Former Bronx District Leader And Board Of Elections Employee Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Extortion And Fraud

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that NICOLE TORRES, a former elected district leader in the Bronx and employee of the New York City Board of Elections (the “NYC-BOE”), was sentenced today to two years in prison for participating in conspiracies to commit extortion and mail fraud for illegally demanding payments from Bronx residents in exchange for selecting those individuals as poll workers and for agreeing with others to falsify documents to make it appear that certain individuals had worked as poll workers when they had not.  TORRES previously pled guilty on April 17, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, who imposed today’s sentence. 

“For years, Nicole Torres abused her power to corrupt one of New York City’s most fundamental democratic processes,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “By shaking down Bronx residents and falsifying election records, she undermined trust in the very system New Yorkers depend on to make their voices heard.  New Yorkers can and should rely on the integrity of the election process, and public officials who contaminate the process and betray this city and its people will be held accountable.” 

As detailed in public filings and public court proceedings:           

From at least 2019 through at least 2024, TORRES was a district leader for New York’s 81st Assembly District in the Bronx.  In addition, from at least 2016 through at least 2024, TORRES was an employee of the NYC-BOE.  While working at the NYC-BOE, TORRES had at times been responsible for ensuring that poll workers were paid for their work during early voting and Election Day. TORRES abused her power as a district leader and a NYC-BOE employee to engage in two illegal schemes. 

First, from at least 2019 through August 2024, TORRES agreed to require and required Bronx residents to pay a sum of money, usually $150, either to her or to a local organization (the “Bronx Organization”) in exchange for TORRES selecting those individuals as poll workers for upcoming elections.  Both the Bronx Organization and TORRES profited from the scheme.  TORRES personally obtained at least approximately $28,000 in illegal payments.  TORRES received the payments, often in the amount of $150, through mobile payment applications, money orders, and checks.  In certain instances, TORRES received money orders or checks that were written out to the Bronx Organization, and TORRES altered the payee line on those money orders or checks to say “Nicole Torres” so that she could deposit that money into her personal bank account. 

Second, from at least 2018 through August 2024, TORRES agreed to falsify the Election District Forms Booklet—which is a NYC-BOE record in which poll workers record their attendance at a particular poll site—to make it appear that certain individuals (the “‘No Show’ Poll Workers”) worked as poll workers during early voting and Election Day when, in truth and fact, and as TORRES well knew, those individuals did not work on those dates. TORRES often worked with coordinators who oversaw the Forms Booklets at specific poll sites.  These coordinators signed in “No Show” Poll Workers in the Forms Booklets, frequently at TORRES’s direction. TORRES and her coconspirators then received the salaries for the “No Show” Poll Workers—sometimes through the mail—and split the fraudulently obtained salaries among themselves. 

Based on her participation in the two schemes, TORRES personally earned at least approximately $40,970.   

In addition to her prison term, TORRES, 44, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture of $40,970.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.         

NYGOP Response to Mamdani Rally in the Bronx

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement:

 

"Today’s rally in the Bronx says everything you need to know about the Democratic Party in New York. Disgraced and discredited Attorney General Tish James headlined an event for Zohran Mamdani, a radical who wants to defund the police in a borough that is crying out for more safety, not less.

 

"Only Curtis Sliwa has the courage and vision to deliver the safe, affordable city that New Yorkers deserve." 

NYPD ANNOUNCES RECORD-LOW SHOOTING INCIDENTS AND SHOOTING VICTIMS FOR THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THE YEAR

 

Safest August in Recorded History for Subway Crime, Excluding Pandemic Years

Record-Low Number of Burglaries for August, Retail Theft Declines by 22%

Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced that in the first eight months of 2025, New York City saw the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims in recorded history. During the eight-month stretch, the city recorded 489 shooting incidents and 611 shooting victims, compared to the previous all-time lows of 502 and 612 in 2018. The historically low shooting numbers helped drive declines in major crime, with a 6.7% overall drop in August 2025 when compared to the same time last year.

Crime has consistently declined each quarter since January 2024, with the city currently in its seventh straight quarter of major crime decline. This past August was the safest August on record for subway crime, excluding the COVID-period of 2020-2021, and year-to-date, transit robberies are at the lowest levels in recorded history. Burglary was at a record low for the month of August and retail theft declined by a significant 22%.

