BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR HOLDING HIS MOTHER AT KNIFEPOINT, THREATENING TO KILL HER

 

Victim Saved After Responding Police Officer Shot Suspect

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Unlawful Imprisonment for allegedly holding a knife to his mother’s neck and threatening to kill her. 

District Attorney Clark said, “This was a frightening situation for the victim who had a knife to her throat. An NYPD officer shot and wounded the defendant, ending the standoff.” 

District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Daniel Ribustello, 34, of 1740 Mulford Avenue, the Bronx, was arraigned today on third-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, first-degree Unlawful Imprisonment, second-degree Unlawful Imprisonment, second-degree Menacing and third-degree Menacing before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Darlene Goldberg. He was remanded. He is due back in court on October 29, 2025.

According to the investigation, on May 1, 2025, at approximately 11:30 p.m. inside the apartment where the defendant lives with his mother, Carol Ribustello 61, the defendant was allegedly holding her around the neck and had a knife to her throat. He allegedly told NYPD Officers who responded to the scene that he was going to kill his mother. While the defendant was still holding his mother at knifepoint, an NYPD Officer discharged his firearm striking the defendant once. His mother was unharmed.

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective John Toto of the Force Investigation Division, and Sgt. Louis Meade and Detective David Golson of the Bronx DA Squad for their work on the case. 

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

Q Link Wireless LLC and Issa Asad to Pay More than $110M in Global Resolution to Resolve Criminal Charges and False Claims Act Allegations

 

Q Link Wireless LLC (Q Link) and its owner, Issa Asad (Asad), located in Dania Beach, Florida, have agreed to pay $110,637,057 to resolve criminal charges and civil allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program, created by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provides nearly $2 billion each year to assist low-income consumers with their telecommunications needs.   

Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs), such as Q Link, receive monthly federal payments for providing discounted phone services to qualified consumers who must use their Lifeline phones at least once every 30 days. In order to qualify for Lifeline payments, ETCs certify their compliance with Lifeline rules, including the requirement to de-enroll and to stop submitting claims for customers that are not using their Lifeline phones.

The settlement resolves allegations that Q Link and Asad received monthly federal payments from the Lifeline Program that they were not entitled to through a scheme directed by Asad. The United States alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others conspired to knowingly submit and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent claims to Lifeline for customers who were not using their cellphones consistent with FCC usage regulations, including customers who did not possess activated phones. The United States also alleged that Q Link and Asad understood that Q Link was required to de-enroll and stop seeking payment for customers who were not using their phones consistent with the FCC’s usage rules. The United States further alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others, in order to deceive the FCC and in order to continue billing for Q Link’s customers, manufactured cellphone activity on behalf of Q Link customers who were not using their cellphones. The United States also alleged that, in order to obscure Q Link’s and Asad’s actions, Q Link provided false and fabricated records to the FCC purporting to show cellphone usage for customers who were not using their cellphones including for some cellphones that were actually in the FCC’s possession at the time. As a result of this alleged conduct, Q Link received approximately $38,438,541 in improper Lifeline payments between February 2018 and October 2019. Under the civil settlement, Q Link’s and Asad’s payment of the criminal restitution they owe related to the Lifeline Program will be credited toward the amount due under the civil settlement.

“The Justice Department will take action where companies and individuals knowingly violate the rules of federal programs and claim federal funds to which they are not entitled,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to preventing fraud against important FCC subsidy programs like Lifeline.”

“The FCC takes very seriously any instance of misuse of public funds and misrepresentation. Protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse is central to our work,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. “I thank our partners at the Justice Department and the tireless teams at the FCC – including the Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General – for their relentless pursuit of this matter.”

“When individuals and corporations target programs that serve vulnerable populations to line their own pockets with millions, our office stands ready to investigate and pursue those allegations using all appropriate civil enforcement tools,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “This settlement addresses the integrity of the Lifeline Program, an important program that helps low-income Americans connect to people and information, a modern-day necessity.”

“FCC OIG is committed to vigorously protecting FCC’s low-income subsidy programs and legitimate customers from telecommunications providers who use deceptive practices to perpetrate fraud,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “We appreciate the dedication and outstanding work of our investigative team, our law enforcement partners at DOJ, and our FCC colleagues, in particular OGC, who together strengthen the integrity of FCC programs and ensure that bad actors are held accountable.”

As part of a global resolution, Q Link and Asad entered into criminal plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.  On Oct. 15, 2024, Q Link and Asad pled guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and theft of government funds and defrauding the United States, related to the conduct at issue in this civil settlement. Asad also pled guilty to money laundering arising from conduct not related to the civil investigation. Q Link and Asad were sentenced by United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz, II on July 24. In connection with the criminal resolution, Q Link and Asad further agreed to not participate in any program administered by the FCC and agree to cooperate in transitioning its Lifeline customers to other ETCs.

