Attorney General James Protects New Yorkers’ Voting Rights

 

AG James Defended New York Early Mail Voter Act from Lawsuit Brought by Opponents Claiming the Act is Unconstitutional

New York Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement after the New York State Court of Appeals affirmed the constitutionality of the New York Early Mail Voter Act, which the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) defended from a lawsuit brought by opponents challenging the legislature’s authority to enact mail-in voting:

“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our nation, and government should make it easier for citizens to have their voices heard, not harder. While some want to put up roadblocks and stifle New Yorkers’ ability to exercise their Constitutional right to vote, I will always stand up and protect this basic, yet essential, freedom. Every election, at every level of government, is a beautiful celebration of patriotism and civic responsibility, and I encourage all New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote and to hold their public servants accountable. I will keep working to protect our state’s laws, and will do everything within my power to push back against anti-voting rights efforts and instead empower New Yorkers’ access the polls.”

In 2023, the state legislature passed the New York Early Mail Voter Act to allow all authorized registered voters to apply to vote by mail for any election in which they were eligible to participate. Since the legislation was signed into law, all eligible New York voters have been able to request mail-in ballots in multiple elections including both major political parties’ presidential primaries, and special elections to fill vacancies around the state. Opponents of the legislation filed a lawsuit that, if upheld, would have undone the reform and meant that eligibility for requesting vote-by-mail rights would have been severely curtailed. The lawsuit was rejected by a trial court and the New York State Appellate Division, Third Department, and has been again rejected by the Court of Appeals, meaning that this voting reform will remain in effect going forward.

Attorney General James has been a leader in protecting voting rights, in New York state and throughout the nation. In April 2024, Attorney General James secured up to $1.25 million from two conspiracy theorists who intimidated Black voters in New York with menacing robocalls. Before every general and primary election, Attorney General James issues alerts to ensure New Yorkers are aware of their voting rights and encourages New Yorkers to contact OAG’s Election Protection Hotline for assistance with voting. In November 2022, Attorney General James issued a statement supporting the Appellate Division, Third Department’s decision upholding New York's absentee ballot reforms to increase access to the polls. In August 2021, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in opposing Georgia’s discriminatory law that would make it more difficult for millions of Georgians—especially Black Georgians—to vote. In May 2021, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against the Rensselaer County Board of Elections (BOE) for failing to provide county voters with adequate and equitable access to early voting poll sites, which in August 2021, affirmed and ordered BOE to select new early voting poll sites. Before the 2020 primary elections, Attorney General James called for automatic absentee voting to allow individuals to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ex-Energy Trader for Vitol Pleads Guilty to Second International Bribery Scheme

 

Javier Aguilar Paid Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Bribes

Will Forfeit More than $7.1 Million in Funds Involved in Laundering Bribes to Mexican and Ecuadorian Officials; Defendants Ordered to Pay Over $200 Million in Forfeiture and Criminal Penalties

In federal court in Brooklyn, Javier Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and engaging in interstate and foreign commerce to promote and to distribute the proceeds of commercial bribery for paying bribes to officials at PEMEX Procurement International (PPI), a wholly owned affiliate of the Mexican state-owned oil company, PEMEX.  The plea follows Aguilar’s conviction at trial earlier this year in a related case for paying bribes to Ecuadorian officials and laundering the bribe money for both the Ecuador and Mexico bribery schemes.  The plea proceeding was held before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  When sentenced in both cases, Aguilar faces a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment as well as $7,129,938 in criminal forfeiture.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

“With this guilty plea the defendant admits his role in the widespread corruption of the international commodities market and to casting aside laws and rules that apply to all to unfairly line the pockets of the few,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “The actions of the defendant and his co-conspirators, and of those who act similarly, destroys people’s faith in their governments, disadvantages those who play by the rules, undermines confidence in American businesses worldwide, and will not be tolerated by this Office or our law enforcement partners.”

Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas for their assistance on the case. 

