MAYOR ADAMS, DSS ANNOUNCE FAIR FARES TRANSITION TO OMNY, REDUCING BARRIERS FOR WORKING-CLASS NEW YORKERS TO AFFORDABLY RIDE PUBLIC TRANSIT

 

Transition Will Help More Than 360,000 New Yorkers Enrolled in Fair Fares Access Their 50 Percent Discounted Rates With OMNY 

 

City Will Begin Issuing Fair Fares OMNY Cards to All New Enrollees, Existing Clients May Request OMNY Card at Their Convenience 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park today announced the first phase of the full transition of the Fair Fares program to OMNY, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) contactless fare payment system, following the conclusion of a successful Fair Fares pilot on OMNY between DSS and the MTA. The switch to OMNY will make it easier for working-class New Yorkers to manage their transit funds and help participants save even more with automatic fare capping, which ensures that no Fair Fares client will pay more than $17 per week to ride the subway and eligible buses when using their Fair Fares-issued OMNY card. The program’s transition comes on the heels of the Adams administration’s implementation of a second Fair Fares income eligibility expansion, a joint effort with the New York City Council, which increased income eligibility from 120 percent to 145 percent of the federal poverty level and made nearly 200,000 more working-class New Yorkers eligible for the half-priced fares through the program. 

 

“New York City’s public transit system is the lifeblood of our city, serving New Yorkers all across the five boroughs. By bringing our world-class Fair Fares program onto the MTA’s digital OMNY system, we are making it even easier for working-class New Yorkers to access discounted rides on our trains and on our busses,” said Mayor Adams. “These discounts not only make our transit system more affordable and more accessible but are helping put money back into more New Yorkers’ pockets as we continue to make New York City the best place to raise a family.”   

 

“Every day, millions of New Yorkers rely on the city’s robust public transit system to get where they need to go, but for many working-class and low-income residents, covering the cost of transit can be a real challenge,” said DSS Commissioner Wasow Park. “It is imperative that the city’s subways, buses, and paratransit services are affordable to all New Yorkers, and the transition of Fair Fares to OMNY, coupled with the recent income eligibility expansion, will contribute significantly to our efforts to advance transit equity by not only making more New Yorkers eligible for half-priced fares, but making it easier than ever to manage transit costs and save even more with fare capping. We will continue to work closely with our community and government partners to promote the program, engage New Yorkers, and ensure that those who can benefit the most from this discount are aware of it.”  

 

During the first phase of the transition to OMNY, the Fair Fares discount will be available on Fair Fares-issued OMNY cards. All new program enrollees will receive a Fair Fares OMNY card, instead of a MetroCard, and will immediately be able to tap into the subway system or on eligible buses after loading funds onto the card. Clients can add money to their Fair Fares OMNY card at one of the more than 470 OMNY vending machines located in subway stations across the city, select retail locations, online through a registered OMNY account, or by calling OMNY customer service at 877-789-6669. Current enrollees may request an OMNY card at their convenience via Access HRA otherwise, they will automatically receive one when they renew their program enrollment or request a replacement card. Clients can continue to use any active Fair Fares MetroCard until they expire. In the second phase of the transition, participants will be able to apply their Fair Fares discount to preexisting OMNY cards, bank cards, or mobile devices, making it even easier and more convenient to save on transit costs. 

  

A critical element of the Fair Fares program is ensuring that New Yorkers who are eligible for the program are aware of it and are able to easily enroll. DSS works with a wide array of community-based organizations and government partners to educate and enroll New Yorkers in Fair Fares, including collaborating with NYCHA to share details about Fair Fares at NYCHA/Office of Neighborhood Safety events and partnering with the MTA to promote the program at Transit Talks. DSS also provides comprehensive Fair Fares trainings to its partners, and following the recent program eligibility expansion, the agency has increased the frequency of training opportunities from monthly to bimonthly, and updated trainings to include critical guidance on the transition to OMNY. Any community group, advocacy organization, municipal agency, or elected official office can register for a session at their convenience through the DSS’s online training registration platform. DSS will also launch a $2 million targeted advertising campaign to ensure more potentially-eligible New Yorkers are aware of the program and help them sign up for the benefit.  