The civil False Claims Act resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with assistance from the FCC’s Office of Inspector General and the FCC’s Office of General Counsel.

The civil False Claims Act investigation was handled by Trial Attorney David M. Sobotkin, Assistant United States Attorney Rosaline Chan, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miriam L. Alinikoff and Christopher Cheek for the Southern District of Florida.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability.

NYGOP Launches “Stop Zohran” Page and Forms Coalition of Common Sense to Oppose Mamdani

The New York State Republican Party announced the launch of its "Stop Zohran" campaign and the formation of the Coalition of Common Sense to oppose the radical candidacy of Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The comprehensive effort includes a dedicated webpage at nygop.org/stop-zohran that details Mamdani's extreme positions and dangerous policy agenda.

 

"Zohran Mamdani represents everything that's wrong with today's Democratic Party: socialist economics, anti-police extremism, and divisive rhetoric that threatens the fabric of our city," said New York State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox. "His openly socialist agenda would devastate New York's economy, compromise public safety and drive more families and businesses out of our city. The Coalition of Common Sense brings together New Yorkers from all backgrounds who believe in safe streets, strong schools, economic opportunity and basic decency – values that Mamdani's candidacy directly threatens."

 

The Stop Zohran page highlights Mamdani's own words and policy positions, including his stated goal to "seize the means of production," his declaration that "capitalism is theft," and his commitment to defund the NYPD. The page also exposes his anti-Israel extremism, including his support for the BDS movement and his refusal to condemn calls to "globalize the intifada."

 

Cox continued:

 

"The Coalition of Common Sense welcomes New Yorkers from all political backgrounds who share concerns about Mamdani's extreme agenda and its potential impact on public safety, economic prosperity and community cohesion in New York City."

 

For more information about the Coalition of Common Sense and to join the effort to Stop Zohran, visit nygop.org/stop-zohran. 

DEC TO HOST 14TH ANNUAL GREAT HUDSON RIVER FISH COUNT ON SATURDAY, AUG. 2, 2025

New Yorkers Encouraged to ‘Get Offline and Get Outside’ at Multiple Hudson River Sites

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced that the 14^th annual Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count will take place at multiple sites along the banks and piers of the Hudson River on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.

“The Hudson River Estuary is an amazing and critical habitat for many fish and wildlife species, and this annual event provides a great opportunity for New York families and visitors to get outside and see first-hand how unique the river is to the life cycle of so many fish,” Commissioner Lefton said. “With sites from New York Harbor to Cohoes, there are many places for people of all ages and abilities to participate in this year’s fish count.”

Participants from the Capital Region to New York City are invited to explore the variety of creatures usually hidden below the river’s surface. Freshwater upriver and salty at New York City, the Hudson River Estuary and watershed is home to more than 200 fish species, including several species that migrate into the river from the Atlantic Ocean each spring to spawn.

During the annual Fish Count, participating organizations encourage visitors to help collect fish using seine nets, minnow traps, or rods and reels. 

Seining involves pulling a 30-foot net through the water and checking out the fish, crabs, and other river life caught in its mesh. Participants may watch from shore or, at some locations, use available waders to help pull in the net. The fish are released after everyone has a chance to experience them up close.  

Last year, nearly 500 people particpated in the annual count. Catches at all sites are shared and posted online. Comparing notes builds an understanding of the diversity of fishes and habitats in the Hudson, the vitality of the estuarine ecosystem in urban and rural settings, and the influence of salinity and tides.

This annual event complements Governor Kathy Hochul’s “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiative, which promotes physical and mental health by helping New York’s kids and families to put down their phones and computers, take a break from social media, and enjoy recreation and outdoor social gatherings. The event is sponsored by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Management Program in partnership with several environmental organizations.

Participating public Great Hudson River Fish Count sites:

Albany County:

Peebles Island State Park, Cohoes: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

DEC Region 4 Fisheries

Note: Display will be at the Second Street bridge.

Brooklyn:

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 4 Beach: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy

Learn more and pre-register here: https://brooklynbridgepark.org/event/seining-hudson-fish-count/

 

Dutchess County:

Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg: 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

DEC Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and Hudson River Estuary Program

 

Waryas Park, Poughkeepsie: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Reserve tickets for the Clearwater Sails here: https://www.clearwater.org/public-sails/

Note: There is a cost to these sails. The 1 p.m. sail tickets are flexible fare. The 5:30 p.m. sail tickets are full price. The sloop is docked at the south end of Waryas Park.

 

Putnam County:

Little Stony Point Beach in Hudson Highlands State Park, Cold Spring: 12 p.m.

DEC Hudson River Estuary Program

Note: Meet on the beach

  

Rockland County:

Piermont Pier, Hudson River Field Station, Piermont: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

 

Ulster County:

Kingston Point Park Beach, Kingston: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

DEC Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and Hudson River Estuary Program

   

For more information, visit the Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count webpage. While there, watch a clip about seining in the Hudson River on DEC’s YouTube Channel.