“In the first eight months of the year, the NYPD drove down shooting incidents and shooting victims to the lowest levels in our city’s history,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Below ground on our subways, we have cut crime down to record-lows, excluding the pandemic years. Our focus has been on taking illegal guns off the streets, arresting violent gang members, and deploying our most valuable resource — the men and women of the NYPD — on foot posts where they are most needed, and the results are clear: Our strategy is working, and our cops are driving down crime.”

“As August closed, we continued to break more records: shooting incidents and shooting victims for the first eight months of the year were at their lowest levels in recorded history, and crime in our subways in August was at the lowest in recorded history,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “But even with the tremendous steps we’ve taken in making our city safer, we know that one crime is still one crime too many, and a number of heartbreaking incidents remain at the forefront of people’s minds. We see so much promise in New York City, and it is readily apparent that our public safety plan is working. We will continue to make adjustments as we see spikes, but thanks to the brave men and women of the NYPD, New York continues to be America’s safest big city.”

The NYPD celebrated the hiring of nearly 1,100 police officer recruits in August, marking the largest class of officers sworn in by the NYPD since January 2016. So far this year, the NYPD has hired 2,911 recruits — the highest number since 2006 — with another class still scheduled for this year. In 2025, the department is on pace to hire the greatest number of new NYPD officers in recorded history.

The NYPD’s successful recruitment campaign supported the department’s precision policing efforts this summer. On May 5, the NYPD deployed a Summer Violence Reduction Plan across 72 zones covering 59 communities with more than 2,000 uniformed officers assigned to nightly foot posts in precincts, public housing, and the subway system — all focused on high-priority crimes and shootings. The plan has resulted in consistent crime declines this summer, with major crime down 19%, shootings down 51%, felony assaults down 25%, and robberies down 23% in these zones during deployment hours.

Targeted gang takedowns continue to play a major role in driving down violence and removing guns from the street. So far this year, NYPD detectives have carried out a record-high 55 gang-related takedowns — arresting 396 gang members and associates.

In August, citywide burglary declined by 18.9% (963 vs. 1,187) and is down for the third consecutive year.

Retail theft is also down 12% year-to-date, and 22% in the month of August. Significantly, NYPD officers made more than 2,200 shoplifting arrests last month alone, and more than 19,000 arrests citywide so far this year.

This sea change is the direct result of the department’s overhaul of its approach to combating retail theft, including:

• Deploying officers on foot posts in high propensity locations during the windows of time when retail theft is most likely to occur;
• Placing special emphasis on investigating petit larceny;
• Establishing patterns and identifying recidivists;
• Creating tight coordination with transit officers who catch shoplifters fleeing in the subways; and
• Placing special emphasis on this crime and these cases at weekly CompStat meetings.

In the month of August, robbery dropped by 8.2% (1,365 vs. 1,487), felony assault was down by 6.6% (2,441 vs. 2,614), and grand larceny decreased by 4.2% (4,202 vs. 4,384). Grand larceny auto declined 3.7% (9,204 vs. 9562) year-to-date.

The NYPD brought crime down in the transit system by 22.4% (156 vs. 201) in August. So far this year, overall crime in the subway is at its lowest levels in recorded history, excluding the two pandemic years when transit ridership was artificially depressed.

Housing crime declined by 8.8% (485 vs. 532) for the month. Year-to-date, murders are at their lowest level ever across housing, down 22.6% (22 v. 30).

The number of incidents investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force decreased by 35%.

In August, the city recorded 77 shooting incidents, a 4% increase compared to last August’s record setting lows. However, August 2025 was still the third lowest for shooting incidents in recorded history. Over the past three and a half years, the NYPD has taken more than 23,445 illegal guns off our streets, including more than 3,685 seized in 2025 alone. In the month of August, murder increased 33% (28 vs. 21) but remains down 19.6% year-to-date compared to the same period last year.

Rape incidents increased by 24% in August compared to the same period in 2024 (160 vs. 129). The rise in reported incidents is partly attributed to September 2024’s legislative changes broadening the legal definition of rape in New York State, which now includes additional forms of sexual assault. Many reported cases involved individuals known to each other. The NYPD continues to encourage survivors of sexual assault to come forward and report these incidents.