  

The Fair Fares discount is available to New Yorkers between the ages of 18 and 64 years old, regardless of immigration status, whose income falls at or below 145 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. New Yorkers can visit the Fair Fares website to check if they are eligible for the program, as well as apply online and begin saving 50 percent on subway and eligible bus fares or MTA Access-A-Ride paratransit trips.   

 

Today’s announcement builds off the Adams administration’ work to make New York City more affordable. DSS helps connect eligible, low-income New York City families with a suite of crucial benefits, such as child care vouchers, which according to the city’s latest Preliminary Mayor’s Management (PMMR) Report, has seen a 21 percent increase in enrolment over the last reporting period.  

 

DSS also helps connect families struggling to find affordable housing or stay in existing housing they are no longer able to afford with City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) vouchers — a rental assistance program that helps people find and keep housing. Thanks to increased utilization of CityFHEPS, subsidized exits from shelter increased by 68 percent for families with children according to the 2025 PMMR, and the Adams administration recently announced a record-breaking year for placing formerly homeless New Yorkers into permanent housing.  

 

Last summer, the MTA and New York City Public Schools connected eligible students with OMNY cards to be able to get to and from school and extracurricular activities via public transportation with four free rides a day. 

 

The Adams administration continues to prioritize making New York City affordable for families by connecting them with initiatives like Fair Fares. To help New Yorkers easily view and understand programs they may be eligible for, the administration released a “Money in Your Pocket Guide,” which directly links to eligibility requirements and relevant applications for over 40 different benefits. Since taking office, the Adams administration has helped put more than $30 billion back into the pockets of working-class New Yorkers by launching, administering, and helping New Yorkers take advantage of programs across all levels of government from Big Apple Connect, to Fair Fares, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and more. 

 

Alabama Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Violating U.S. Sanctions on Iran

 

Ray Hunt, also known as Abdolrahman Hantoosh, Rahman Hantoosh, and Rahman Natooshas, 71, of Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In July 2024, Hunt pleaded guilty to conspiring to export U.S.-origin goods to the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of the U.S. trade sanctions.

According to court documents, in May 2014, Hunt registered Vega Tools LLC with the Alabama Secretary of State, listing the nature of the business as “the purchase/resale of equipment for the energy sector.” He operated Vega Tools, including purchasing, receiving, and shipping U.S.-origin goods, from locations in Madison County, Alabama. Beginning at least as early as 2015 and continuing to the time of his arrest in November 2022, Hunt conspired with two Iranian companies located in Tehran, Iran, to illegally export U.S.-manufactured industrial equipment for use in Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.

Hunt engaged in a series of deceptive practices to avoid detection by U.S. authorities, including using third-party transshipment companies in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and routing payments through UAE banks, as well as lying to shipping companies about the value of his exports to prevent the filing of Electronic Export Information to U.S. authorities. Hunt lied to suppliers and shippers by claiming the items he purchased on behalf of the Iranian co-conspirators were destined for end-users in Turkey and UAE, while knowing the exports were ultimately destined for Iran. Hunt also lied to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers regarding the nature and existence of his business when questioned upon his return from a March 2020 trip to Iran.   

Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama; Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement John Sonderman of the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS); and Assistant Director Kevin Vorndran of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division announced the sentence.

BIS investigated the case with valuable assistance provided by the FBI.

Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on 433-Unit Affordable Housing Project in East Harlem

Work Begins To Transform Vacant CUNY Dormitory at 1760 Third Avenue Into Affordable and Supportive Housing

First Supportive Housing Project To Get Underway Utilizing Capital Funding from the Governor’s Landmark $1 Billion Mental Health Initiative

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of construction on 1760 Third Avenue in East Harlem, a 433-unit affordable and supportive housing project in East Harlem that is the first residential project to get underway using capital financing through her landmark $1 billion mental health initiative. Funded by New York State Homes and Community Renewal and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development with support from the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the $264 million project will transform a vacant former CUNY dormitory into affordable apartments, including 261 units of supportive housing for individuals living with mental illness.

“By investing state resources into communities like Harlem, we can create the modern, affordable apartments that New Yorkers need,” Governor Hochul said. “This development on Third Avenue will bring new life to a vacant building by transforming it into affordable apartments that over 400 households will be able to enjoy for generations to come.”