“The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been the law of the land, and enforceable worldwide, for decades. Yet unscrupulous businessmen still try to bribe their way to profit,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s Miami Field Office. “My message to them is that the charges and penalties you will face are not worth the gain. I want to commend the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their diligence pursuing this case, but especially the agents and analysts who leave no stone unturned in pursuit of FCPA violators.”

Between 2015 and 2020, Aguilar was a trader in the Houston office of Vitol, Inc. (Vitol), the U.S. affiliate of the Vitol group of companies, which together form one of the world’s largest energy trading firms.  As part of the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators paid approximately $600,000 in bribes to two senior officials at PPI to obtain numerous contracts for Vitol to supply hundreds of millions of dollars of liquid ethane to PEMEX.  To conceal the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators used a series of fake contracts, sham invoices and shell entities incorporated in Curaçao and Mexico.  The defendant and his co-conspirators also used alias email accounts to communicate about the scheme, and code words, including “shoes,” “medicine,” “invitations” and “coffee,” to describe the bribes.

In December 2020, Vitol admitted to bribing officials in Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil in violation of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA.  Vitol entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York.  As a part of the resolution, Vitol agreed to pay a combined $135 million in penalties as part of a coordinated resolution with the Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and authorities in Brazil.

The FCPA conspiracy charge, based in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX), was initially filed in the EDNY in December 2022 as part of a superseding indictment consolidating both the Ecuador- and Mexico-related conduct.  In May 2023, the government consented to Aguilar’s pre-trial motion to dismiss that charge in the EDNY on venue grounds.  That charge and others related were then refiled in SDTX in August 2023.  As part of his guilty plea, Aguilar consented to transfer the SDTX case back to the EDNY, reconsolidating the cases.

Seven of the defendant’s co-conspirators have pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing.  Together, these individuals have agreed to forfeit more than $63 million.

In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC).  As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace plays a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including bribery and corruption offenses.

Robert Lumaj Acquires Development Site At 2111 White Plains Road In Bronx For $7.91M

 

2111 White Plains Road Development Site sold 08/13/2024

The property asset involved in this transaction is a development site located at 2111 White Plains Road corner of Maran Place in the Bronx. The sale price was $7,905,000, covering a total square footage of 80,000. The price per square foot and price per buildable square foot both amounted to $98.

Summary of transaction details:

• Property Type: Development Site
• Transaction Amount: $7,905,000
• Address: 2111 White Plains Road
• Market: Bronx
• Total Square Footage: 80,000
• Price per Square Foot: $98
• Price per Buildable Square Foot: $98
• Buyer: Robert Lumaj
• Seller: Jonathan Sopher
• Brokers: Alexandre Goulet, Magdalena Denisiuk & Anand Melwani - Landair Property Advisors

The deal was represented by Alexandre Goulet, Magdalena Denisiuk, and Anand Melwani, who are associated with Landair Property Advisors. This team facilitated the transaction between Robert Lumaj and Jonathan Sopher, marking a significant deal for both parties involved.

While the site on White Plains Road is zoned Commercial C4-4 that is an equivilent to a Residential R-7A zone. It is possible that a building could go as high as to 85 feet or eight stories, but it could go as high as 95 feet or nine stories if certain inclusionary items are met. However if the City of YES Housing Opportunity is passed by the city council there could be an additional 20 percent bump up of additional height which could add nineteen feet or two more stories up to eleven stories. 

The height information comes from the city of New York City Department of City Planning Zoning Districts.

New York Man Arrested for Operating as an Illegal Agent of the Chinese Government in the United States

 

Yuanjun Tang, 67, a naturalized citizen of the United States and resident of Queens, New York, was charged by criminal complaint with acting and conspiring to act in the United States as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and making materially false statements to the FBI. Tang was arrested in Flushing, Queens, and will be presented this afternoon.