*All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change. *

Index Crime Statistics: August 2025

	August 2025	August 2024	+/-	% Change
Murder	28	21	7	33.3%
Rape	160	129	31	24%
Robbery	1365	1487	-122	-8.2%
Felony Assault	2441	2614	-173	-6.6%
Burglary	963	1187	-224	-18.9%
Grand Larceny	4202	4384	-182	-4.2%
Grand Larceny Auto	1342	1429	-87	-6.1%
TOTAL	10501	11251	-750	-6.7%

Additional Statistics: August 2025

	August 2025	August 2024	+/-	% Change
Transit	156	201	-45	-22.4%
Housing	485	532	-47	-8.8%
Shooting Incidents	77	74	3	4.1%

Hate Crime Statistics: August 2025

(Representing August 1 – August 31 for calendar years 2025 and 2024)

Motivation	2025	2024	+/-	% Change
Age	0	3	-3	-100%
Asian	2	3	-1	-33%
Black	2	3	-1	-33%
Ethnic	2	6	-4	-67%
Gender	1	2	-1	-50%
Hispanic	0	1	-1	-100%
Jewish	19	16	3	19%
Muslim	2	13	-11	-85%
Religion	2	1	1	100%
Sexual Orientation	4	3	1	33%
White	0	1	-1	-100%
Grand Total	34	52	-18	-35%

Note: Statistics above are subject to change upon investigation, as active possible bias cases may be reclassified to non-bias cases and removed from counted data. 

NYC Council Leadership Calls on Board of Elections to Reject Three of Mayor Adams’ Ballot Proposals for Using Language That Seeks to Deceive Voters by Concealing Their Effect, Violating State Law

 

Submitted ballot language hides proposals’ fundamental changes to remove New Yorkers’ power and voice in public land use decisions, which undermines neighborhood residents’ ability to secure more affordable housing and community benefits  

Today, leaders from both the Majority and Minority conferences of the New York City Council urged the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) to reject three ballot proposals (Proposals 2, 3 and 4) submitted by Mayor Eric Adams’ Charter Revision Commission for the 2025 General Election, due to their deceptive and inaccurate language making them noncompliant with state law. In a letter to BOE commissioners, the request for the proposals’ rejection highlights that New York State Municipal Home Rule Law requires that referenda “clearly … indicate the effect of their approval.” However, the language for these three proposals fails to disclose that they eliminate the voting authority of the City Council on a range of public land use decisions, which is currently the only vote by democratically elected representatives within the process. They would shift authority for land use decisions from the democratically elected City Council to unelected appointees, the majority of whom are chosen by the mayor. Yet, neither the proposals’ questions nor their associated abstracts that voters will encounter on their election ballots clearly state these major changes. 

The misleading nature of Mayor Adams’ ballot proposal language leaves voters without a clear understanding of the implications of their decisions and therefore, fails to meet statutory requirements and a basic commitment to democracy that respects voters’ informed consent and will. 

“When New York City voters weigh in on ballot questions this November, they deserve to know the impact of their decision in clear and honest terms,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Mayor Adams’ ballot questions 2, 3, and 4 attempt to mislead voters by hiding their real impact of eliminating the public’s power over land use decisions that allow new development. This major change to remove the only democratically elected entity with voting power in the land use process undermines New Yorkers’ ability to secure more affordable housing and investments for their neighborhoods. The Board of Elections should protect voters and voting rights by rejecting Mayor Adams’ ballot proposals 2, 3, and 4 for intentionally concealing their impact from voters at the ballot.” 

The full letter can be accessed here. 

The letter states: “When the City Board of Elections makes its upcoming Election Law Section 4-114 determination of the November 2025 ballot, it must reject these three ballot questions based on the law. In particular, the three questions fail to inform voters that the ballot proposals will completely eliminate the City Council’s existing authority on behalf of the public to approve or modify a wide range of land use proposals.” 

