Early Voting Check-Ins

 

 

Primary Election 2024  

June 15, 2024 - Day 1 

Manhattan - 1,731 
Bronx - 923 
Brooklyn - 1,624 
Queens - 1,823 
Staten Island - No Primary Election  

*Unofficial as of Close of Polls 6,101 

 

June 16, 2024 - Day 2  

Manhattan - 2,981 
Bronx - 1,499 
Brooklyn - 2,946 
Queens - 3,241 

Staten Island - No Primary Election 

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 10,667 

 

June 17, 2024 - Day 3 

Manhattan - 4,440 
Bronx - 2,397 
Brooklyn - 4,381 
Queens - 4,887 

Staten Island - No Primary Election  

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 16,105 

 

June 18, 2024 - Day 4  

Manhattan - 5,466 
Bronx - 2,972 
Brooklyn - 5,391 
Queens - 6,021 

Staten Island - No Primary Election  

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 19,850 

 

June 19, 2024 - Day 5 

Manhattan - 6,797 
Bronx - 3,743 
Brooklyn - 6,891 
Queens - 7,545 

Staten Island - No Primary Election  

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 24,976 

 

June 20, 2024 - Day 6  

Manhattan - 7,939 
Bronx - 4,383 
Brooklyn - 8,183 
Queens - 8,895 

Staten Island - No Primary Election  

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 29,400 

 

June 21, 2024 - Day 7  

Manhattan - 8,899 
Bronx - 4,818 
Brooklyn - 9,254 
Queens - 10,107 

Staten Island - No Primary Election  

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 33,078 

 

June 22, 2024 - Day 8 

Manhattan - 10,193 
Bronx - 5,437 
Brooklyn - 10,764 
Queens - 11,842 

Staten Island - No Primary Election 

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 38,236 

 

June 23, 2024 - Day 9 

Manhattan - 12,092 
Bronx - 6,445 
Brooklyn - 13,424 
Queens - 14,280 

Staten Island - No Primary Election 

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 46,241 

NYC Council, Library Leaders, and New Yorkers Call on Mayor Adams to Restore Funding for Libraries at Rallies outside of Branches Closed and Threatened by Budget Cuts

 

With the elimination of 7-day service already affecting the three library systems, further cuts threaten to eliminate Saturday service, staffing, programs, and other services

With the looming June 30th deadline approaching, New York City Council Members, the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the Queens Public Library (QPL), New York Public Library (NYPL), and library supporters and advocates rallied at the BPL’s Walt Whitman Branch and QPL’s Flushing Branch to call on Mayor Adams to fully restore $58.3 million in funding for all three library systems in the Fiscal Year 2025 city budget.

Libraries across the city have been severely impacted by the mayor’s repeated budget cuts, which have reduced services at local branches, including the loss of 7-day service. The Flushing branch of Queens Public Library ended Sunday service months ago due to the mayor’s budget cuts to libraries. The Walt Whitman branch of Brooklyn Public Library will likely end Saturday service if funding is not restored in the adopted budget due on June 30. Libraries provide vitally important programs to New Yorkers of all ages in every neighborhood, like adult education classes, homework help for students, literacy and reading programs for young children, technology classes, workforce development services, and more.

The livestream of the Flushing Library rally can be found here. Photos of both rallies can be found here.

“Our neighborhood libraries are community centers and resource hubs that serve New Yorkers of all ages,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Libraries are among our most precious public resources, and they deserve our full investment. Our city must restore the budget cuts that have already taken seven-day service away from New Yorkers and threaten to further impact programs and services. With the final budget due in days, the Council continues to fight for the restoration of funding for these essential institutions.”

FORMER BUILDINGS INSPECTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT TOOK CASH FROM QUEENS HOMEOWNERS IN EXCHANGE FOR NOT ISSUING VIOLATIONS

 

Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), issued the following statement on the guilty plea of a former City Department of Buildings (“DOB”) Inspector who requested and took cash from Queens’ homeowners in exchange for not issuing violations from January 2023 through January 2024. DOI conducted this investigation after receiving allegations about this inspector from homeowners and DOB. The office of Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz prosecuted the case.

DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “This defendant betrayed the trust placed in him as a City Buildings Inspector to accurately identify Building Code violations and impose appropriate penalties when he abused his position of authority to seek payoffs from homeowners. His conviction shows that we will not tolerate this kind of corruption. DOI has issued — and DOB is in the process of implementing — a series of recommendations intended to close corruption vulnerabilities that DOI identified with respect to the inspection process. I thank DOB and the Queens District Attorney for their partnership in this matter and their commitment to maintaining the integrity of building inspections.”

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “City employees should never scam hardworking homeowners. Instead of performing his job with integrity, this former Department of Buildings inspector was soliciting bribes. With today’s plea, this defendant will be held responsible for his conduct and will have to repay the homeowners he took advantage of. I thank the Department of Investigation and the Department of Buildings for their assistance on this prosecution.”

DOB Commissioner James Oddo said, “It is imperative that DOB continues to uphold the highest standards of integrity, both in the construction industry and within our own ranks. When we became aware of this former employee’s actions, we immediately referred the issue to our partners in law enforcement and have worked closely with them throughout their investigation. This individual is no longer a member of the department, and in the interest of public safety we have already conducted a thorough audit of their previous work here at DOB. We thank the Queens District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Investigation for helping to secure a conviction in this important case.”

ZABIHULLAH IBRAHIMI, 42, of Flushing, Queens, was arrested in April 2024 and charged with three counts each of Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree and Official Misconduct in connection with three separate incidents where he asked Queens homeowners to provide him cash in exchange for closing out their inspections without issuing any violations. Today, IBRAHIMI pleaded guilty to one count of Official Misconduct, which is a class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to a conditional discharge and ordered to pay $1,440 in restitution, the amount of the cash he took from the homeowners.

IBRAHIMI began working for DOB in March 2020 and resigned in May 2024 following his arrest. At the time of his resignation, he was receiving an annual salary of approximately $61,800.

IBRAHIMI was a member of DOB’s Quality of Life unit, which conducts inspections to determine whether private residences have been illegally converted to multi-family dwellings. According to the criminal complaint, in three separate incidents between January 2023 and January 2024, the defendant told the homeowners he found violations at their homes, but closed their cases in DOB’s database without issuing any violations, in exchange for cash payments from the homeowners. In two of those cases, the defendant falsely indicated that he could not access the property to avoid recording a violation at the property. Click here to read details regarding the arrest charges.

Under DOB protocols, if an inspector is unable to gain access to a property to conduct an inspection, the inspector must post a notice on the property informing the property owner to contact DOB to schedule an inspection. This notice is referred to as an “LS-4,” and DOB provides these blank forms to inspectors. The inspector must officially document in DOB’s systems the issuance of this LS-4, including the starting and ending time of the attempted inspection and other relevant comments or supporting documents, if any.

DOI’s investigation identified corruption vulnerabilities in the inspection process and recommended a number of Policy and Procedural Reforms to strengthen the controls around these inspections. The proposed Reforms include a recommendation that DOB analyze the location and time-related data available to it in order to confirm an inspector’s presence, or absence, at a property, and that DOB enhance its internal inventory controls on the blank LS-4s it provides to its inspectors. For more information on these PPRs, please click here. DOB has accepted each of the recommendations and is in the process of implementing them. 

DHS Statement on Safety and Enforcement During the Wildfires in New Mexico

 

During emergency events, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works with its federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners to support the needs of the people in the areas that may be impacted. 

In such circumstances, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remind the public that sites that provide emergency response and relief are considered protected areas. To the fullest extent possible, ICE and CBP do not conduct immigration enforcement activities at protected areas such as along evacuation routes, sites used for sheltering or the distribution of emergency supplies, food or water, or registration sites for disaster-related assistance or the reunification of families and loved ones. 

At the request of FEMA or local and state authorities, ICE and CBP may help conduct search and rescue, air traffic de-confliction and public safety missions. ICE and CBP provide emergency assistance to individuals regardless of their immigration status. DHS officials do not and will not pose as individuals providing emergency-related information as part of any enforcement activities. 

DHS is committed to ensuring that every individual who seeks shelter, aid, or other assistance as a result of a natural disaster or emergency event is able to do so regardless of their immigration status.  

DHS carries out its mission without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, ethnicity, disability or political associations, and in compliance with law and policy. 

For information about filing a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties about these matters, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/file-civil-rights-complaint.   