 

Statement From Governor Kathy Hochul

“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has repeatedly tried to file a judgment against a New York doctor and our response has been clear: hell no.

“Today, Paxton filed yet another lawsuit to force the Ulster County Clerk to enter that judgment in state court.

“These extremists are determined to punish a New York doctor for providing safe, legal abortion care. It’s pathetic. It’s dangerous. And it won't happen on our watch.

“They picked the wrong state and the wrong governor — and I’ll never stop fighting to protect women’s reproductive freedom.”

 

Attorney General James Takes Action to Protect Sensitive Personal Information of Tens of Millions of People

 

AG James Files Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration’s Illegal Demand for SNAP Recipients’ Personal Information

New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a lawsuit with 20 other attorneys general and the state of Kentucky in taking action to protect the privacy rights of the more than 40 million people throughout the country who rely on essential food assistance. In a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Attorney General James and the coalition are challenging the Trump administration’s illegal requirement that states turn over the personal information of all residents who receive support from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to purchase groceries. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that this highly sensitive data, which includes home addresses, Social Security numbers, recent locations, immigration statuses, and more, will likely be shared across federal agencies and used for immigration enforcement, in violation of the law. Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a court judgment declaring the administration’s new policy illegal and preventing enforcement.

“Families should be able to get the food assistance they need without fearing that they will be targeted by this administration,” said Attorney General James. “I will not allow the SNAP benefits that millions of New Yorkers count on to be put at risk. We are suing today to stop this illegal policy and protect New Yorkers’ privacy and access to food assistance.”

In March, the president signed an executive order mandating data sharing across federal agencies. Since then, the Trump administration has embarked on a campaign of demanding access to Americans’ private personal information and using it for unauthorized purposes. As Attorney General James and the coalition assert, the administration clearly intends to use this data for immigration enforcement, in violation of the law. Both federal and state laws prohibit states from disclosing personally identifying SNAP data unless it is strictly necessary for the program.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP, has requested that states submit personally identifying information, including names, dates of birth, personal addresses, and Social Security numbers, of all SNAP applicants and recipients since January 2020. The USDA has threatened states with potential SNAP funding cuts if they refuse to comply. As a result of USDA’s new demand, states have been put in the impossible position of either complying and violating the law, or protecting their residents’ personal information while jeopardizing millions of dollars in funding used to administer the SNAP program. 

More than 55 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children, and more than 36 percent are in families with members who are elderly or have disabilities. In May 2025, approximately 1.7 million New York households, representing over 2.9 million individuals, participated in SNAP. Nearly one million of those individuals were children. While non-citizens are generally not eligible for SNAP benefits, federal law allows non-citizen parents to apply for SNAP benefits on behalf of their citizen children.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the administration’s new demands are unconstitutional and violate the Administrative Procedure Act by requiring states to violate federal laws and regulations. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a court judgment declaring that the administration’s demands to share SNAP data are illegal and declaring that the administration cannot disclose the requested SNAP data to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for any purposes other than SNAP administration.

Joining Attorney General James in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the state of Kentucky.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES NEW RULES TO HOLD DELIVERY APP COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE

 

Rules Require App Companies to Register with DOT, Assign Delivery Workers

Unique Identification Numbers, Provide Workers with Safety Equipment 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced new proposed rules to make New York City streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians by holding delivery app companies accountable as part of the agency’s forthcoming Department of Sustainable Delivery. The Adams administration is creating the Department of Sustainable Delivery via rulemaking in the absence of New York City Council legislation addressing these companies’ unsafe delivery practices. These rules will require delivery app companies to register with DOT, assign their delivery workers unique identification numbers and identification cards for enforcement purposes, and provide workers with safety training and equipment.

“Our administration is committed to creating safer, more sustainable streets for everyone from delivery workers to pedestrians to cyclists to drivers,” said Mayor Adams. “These proposed rules are a major step forward in holding delivery app companies accountable and ensuring delivery workers have the equipment, protections, and visibility they need to stay safe. This is a public-safety issue and a quality-of-life issue that affects all of us, and today, we are finally taking the steps to address both.”

“In the absence of legislation to address these public safety concerns, we are stepping up to help safeguard the lives of these delivery workers and everyday New Yorkers endangered by unsafe delivery conditions,” said First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. “We continue to call upon the City Council to pass comprehensive legislation making the delivery apps directly responsible for unsafe conditions created by their business practices, but we are doing now what we can by rules to make our city safer.” “These tech giants created the wild west of e-bike riding on our streets, pressuring vulnerable, hard-working delivery workers to make fast and unsafe deliveries,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “It’s time to hold the big delivery apps accountable and protect all New Yorkers — and we’ll be doing so through these new rules and enforcement powers through the new Department of Sustainable Delivery at DOT.”