“Questions 2, 3, and 4 must be rejected for placement on the November ballot because their primary impact is being hidden from voters, undermining the franchise,” the letter continues. “Failing to disclose this information is no small omission. It is not fair to ask New Yorkers to vote on such major changes to a significant democratic process without ever actually telling them what they are voting to change in accurate and clear terms. The Board of Elections has an essential responsibility and role in ensuring that voters are not misled here.” 

The letter indicates: “New York Courts have upheld Board of Election Commissioners’ ability to exercise that power where proposed ballot questions are unclear about a crucial aspect of a proposed ballot initiative. Lenihan v. Blackwell, 209 A.D.2d 1048, 1049 (4th Dep’t 1994).” 

For 35 years, New Yorkers have relied on the City Council’s role as the only democratically elected body with the power to vote on local land use decisions. This authority ensures that communities have a voice in shaping development in their neighborhoods, and it has been leveraged to win deeper affordability in new housing and secure investments that strengthen neighborhoods across the city, including for schools, childcare centers, parks, open space, public transit, and core infrastructure needs. These potential ballot proposals would remove the democratically elected Council from the process and undermine its work on behalf of the public to secure critical benefits from the City and developers for neighborhoods as part of approved development. The attempted refusal to inform New York City voters about the choice before them is an intentional deception and shameful disregard of democracy by Mayor Adams and his Commission, which must be rejected. 

DHS Announces New Reimbursement Opportunities for State and Local Law Enforcement Partnering with ICE to Arrest the Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens

Funding from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill supported the expansion of 287(g) partnerships with state and local law enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new reimbursement opportunities for state and law enforcement who are helping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest and remove the worst of the worst including murderers, gang members, rapists, terrorists, and pedophiles from American communities.  

Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, ICE supercharged efforts with state and local law enforcement to assist federal immigration officers in our efforts to make America safe again. 287(g) partnerships have increased 609%—from 135 agreements to 958. 

The 287(g) Program Task Force Model provides participating state and local law enforcement with the tools, training, and resources to enforce immigration laws while performing routine police duties. Currently, state and local police are participating from 40 states, with 8,501 Trained Task Force Officers and over 2,000 additional officers in-training. 

Starting October 1, 2025, participating law enforcement will have these reimbursement opportunities: 

• ICE will fully reimburse participating agencies for the annual salary and benefits  of each eligible trained 287(g) officer, including overtime coverage up to 25% of the officer’s annual salary.
• Law enforcement agencies will be eligible for quarterly monetary performance awards based on the successful location of illegal aliens provided by ICE and overall assistance to further ICE’s mission to Defend the Homeland:
  • 90% - 100% - $1,000 per eligible task force officer
  • 80% - 89% - $750 per eligible task force officer
  • 70% - 79% - $500 per eligible task force officer 

"ICE is not only supercharging our hiring, we are also multiplying partnerships with state and local law enforcement to remove the worst of the worst including murderers, gang members, rapists, terrorists, and pedophiles from our country. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE launched a new reimbursement program for state and local law enforcement who partner with DHS to make America safe again,” said ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. “We encourage all state and local law enforcement agencies to sign a 287(g) agreement now. By joining forces with ICE, you’re not just gaining access to these unprecedented reimbursement opportunities—you’re becoming part of a national effort to ensure the safety of every American family.”  

DHS encourages all state and local law enforcement agencies to sign a 287(g) agreement to help defend the homeland and to gain access to these reimbursement opportunities. Learn more at https://www.ice.gov/287g. 

The Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging Illinois Laws Providing In-State Tuition and Scholarships for Illegal Aliens

 

The United States is challenging Illinois laws providing in-state tuition and scholarships for illegal aliens. These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens, who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates or scholarships, in direct conflict with federal law. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the Department of Justice filed a complaint in the Southern District of Illinois against the State of Illinois, Governor Pritzker, the State Attorney General, and the boards of trustees of state universities in Illinois seeking to enjoin the State from enforcing the Illinois laws and bring them into compliance with federal requirements.

In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of Illinois laws that requires colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Illinois residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. The Illinois laws blatantly conflict with federal law and are thus in conflict with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

“Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice has already filed multiple lawsuits to prevent U.S. students from being treated like second-class citizens — Illinois now joins the list of states where we are relentlessly fighting to vindicate federal law.”