According to court documents, Tang is a former PRC citizen who was imprisoned in the PRC for his activities as a dissident opposing the one-party authoritarian political system controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the PRC’s sole ruling party. In or about 2002, Tang defected to Taiwan; he was subsequently granted political asylum in the United States and has since resided in New York City, where he has regularly participated in events with fellow PRC dissidents and leads a nonprofit dedicated to promoting democracy in China.

Between at least in or about 2018 and in or about June 2023, Tang acted in the United States as an agent of the PRC by completing tasks at the direction of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), which is the PRC’s principal civilian intelligence agency. The MSS is responsible for, among other things, the PRC’s foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, espionage and political security functions.

Specifically, through a particular email account, encrypted chats, text messages and audio and video calls, Tang regularly received instructions from and reported to an MSS intelligence officer regarding individuals and groups viewed by the PRC as potentially adverse to the PRC’s interests, including prominent U.S.-based Chinese democracy activists and dissidents. He also traveled at least three times for face-to-face meetings with MSS intelligence officers and helped the MSS infiltrate a group chat on an encrypted messaging application used by numerous PRC dissidents and pro-democracy activists to communicate about pro-democracy issues and express criticism of the PRC government. Law enforcement recovered instructions Tang received from the MSS and photographs, videos and documents that he collected or created for transmission to the MSS from numerous electronic devices and accounts belonging to Tang.

Tang also made materially false statements to the FBI. He falsely claimed that he was no longer able to access an email account through which he had communicated with his MSS handler through draft emails.

Tang is charged with one count of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; one count of acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Yumi Chong for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

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

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander Responds to Congressmembers Jordan & Massie on Responsible Investing Efforts

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who serves as investment advisor, custodian and a trustee to the City’s five public pension funds, responded to an inquiry from U.S. House Committee of the Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, and Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Chair Thomas Massie.

The Congressmembers sent a letter to more than 130 members of the Climate Action 100+ (“an investor-led initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take appropriate action on climate change in order to mitigate financial risk and to maximize the long-term value of assets”). The Congressmembers asked for information pertaining to engagement and strategy with respect to Climate Action 100+ focus companies.

In response, Comptroller Lander emphasized the systemic, well-documented and material risks posed by climate change, which risks long-term shareholder value.

“Fiduciaries have a responsibility to maximize risk-adjusted returns for beneficiaries over the duration of their obligations, which means taking into account the potential impact that systemic risks such as climate change have on investments over the long term,” said Comptroller Lander. “A pension is a promise — and as the investment advisor to one of the nation’s largest pension systems, I’m proud that our investment strategy achieved a robust 10% combined net return for our retirees over the past year, far outpacing our actuarial target of 7%, after three of our funds divested from fossil fuel reserve owners, implemented a comprehensive engagement strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, and substantially scaled up investments in climate solutions. We’re committed to paying attention to all risk factors that could impact our bottom line.”

The Office of the New York City Comptroller, as the investment advisor for the City’s public pension funds, seeks to address the material risks that could jeopardize long-term value. Three of the New York City public pension funds have undertaken efforts to mitigate the systemic and company-specific risks that climate change poses to their portfolios. Asset owners, asset managers, and portfolio companies have the responsibility to address risks associated with the climate transition. Decarbonization is critical to protect investment capital and retirement security in the decades to come, just as a transition to a low-carbon economy presents significant investment opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other climate solutions that will create good jobs and generate strong returns for investors.

The efforts of the Comptroller’s Office to deliver strong pension returns while ensuring that clear risks are accounted for have led to positive growth for the three impacted New York City public pension funds (New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York, and the New York City Board of Education Retirement System).

These three funds have divested from fossil fuel reserve owners, implemented a comprehensive engagement strategy to prudently address climate risks and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, and substantially scaled up investments in climate solutions. Earlier this year, engagement by Comptroller’s Office on behalf of these funds secured commitments from J.P. Morgan Chase, Citibank, and Royal Bank of Canada to disclose the ratio of fossil fuel financing to clean energy financing, a critical step forward in transparency around energy financing and its associated risks.

