CITY OF NEW YORK TAKES NEW ACTION OPPOSING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IN AMERICAN CITIES

New York City and Coalition Support Oregon’s Case Against Federal Administration  

Brief Highlights Harms to Local Public Safety and Economies  

The City of New York — as part of a coalition of 74 localities from around the nation — has filed a new amicus brief supporting Oregon’s ongoing case against the federal government’s unlawful deployment of the National Guard in Portland. In the brief, the coalition urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to affirm a district court ruling in Oregon v. Trump, which enjoined the federal government from deploying federal troops in Portland. The coalition warns against the Trump administration’s plans to deploy the National Guard at “anytime, anywhere, for any reason — based on nothing more than sporadic incidents of conflict or being a disfavored jurisdiction.” The coalition highlights the harms to local sovereignty, to local peace and tranquility, and to local economies from the federal government’s deployment of the National Guard to American cities on pretextual and political grounds.  

  

“New York City is proud to — once again — partner with a multitude of localities to assert local control over our own domain: public safety,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Our administration has been unrelenting in driving down crime, rooting out violent criminals, and protecting New Yorkers, and we have had record drops in crime thanks to our commitment to public safety and the precision policing of the NYPD. Collaboration with state and federal law enforcement has always been a key part of our public safety strategy, but we do not need a deployment of the National Guard to our city. Instead, we plan to continue to work with the federal government on areas where collaboration is warranted, such as stopping the flow of illegal guns to our city from the Iron Belt. We remain committed to keeping New Yorkers safe while upholding our constitutional rights.” 

  

“As highlighted in this brief, the president is continuing to treat American cities as military ‘training grounds’ based on pretext and misinformation that is contrary to the facts on the ground,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “Federalizing and domestically deploying the National Guard can sow chaos in local communities and should be a last resort, not a primary tactic, reserved for exceedingly rare circumstances. The district court ruling enjoining the federal government should be upheld.” 

 

In September 2025, the Trump administration deployed members of the National Guard to Portland, citing protests of immigration enforcement operations. On October 4, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruled that the deployment likely violated federal law because plaintiffs submitted evidence that the cited protests were not significantly violent or disruptive in the days or weeks leading up to the president’s directive. The federal government filed an application in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking an immediate stay of the district court’s temporary restraining order.   

 

In the amicus brief, the coalition argues that the federal government has overreached its authority and that the lower court’s injunction should remain in place, based on longstanding federal laws prohibiting the National Guard from engaging in domestic law enforcement. The brief asserts that the federal government has provided no factual basis or legal justification for deploying 200 federal troops in Portland over the objection of local officials. The coalition states that there was no invasion or rebellion directed toward the federal government that would have allowed it to lawfully deploy the National Guard under 10 U.S.C. 12406, and that this pretext dramatically increases the risk of irreparable injury by inflaming community tensions and interfering with local law enforcement personnel which is better trained to manage situations such as protests and crowd control.  

 

Further, the brief cites the chilling effect that National Guard deployments have on the local economy and taxpayers — as more customers stay inside and local businesses lose customers. Also, taxpayers are stuck paying the bill for these deployments: $134 million for Los Angeles alone and, potentially, at least $10 million for Oregon.  

 

Joining the City of New York and Portland, Oregon are the cities of Tucson, Arizona; Alameda, Anaheim, Berkeley, Culver, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San José, San Leandro, Santa Ana, Santa Monica, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, California; Denver and Ridgway, Colorado; New Haven, Connecticut; Tallahassee, Florida; Bloomington, Chicago, and Evanston, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence, Massachusetts; Ann Arbor, Bellevue, and Exeter, Michigan; Hopkins, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, Minnesota; Hoboken and Newark, New Jersey, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Hudson, Rochester, and Brighton, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Norristown, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; Austin, El Paso, Iowa Colony, and San Marcos, Texas; Burlington, Vermont; Alexandria and Norfolk, Virginia; Tacoma, Washington; Madison and Exeter, Wisconsin; as well as the counties of Pima, Arizona; Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma, California; Denver and Ouray, Colorado; Montgomery, Maryland; Ingham and Bellevue, Michigan; Columbia, Cortland, and Monroe, New York; Multnomah, Oregon; Allegheny, Bucks, Clarion, Dauphin, and Montgomery, Pennsylvania; Davidson and Shelby, Tennessee; Harris and Travis, Texas; Kings and Pierce, Washington; Dan and Exeter, Wisconsin.   

