Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $40 Million for Next Phase of Youth Employment Program to Help New York Continue Bringing Down Gun Violence

 

Next Phase Will Provide Job Opportunities and Training for Another 2,500 Young People

Program Has Already Connected Thousands of Young People with Jobs in Recent Years and Helped Drive Down Gun Violence

Shootings Declined 29% Through July in Communities Across New York, Reaching Historic Lows

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced nearly $40 million has been awarded for the next phase of the Youth Employment Program, which will help New York continue reducing gun violence by providing job opportunities and training to at-risk youth in communities across the state. The program plays an important role in New York State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative, which operates in 21 counties with most of the state’s population outside New York City.

“Public safety is my top priority, and I’ll never stop fighting to keep the people of this state safe and working to protect our most vulnerable youth,” Governor Hochul said. “The Youth Employment Program strengthens my administration’s comprehensive approach to ending the scourge of gun violence in communities across New York State, while providing at-risk youth with valuable work experience and skills that will help ensure that they have strong futures.”

The $38.8 million awarded today includes investments in year-round jobs and training opportunities for young people in regions that receive support from the GIVE initiative. This funding is expected to provide paid work and training opportunities for approximately 2,500 low-income, at-risk youth across these areas of the state from September 2024 to June 2025.

Youth Employment Program Spending by Region

Capital Region	$2,513,157
Central New York	$3,053,407
Finger Lakes	$3,945,970
Long Island	$7,941,588
Mid-Hudson	$10,526,973
Mohawk Valley	$1,339,113
North Country	$511,728
Southern Tier	$2,090,487
Western New York	$6,877,577
TOTAL	$38.8 million

New York State’s Youth Employment Program and GIVE Initiative have already proven to be effective at creating opportunities for young people and bringing down gun violence across the state.

Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, the Youth Employment Program has already connected thousands of young people with jobs and training. The most recent phase of the program ran from January 1 – June 30, 2024, when approximately 2,650 young people participated in the program, working at schools, libraries, restaurants, camps/child care programs, community organizations and other job sites.

As a result of this program and other investments through GIVE, Governor Hochul also announced earlier this week that shooting incidents with injury declined 29 percent through July 2024 compared to the same seven-month period last year, as reported by the 28 police departments across 21 counties participating in the GIVE Initiative. In many GIVE districts, shootings are now at their lowest level on record since the State began tracking this information two decades ago.

Today’s announcement to advance the next phase of the Youth Employment Program will continue that effective work. Research shows that vulnerable at-risk and unemployed youth can face struggles later in life, including poverty, mental health and criminal justice involvement. In addition, youth exposed to trauma and violence may suffer long-term harmful effects later in life, including barriers to successful employment and financial stability.

The second phase of the Youth Employment Program will operate from September through June. To be eligible for the program, youth must be between the ages of 14 and 20 and have a household income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which varies by household size and, for example, is $51,640 for a family of three.

Youth Employment Program providers are encouraged to collaborate with local law enforcement and other local organizations serving at-risk youth and must collaborate with local SNUG Street Outreach programs if such programs are available in their district. The SNUG Street Outreach program, administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, uses a public health approach to address gun violence by identifying the source, interrupting the transmission, and treating individuals, families and communities affected by the violence.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - JOIN US: FREE SUMMER CONCERT AT FERRY POINT PARK

 

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES LARGEST CIVIL RIGHTS SETTLEMENT IN CITY HISTORY, PROTECTING NEW YORKERS FROM HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

 

City Secures 850 Apartments for Voucher Holders and Imposes $1 Million in Civil Penalties in Landmark Settlement Exposing Discriminatory and Exclusionary Practices by Property Management Company and Landlord 

Historic Settlement Terms Include Highest Civil Penalties Ever Ordered for Housing Discrimination Case Under NYC Human Rights Law and Record Number of Homes Set Aside for Voucher Holders 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) today announced the largest civil rights settlement in city history for a housing discrimination settlement against Parkchester Preservation Management that will hold the company accountable for discriminating against voucher holders. CCHR imposed $1 million in civil penalties, the highest ever ordered for violations under the housing provisions of the New York City Human Rights Law and secured 850 apartment units to be set aside for housing voucher holders, the most ever secured in a CCHR settlement. With today’s historic settlement, Mayor Adams has once again delivered on another key promise in his 2023 State of the City address to crack down on landlords who discriminate against tenants based on their source of income. Source of income discrimination — commonly referred to as “voucher discrimination” — occurs when people are denied housing or tenants are treated as less because they use a form of a public subsidy — including Section 8 and City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) vouchers — to pay their rent.

“Today, our administration is using the full power of the legal system to tell New York City tenants: we’ve got your back,” said Mayor Adams. “While we are tackling a generational housing shortage and affordability crisis, our administration is also going after the bad actors who prey on New Yorkers in the housing market. With a record settlement and 850 homes set aside to ensure voucher holders have access to affordable housing units, this announcement is a win for the everyday New Yorkers in search of safe, stable housing, and a warning sign for any predatory group trying to harm tenants.”

“The city must use all tools in its toolbox to protect access to housing for New Yorkers,” said City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg. “Robust enforcement of our housing discrimination laws is a critical tool not only to secure justice for those denied access to rental units because of their source of income, but to deter future violators. This landmark resolution, announced by the New York City Commission on Human Rights, puts the entire real estate industry on notice: Housing discrimination will not be tolerated in this city.”

