BRAC - December 2024 Newsletter

 

BRONX RIVER ART CENTER 

Celebrating 37 Years of Bringing Arts & Cultural Programs to the Bronx

DECEMBER 2024 at BRAC

Open House/Student Show/Open Studios RSVP

Education

Free After School Program for Middle Schoolers MSCreate featuring JJGrant Winter session starts January 6th! Check out BRAC's newest program! MSCreate is a free  after-school program designed to build critical thinking skills  in a safe and supportive environment through engagement  with a wide array of visual arts. The program runs five (5)  days a week from 3:30-6:30pm, with classes starting at  4:30pm. Geared for creative students who are considering  specialized high schools and building their art portfolios, the  session ends with a student show in our gallery and a small  stipend for participants. Click here for more information about MSCreate! MSCreate Sign-Up Form Winter 2025 Afterschool and Saturday  class registration will begin December 14th. Go to BRAC website for details soon!!! "Finally, It's Friday" Drop-in Art Workshops! . This Friday -Mosaic Register for Friday Workshops Last chance to see: Chaos Theory: The Spectrum of  Black Abstraction exhibition closes December 7th

Governor Hochul Signs New Law to Support Workers Facing Job-Related Post-Traumatic Stress

Legislation S.6635/A.5745 Allows New Yorkers To Apply For Workers' Compensation For Extraordinary Work-Related Stress

Governor Hochul Invested $1 Billion To Transform The Continuum Of Mental Health Care In New York

Governor Kathy Hochul signed new legislation to support working people who are facing job-related mental health crises. This law will allow any worker to file for workers' compensation for specific types of mental injury premised on extraordinary work-related stress. Signing this law continues Governor Hochul's commitment to addressing the mental health crisis in New York, including by investing $1 billion to transform the continuum of care.

“New Yorkers work hard — and those who have experienced the unthinkable while on the job deserve to be treated fairly,” Governor Hochul said. “The mental health crisis our country has experienced since the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, and we need to do everything in our power to lend a hand to those in need. I'll never stop fighting for the working people of New York.”

Through an agreement with the Legislature, Legislation S.6635/A.5745 will allow any worker to file for workers' compensation for specific types of mental injury premised on extraordinary work-related stress. This expands coverage to all workers in the State of New York; previously, only certain first responders were eligible for such benefits.

This legislation builds on the Governor’s commitment to strengthening the state’s mental health care system and improving access for all New Yorkers. The Governor’s FY 2025 Enacted Budget included $20 million to continue expanding school-based mental health clinic satellites, $19 million to provide critical care to young people outside of school environments, $33 million to build supports for individuals living with a mental illness who are involved in the criminal justice system, and $55 million to add 200 inpatient beds at state-operated psychiatric centers.

QUEENS VILLAGE MAN SENTENCED TO 24 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING FRIEND OVER UNPAID DEBT

 

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Hassan Dees was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the shooting death of his friend, 31-year-old Peter Johnson, after the two men argued over an unpaid debt on the day after Christmas in 2021.

District Attorney Katz said: ““An argument over money turned deadly when the defendant chose to settle it with a gun, taking the life of a young man. We will not relent in our efforts to get these illegal weapons off our streets.”

Dees, 35, of 212th Street in Queens Village, pleaded guilty in November to manslaughter in the first degree before Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant who today sentenced the defendant to 24 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.

District Attorney Katz said that, according to the charges, on the evening of December 26, 2021, the victim, 31-year-old Peter Johnson of Jamaica, went to a deli at 207-22 Hollis Avenue where Dees worked to confront him over a debt. After a short argument, Johnson said he would resume the discussion at Dees’ house after his shift ended and he left the deli and walked to the defendant’s residence on 212th Street.

Once the victim departed, Dees retrieved a bag from the back of the store and left the deli and began walking toward his home. Minutes later, as Johnson approached the door of the defendant’s residence, Dees followed closely behind him and at approximately 10:45 p.m. the defendant shot the victim twice. Dees then ran back toward the deli where he worked.

The victim was discovered unresponsive in the defendant’s driveway more than two hours later with gunshot wounds to the head and arm. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Chinese National and U.S. Legal Permanent Resident Charged for Illegal Scheme to Export Controlled Data and Defraud the Department of Defense

 

A four-count indictment was unsealed charging Hang Sun, also known as Cody Sun, with conspiracy, wire fraud, smuggling, and a violation of the Arms Export Control Act for his role in an illegal scheme to send export-controlled defense-related technical data to China and to unlawfully supply the Department of Defense (DOD) with Chinese-origin rare earth magnets for aviation systems and military items.  

The indictment alleges that between January 2012 and December 2018, the defendant conspired to send approximately 70 drawings containing export-controlled technical data to a company located in China without a license from the U.S. government, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The technical data drawings were the property of two U.S. companies and related to end-use items for aviation, submarine, radar, tank, mortars, missiles, infrared and thermal imaging targeting systems, and fire control systems for DOD.

