State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's Weekly News - Audit Highlights Opportunities to Strengthen Apprenticeship Programs

 

Comptroller DiNapoli Cites Opportunities to Enhance Value and Reach of State Apprenticeship Programs

New York State’s over 900 registered apprenticeship programs provide thousands of people with paid, hands-on training in skilled, in-demand trades, ranging from information technology to health care. A new audit released by Comptroller DiNapoli highlights the potential of these programs but found key areas for improvements at the Department of Labor which oversees them.

“Apprenticeship programs open doors for many New Yorkers to access well-paid jobs that become careers, while helping businesses and unions train the workforce they need,” said DiNapoli. “My auditors identified where improvements are needed, and the Department of Labor’s planned response should lead to a speedier review of applications, strengthened monitoring of programs, improved apprenticeship data and expanded trade opportunities. I commend Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon and her team for their efforts in promoting New York’s apprenticeship programs.”

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Local Sales Tax Collections Total $11.9 Billion in First Half of 2025, up 3.7% Over Prior Year

Local government sales tax collections totaled $11.9 billion in the first half of 2025, an increase of 3.7% ($423 million) compared to the same period last year, according to a report released by Comptroller DiNapoli. Year-over-year growth in collections during the first half of 2025 almost doubled that for the same period last year (1.9%) and was nearly the same as the average growth rate for the January to June period from 2010 to 2019 during the recovery and expansion following the Great Recession.

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Comptroller DiNapoli's Statement on the Rollback of EPA Climate Regulations

"Rolling back the EPA's climate regulations is a reckless act. Ignoring overwhelming scientific evidence on the growing danger of climate change created by greenhouse gas emissions will put New Yorkers’ lives and property in greater jeopardy. We've already seen the deadly consequences of rising temperatures on our communities. Undoing the federal government's ability to limit emissions will only ensure it gets worse." Read the New York Times article. 

MUNICIPAL & SCHOOL AUDITS

• Village of Addison: Former Clerk-Treasurer’s Misappropriation of Funds; Board Oversight; Payroll
• Town of Lodi
• Village of Herkimer
• Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District
• Chazy Union Free School District
• Commack Union Free School District
• East Bloomfield Central School District
• Evergreen Charter School

A L S O   I N   T H E   N E W S

• LIRR has ways to go in adopting audit recommendations, says state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli
• The Editorial Board: SNAP cuts will undermine health and create more poverty throughout New York
• Comptroller: Local sales tax collections neared $12 billion in the first half of 2025
• DiNapoli: State Labor Dept. needs to strengthen its oversight of New York’s apprenticeship programs
• Addison audits uncover years of payroll fraud and weak oversight

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P O S T   O F   T H E   W E E K

Criminal Illegal Alien Charged with Attempted Murder Following Brutal Stabbing at a Soccer Game in Alabama

 

ICE lodged an arrest detainer to keep this criminal alien off our streets and out of American communities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer against a criminal alien charged with attempted murder following a brutal stabbing attack in Baldwin County, Alabama.

According to local reports, on July 19, 2025, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office charged Javier Lopez Tinoco, a 20-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a victim three times during a public soccer game in Summerdale before fleeing the scene. When local police arrested him on July 29, 2025, he was found in possession of four small bags of cocaine.

Following the arrest, ICE immediately filed a detainer to prevent Lopez Tinoco’s release and ensure he remains in custody pending criminal and removal proceedings.

This criminal illegal alien was previously arrested by local police in 2024 for public intoxication.

“A man was nearly KILLED because this Honduran illegal alien decided to go on a stabbing spree. These are the types of criminal illegal aliens ICE is working to get off our streets and out of our country,” said Assistant Secretary McLaughlin. “ICE lodged a detainer to ensure this criminal will never be loose in American neighborhoods again. President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to put the safety of Americans FIRST.”

DHS law enforcement is protecting American communities every day from another senseless tragedy like this taking place in another town, to another family. Victims of illegal alien crime may receive support from the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office by contacting 1-855-488-6423.

