New Yorkers For Parks - Community-driven solutions💡

 

NY4P hosts a panel with community leaders at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem to discuss safe, accessible parks and public spaces in Central Harlem.

No one knows a community better than the people who live there. 

That’s why New Yorkers for Parks is working to elevate community-driven solutions to a longtime problem: Lack of parks and open space in neighborhoods around the city. 

This spring, NY4P will release Open Space Solutions reports on needs in Manhattan Community District 10, Queens CD 2, Bronx CD 5, Brooklyn CD 11, and Brooklyn CD 17 – districts with few parks but many passionate advocates. Through our Open Space Dialogues series, we’re spotlighting the community-based organizations in those districts who are working to improve and expand parks in their neighborhoods. 

We need your help to do this work. Be a Parks Champion! Your gift today will help NY4P continue to amplify the voices of grassroots groups and bring badly-needed resources to parks in all neighborhoods.  

Give Today!

Thank you! Adam Ganser, Executive Director and the NY4P team

Alabama Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Connection with Securities and Exchange Commission X Hack that Spiked Bitcoin Prices

 

An Alabama man was sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in the unauthorized takeover of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Eric Council Jr., 26, of Huntsville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud in February. According to court documents, Council conspired with others to take control of the SEC’s X account and falsely announce that the SEC approved Bitcoin (BTC) Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), a decision highly anticipated by the market. Immediately following the false announcement, the price of BTC increased by more than $1,000 per BTC. Following the correction, the value of BTC decreased by more than $2,000 per BTC.

The conspirators gained control of the SEC’s X account through an unauthorized Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) swap carried out by Council. A SIM swap is a form of sophisticated fraud where a criminal actor fraudulently induces a cellular phone carrier to reassign a cellular phone number from a victim’s SIM card to a SIM card controlled by the criminal actor, in order to access a victim’s social media or virtual currency accounts. As part of the scheme, Council used an identification card printer to create a fraudulent identification card with a victim’s personally identifiable information obtained from co-conspirators. Council used the identification card to impersonate the victim and gain access to the victim’s phone number for the purpose of accessing the SEC’s X account. Council’s co-conspirators then posted in the name of the SEC Chairman, falsely announcing the BTC ETF approval. Council received payment in BTC from co-conspirators for his role.

“Council and his co-conspirators used sophisticated cyber means to compromise the SEC’s X account and posted a false announcement that distorted important financial markets,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Prosecuting those who seek to enrich themselves by threatening the integrity of digital assets through fraud is critical to protecting U.S. interests. The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable individuals who commit cyber fraud and harm investors.”

“Schemes of this nature threaten the health and integrity of our market system,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “SIM swap schemes threaten the financial security of average citizens, financial institutions, and government agencies. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can’t be caught. You will be caught, prosecuted, and will pay the price for the damage your actions create.”

“The deliberate takeover of a federal agency’s official communications platform was a calculated criminal act meant to deceive the public and manipulate financial markets,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Acting Assistant Director Darren Cox. “By spreading false information to influence the markets, Council attempted to erode public trust and exploit the financial system. Today’s sentencing makes clear that anyone who abuses public platforms for criminal gain will be held accountable.”

“This sentencing exemplifies SEC OIG’s commitment to holding bad actors accountable and maintaining the integrity of SEC programs and operations through thorough investigative oversight,” said Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Amanda James. “We are committed to working with the SEC and other law enforcement partners to help the SEC effectively and efficiently deliver on its critical mission.”

The FBI Washington Field Office and SEC Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Ashley Pungello of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney Lauren Archer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was provided by Cyber Fellow Paul M. Zebb III.

For more information on SIM swapping and how to prevent it, visit www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240411.

NYC Council Identifies Funding Gaps for Domestic Violence, Social Services and Food Assistance Programs in Mayor’s Executive Budget

 

The Council identified remaining gaps in the budgets of the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and Human Resources Administration (HRA) within the Mayor’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Executive Budget that leave key initiatives underfunded.

The FY 2026 Executive Budget includes $130.9 million less than the FY 2026 Preliminary Budget and $459.5 million less than the adopted FY 2025 budget for DHS. These changes include savings from re-estimates of asylum seeker response costs and funding transfers from and to other city agencies, as well as $14.4 million for homeless outreach services in subway stations. It includes $63.5 million in additional baselined funding for shelter security prevailing wages and $24.3 million to support cost-of-living adjustments for human service providers, as requested in the Council’s FY 2026 Preliminary Budget Response. However, it fails to invest any funding for non-asylum seeker homeless shelter costs requested in the Council’s budget response and expected for FY 2026.

For HRA, the FY 2026 Executive Budget adds $271.1 million more than the FY 2026 Preliminary Budget and $71.4 million less than the adopted FY 2025 budget. While the Executive Budget includes partial funding for programs identified in the Council’s budget response that require greater investment for FY 2026, this represents less than 10% of the total funding needs outlined. Significant funding added includes $39.6 million for HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) housing, $19 million for human service contracts, and $25.8 million for the Right to Counsel program.  