“Today’s announcement sends a message: Source-of-income discrimination is illegal, and if New York City finds evidence of discrimination, there will be consequences,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “From record-breaking production of affordable housing, to our ‘City of Yes’ plan to open up housing opportunities across the city, to aggressive enforcement of our housing laws, our administration is delivering for New York City tenants.”

“Access to safe and stable housing is key for New Yorkers to thrive,” said CCHR Deputy Commissioner of Law Enforcement Katherine Carroll. “This settlement is the culmination of a long journey toward justice for New Yorkers who experience source of income discrimination and a message to housing providers throughout New York City. There is no room for housing discrimination in our city. CCHR will continue to work tirelessly to enforce the law and reach meaningful resolutions aimed at restoring those impacted by discrimination.”

The landmark case against Parkchester Preservation Management involved the exclusion of renters with vouchers from the apartment complex by requiring minimum income requirements, non-refundable deposits, and other requirements for tenancy that are designed to discriminate against voucher holders. Parkchester Preservation Management required housing applicants to have specific levels of income in relation to the monthly rent of a unit and would not consider the full voucher amount as part of the applicant’s income. This practice made it nearly impossible for anyone with a rental subsidy to qualify for a unit. CCHR concluded that these practices sought to discriminate against voucher holders and keep them from obtaining housing. Of the over 6,000 rental units in Parkchester Preservation Management, only a small fraction were occupied by voucher holders.

Source of income discrimination has been illegal in New York City since 2008 under the city’s Human Rights Law, but it remains one of the most common forms of housing discrimination reported to CCHR. In resolving housing discrimination cases, CCHR works to ensure meaningful progress and protections for tenants, including through guaranteed access to housing opportunities, monetary damages for complainants, and civil penalties. CCHR can also mandate measures to help protect against any future discriminatory practices, including requiring trainings, setting aside a certain number of units for voucher holders, incentivizing real estate brokers to connect voucher holders to housing opportunities, and ensuring that CCHR can monitor ongoing practices.

In his 2023 State of the City, Mayor Adams unveiled a multimillion-dollar investment to address source of income discrimination, including plans to contract with an external provider to identify instances of housing discrimination and support related enforcement work. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) launched a landmark pilot program with the Housing Rights Initiative (HRI) to both identify source of income discrimination and inform the city’s larger enforcement efforts. Later this year, HPD will issue a new, expanded contract for fair housing testing and related efforts to help root out source of income discrimination across the city.

CCHR works proactively to educate real estate entities across diverse communities to prevent discrimination before it occurs. In September 2023, CCHR launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with Fordham University’s Real Estate Institute, resulting in a continuing education course to stop illegal voucher discrimination. By taking CCHR’s class, realtors and brokers receive 1.5 credits towards the renewal of their license, which is required every two years. Upcoming sessions can be found on CCHR’s website.

Today’s announcement is part of an ongoing commitment by the Adams administration to develop policies and invest in programs to support tenants. As part of a 2024 State of the City commitment, the administration launched the Tenant Protection Cabinet, a multi-agency collaboration to better serve renters in New York City by developing policies and long-term strategies that support tenants and ensure safer, fairer housing conditions. Last summer, the New York City Public Engagement Unit (PEU) launched a live operator tenant helpline to provide immediate support to New York tenants who face potential eviction, landlord harassment, or unacceptable living conditions. New Yorkers seeking the PEU Tenant Helpline can call 311 and be referred to a live operator.

Mayor Adams has taken strong enforcement action against landlords who do not properly maintain their properties, most recently obtaining over $4 million and the appointment of a 7A administrator (an individual appointed by a court to operate privately-owned buildings that have conditions that are dangerous to the tenants' life, health, and safety) against a single landlord with a portfolio of buildings.

New Yorkers who have witnessed or experienced discrimination can contact CCHR at 212-416-0197 or by filing a report online.

“We are grateful to Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Commission on Human Rights for securing the largest civil rights settlement in our city’s history,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “Today’s announcement sends a clear message to unscrupulous landlords that they will be held accountable for discriminatory practices that unfairly target individuals using Section 8 and CityFHEPS housing vouchers. It is imperative that every New Yorker has fair and equitable access to affordable, safe, and quality housing, and our city has just reaffirmed that fundamental right.”

“As a civil rights lawyer, I dedicated my legal career to combatting all forms of discrimination,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Today, we make historic strides in ending housing discrimination with a record $1 million settlement for discrimination against housing voucher holders. Our CityFHEPS and other vouchers are an important tool to uplift families out of homelessness and allow them to stand on their own two feet. It is also sound fiscal policy, saving us at least $1,500 per week for each family that no longer needs to stay in the shelter system. By ending discrimination against voucher holders, we will ensure a housing market that welcomes all New Yorkers.”

“We at Housing Rights Initiative applaud the announcement of this historic settlement,” said Aaron Carr, founder and executive director, HRI. “By imposing such a large penalty and securing stable homes for 850 households with vouchers, the Commission on Human Rights and the New York City Mayor’s Office are sending a clear message to all landlords and brokers that discrimination on the basis of an applicant’s source of income is unacceptable in this city, and violators like Parkchester Preservation Management will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”

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.