Governor Hochul Announces First Empire AI Supercomputer Projects from the University at Albany

Research to Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases Including ALS, Muscular Dystrophy and Spinocerebellar Ataxias as Part of SUNY-Led Research at Empire AI Computing Center

Projects Stem From UAlbany Partnership with University of Rochester, Newest Empire AI Consortium Member

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the first Empire AI supercomputer projects from the University at Albany. Stemming from a partnership between UAlbany’s world-renowned RNA Institute and their partners at the University of Rochester, the newest member of the Governor’s Empire AI Consortium, researchers will now have access to New York State’s Empire AI supercomputer housed at the University at Buffalo.

“Empire AI is an incredible tool that allows us to harness the power of technology and innovation to change lives for the better,” Governor Hochul said. “By bringing together researchers from UAlbany and the University of Rochester and the power of Empire AI, we are paving the way to unlocking treatments for devastating diseases. This is not just research, it's proof that New York is building a brighter and healthier future for everyone.”

The UAlbany work is the latest in a series of research projects that are up and running at the first “Alpha” phase of the Empire AI computing center. UAlbany researchers will work with UR colleagues to use computer vision and AI to analyze the recorded movements of patients with neuromuscular diseases like myotonic dystrophy (DM), the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. Researchers hope to use the Empire AI system to develop innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like DM, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and spinocerebellar ataxias.

The work will be funded by approximately $230,000 in matching grants from the Muscular Dystrophy Association to UAlbany and UR, along with more than $2 million from the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense.

Empire AI is now backed by more than $500 million in public and private funding and is made up of 10 member universities and research institutions. Governor Hochul secured funding in May to expand access for SUNY researchers at UAlbany, Binghamton University, the University at Buffalo (which houses Empire AI), and Stony Brook University, and support the addition of new members including the University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. They join the seven founding members of Empire AI, SUNY, CUNY, Columbia University, Cornell University, NYU, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Flatiron Institute. Empire AI is the Governor's nation-leading initiative to advance AI research for the public good, led by an independent consortium of members and Empire State Development.

Attorney General James Sues to Block Trump Administration’s Unlawful Attacks on Gender-Affirming Care

 

AG James Leads Multistate Coalition Challenging Federal Threats Against Providers in States Where Care is Legal and Protected

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 15 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration for attacking access to gender-affirming health care for transgender and nonbinary youth. Attorney General James and the coalition are challenging a coordinated federal campaign to intimidate health care providers into halting medically necessary treatment for individuals under age 19, even in states where such care is legal and protected by law, such as New York. The attorneys general argue that the administration is unlawfully seeking to impose a nationwide ban on gender-affirming care by threatening providers with baseless criminal charges and investigations. The attorneys general are asking the court to halt this unconstitutional pressure campaign and ensure transgender youth can continue to access legally protected health care without fear.

“The federal government is running a cruel and targeted harassment campaign against providers who offer lawful, lifesaving care to children,” said Attorney General James. “This administration is ruthlessly targeting young people who already face immense barriers just to be seen and heard, and are putting countless lives at risk in the process. In New York and nationwide, we will never stop fighting for the dignity, safety, and basic rights of the transgender community.”

On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order declaring that the United States would only recognize two sexes and seeking to eliminate all federal support for what it calls “gender ideology.” A second executive order signed days later expanded the administration’s focus on eliminating gender-affirming care for youth and young adults, redefining everyone under the age of 19 as “children,” even though, in states like New York, 18-year-olds are legal adults with full medical autonomy. The order also erroneously characterized standard, evidence-based medical care as “chemical and surgical mutilation” and directed the U.S. Attorney General to prioritize enforcement actions against providers of gender-affirming care nationwide.

Attorney General James and the coalition assert that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken aggressive action to implement the president’s directives. In the months since the orders were signed, DOJ has issued guidance threatening criminal prosecution of providers, launched civil and criminal investigations into major hospitals, made broad and illegal demands for private patient data, and issued subpoenas targeting providers across the country. The attorneys general argue these actions are not based in law, as no federal statute prohibits gender-affirming care, and instead are designed to intimidate and suppress care through illegal threats and coercion.

In the complaint, the attorneys general emphasize that medical experts overwhelmingly agree that gender-affirming care is safe, necessary, and in many cases, lifesaving care. Every major medical association in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association, recognizes gender-affirming care as the appropriate treatment for gender dysphoria. Denying access to such care has been shown to significantly increase rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in transgender youth.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the administration’s campaign of intimidation is already working. Some providers are even scaling back or eliminating services entirely. In New York, several major health systems reportedly canceled young patients’ gender-affirming care appointments abruptly in the wake of the president’s executive orders, leaving families without care or guidance. Denying access to that care, the attorneys general warn, will cost lives.

