Lights, Camera, Action!
John Zaccaro, Jr.
Have Fun with Us!
Rowboating on the Mill Pond
Saturday, August 3 - 12pm to 3:30pm
Village Community Boathouse is back with FREE rowboating on Hester & Piero’s Mill Pond. Rowboats for small groups (up to 4 people) will be available to paddle around the lake. Children must be accompanied by adults. First come, first served.
Family Fridays in the Garden
Fridays, August 2 + 9 - 10am to 12pm
Bring the family to the garden this summer! Dig for compost critters, water the plants, explore nature, and more!
This is a FREE drop-in program.
For children ages 2 to 12 years old accompanied by an adult(s).
Drop-ins are welcome, but advance registration is preferred.
VCPA Garden & Compost Site
Bronx Arts Ensemble Concert Series: String Quartet
Saturday, August 3 - 2pm to 3pm
FREE concert by the Bronx Arts Ensemble String Quartet. Respect|Extract explores human interaction between land/air/sea and our various interpretations of them.
Van Cortlandt House Museum Lawn
FREE! Starlight Cinema: Enchanted Forest
The Princess Bride (1987)
Tuesday, August 6
8:15-ish • Movie Begins at Last Light
7 PM • Music of 1987
7:30 PM • Movie-themed Crafts
Van Cortlandt Park Parade Ground
Youth Run Farm Stand
Wednesdays through October 30 - 2pm to 7pm
Our Youth Run Farm Stand is back! Purchase fresh, local produce and local goodies at affordable prices! We accept WIC, FMNP Checks, EBT, Snap, Fresh Connect Checks, Cash and Credit/Debit.
Located at Gale Place and Orloff Avenue
Summer Blooms Craft Series: Fairy Garden Workshop
Monday, August 12 - 10am to 12pm
Create your own magical fairy garden!
Small materials fee per workshop.
Get Your Tickets
VCPA Garden & Compost Site
MONDAYS
Monday Morning Cleanup
August 5, 12, 19, 26 - meet at 9am
Meet at southern end of Van Cortlandt Golf House
Monday Afternoon Cleanup
August 5, 12, 19, 26 - meet at 2pm
Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site
TUESDAYS
Garden Tune-up Tuesday
August 13 - 10am to 1pm
Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site
Post-Labor-Day-Cleanup - Tuesday Morning
September 3 - meet at 9am
Meet at south side of Van Cortlandt Golf House
Post-Labor-Day-Cleanup - Tuesday Afternoon
September 3 - meet at 2pm
Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site
WEDNESDAYS
Woodlawn Wednesdays
August 7, 14, 21, 28 - meet at 9am
Meet at Woodlawn Playground
Canine Court Volunteer Clean Up
August 7 - 4pm to 6pm
Canine Court Dogrun
THURSDAYS
Trail Thursdays
August 8, 15, 22, 29 - meet at 9am
Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site
FRIDAYS
Forest Fridays
August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 - meet at 9am
Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site
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The park is really big. Our staff is really small. Only with your help can we grow our capacity, hire more staff, and take on projects to improve Van Cortlandt Park… for YOU! Please consider a gift to Van Cortlandt Park Alliance today.
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VCPA Merch Shop!
Show your love for Van Cortlandt Park while supporting the Alliance!
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Members get VCPA merch and invitations to member only hikes while supporting their favorite park!
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Jordan Guy MacDonald Goudreau, 48, of Melbourne, Florida, and Yacsy Alexandra Alvarez, 43, of Tampa, Florida, were arrested pursuant to a now-unsealed indictment charging them with conspiracy to violate export laws, smuggling goods from the United States, violating the Arms Export Control Act, and violating the Export Control Reform Act. The indictment also charges Goudreau with violating the National Firearms Act and unlawful possession of machineguns.
According to court documents, beginning in November 2019, Goudreau, Alvarez and others conspired to export AR-type firearms, night vision devices, laser sights and other equipment from the United States to Colombia, without obtaining the required export licenses. These unlicensed exports were undertaken to carry out activities in Venezuela. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Goudreau, Alvarez and their co-conspirators procured firearms and military-related equipment through Goudreau’s Melbourne-based company, Silvercorp, and exported those items to Colombia, where some of the items were seized by the Colombia National Police. The indictment further alleges that Goudreau unlawfully possessed machineguns and unregistered silencers.