“Illinois has an apparent desire to win a ‘race to the bottom’ as the country’s leading sanctuary state. Its misguided approach mandating in-state tuition, scholarships, and financial aid to illegal aliens plainly violates federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “This policy treats illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens living in other states and incentivizes even more illegal immigration, all on the taxpayer’s dime. Illinois citizens deserve better.”

This lawsuit follows two executive orders signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment. The first, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders" orders all agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.” The second, “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens," directs relevant officials to “take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”

Attorney General James Wins Latest Challenge to Trump Administration’s Tariffs

 

U.S. Court of Appeals Sides with AG James and 11 Other States in Ruling Trump Administration’s “Emergency” Tariffs Illegal

New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the Trump administration’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are illegal. The court ruled in favor of Attorney General James and a coalition of 11 other attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in April for violating the law by imposing massive new tariffs under IEEPA, causing severe economic turmoil for workers and businesses:

“Once again, a court has ruled that the president cannot invent a fake economic emergency to justify billions of dollars in tariffs. These tariffs are a tax on Americans — they raise costs for working families and businesses throughout our country, causing more inflation and job losses. This decision is yet another major victory in our efforts to uphold the law and protect New Yorkers’ wallets.”

In April, Attorney General James and the coalition sued the Trump administration for unlawfully imposing tariffs under IEEPA. In May, the United States Court of International Trade ruled in favor of Attorney General James and the coalition, deciding that the Trump administration’s tariffs issued under IEEPA are invalid. The U.S. Court of Appeals today affirmed that the Trump administration does not have the authority to impose these tariffs by executive order under IEEPA. 

Joining Attorney General James in this challenge to the administration’s tariffs are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont.

Before the First Day of School, Governor Hochul Reminds Parents to Review the Distraction-free Policy for Their Child’s School District

Starting This Week, New York Requires Bell-to-Bell Smartphone Restrictions in K-12 Schools Statewide

New Yorkers Can Visit ny.gov/phonefree To Find the Distraction-Free Policy Published by Their Child’s School District

With the first day of school coming up this week, Governor Hochul is once again reminding New York parents to visit ny.gov/phonefree to review the distraction-free learning policy for their child’s school district or charter school. As part of New York State law, K-12 public schools, charter schools and BOCES are now implementing bell-to-bell restrictions on smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices. The ny.gov/phonefree webpage enables parents and students to look up the distraction-free policies published by approximately 1,080 public school districts, charter schools and BOCES.

“Our kids succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and that’s why New York schools are ready for bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions,” Governor Hochul said. “I encourage parents to review the distraction-free policy for their child’s school district to help prepare for this important transition, which I know will deliver incredible results for students, teachers and families.”

The Distraction-Free Schools law signed by Governor Hochul requires bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions in K-12 school districts statewide, starting with the 2025-26 school year.

Governor Hochul’s policy creates a statewide standard for distraction-free schools in New York including:

• Prohibiting unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day (from “bell to bell”), including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods
• Allowing schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day — giving administrators and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their buildings and students
• Securing $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions to help them go distraction-free
• Requiring schools to give parents a way to contact their kids during the day when necessary
• Requiring teachers, parents and students to be consulted in developing the local policy
• Preventing inequitable discipline

Governor Hochul’s policy allows authorized access to simple cellphones without internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans.

Additionally, the Governor’s policy includes several exemptions to smartphone restrictions, including for students who require access to an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), for academic purposes or for other legitimate purposes, such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies.

Governor Hochul pursued this initiative after engaging in a statewide listening tour with teachers, parents and students. Her report, “More Learning, Less Scrolling: Creating Distraction-Free Schools” underscores the following:

• Smartphones distract students and inhibit learning and creativity
• Phone-free environments do not compromise student safety
• Phone-free environments support the mental health of students and teachers
• Open communication and direct guidance for all stakeholders is key for successful implementation
• Schools must address any parent concerns about staying in contact with their children during the day
• An effective distraction-free policy must focus on the entire school day, rather than solely on time in the classroom
• Schools can strengthen their distraction-free environment by connecting more students with in-person engagement like clubs, sports, arts and other programming