The attorneys general assert that gender-affirming care is legally protected in all of their states and that federal attempts to block such care represent a blatant assault on state sovereignty in violation of the Tenth Amendment. The attorneys general assert that the administration’s actions put providers in an impossible position: either comply with unlawful federal threats or violate state laws that require nondiscriminatory access to medical care. In New York, for example, providers are legally obligated to offer care without discrimination based on gender identity or expression. The attorneys general contend that these actions violate the Constitution, exceed the government’s statutory authority, and run afoul of the Administrative Procedure Act. They are asking the court to declare the implementation of the executive orders and associated DOJ directives illegal.

Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governor of Pennsylvania.

For more information on gender-affirming care protections in New York, visit the Office of the Attorney General’s website.

Bronx Man Charged With Federal Narcotics Offenses Resulting In Death

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Frank A. Tarentino, announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging ESTHERLYN FRIAS, a/k/a “Platinum,” a/k/a “Silver,” with conspiring to distribute narcotics resulting in death in connection with the poisoning death—or “overdose”—of a victim in Greenwich, Connecticut (“Victim-1”).  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Kevin P. Castel. 

“As alleged, Estherlyn Frias has been pumping deadly drugs into our communities for years, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and more,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “The drugs that he sold claimed someone’s life, and it appears they may have claimed others before.  Shockingly, Frias appears to have stored his significant drug supply in an apartment where his two young children lived with him, mere feet away from where they slept.  Our communities’ suffering from this kind of personal profit ends now.  As the charges in this case show, together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue those who distribute illegal drugs.” 

“Another senseless death at the hands of an individual pushing illicit narcotics laced with fentanyl,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino. As alleged, Estherlyn Frias repeatedly trafficked and sold fentanyl laced products, going so far as to recklessly stash these deadly drugs in a bedroom where his children slept. While today’s indictment against Mr. Frias will not bring back the person whose life was lost; it undoubtably represents a step towards justice and likely saved countless others.  The DEA is committed to saving lives and will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners in targeting those responsible for poisoning our communities and destroying families.”

As alleged in the Indictment, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:[1]

From at least in or about January 2023 through at least in or about July 2025, FRIAS and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, cocaine base, cocaine, heroin, and methadone, including from FRIAS’s apartment in the Bronx, New York.  FRIAS used that apartment—where his girlfriend and two young children resided—as a stash house, where he stored significant quantities of a variety of narcotics.

As a consequence of the drug conspiracy engaged in by FRIAS and his co-conspirators, Victim-1 died from acute fentanyl and cocaine intoxication on or about July 1, 2025.  Victim-1 met FRIAS outside of FRIAS’s apartment the day before to buy drugs. Within about twelve hours of their meeting, Victim-1 died from consuming fentanyl and cocaine purchased from FRIAS. FRIAS had been selling Victim-1 drugs for weeks in the lead-up to dealing the drugs that killed Victim-1. Below are text messages from Victim-1’s phone in which FRIAS, saved in Victim-1’s phone under his alias “Platinum,” sent Victim-1 a menu of the drugs that he had for sale, among them “soft” (heroin), “hard” (cocaine), “down” (fentanyl), and “everything.”

Law enforcement searched FRIAS’s apartment on the night of Victim-1’s death, pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant.  There, they found, among other things: 1,413 white glassine envelopes containing fentanyl; 603 purple glassine envelopes containing fentanyl; two plastic bags containing fentanyl; a third plastic bag containing fentanyl; 585 pink glassine envelopes containing para-fluorofentanyl; a plastic bag containing heroin; a second plastic bag containing heroin; two plastic bags containing crystal methamphetamine; a third plastic bag containing methamphetamine; 777 colored capsules containing crack cocaine; and 20 plastic bottles containing methadone.  Law enforcement also recovered various drug paraphernalia, including bulk packages of empty capsules, a digital scale, and a ledger summarizing FRIAS’s drug deals.

