more than $500,000, and GRAY STILES realized profits of more than $700,000.

ANDREW STILES, 38, of Charleston, South Carolina, and GRAY STILES, 39, of Richmond, Virginia, each pled guilty to one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.