However, funding for several programs falls short of the full funding outlined in the Preliminary Budget Response to meet the needs of New Yorkers or is missing entirely. With a rising city shelter census, longer food pantry lines, and proposed federal funding cuts to Medicaid, food programs, and housing assistance, bolstering the City’s safety net programs is critical.

The following programs and services represent several of those outlined in the Council’s Preliminary Budget Response that were either left out or underfunded in the Mayor’s FY26 Executive Budget:

Underbudgeting of Cash Assistance, CityFHEPS, and Non-Asylum Seeker Shelter Costs

In successive financial plans, mayoral administrations have not adequately budgeted for the true spending costs of vital programs that serve New Yorkers. Instead, the Administration will allocate a minimum amount at the start of the fiscal year and add funding throughout the fiscal year for major programs, such as cash assistance, CityFHEPS, and non-asylum seeker homeless shelters. The Council has called on the Administration to revise its approach and align the actual need for these services at the start of the fiscal year. The Council’s budget response requested the addition of $537.1 million for homeless shelters in the Mayor’s Executive Budget and no funding was added. Over $1.4 billion was requested for Cash Assistance ($920.2 million) and CityFHEPS ($538.4 million), but the Mayor’s Executive Budget only included $17.7 million for CityFHEPS.

CFC Program Restoration and Enhancement

The Community Food Connection (CFC), formerly known as the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), provides an array of essential food items to emergency food providers across the city, including food pantries and soup kitchens. Given increases in food insecurity in the city, the rising cost of food, and federal cuts, the Council proposed the Administration provide an additional $79.1 million in baselined funding, starting in FY 2026, to restore and enhance CFC’s baseline budget. The Mayor’s Executive Budget included $36.1 million, falling short by $43 million.

Increasing Fair Fares to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)

To date, nearly 366,000 people have enrolled in Fair Fares, but there are many low-income New York City residents who struggle to afford public transit who are still ineligible for the program. Affordable access to the City’s public transit system can help people access economic and educational opportunities. The Council proposed the addition of $60.8 million to the Fair Fares baseline, starting in FY 2026, to maintain eligibility at the current level of 145% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and expand it to those with incomes up to 200 percent of FPL. This expansion would bring the total baseline budget for Fair Fares up to $157.1 million.  The Executive Budget allocated $20 million to maintain the current eligibility, leaving a gap of over $40 million for expanded access to the program.

CityFHEPS Administrative Fixes

As of March 2025, nearly 85,000 people reside in shelters operated by the Department of Homeless Services, including more than 18,000 families with children. Record homelessness in the City, coupled with rising eviction rates, underscores the urgent need for the efficient implementation and administration of CityFHEPS benefits. As part of its continued commitment to reducing bureaucratic barriers to accessing CityFHEPS, and ensuring effective administration of the program, Speaker Adams called on the Administration to address administrative barriers to accessing and using CityFHEPS in her 2025 State of the City address. The Council’s budget response requested that the Administration add $25 million in baselined funding, starting in FY 2026, to address administrative hurdles and delays by improving technology, increasing staffing, and adjusting contractual services that are part of voucher processing.

Immigration Legal Services Enhancement

Increased demand and changing federal policies have overwhelmed the existing immigration legal services system, leaving both long-time immigrant New Yorkers and new arrivals struggling to access critical legal representation. To address this urgent need and avoid leaving people without appropriate support, the Council proposed the Administration invest an additional $59 million to ensure continuity of services and to help defend immigrants against ongoing aggressive, anti-immigrant policies; $40 million for the Immigrant Opportunity Initiative (IOI), as well as $10 million for the Rapid Response program. This total funding of $109 million would ensure that immigrant New Yorkers have access to an attorney, while supporting organizations to recruit and retain the staff needed to meet growing demand. The Executive Budget only included $4.4 million in additional funds, leaving a gap of $54.6 million.

Housing and Legal Services Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence

The Mayor’s FY 2026 Executive Budget provided no additional funding requested by the Council’s Preliminary Budget Response to support domestic violence victims.

Housing Stability Microgrants to Domestic Violence Victims

The Housing Stability Support program provides low-barrier microgrants to survivors of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence to help them maintain safe and stable housing. The FY 2025 financial plan includes $1.2 million in baselined funding for this program. This funding supports efforts consistent with Local Law 112 of 2022 and the Mayor’s Housing Blueprint, expanding a pilot by the Mayor’s Office to End Gender-Based Violence. But the existing funding only supports a fraction of domestic violence victims in need of assistance. To meet the actual need for services, the Council proposed increased baselined funding for this program by an additional $4.8 million, raising the baseline budget to $6 million.