If convicted, Goudreau and Alvarez face the following maximum penalties: five years in prison for conspiracy, 10 years in prison for smuggling, 20 years in prison for violations of export control laws, and 10 years in prison for each violation of the National Firearms Act and unlawful possession of a machinegun. The indictment also notifies Goudreau and Alvarez that the United States intends to forfeit firearms and other military equipment, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security are investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Risha Asokan and Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Menno Goedman and Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Vinoth Ponmaran Was a Leader of a Technical Support Scheme That Deceived More Than 6,500 Victims Across the United States and Canada
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VINOTH PONMARAN was sentenced to seven years in prison for participating in a fraud conspiracy that exploited elderly victims by remotely accessing their computers and convincing victims to pay for computer support services that they did not need and which were never actually provided. In total, the conspiracy generated more than $6 million in criminal proceeds from at least approximately 6,500 victims. PONMARAN previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, who imposed the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Vinoth Ponmaran was a leader of a sophisticated fraud scheme that preyed on over 6,000 victims, including the elderly. This conspiracy caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers—pop-up windows which claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victim’s computer. Through this and other misrepresentations, Ponmaran's fraud scheme deceived his many victims, including some of society’s most vulnerable members, into paying a total of more than $6 million. This sentence sends a clear message: those who exploit the vulnerable for financial gain will pay a heavy price.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information, court filings, and statements made in court, including during PONMARAN’s plea proceeding and sentencing:
From approximately March 2015 through July 2018, PONMARAN was a member of a criminal fraud ring (the “Fraud Ring”) based in the U.S. and India that committed a technical support fraud scheme targeting elderly victims located across the U.S. and Canada, including in the Southern District of New York. The Fraud Ring’s primary objective was to trick victims into believing that their computers were infected with malware in order to deceive them into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for phony computer repair services. Over the course of the conspiracy, the Fraud Ring generated more than $6 million in proceeds from at least 6,500 victims.
The scheme generally worked as follows. First, the Fraud Ring caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers. The pop-up windows claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victims’ computers. The pop-up windows directed the victims to call a particular telephone number to obtain technical support. In at least some instances, the pop-up windows threatened victims that, if they restarted or shut down their computer, it could “cause serious damage to the system,” including “complete data loss.” In an attempt to give the false appearance of legitimacy, in some instances the pop-up windows included, without authorization, the corporate logo of a well-known, legitimate technology company. In fact, no virus had infected victims’ computers, and the technical support phone numbers in the pop-up windows were not associated with the legitimate technology company. Rather, these representations were false and were designed to trick victims into paying the Fraud Ring to “fix” a problem that did not exist. And while the purported “virus” was a hoax, the pop-up windows themselves did cause various victims’ computers to completely “freeze,” thereby preventing these victims from accessing the data and files in their computer—which caused some victims to call the phone number listed in the pop-up windows. In exchange for victims’ payment of several hundred or thousand dollars (depending on the precise “service” victims purchased), the purported technicians remotely accessed the victim’s computers and ran an anti-virus tool, which is free and available on the Internet.
PONMARAN was an India-based leader of the Fraud Ring. Among other things, PONMARAN managed a call center in India that was used to provide purported computer repair services to victims of the scheme. PONMARAN also recruited co-conspirators in the U.S. to register fraudulent corporate entities and open bank accounts that were used to receive fraud proceeds from victims of the scheme. PONMARAN also laundered fraud proceeds in multiple ways, including by directing co-conspirators to wire fraud proceeds to accounts in India and the U.S.
In addition to his prison sentence, PONMARAN, 36, a citizen of India, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and forfeiture of $6,110,884.51.
PONMARAN’s co-defendants, Romana Leyva and Ariful Haque, were both sentenced by Judge Paul A. Crotty in 2022, following their respective guilty pleas. Leyva was sentenced to 100 months in prison and three years of supervised release, and she was ordered to forfeit $4,679,586.93 and to pay restitution of $2,707,882.91. Haque was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to forfeit $38,886.32 and to pay restitution of $470,672.16.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the New York Office of the Homeland Security Investigations’s El Dorado Task Force, Cyber Intrusion/Cyber Fraud Group. Mr. Williams also thanked the New York City Police Department for its assistance on this case.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a multistate coalition of six attorneys general announced a settlement to end unfair labor practices at oil change and auto services company Valvoline LLC, Valvoline Instant Oil Change Franchising Inc., and VGP Holdings LLC (Valvoline). Valvoline required its hourly employees—including nearly 150 current and former employees in New York—to sign non-competition agreements that prohibited them from working in the oil change business at any store within 100 miles of their Valvoline location for one year after leaving Valvoline. Valvoline also required its hourly employees to sign non-solicitation agreements that forbid them from soliciting current Valvoline employees or customers for one year after their employment with Valvoline ended. These unfair agreements placed an undue burden on workers and significantly reduced their future employment opportunities. Under the settlement, Valvoline has stopped requiring workers to sign these agreements and will notify current and former employees who would have been impacted by the agreements that they are no longer in effect. If Valvoline materially violates the terms of the settlement in any of the coalition states, the Attorney General of that state can seek a $500,000 penalty.