This month, the Office of the New York City Comptroller announced a robust 10% investment return across all five pension funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, outperforming many peer funds, far outpacing the 7% actuarial rate of return established by the New York State Legislature, and delivering $1.81 billion in savings for New York City.

Click here to see the letter from Congressmembers Jordan and Massie, and here to see Comptroller Lander’s response.

DEC Expands Non-Lead Ammunition Study to Help Improve Bald and Golden Eagle Conservation Efforts

Rebates Available Statewide for Hunters Purchasing Non-Lead Ammunition During 2024-25 Deer Hunting Season

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar announced DEC is expanding statewide the multi-year cooperative study of how increased use of non-lead ammunition for deer hunting can improve the survival of bald and golden eagles. Hunters statewide are now eligible for a rebate up to $60 for the purchase of non-lead ammunition for use during the 2024-25 deer hunting seasons.

“Hunters are critical partners in promoting sustainable wildlife management practices across North America, including ongoing efforts to improve golden and bald eagle populations in New York State,” Interim Commissioner Mahar said. “By using non-lead ammo, hunters can help ensure scavenging animals like eagles are not unintentionally exposed to toxic lead fragments from bullets. DEC appreciates deer hunters who have volunteered to be part of this study and encourages others to participate during the upcoming hunting season.”

DEC highly prioritizes minimizing risks to wildlife and people from lead hunting ammunition. Eagles can incidentally ingest lead bullet fragments when scavenging the remains left behind after a hunter field dresses a deer. The golden eagle population is relatively stable in the eastern United States, although a multitude of human-caused threats still exist. While the bald eagle population continues to recover in New York, research has shown that lead-related mortality slows population growth. The newly expanded study aims to determine whether this source of mortality can be reduced by increasing the proportion of hunters using non-lead ammunition.

 

Initially available for hunting in specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), the study is expanding statewide to include all WMUs where a firearm can be used to hunt deer. Participation in the rebate program is voluntary and will be available to all firearm deer hunters statewide. DEC’s research partners will be offering rebates up to $60 for the purchase of certified non-lead ammunition and participation in both pre- and post-hunt surveys.

DEC expects to continue the study and rebate program for the 2025 and 2026 hunting seasons. For more information about the program, assistance with finding ammunition, and a program application, visit https://huntersforeagleconservation.org/new-york/

This research was identified as a high priority in DEC’s report, “Minimizing Risks to Wildlife and People from Lead Hunting Ammunition.” Since the report’s release in April 2022, DEC and partners—including the New York State Department of Health (DOH), Cornell University, U.S. Geological Survey, and Conservation Science Global—have taken several steps to implement recommendations in the plan to minimize the risks associated with lead ammunition for hunting:

• DEC’s Wildlife Health Program is measuring lead levels in furbearers and other scavenging wildlife to evaluate lead exposure. Preliminary results show 36 (44 percent) of 81 sampled fishers had low but detectable lead levels, and eight (15 percent) of 53 bobcats analyzed had detectable lead; data analyses and additional sample procurement is underway.
• DEC hosted a North American Non-Lead Partnership workshop for Hunter Education staff, leaders of New York hunting organizations, and outdoor writers to demonstrate differences in lead and non-lead bullet performance. Work is underway to provide widespread access to these online educational videos and other outreach materials.
• DEC and colleagues at the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab analyzed hunter survey data to identify factors influencing use of non-lead ammunition. DEC posted an educational video produced with Cornell Wildlife Health Lab and Cornell Department of Communication titled: “Your Choice of Ammunition” featuring hunters’ experience with non-lead ammunition on DEC’s YouTube Channel and hunting page, including updated messaging in the annual hunting guide to the benefits of using non-lead ammunition.
• DEC collaborated with the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab on a project using game cameras to monitor scavenger use of deer carcasses and published the paper, “Vulnerability to lead toxicosis and bioindicator utility of deer scavengers in New York,” in The Journal of Wildlife Management.
• DEC updated Hunter Education Program course curriculum and training of instructors to emphasize the risks to wildlife from lead ammunition and the benefits of non-lead ammunition.
• DEC continues to update and improve the non-lead ammunition information available in the annual hunting and trapping regulations guide and updated the DEC website about the use of non-lead ammunition.
• DOH surveyed food banks on practices related to donation of wild game and updated data collection procedures for lead-impacted adults to include questions about game consumption and lead ammunition use. DOH continues to develop and update outreach materials for pantry/foodbank employees and patrons and provides “Health Advice for Harvesting, Preparing, and Eating Wild Game,” which provides guidance on best practices.
  