Additional records from FRIAS’s phones include two videos, both of which depict FRIAS walking into his apartment bedroom to retrieve drugs.  In both videos, FRIAS walks past a bed in which a young child can be seen asleep.  And, in both videos, after passing the bed, FRIAS pans the camera to a dresser—mere feet from where his children slept—covered in drugs, cash, and drug paraphernalia, including, in one video, a digital scale on which a plastic bag containing a white substance is resting (depicted in a screenshot below).

FRIAS, 34, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and one count of possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The statutory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA and the Greenwich Police Department.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca R. Delfiner and Benjamin M. Burkett are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

DEC ANNOUNCES CAMPSITE RENUMBERING FOR 2026 CAMPING SEASON AT FISH CREEK POND CAMPGROUND IN ADIRONDACKS

 

Camping Reservations for Fish Creek Pond 2026 Season Paused Until December

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that Fish Creek Pond Campground located in Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks will undergo adjustments to campsite numbers for the upcoming season following the completion of the current camping season. In addition, DEC is improving campsites throughout the facility and adding new, larger ‘Family Site’ options. 

The renumbering will correct the non-sequential campsite numbers in the facility and make navigating the campground easier for visitors. New Family Sites will accommodate additional people, more vehicles, and more equipment quantities than typical campsites. 

Camping reservation for the 2026 season will be on hold until approximately December to allow for site renumbering. Once complete, DEC will post advanced notification and a “go-live” date for reservations for the public.

DEC operates 51 campgrounds and four day-use areas in the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve. The summer camping season begins in mid-May and runs through summer, with some facilities remaining open during fall foliage and hunting season. For more information on DEC-operated campgrounds, including a list of campgrounds and schedules visit DEC's website, or call DEC's Bureau of Recreation at 518-457-2500. To make reservations at any of these camping facilities, call ReserveAmerica at 1-800-456-CAMP (2267) or visit https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com/.

History Made, Again: Trump Administration Crushes Border Records in July

 

Monthly Southwest Border Apprehensions Drop Below Daily Average Under Biden Administration

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that for the third time this year, it has once again set record lows for nationwide encounters and lowest single day apprehensions.

Preliminary data from July 2025 confirms that illegal crossings have collapsed to all-time lows. Apprehensions along the Southwest border for the entire month of July were lower than the daily average under the Biden administration.  This is also the third consecutive month with zero USBP releases into the interior. 

Preliminary Records Set in July:  

•  Lowest Nationwide Encounters Ever: 24,630—down 2.4% from June and nearly 90% lower than the monthly average under the last administration.
• Lowest Border Patrol Apprehensions Nationwide: 6,177—shattering June’s all-time low.      
• Lowest Southwest Border Apprehensions: 4,598 nearly 500 than the daily average under the last administration, which averaged 5,110 apprehensions per day from Feb 2021–Dec 2024.
• Lowest Daily Apprehension Average: Just 148 per day—that’s lower than the average rate of 152 apprehensions every two hours under Biden last July.    
• Lowest Single-Day Apprehensions in History: 88 at the Southwest Border, 116 nationwide on July 20. 

“History made, again. The numbers don’t lie—this is the most secure the border has ever been,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “President Trump didn’t manage just the crisis—he obliterated it. No more excuses. No more releases. We’ve put the cartels on defense and taken our border back.”

Governor Hochul Announces Interborough Express Advancing from Planning to Active Phase

Interborough Express Project To Begin This Summer With Focus on Light Rail System Design

Direct Connections Between Brooklyn and Queens Will Reduce Travel Times Up To 30 Minutes in Either Direction

Projected Annual Ridership of 48 Million Total Trips; Higher Than Any Other Light Rail Across the U.S.

B-Roll of the Interborough Express Route Available Here and Rendering of IBX Project Available Here

Governor Hochul today announced that the engineering and design phase of the Interborough Express (IBX) has commenced, the next step in the development of the transformative transit project. On Wednesday, the MTA Board authorized the selection of a joint venture between Jacobs and HDR as the team that will oversee the design and engineering phase of the IBX. This represents major progress for the project, which will connect historically underserved communities in Brooklyn and Queens to the subway, bus and Long Island Rail Road, while significantly reducing travel times between Brooklyn and Queens, with an end-to-end run time of 32 minutes along the 14-mile line. In April, Governor Hochul approved $2.75 billion in funding for the project as part of the historic 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan.