“When major companies threaten employees, they hurt all hardworking New Yorkers and their families,” said Attorney General James. “For years, Valvoline took advantage of hourly workers who did not have the negotiating power to challenge these unjust labor agreements. We will not let companies prevent everyday people from earning a fair wage and putting food on the table.”
Valvoline used a non-competition provision that precluded all hourly Valvoline employees from working for or engaging in the automotive lubricants or quick lube business for one year after leaving the company. This barred workers from seeking employment within the industry at any location within 100 miles of their former Valvoline worksite. Valvoline employees were also prohibited from soliciting, hiring, or employing any Valvoline employee or taking away any Valvoline customers that the employee had a direct or indirect business relationship with for one year after terminating their employment. Hourly employees at Valvoline were required to sign these agreements in order to get their jobs.
The investigation began in 2018, and Valvoline continued using these non-competition agreements until 2021. New York employers are forbidden from requiring non-competition agreements that impose undue hardship on the employee and any non-competition agreements must be reasonably limited with regard to time and location.
By forcing former Valvoline employees to a term of one year and a radius of 100 miles in which they must refrain from working in the industry that they have experience in is unduly burdensome for New York employees, whether they work in the New York City metropolitan area or upstate.
Within 15 days, Valvoline will issue notices to all current employees and all former employees who stopped working at Valvoline within the past year that the non-competition and non-solicitation agreements are no longer in effect. This settlement will benefit 440 current employees and 500 former employees throughout the coalition states, including 80 current and 68 former employees in New York.
Joining Attorney General James in negotiating this settlement were the attorneys general of Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Defendant Sent a Photo of the Victim’s Mutilated Body to His Family
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Bronx woman has been indicted for stabbing her boyfriend to death after an argument.
District Attorney Clark said “The defendant, after she allegedly killed the man, texted photos of his lifeless and mutilated body to the victim’s family. She displayed a level of cruelty beyond the violence itself.”
District Attorney Clark said Mirda Degracia, 52, of 1471 Watson Avenue, the Bronx was indicted on second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter, and fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. She was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera. Degracia is due back in court on August 21, 2024.
According to the investigation, on June 23, 2024, the defendant allegedly stabbed the victim, Reynaldo Luna Briso 63, multiple times in the chest and neck with a knife inside her apartment. Degracia allegedly then contacted the victim’s family by phone to tell them that she had killed Briso and texted photos of his body via the WhatsApp messaging app to members of his family.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Sheldon Smith of the Bronx Homicide Squad and NYPD Detective Jose Diaz from the 43rd Precinct and for their work in the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Juvenile Oysters Deployed at “Head of Bay” Reef Site to Secure New York Harbor Shorelines
New Coastal Reef Project Provides Hands-On STEM Learning Opportunities for New York City Public School Students
Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new oyster reef project at the eastern end of Jamaica Bay, bordering Nassau and Queens counties. As part of the Billion Oyster Project’s work in the area, 50,000 one-year-old oysters were deployed today to reach the goal of adding approximately 20 million oysters to the reef. The final oyster deployment will take place in August to complete the reef, which will increase marine biodiversity and improve benthic habitat complexity in the Head of Bay portion of Jamaica Bay, while also providing hands-on STEM learning opportunities for hundreds of New York City public school students.
“Strengthening our coastal reefs along the New York Harbor helps prevent ongoing erosion from extreme storms and complements all of our resiliency investments,” Governor Hochul said. “Oyster reefs and other restoration projects revive habitats that have been impacted by pollution and overfishing, enhance our precious ecosystems, and offer valuable educational opportunities for New York students.”