Legal Services for Domestic Violence Survivors

Additionally, Local Law 5 of 2022 required the establishment of a working group to make recommendations regarding a pilot program to provide legal services for domestic violence survivors in divorce proceedings, and subject to appropriations, then establish a two-year pilot program. The Council’s budget response proposed the addition of $2 million in funding to the Human Resources Administration and the Mayor’s Office to End Gender-Based Violence to establish a pilot program providing free legal assistance to approximately 800 low-income domestic violence survivors in divorce proceedings.

Home+ ENDGBV Program

HOME+ provides free and confidential security resources to survivors of domestic and gender-based violence who want to stay in their homes instead of entering shelter or leaving. Launched in 2021, it provides survivors with emergency-response systems, as well as personal alarms that clients customize to notify trusted family, friends, service providers, or police when activated. HOME+ operates through partnerships between the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence and local domestic- and gender-based violence services organizations, whose staff work directly with program participants to assess risk, coordinate referrals, and provide related case management services. The Council’s budget response proposed adding a baselined $1.5 million for the HOME+ program.

Council Food, Homelessness, and Social Services Initiatives

The Council’s funding initiatives address citywide gaps for domestic violence and homelessness support, low-income legal services, and access to food pantries and healthy meals. It is critical that this over $37 million, left out of the Mayor’s Executive Budget, is included in the final budget through a continued full commitment towards Council discretionary funding. 

Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Releases Report on Death of Geoffrey Parris

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) released its report on the death of Geoffrey Parris, who died on February 12, 2024 following an encounter with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens. After a thorough investigation, which included review of footage from body-worn cameras, audio from a 911 call, interviews with involved officers, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law.

On the morning of February 12, NYPD officers responded to a 911 call reporting gunshots at an apartment in Queens. When officers arrived at the apartment, Mr. Parris’ brother opened the door for them. While two officers spoke to Mr. Parris’ brother near the front door of the apartment, two other officers went to check on Mr. Parris, who was in the doorway of his bedroom. After speaking with Mr. Parris, officers told Mr. Parris’ brother they were going to leave and write up the matter as a domestic incident. Mr. Parris’ brother then told the officers that Mr. Parris had a black gun and had pointed it at his face.

Officers went back to Mr. Parris’ room, knocked on the door, and told Mr. Parris they had to speak with him. When Mr. Parris opened the door, an officer attempted to grab him. Mr. Parris ran to the back of the room and picked up what looked like a black gun. The officer instructed Mr. Parris to drop the weapon, and the officer discharged his weapon, striking Mr. Parris. Mr. Parris was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a BB gun at the scene.

Under New York’s justification law, a police officer may use deadly physical force when the officer reasonably believes it to be necessary to defend against the use of deadly physical force by another. In this case, officers were responding to a 911 call reporting gunshots, and when they arrived at the apartment, they were told that Mr. Parris had a gun and had pointed it at his brother’s face. As officers attempted to engage with Mr. Parris a second time, he picked up what appeared to be a gun and failed to comply with directions to drop it. Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s use of deadly physical force against Mr. Parris was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter.

Grand Jury Indicts 11 More Individuals for Involvement with Online Groups Dedicated to Monkey Torture and Mutilation

 

An indictment was unsealed charging 11 defendants from across the United States for their alleged involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

The indictment alleges the individuals conspired with previously charged defendant Nicholas T. Dryden, of Cincinnati, to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos.”

The indictment details 79 overt acts in which defendants allegedly paid Dryden who then paid a minor in Indonesia to commit the requested acts on camera.

The videos alleged to have been created as part of the conspiracy depicted, among other things, monkeys having their genitals burned and cut with scissors, as well as being sodomized with a wooden skewer and a spoon.

Those charged today include:

• Ernest D. Chavez — also known as Lax — from Arizona;
• Hugh T. Campbell — also known as Tim Templeton — from Pennsylvania;
• Carter G. Fawcett — also known as Captain — from Colorado;
• Brady O. Shellhammer — also known as Beglu or Bbbeglu — from Louisiana;
• Jimmy Wong — also known as Yasser Lopez — from New York;
• Kimberly A. Anglin — also known as Kim Anglin — from Connecticut;
• Mark M. Sampieri — also known as The Chef or SainT — from Connecticut;
• Victoria S. Haskins — also known as Cat Face or Sparkles Fancy Pants — from Louisiana;
• Vance H. Beadles — also known as Mr. Green — from Kentucky;
• Mary L. Longoria — also known as R6 or R6ex — from North Carolina; and
• Patrick C. Naylor — also known as YANTF or YANTF 2x — from North Carolina.

If convicted as charged, these defendants face maximum penalties of five years in prison.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio, Assistant Director Douglas Ault of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement, and Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office made today’s announcement.

The USFWS Office of Law Enforcement and FBI investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy D. Oakley for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

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

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