The proposed rules, to be published in the City Record, implement a framework for accountability on the part of delivery app companies by requiring them to provide safety training and equipment to delivery workers, and assign them unique identification numbers, which would be mandated to be displayed on vests or other reflective garments provided to workers. App companies would also be required to provide information to the city regarding the types of devices their delivery workers use while performing their jobs, enabling DOT to assess the safety of those devices. Delivery app companies that do not comply will face penalties. App companies often require delivery workers to meet aggressive delivery times that are incompatible with following traffic laws. The unique identifiers will allow DOT to track that unsafe behavior back to the delivery apps that are incentivizing it.

Nearly a year ago, the Adams administration sent comprehensive legislation to the City Council to address the pressing safety and worker protection issues arising from the tens of thousands of delivery workers and e-bikes on city streets, but the City Council has yet to act on that proposal. The administration continues to urge passage of comprehensive legislation, which would require licensing of delivery apps, subject them to financial penalties and even license revocation for repeat violations by their drivers, and set uniform rules of operation for licensed companies.

The Adams administration has been advancing measures by rulemaking to combat reckless driving, including rules to prohibit e-bikes and e-scooters from travelling faster than 15 miles-per-hour on city streets, mirroring best regulatory practices of European countries that are at the forefront of sustainable transportation, such as the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as matching the existing speed limit in New York City for stand-up e-scooters to ensure speed limits are applied consistently across e-mobility devices.

DOT has also installed wider bike lanes along its busiest routes, expanded public e-bike charging options for riders, and educated the public and delivery workers about safe and legal e-bike use. This past spring, the city launched an e-bike trade-in program for delivery workers to exchange illegal mopeds and uncertified e-bikes for legal, fire-safe e-bikes and batteries. The city also established “microhubs” to shift deliveries from large, congestion-causing trucks to more sustainable modes, such as cargo e-bikes and smaller electric vehicles.

AIR QUALITY HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED FOR LONG ISLAND AND NEW YORK CITY METRO REGIONS

 

In Effect for Tuesday, July 29, 2025

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton and State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. James McDonald issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Tuesday, July 29, 2025, for ozone for the Long Island and New York City Metro regions. 

The pollutant of concern is: Ozone 

The advisory will be in effect 11 a.m. through 11 p.m.

The Tuesday, July 29, Air Quality Health Advisory regions consist of: Long Island, which includes Nassau and Suffolk counties; and New York City Metro, which includes New York City and Rockland and Westchester counties.

DEC and DOH issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern.

OZONE 

Summer heat can lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, a major component of photochemical smog. Automobile exhaust and out-of-state emission sources are the primary sources of ground-level ozone and the most serious air pollution problems in the northeast. This surface pollutant should not be confused with the protective layer of ozone in the upper atmosphere. 

Ozone is not a direct emission, and is produced indirectly when sunlight chemically reacts with nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. High ozone is not as visible as PM2.5 because it is a colorless gas, but will produce hazy skies and reduce visibility in high concentrations. 

People, especially those with cardiovascular disease and those who have respiratory disease (such as asthma), young children, the elderly, those who exercise outdoors, and those involved in vigorous outdoor work should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity when ozone levels are the highest (generally afternoon to early evening). When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce exposure. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing should consider consulting their personal physician. 

Ozone levels generally decrease at night and can be minimized during daylight hours by curtailment of automobile travel and the use of public transportation where available. 

New Yorkers also are urged to take the following energy-saving and pollution-reducing steps: 

• use mass transit or carpool instead of driving, as automobile emissions account for about 60 percent of pollution in our cities; 

• conserve fuel and reduce exhaust emissions by combining necessary motor vehicle trips; 

• turn off all lights and electrical appliances in unoccupied areas; 

• use fans to circulate air. If air conditioning is necessary, set thermostats at 78 degrees; 

• close the blinds and shades to limit heat build-up and to preserve cooled air; 

• limit use of household appliances. If necessary, run the appliances at off-peak (after 7 p.m.) hours. These would include dishwashers, dryers, pool pumps and water heaters; 

• set refrigerators and freezers at more efficient temperatures; 

• purchase and install energy efficient lighting and appliances with the Energy Star label; and 

• reduce or eliminate outdoor burning and attempt to minimize indoor sources of PM 2.5 such as smoking.

Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC's website and on DOH's website (PM 2.5) / DOH's website (ozone). A new DEC fact sheet about the Air Quality Index is available on DEC’s website or by PDF download https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/aqiweb.pdf.  

To stay up-to-date with announcements from DEC, sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts through DEC Delivers: DEC's Premier Email Service. A toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) was also established by DEC to keep New Yorkers informed of the latest air quality situation.