For more information, visit DEC’s website.

 

Oregon Man Charged in Swatting and Bomb Threats Scheme That Targeted Jewish Hospitals in New York City and Long Island

 

One Hospital Entered Lockdown and Partially Evacuated After Defendant’s Bomb Hoax

An indictment was unsealed charging Domagoj Patkovic with conspiring to make and making threats concerning explosives, conspiring to transmit and transmitting threatening communications, and conveying false information concerning explosives.  Patkovic was arrested at his residence in Portland, Oregon and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim Yu in U.S. District Court of Oregon.  

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges. 

“As alleged, the defendant and his coconspirators, motivated by their hatred of Jewish people, targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island with hoax bomb threats, needlessly endangering patients and staff by creating chaos and alarm,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Our highest priority is ensuring all members of our community are protected and we will use all resources possible to prosecute dangerous bomb threats and swatting schemes to the fullest extent of the law.”

Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon for their assistance on the case. 

“Domagoj Patkovic allegedly issued a series of false bomb threats against Jewish healthcare facilities that prompted repeated emergency responses from local law enforcement and a partial evacuation from at least one hospital. These alleged actions incited unnecessary hysteria and redirected limited resources to mitigate a false alarm. The FBI will not tolerate those who utilize hoax bomb threat schemes to satisfy their anti-Semitic beliefs and endanger the wellbeing of our communities,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Curtis.

As set forth in the indictment and in court filings, beginning at least as early as May 2021, the defendant and others made anonymous phone calls in which they made violent threats, including threats to detonate explosive devices, to Jewish hospitals and care centers within the Eastern District of New York, among other targets throughout the United States. 

The defendant himself made threats in at least six separate calls to hospitals and on a call with local law enforcement who had responded to a 911 notification from one of the hospitals.  The defendant livestreamed the calls to others on an online social media and electronic communications service.  On several occasions, local police responded to the scene and conducted bomb sweeps.  On at least one occasion in September 2021, the hoax bomb threat resulted in a partial evacuation and lockdown of an entire hospital on Long Island.  No explosive devices were ultimately found in any of the locations.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, he faces up to 155 years’ imprisonment.

Attorney General James Stops Illegal Housing Discrimination in New York City

 

Shamco Must Pay $400,000 to Low-Income Renters That Were Illegally Denied Rental Housing Opportunities by the Company

New York Attorney General Letitia James today stopped New York City property owner and management company Shamco Management Corp. (Shamco) from illegally denying housing opportunities to low-income renters in New York City. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Shamco, which owns or manages approximately 1,300 units, including 1,161 rent stabilized units, in 31 buildings primarily located in Harlem and Central Brooklyn, violated New York’s human rights laws by refusing to rent to New Yorkers with housing vouchers, intentionally ignoring potential tenants who disclosed their voucher status, artificially inflating rents above voucher thresholds, telling voucher holders an apartment was rented when it was still available, and other discriminatory practices. 

As a result of OAG’s action, Shamco will pay $400,000 to potential renters who were unjustly denied housing because of their voucher status. Shamco will also rent at least 65 units to tenants with housing subsidies and provide them with at least one renewal lease. 