Breaking Ground, the project developer, will transform the vacant structure at 1760 Third Avenue into a 433-unit mixed-use development for households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income. The redeveloped property will include 261 units reserved for formerly homeless individuals living with serious mental illness, with services provided by Breaking Ground.

The project will include a subset of units for young adults aging out of foster care or who have experienced homelessness. Onsite support services will include case management, medical and mental health care, benefits and entitlement counseling, and connections to employment.

The renovations to the building will incorporate sustainability measures such as energy-efficient rooftop air conditioners and hydronic heating system pumps that use water—rather than air—to transfer heat. The building will also feature water-conserving plumbing, efficient lighting, vegetative roofs and ENERGY STAR ® refrigerators to support cleaner living.

The outdoor spaces along Third Avenue will also be transformed, creating new public-facing areas with landscaping, seating, and community-focused spaces. Constructed in 1974, the 1760 Third Avenue building originally housed a Florence Nightingale Nursing Center. The structure was later converted into a dormitory for the City University of New York’s Hunter College and Baruch College.

The project received $75 million from HCR’s Supportive Housing Opportunity Program and a $24.6 million first mortgage structured as a 501(c)3 bond from its Housing Finance Agency. In addition, the development was awarded $126 million from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Supportive Housing Loan Program.

In the past five years, HCR has financed nearly 6,600 affordable homes in Manhattan. 1760 Third Avenue continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

The State Office of Mental Health provided $21 million through Governor Hochul’s landmark $1 billion mental health initiative, which included funding to establish 3,500 units of specialized housing. So far, the mental health initiative has established nearly 1,300 new units including supportive housing and apartment treatment units, with 2,150 capital housing units in the pipeline. OMH has conditionally awarded more than $831 million in capital for community residence single room occupancy, supportive single room occupancy, and transitional residential units.

The project also received $10 million through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and a $2 million discretionary capital grant from New York City Council Member Diana Ayala from Fiscal Year 2024. The New York City Acquisition Fund provided an acquisition loan originated by the Low-Income Investment Fund. Wells Fargo is providing the construction letter of credit. 

QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR RAPE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF WOMAN ON ROOFTOP IN 2023

 

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jerson Vasquez was sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape, attempted murder and another charge for the violent sexual assault of a woman on a Jamaica rooftop in August 2023. The defendant answered an online prostitution advertisement and lured the victim to the location.

District Attorney Katz said: “A dangerous sexual predator, who carried out a brutal attack against a woman, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release. We thank the brave victim for coming forward and hope the sentencing provides a measure of comfort as she continues to heal.”

Vasquez, 25, of 170th Street in Jamaica, pleaded guilty in January to attempted murder in the second degree, rape in the first degree and patronizing a person for prostitution in the third degree. Supreme Court Justice Michelle Johnson today sentenced him to 15 years in prison with 10 years post-release supervision. He also will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

District Attorney Katz said that, according to court records, on August 13, 2023, Vasquez responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad and asked the woman to meet him at an address on 93rd Avenue in Jamaica. She arrived at approximately 5:30 p.m. and was directed to meet him on the rooftop.

At the top of the building Vasquez gave the victim $150 and the pair proceeded to have intercourse. The defendant then started choking the woman and slammed her head into a concrete wall, and then took his money back. The victim was then punched in the face and as the defendant sat on top of her, he repeatedly slammed her head into the floor and wrapped his hands around her neck applying pressure.

Vasquez took the woman’s cellphone and left her on the rooftop. Video surveillance recovered from the crime scene shows Vasquez exiting the location with what appeared to be blood on his neck and hand.

The victim was admitted to an area hospital for a laceration to the back of her head that required staples to close. The woman had extensive swelling on her head, face and neck.

Secretary Noem Announces Agency Will Enforce Laws That Penalize Aliens in the Country Illegally

 

DHS Will Use Every Available Tool to Compel Illegal Aliens to Self-Deport 

Secretary Kristi Noem announced the Department of Homeland Security will fully enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act, which created multiple tools to track illegal aliens and compel them to leave the country voluntarily. These tools include criminal penalties for certain aliens who:   

• Willfully fail to depart the United States. 
• Fail to register with the federal government and be fingerprinted. 
• Fail to apprise the federal government of changes to their address. 