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OF 1-YEAR-OLD GIRL

Defendant Allegedly Fatally Punched His Girlfriend’s Baby in the Head; Admitted He Used “Heavy Hand”

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for second-degree Murder and other related charges in the death of a one-year-old girl he allegedly punched in the head while she was left in his care by her mother. 

District Attorney Clark said, “Imani-Dior Monique Mitchell was an innocent child whose life ended in unthinkable violence. The defendant was entrusted with her care for less than an hour by her mother, who now must bear this horrible loss.” 

District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Jerome Thomas, 19, of Union Avenue, the Bronx, was arraigned today on second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter, second-degree Manslaughter and Endangering the Welfare of a Child before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Alvin Yearwood. Remand was continued. He is due back in court on January 14, 2026. 

According to the investigation, on August 28, 2025, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., inside a Union Avenue building in the Melrose section, Le’Nesha Mitchell, 26, placed her child, oneyear-old Imani-Dior Monique Mitchell, in the care of the defendant while she went to the supermarket. When she returned, she found her daughter in bed, struggling to breathe with bruising on her face. Mitchell called 911 and the child was taken to NYC Health+Hospitals Harlem. She was found to have extensive subdural hemorrhaging and cerebral edema, which was causing her brain to herniate. 

The baby was transferred to New York Presbyterian /Columbia University Irving Medical Center where she underwent surgery in an attempt to relieve the pressure on her brain and was placed on life support. Imani-Dior was pronounced dead on September 5, 2025. Her injury was determined to be consistent with a direct forceful impact to the right side her head. The defendant allegedly admitted in a video-recorded statement that he hit Imani-Dior twice in the head with a “heavy hand”. 

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Arelis Collazo of the Bronx Homicide Squad, Detective Paolo Ruiz of the 40th Detective Squad and Officer Yuliana Comas of the 40th Precinct.

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

Attorney General James Announces Takedown of Central New York Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine Trafficking Network

17 People Charged with 125 Crimes for Drug Trafficking and Weapons Possession in Upstate New York 

Investigation Seized More Than 23 Pounds of Fentanyl, 12 Pounds of Methamphetamine, and Nearly Four Pounds of Cocaine, As Well As Guns and $880,000 in Cash

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment of 17 people for their roles in a major drug trafficking network that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine in Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, and Tompkins counties. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) seized more than 23 pounds of fentanyl worth more than $625,000 - OCTF’s largest single seizure of fentanyl powder, nearly four pounds of cocaine worth more than $125,000, and more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $32,000. 23 pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill one New Yorker every six seconds for an entire year. The investigation also seized more than $880,000 in cash tied to the drug trafficking, as well as three illegal firearms, and two vehicles used to transport and distribute the drugs. The indictment unsealed today in Onondaga County Court charges the 17 defendants with 125 crimes.  

“Traffickers who flood our communities with fentanyl and other drugs are threatening the important progress New York has made in reducing overdoses and fighting the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General James. “Thanks to the hard work of this investigation and our law enforcement partners, we took more than five million deadly doses of fentanyl off our streets. I will continue to use every resource at my disposal to put an end to these destructive drug trafficking rings and keep New Yorkers safe from dangerous narcotics.”

The investigation spanned September 2024 through May 2025 and uncovered a drug trafficking ring centered around Jaquan Jones, a/k/a “Flame,” that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine to customers throughout Central New York. Jones bought significant quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Antonio Sanchez and others, and supplied drugs to a large network of dealers. These dealers included Etiem Berrios, Ronnie Evanciew, Tyler Forshee, Joshua Goyette, Gary Jordan, Cody Lane, Nicole Lighthall, Autumn Schneider, Heather Sharpsteen, Joshua Stimpson, Zachary Thornhill, and Amanda Valenti.