The indictment further alleges that Quadrant Magnetics imported rare earth magnets that were smelted and magnetized by a company in China. Quadrant then sold these magnets to two U.S. companies which included them in components sold to DOD for use in the F-16, the F-18, and other defense assets in violation of the Defense Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS). Under the DFARS specialty metal clause, rare earth magnets sold to DOD must be produced in the United States or an approved country. China is not an approved country.  Quadrant Magnetics and three of its employees were separately charged in a superseding indictment filed in the Western District of Kentucky on Dec. 5, 2023.

If convicted, Sun faces statutory maximum penalties of up to five years in prison for conspiracy; 20 years in prison for wire fraud; 20 years in prison for exporting technical data without a license; and 10 years in prison for smuggling goods from the United States. 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, Director Kelly P. Mayo of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch, and Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.

The DCIS, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, IRS-CI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General are investigating 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.

Attorney General James Announces Arrest of Rensselaer County Tow Truck Operator for Car Theft Scheme

Tow Company Owner Stole Over a Dozen Towed Vehicles and Sold Them Without Notifying Owners

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the arrest of John F. Rivers, 43, of East Greenbush for using his towing company, Rivers Asset Recovery, to steal and sell vehicles towed from parking lots across the Capital Region. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and New York State Police (NYSP) revealed that Rivers used his contracts with local businesses to monitor parking lots and tow vehicles, and then later illegally sold vehicles he towed to scrapyards or used car dealers. Rivers was charged today with multiple felonies for stealing 17 vehicles worth a combined $230,000 over nearly two years, including Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud.

“Car theft is a serious crime that can leave New Yorkers stranded, and my office is focused on stopping anyone who tries to profit from it,” said Attorney General James. “This alleged scheme was a systematic effort to use legal towing for illegal theft and deception, leaving New Yorkers across the Capital Region in the dark about what happened to their cars. I thank our partners in this investigation for their work to help crack down on car theft and shut down this scheme.”

Towing companies are required to notify the owner of the towed vehicle within five days and must hold a vehicle for 30 days before claiming its title. However, Rivers sometimes sold vehicles he towed within days of towing them and without notifying the vehicle’s rightful owner. The investigation revealed that from October 2022 through August 2024, Rivers used his status as a tow truck operator, with contracts to repossess and tow cars left overnight in area parking lots, to steal and sell 17 vehicles.

Parking lots serviced by Rivers included a Walmart in Latham, a Hannaford in Albany, and a Home Depot in Rensselaer. Of the 17 vehicles Rivers stole, 12 were sold to used car dealers and five were sold to scrapyards. In some cases when the owners of vehicles that Rivers stole tried to recover their cars, Rivers would either ignore their requests or demand $1,000 for every day that he had held the car.

In one egregious example, in March 2024, NYSP investigators parked an “undercover” Hyundai Sonata provided by an insurance company in the Walmart parking lot in Latham, where Rivers had a tow contract. The car was towed later that night and brought to the Rivers Asset Recovery shop while the registered owner was never notified it had been towed. Two months later, the Sonata was transported to a scrapyard in Massachusetts, where NYSP observed it cut up into parts. To date, the vehicle’s registered owner has never been notified that the Sonata was towed or sold.   

The criminal complaint – arraigned before Rensselaer City Judge Linda Blom Johnson – charges Rivers with multiple felonies, including Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud. If convicted, Rivers faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“Through a collaborative investigation among law enforcement partners, we have uncovered an alleged car theft operation that was responsible for victimizing car owners throughout the Capital Region,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “I want to commend the efforts of the Attorney General’s office and all of those involved in bringing this criminal activity to an end, and for the outstanding work that led to the arrest in this case.”

The ongoing investigation is led by the NYSP Special Investigations Unit, with the assistance of the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles and the Division of Tax and Finance.

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR MURDERING TEEN IN HAIL OF BULLETS

 

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for second-degree Murder and additional charges for the fatal shooting of a teenager on a Mott Haven Street. 

District Attorney Clark said “The defendant allegedly fired ten shots at a 17-year-old boy, striking him three times and ending his life. This act was reckless and senseless.” 

District Attorney Clark said James Walker, 34, of 609 Oak Terrace, was indicted on second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter and two counts of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. He was arraigned before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera Remand was continued and he is due back in court on March 26, 2025.

According to the investigation, on November 9, 2024, at approximately 7:40 p.m., in front of 609 Oak Terrace, in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, Walker came out of his building and allegedly fired ten shots from a 9-mm. pistol at Xavier Navarez, 17, whom he knew, striking him three times in the torso and leg. He was taken to New York Health And Hospitals Lincoln where he later died. Walker surrendered to NYPD Detectives at his apartment. The weapon was recovered in a bag behind the building.

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Frankie Soler of the Bronx Homicide Squad and Detective Christopher Medina of the 40th Precinct Detective Squad for their work on the investigation.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.