DEC Releases Environmental Bond Act Draft Guidelines for Open Space Conservation Acquisitions

 

Draft Guidelines Now Available for Public Review and Comment through July 19

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today released for public review and comment draft eligibility and accounting guidelines to allocate funding under the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 (Bond Act) for the protection of open space lands statewide. Protection of open spaces is a critical tool for climate resilience and adaption, provides New Yorkers with enhanced access to recreational opportunities, and preserves and improves habitat conservation and biodiversity.

DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “The historic Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act provides an opportunity to invest up to $650 million in protecting open space and enhancing recreational opportunities. DEC encourages public input on the draft guidelines released today and looks forward to continuing to work with our many public and private partners to ensure open space is protected and accessible for visitors to enjoy, while providing critical habitats for plants and wildlife.”

The guidelines support funding for eligible open space projects that align with the 2016 New York State Open Space Conservation Plan, successor plans, and/or meet the following criteria identified as open space conservation goals. The eligibility criteria authorize DEC to undertake open space land conservation projects, enter into an agreement for purchase of real property or conservation easements on real property with willing sellers, and to implement recreational projects and infrastructure improvements. Eligible applicants for associated grants include not-for-profit corporations and municipalities.

The full eligibility guidelines are available in this week’s Environmental Notice Bulletin.

Public comments on the draft guidelines will be accepted until Friday, July 19, 2024, at 5 p.m. and can be submitted in writing by mail to: Pieter Bridge, New York State DEC - Lands and Forests, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233; and by email to: openspaceplan@dec.ny.gov.

Disadvantaged Communities

The Bond Act requires that disadvantaged communities shall receive no less than 35 percent, with the goal of 40 percent, of the benefit of total Bond Act funds ($4.2 billion). Disadvantaged communities are those identified by the Climate Justice Working Group, pursuant to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Consistent with this Bond Act requirement, DEC will aim to prioritize 40 percent of grant awards benefit disadvantaged communities.

New York’s Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022

On Nov. 8, 2022, New York voters overwhelmingly approved the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. State agencies, local governments, and partners will be able to access funding to protect water quality, help communities adapt to climate change, improve resiliency, and create green jobs. Bond Act funding will support new and expanded projects across the state to safeguard drinking water sources, reduce pollution, and protect communities and natural resources from climate change.

Since the Bond Act passed, an inter-agency working group comprised of multiple state agencies has been implementing a transparent and collaborative process to identify needs for environmental funding across the state to help develop program logistics. In the last year, the state announced a $200 million funding investment toward the state’s existing Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Grant programs, $100 million available for zero-emission school buses, $100 million available for Clean Green Schools, $13.1 million to support construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail and State-administered forestry projects to plant 25 million trees by 2033. Additional funding opportunities are available now. Find open grant opportunities, more Bond Act-related information, and sign up for progress updates at environmentalbondact.ny.gov.

U.S. Attorney Announces $4.6 Million False Claims Act Settlement With Restaurants, Fur Apparel Companies, And Their Owners And Managers For Submitting False Information To Obtain Paycheck Protection Program Loans

 

Four Restaurants, Two Fur Apparel Companies, and Five Individuals Admit Inflating Payroll and Employee Headcounts in Paycheck Protection Program Loan and Forgiveness Applications

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, the Special Agent in Charge of the Eastern Regional Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), announced that the United States has settled a civil fraud lawsuit against CHRISTOS SPYROPOULOS; IOANNIS GEORGIADES; GALATIA ASPROU; ARISTOTELIS SPYROPOULOS; IORDANIS SPYROPOULOS; LIMANI 51, LLC; ESTIATORIO LIMANI LLC; LML HOSPITALITY LLC; ONIRO TAVERNA LLC; BC INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC.; and BCI SERVICES LLC (collectively, the “Defendants”) for including false information in their applications for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans, in violation of the False Claims Act.  The PPP, administered by the SBA, was created to provide forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to fund payroll and certain other qualifying business expenses because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The settlement resolves claims that the Defendants—four restaurants located in New York, two companies based in New Jersey that  distribute, sell, and service fur apparel, and five individuals who owned/managed these businesses—inflated payroll figures in their PPP loan and forgiveness applications by, among other things, misrepresenting that family members and an acquaintance of the owners/managers were employed by the businesses when they were not, and listing the same individuals as “full-time employees” of multiple businesses. 