Oysters are also critical to environmental protection by filtering the water as they feed. This biofiltration by shellfish removes certain pollutants like nitrogen and may help to mitigate and reduce harmful algal blooms (HABs), helping to improve water quality. A single adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day.
New York Harbor was once home to 220,000 acres of oyster reefs, which acted as a natural defense against storm damage by softening the blow of large waves, reducing flooding, and preventing erosion. Coastal flooding and the impacts of climate change have weakened these defenses, making projects like this vital to restore the beneficial reef systems in the harbor.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is working with the Billion Oyster Project (BOP) to conduct the Head of Bay Oyster Reef project from 2023 to 2025, supported by $500,000 from the State Environmental Protection Fund in the 2023-24 State Budget. The Billion Oyster Project builds oyster reefs and nurseries across New York Harbor with the goal of restoring 100 million juvenile oysters per year — ultimately introducing one billion oysters by 2035. More than 20,000 New York City students have participated in the Billion Oyster Project through K–12 STEM curriculum learning science through the lens of New York City’s waterways.
Specific site conditions were evaluated to identify this newly dedicated reef on the “Head of Bay” in Jamaica Bay. The initiative builds upon previous and ongoing efforts to establish a self-sustaining oyster population in Jamaica Bay and will be home to an integrated environmental science experience for youth, comprised of both classroom- and field-based curriculum and on-site reef monitoring.
This milestone complement’s Governor Hochul’s commitment to restoring New York coastal shorelines, including the recently announced funding to support rehabilitation and flood prevention in Long Island and almost $300 million for communities experiencing the wide-ranging negative impacts of our changing climate by advancing resiliency initiatives and investments through the consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process.
Governor Hochul’s Comprehensive Resiliency Plan to Protect New Yorkers
Governor Hochul announced a comprehensive resiliency plan to protect New Yorkers from extreme weather as part of her 2024 State of the State. Highlights include:
These investments and initiatives also complement other ongoing State efforts including the $4.2-billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 that funds projects to update aging water infrastructure and protect water quality, strengthen communities' ability to withstand severe storms and flooding, reduce air pollution and lower climate-altering emissions, restore habitats, and preserve outdoor spaces and local farms. Disadvantaged Communities will receive at least 35 percent of the benefits of Bond Act funding, with a goal of 40 percent. For more information about the Bond Act, go to www.ny.gov/BondAct.
Local government sales tax collections totaled $5.83 billion in the second calendar quarter (April-June) of 2024, an increase of 2.2%, or $127 million, compared to the same quarter last year, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. While this growth was largely driven by New York City, all other regions of the state also saw increases.
“Growth in local sales tax collections has moderated, as both personal consumption and inflation cooled through the second quarter,” DiNapoli said. “New York City was again the largest single contributor to local sales tax growth, and its moderate increase in collections reflects in part a tourism industry that continues to improve.”
Local sales tax growth in the second quarter was slightly stronger than the 1.6% increase seen in the first quarter, still lagging growth rates realized after the first quarter in 2021. However, it was not unusual to see collections increase around (or under) 2%, year over year, in the decade before the pandemic.
In the second quarter of 2024, New York City saw a 3.3%, or $82.4 million, increase in collections, while the counties and cities in the rest of the state, in aggregate, experienced 1.4% growth, year over year. On a regional basis, the North Country, Mohawk Valley, and the Capital District had the highest quarterly growth rates at 6.6%, 4.4%, and 3.5% respectively. Long Island and Mid-Hudson were both nearly flat, at 0.1% growth each.
Over 68% (39 of 57) of counties saw an increase in collections in the quarter, led by St. Lawrence County at 22.5%, and followed by the counties of Livingston (18.5%), Montgomery (12.6%), and Schuyler (11.7%). Allegany County had the steepest decline at -10.1%, followed by the counties of Tioga (-6.7%), Putnam (-6.2%), and Yates (-6.1%).
A majority of cities (13 of 18) outside of New York City that impose their own sales tax experienced year-over-year growth in the second quarter. Ogdensburg had the strongest increase at 17.5%, followed by Johnstown (13.5%) and Saratoga Springs (9.8%). Of the five cities with declines, Salamanca experienced the steepest drop at -14.9%, followed by Mt. Vernon (-14.1%), and Oneida (-2.9%).
Year to date, statewide local sales tax collections are up 1.9%, or nearly $215 million, over the January-June period of 2023.
Report
Second Quarter 2024 Local Sales Taxes
Data
Related Report