Jones would arrange sales over text message, telling his customers to meet at a common location where he would then arrive and sell to them all at once. The defendants used codewords to refer to the narcotics they were selling. “Soft” referred to cocaine, “fet” or “fetty” referred to fentanyl, and “ice” referred to methamphetamine. Jones’ customers then sold to their own customers throughout the region. Jones is charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a mandatory life sentence in state prison.

The investigation recovered approximately 22 pounds of fentanyl and 12 ounces of cocaine that Jones was storing in a garage attached to a house in Syracuse. A search of an apartment rented by Sanchez in Onondaga County led to the seizure of fentanyl mixed with heroin and ketamine, along with scales, glassines, and cutting agents.

Fentanyl and heroin seized from Sanchez’s apartment

Joshua Stimpson, who is also charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, worked in conjunction with his partner, Autumn Schneider, and others to sell the drugs they bought from Jones throughout Oneida and Madison Counties. The investigation recovered more than five ounces of fentanyl, more than two ounces of cocaine, and five pounds of methamphetamine from their home.

Methamphetamine and other narcotics seized from Stimpson and Schneider’s home

The investigation revealed that Berrios also bought drugs from Alexander Medina. A search of Berrios’ home led to the seizure of an assault weapon, five extended magazines, approximately half a pound of cocaine, half an ounce of methamphetamine, and hundreds of wax envelopes containing a mix of heroin and fentanyl packaged for street sale. A search of Medina’s apartment led to the seizure of an illegal handgun, an assault weapon, approximately one pound of methamphetamine, and four ounces of cocaine.

An assault weapon seized from Berrios’ residence

Methamphetamine and an assault weapon seized from Medina’s residence

The 17 individuals who were charged in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation, including various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, and C felonies), and/or Conspiracy to commit those crimes, include:

• Etiem M. Berrios, 45 years old, of Syracuse, NY
• Chase Cahoon, 39 years old, of Rome, NY
• Cory M. Ching, 32 years old, of Poland, NY
• Ronnie R. Evanciew, 29 years old, of Taberg, NY
• Tyler J. Forshee, 30 years old, of Cortland, NY
• Joshua B. Goyette, 47 years old, of Freeville, NY
• Jaquan T. Jones, a/k/a “Flame”, 31 years old, of Syracuse, NY
• Gary M. Jordan, 53 years old, of Rome, NY
• Cody E. Lane, 29 years old, of Rome, NY
• Nicole E. Lighthall, 29 years old, of Forestport, NY
• Alexander Medina, 24 years old, of Syracuse, NY
• Antonio Sanchez, 37 years old, of New Rochelle, NY
• Autumn R. Schneider, 28 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
• Heather R. Sharpsteen, 39 years old, of Groton, NY
• Joshua J. Stimpson, 29 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
• Zachary M. Thornhill, 36 years old, of Liverpool, NY
• Amanda L. Valenti, 41 years old, of Genoa, NY

This takedown marks another major drug bust in OAG’s Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic (S.U.R.G.E.) Initiative, a law enforcement effort that brings together state and local law enforcement to target New York’s growing heroin, fentanyl, opioid, and narcotics trafficking networks. Since launching in 2017, SURGE has taken 1,008 alleged traffickers off the streets.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The investigation was led by OAG OCTF Detective Toby Lindfield, under the supervision of OCTF Assistant Chief Investigator John Monte and Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss. The OAG’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.

Local Leader of New York Capital Region Chamber of Commerce Charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor

 

Peter Bardunias Faces Potential Life Imprisonment After Allegedly Sending Sadistic Messages to Undercover Law Enforcement Official

Peter Bardunias, 59, of Clifton Park, New York, was charged today with attempting to entice a minor to engage in prohibited sexual activity. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

The criminal complaint filed today alleges that over the past two weeks, Bardunias, a Senior Vice President of Community Advancement for the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, sent messages to an individual he believed to be a 15 year-year-old girl during which he discussed subjecting the would-be minor to violent and sadistic sexual activity.