An alien's failure to depart the U.S. is a crime that could result in significant financial penalty. An alien's failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both. For decades, this law has been ignored—not anymore.  

Compelling mass self-deportation is a safer path for aliens and law enforcement, and saves U.S. taxpayer dollars, in addition to conserving valuable Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources needed to keep Americans safe.  

Statement Attributable to a DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin 

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream. 

“The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce.  We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”  

Aliens can register here.  

This announcement comes on the heels of a nationwide and international ad campaign warning illegal aliens to self-deport and stay out.   

Lab Operator Convicted of $4M Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Detroit convicted a California man for his role in defrauding Medicare of over $4 million in fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary urine drug testing for patients receiving pain management treatment.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sherif Khalil, 50, of Redondo Beach, conspired with others to submit claims to Medicare for the highest-reimbursing urine drug testing panels, which doctors did not want or order.

Sherif Khalil operated Spectra Clinical Labs, a toxicology lab located in Gardena, California. As the owner of Spectra, Khalil implemented a scheme to pay marketers a percentage of Medicare reimbursements and incentivize them to obtain doctors’ orders for expensive drug testing panels. Khalil concealed Spectra’s payments to marketers by routing the payments through nominally independent marketing companies that Khalil secretly controlled. To maximize Spectra’s profits and their own commission payments, Spectra’s marketers then trained staff members at doctors’ offices to send Spectra orders for medically unnecessary urine drug tests that doctors did not actually want or authorize. Khalil also knew that orders Spectra received from physician practices were not supported by documentation of medical necessity.

The medically unnecessary laboratory tests ordered in exchange for illegal kickbacks to marketers caused Medicare to pay more than $4 million to the Spectra Clinical Labs.

Khalil was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay, offer, receive, and solicit health care kickbacks. Khalil is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud count and five years in prison on the count for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay, offer, receive, and solicit health care kickbacks. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys S. Babu Kaza, Jeffrey A. Crapko, and Kelly Warner and Assistant Chief Shankar Ramamurthy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit. 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - Community Resources & Updates

Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for joining us for another week in review.

As we continue to work towards building a stronger, more inclusive Bronx, one of the most powerful ways to make a difference is by getting involved in your local community board. Our community boards are essential to the democratic process, and it is crucial that they reflect the rich diversity of our borough. Every neighborhood in the Bronx has unique needs, and we need passionate, engaged residents from all backgrounds to help shape the decisions that impact our daily lives.

This year, we are once again encouraging youth participation, ensuring that the voices of our young people are heard and valued in our community planning. Last week, we hosted a virtual Information Session to help prospective board members understand the application process, and today, we held a Day of Action to continue our efforts to get more residents involved. I invite you to consider applying to your local community board—your input is invaluable as we work together to create positive change in our neighborhoods. Your participation can help ensure that the Bronx remains a place where everyone has a seat at the table.

Click here for more information! 

As always, if you need support from our office, you can call 718-590-3500 or email us at webmail@bronxbp.nyc.gov.

In partnership,

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

IN THE COMMUNITY

Celebrating Dominican heritage with pride!

This month, we honored the Dominican community's rich culture, history, and contributions with an incredible celebration filled with music, food, and unity. ¡Que viva la República Dominicana!

Exploring the flavors of the Bronx! Last week, we had an amazing time at Seis Vecinos and The Eleanor’s Bar & Restaurant as part of the Savor the Bronx Restaurant Crawl. From delicious bites to great company, it was a time to remember!

This week, we joined the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) to announce Future Forward Bronx, a new collaborative initiative to expand employment opportunities for Bronx residents.

This initiative will feature a series of job fairs at Bronx Borough Hall, designed to connect job seekers—particularly those historically excluded from the traditional job market—with meaningful employment opportunities and long-term career pathways.

This announcement follows the success of previous job fairs hosted in partnership with NYSDOL, which saw an overwhelming turnout of over 700 jobseekers.

Thank you to the NYS Department of Labor and all our employers.

UPCOMING EVENTS