“Building the Interborough Express will transform New York, connecting communities like never before, shortening commutes and unleashing the full potential of Brooklyn and Queens,” Governor Hochul said. “The IBX is the sort of project that future generations will describe as a no-brainer, and thanks to funding we secured for the MTA's Capital Plan, we’re not just talking about it – we’re getting it done.”

The IBX will be a new transit option for close to 900,000 residents living in neighborhoods along the route, along with 260,000 people who work near the corridor in Brooklyn and Queens. It will create 19 stations and connect with 17 different subway lines — A, C, E, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 5, 7, B, D, F, M, J, Z and L trains — 50 bus routes and two LIRR stations. The project will be built along an existing, 14-mile freight line owned by the MTA LIRR and CSX Corp. that extends from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens. New York and Atlantic Railway currently operates freight rail on the corridor under a concession agreement on the LIRR branch.

The IBX will be the first new end-to-end rapid transit built entirely within New York City since the IND Crosstown Line, now called the G, fully opened in 1937. IBX stations built in Brooklyn will be the first transit stations built in the city’s most populous borough since the A line extended from Broadway Junction to Euclid Ave in 1948. IBX stations in Queens will be the first new transit stations built since the Archer Avenue extension of the E, J, and Z lines to Jamaica in 1988.

The IBX is the latest major transportation project that Governor Hochul has advanced. In May, Governor Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey broke ground on the first phase of the new Midtown Bus Terminal project. In January, Governor Hochul and the MTA commenced the nation’s first-ever congestion pricing program, which has successfully reduced traffic and increased economic activity in Manhattan. In July 2024, Governor Hochul secured a $6.88 billion federal grant agreement for the Gateway Development Commission to proceed with the Hudson Tunnel Project, improving rail service for over 200,000 daily riders.

In November 2023, Governor Hochul secured full funding for the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway to 125 St. In April 2023, Governor Hochul provided unprecedented state support to solve the MTA's post-pandemic fiscal cliff and chart a long-term sustainable and efficient future for the agency. In January 2023, Governor Hochul opened Grand Central Madison, bringing LIRR service to east Midtown, shortening commutes and increasing service for Long Island and Queens riders. In December 2022, Governor Hochul broke ground on the Penn Access project, which will bring Metro-North service to Penn Station and to previously unserved communities in the Bronx.

Design Progress

Project design will officially kick off this summer, focusing on light rail system design including: communications and signal design, vehicle design, track design, plus civil engineering efforts such as station design, bridge reconstruction and retaining wall design and design of the operations facility and storage yard. The design process is the last major step in the project before formal construction begins.

The project has undergone further refinement to ensure that it will provide the best service for passengers for the best value. In Middle Village, Queens, the MTA is progressing with the design of a tunnel solution beneath Metropolitan Avenue, rather than on-street operations, making the proposed line less prone to travel delays due to mixed traffic operations. This refinement has reduced projected running times of the new line from 39 minutes to 32 minutes and has increased ridership projections to 160,000 per day, up 50,000 from the MTA's prior estimate. IBX’s projected annual ridership is higher than the current ridership of any other light rail system in the country at 48 million riders — the next largest is Los Angeles at 46 million riders per year.

Light Rail was determined to offer the best service to riders at the best value to the MTA, with about 70 percent of projected IBX riders transferring within the MTA system. Station locations were selected based on public feedback, ridership projections, ability for riders to transfer to other parts of the MTA network, constructability, and spacing.

Funding

The project design phase will be principally funded through $45 million secured by Governor Hochul in New York State’s 2025 budget and the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan. An additional $15 million was awarded to the MTA by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, which will fund a corridor assessment in support of the design phase. USDOT has also provided $1 million to fund innovative finance expert services for the project. The total estimated cost of the IBX project is $5.5 billion, with 50 percent of the total funding for the project secured by Governor Hochul in the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan.

Since 2023, the MTA has hosted ten open houses attended by nearly 1,000 community members along the route to raise awareness and gather feedback. The MTA also held pop-up outreach at 10 subway stations across the IBX corridor speaking with 1,300 members of the public and over 250 businesses. Every quarter, the MTA hosts a virtual community council on the project with elected officials, community groups and community boards.