As alleged in the complaint, Bardunias told the individual—who was in fact an undercover law enforcement official—that he wanted to, among other things, “strangle[]” and “tortur[e]” the purported child while raping them. On October 6, 2025, Bardunias traveled to Warren County, New York, to meet the would-be minor and brought them candy to make them feel more comfortable. Bardunias was taken into custody shortly thereafter. The complaint also alleges that a federal search warrant executed at Bardunias’ residence revealed a box of sex toys which included restraints and a knife consistent with the materials used for the “torture chamber” Bardunias told the would-be child he was going to prepare to rape and torture them within.

“Parents need to be hyper-aware of conversations their children are having via text or online — predators often lurk behind screens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This man’s alleged crimes are shocking, and our prosecutors will ensure he faces severe consequences for his evil conduct towards an innocent child.”

“As alleged in the federal criminal complaint filed today, Peter Bardunias attempted to engage in what can only be described as heinous, unspeakable, and violent actions against a minor,” Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said. “I am thankful that the FBI intervened to ensure that he was unable to follow through in any of this horrific activity with a real minor, and our community is safer tonight because Bardunias is behind bars.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated, “As detailed in the criminal complaint, the allegations against Mr. Bardunias are truly horrific. His intentions were beyond disturbing and have resulted in serious federal charges. The FBI commends the brave individual who contacted us with information that immediately launched this investigation and put an end to these disturbingly sinister plans. We will continue to use every resource available to find and hold accountable any predator looking to victimize our most vulnerable, and we encourage anyone with additional information on Mr. Bardunias to contact our office.”

The charge filed against Bardunias carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Bardunias had an initial appearance today in Albany, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista, and was held in custody pending a detention hearing set for Friday, October 10, 2025.

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

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Hartunian is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

WITH FOUR WEEKS TO ELECTION DAY, CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION LAUNCHES DIGITAL PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN AND FAQ MATERIALS

 

Commission Public Education Campaign Aims to Ensure New Yorkers Know to Flip Their Ballots this November  

The NYC Charter Revision Commission (CRC) today launched its paid public education campaign, including a series of videos featuring high-profile New York leaders aimed at ensuring voters know to flip their ballots when they go to the polls. The campaign includes digital media ads, public information infrastructure like Link NYC kiosks and Taxi TV, and a newly released “frequently asked questions” document to dispel misinformation as voters seek to learn more about the proposals on their ballot this year.   

 

The multilingual public education videos include leaders such as Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión Jr., Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, Interim Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Ahmed Tigani, Comptroller Brad Lander, CRC Chair Richard R. Buery, Jr., Chinatown Partnership Executive Director Wellington Chen, faith-based affordable housing builder Ericka Keller, “The Homeless Hero” and housing activist Shams DaBaron, and affordable housing resident and nonprofit leader Anasthasia Blair.  

 

“New Yorkers know that we have a generational housing crisis that is driving neighbors and family members out of this city. This November, New Yorkers will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to have a direct say on the future of housing. Over the next four weeks, we’ll be working to ensure that New Yorkers flip their ballots and vote on potential reforms to the City Charter,” said Alec Schierenbeck, Executive Director of the Charter Revision Commission. “From digital ads, to Link NYC kiosks, to neighborhood association meetings, we’re doing everything we can to give New Yorkers the facts about what these proposals would do.”  

 

In July, the Charter Revision Commission voted to advance five proposals to New York City voters, which include reforms to the City’s “Constitution” that would speed review of housing and land use proposals, particularly affordable housing and modest land use changes. The ballot questions are available for public review here, and the CRC’s adopted final report detailing its rationale for the proposals is available here.   

 

The public education campaign builds on extensive public outreach by the CRC, including ten public hearings, three public meetings, and a public info session, at which the CRC received over 30 hours of testimony and more than 3,000 written comments. The CRC has also worked to educate New Yorkers at meetings of community, neighborhood, and faith groups, aiming to ensure that voters know to flip their ballots this fall.