“Housing is a human right, and everyone deserves fair access to housing, regardless of their source of income,” said Attorney General James. “Shamco’s discriminatory practices against voucher holders denied hardworking families the opportunity to secure stable housing and further exacerbated our housing crisis. My office will always stand up to ensure all New Yorkers are afforded equitable opportunities to find safe and affordable housing.” 

Government-issued rental vouchers, such as the Section 8 Housing Choice voucher program and CityFHEPS, provide housing assistance to the lowest-income households to rent decent, safe housing in the private market. These programs also aid senior citizens and disabled persons on fixed incomes, displaced families, and homeless individuals with disabilities.

Refusing to rent to prospective tenants because of their source of income wrongfully denies New Yorkers their right to equitable housing access and is an illegal and discriminatory act under New York state and New York City human rights laws. Owners, landlords, property managers, rental agents, salespersons, and brokers cannot refuse to accept potential tenants solely because they receive housing subsidies. 

The OAG opened an investigation into Shamco in late 2021. Throughout the investigation, OAG found multiple instances of discriminatory practices, including refusing to show voucher holders rental units, telling a voucher holder the apartment was rented when it was in fact available, ignoring potential tenants once they disclosed their voucher status, and marking potential applicants with vouchers as “not qualified” regardless of their credit or other qualifying factors. Shamco also told its brokers contradictory policies of how they should interact and show apartments to voucher holders, leading to biased and unfavorable treatment.

At least one Shamco employee was told by their supervisors to lie to prospective tenants if they discovered they had a voucher during an apartment tour and make up reasons to delay the rental process. If the prospective tenant followed up, the Shamco employee was directed to tell them that the apartment had been rented and was no longer available, even when that was not true.

A list of potential renters reviewed by OAG found that out of 42 prospective tenants, 39 applicants, all with Section 8 vouchers, were marked as “not qualified.” Shamco refused to rent to these tenants simply because they were voucher holders. One prospective tenant with cancer had a scheduled apartment tour with Shamco, but when he disclosed that he had a CityFHEPS voucher, the Shamco employee he had been working with stopped responding. Another voucher holder residing in a shelter was promised that Shamco would follow up with him about a unit at the end of the month, but Shamco ghosted him because of his voucher status.

Shamco will pay $400,000 in restitution to be distributed to people who were illegally denied housing. Within one year, Shamco will rent 65 units from the company’s portfolio to voucher holders. If Shamco fails to meet this obligation without a valid excuse, the company will pay a penalty of $1,000 per month per unit, which will go to the OAG’s affordable housing fund with HPD. Shamco will also accept voucher holders as tenants beyond its obligation in the settlement and is forbidden from illegally steering away or otherwise mistreating voucher holders. The OAG will ensure Shamco’s compliance with the settlement for a period of three years. 

Shamco will also implement new nondiscrimination policies and all employees and supervisors will undergo fair housing training with a trainer approved by OAG. Additionally, Shamco will post notices at all of its properties in New York City and on all promotional materials for listings stating that the company is an Equal Housing Opportunity Provider and accepts housing vouchers.

This is the latest action taken by Attorney General James to fight housing discrimination and protect low-income tenants. In February, Attorney General James announced an agreement with real estate broker Pasquale Marciano and his companies to stop illegal policies that denied housing opportunities to low-income renters. In October 2023, Attorney General James took action against another Westchester property owner and manager for discriminating against low-income renters. In 2022, Attorney General James also took action to stop “tenant blacklisting” and partnered with HRI to stop the real estate company Compass from denying housing to low-income New Yorkers. In July 2022, Attorney General James recovered nearly $300,000 of illegally withheld security deposits for Brooklyn tenants. In April 2022, Attorney General James sued Brooklyn-based eviction lawyers for engaging in deceptive rent collection practices and initiating frivolous lawsuits against New York tenants.

It is illegal in New York State for any owner, managing agent, broker, or any other representative to refuse to rent, sell, or lease housing to any person based on their source of income. New Yorkers who suspect they are victims of source of income discrimination are encouraged to file a complaint.