Under the settlement approved today by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, the Defendants will pay the U.S. $4,646,700.21 and have admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the Government’s Complaint.  Specifically, the Defendants admitted that they misrepresented and inflated their payroll and employee headcounts in their PPP loan and forgiveness applications, and that they requested and received PPP loans for amounts that were substantially above what they were entitled to receive. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The Paycheck Protection Program was created to help struggling small businesses weather the worst moments of the COVID-19 pandemic.  These defendants submitted false information to artificially inflate the PPP loans they received.  This Office will continue to hold accountable those who engaged in fraud to secure pandemic relief funds for which they were not eligible.”

SBA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite said: “This settlement reinforces our unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of SBA’s programs.  Wrongful practices, such as inflating payroll and employee numbers, divert essential funds from deserving businesses.  I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to pursuing justice in this case.”

As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:

Under the PPP, eligible businesses could obtain SBA-guaranteed loans to spend on payroll costs, rent or mortgage, and other specified business expenses.  The amount of PPP funds a business was eligible to receive was determined by the number of individuals employed by the business and their average payroll costs.  Businesses applying for a PPP loan were required to provide documentation to confirm that they had in the past paid employees the compensation represented in the loan application.  In addition, the PPP loan application required businesses (through their authorized representatives) to acknowledge the PPP Rules and make certain affirmative certifications in order to be eligible to obtain the PPP loan.  The SBA also provided for forgiveness of PPP loans.  To receive forgiveness, borrowers were required to submit signed loan forgiveness applications and documents containing certain information and certifications. 

The six defendant companies applied for and received six first-draw PPP loans and six second-draw PPP loans for a total of more than $11.9 million, nearly all of which was fully forgiven.  The five individual defendants were involved in preparing the PPP loan and forgiveness applications and personally signed the applications on behalf of their companies.

The Defendants improperly inflated the PPP loan amounts and the amounts forgiven by falsely claiming that six family members and one acquaintance of the individual defendants were bona fide employees of the businesses when, in fact, they were not (and distributing the PPP funds to these “no show” employees); falsely claiming that three of the individual defendants were full-time employees of LIMANI 51 when, in fact, they were not; falsely claiming that individuals were full-time employees of multiple businesses and including their full salaries in the calculation of the loan and forgiveness amounts for each of those businesses; and mispresenting that they were entitled to forgiveness for wages paid to certain owners and employees that exceeded the maximum amount permitted under the PPP Rules.     

As part of the settlement, the Defendants admit, acknowledge, and accept responsibility for the following conduct:

• In their second-draw PPP loan application and first and second-draw PPP loan forgiveness applications, ESTIATORIO LIMANI, LIMANI 51, ONIRO TAVERNA, and LML HOSPITALITY misrepresented and inflated their payroll and employee headcounts by including wages attributable to six family members and an acquaintance of the individual defendants in the calculation of the PPP loan and PPP loan forgiveness amounts, even though the seven individuals were “no show” employees who never undertook any work for the corporate defendants and therefore were ineligible for consideration.
• In its second-draw PPP loan application and first and second-draw PPP loan forgiveness applications, LIMANI 51 misrepresented and inflated its payroll and employee headcounts by stating that three individual defendants were “full-time employees” of the entity when they were not.
• In their first-draw and second-draw PPP loan applications and PPP loan forgiveness applications, ESTIATORIO LIMANI, LIMANI 51, ONIRO TAVERNA, LML HOSPITALITY, BC INTERNATIONAL, and BCI SERVICES each misrepresented and inflated their payroll and headcounts by erroneously listing some of the same individuals as “full-time employees” of different companies and including their full wages in the PPP loan and forgiveness applications submitted for each of the companies.  For example, in BC INTERNATIONAL and BCI SERVICES’ second-draw PPP loan forgiveness applications, they each simultaneously listed 13 individuals as “full-time employees” of both companies—and sought forgiveness for the employees’ full wages at both companies—resulting in $481,240.42 of loan proceeds being paid to these individuals, which was an improper use of funds.
• BC INTERNATIONAL and BCI SERVICES misrepresented in their loan forgiveness applications for their first-draw and second-draw PPP loans that they were entitled to forgiveness for wages paid to their owners and certain employees that exceeded the maximum amount permitted under the PPP Rules.
• As a result of the above-referenced conduct and misrepresentations, each of the six defendant companies requested and received PPP loans for amounts that were substantially above what they were entitled to receive.  

In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.

Mr. Williams praised the SBA-OIG for its assistance with this case.