State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's Weekly News - Comptroller DiNapoli Connects with Communities Across NYC

 

The Neighborhood Pulse: Comptroller DiNapoli Connects with Communities Across NYC

State Comptroller DiNapoli recently joined public officials, small business owners, local leaders and residents on a series of vibrant neighborhood visits across New York City, including neighborhoods in The Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan. These visits highlighted the vitality of these communities, spotlighted local businesses, and prompted important discussions of the unique opportunities and challenges in each of these diverse areas of the City. Community organizations and residents also found lost money through the Unclaimed Funds program.

The Bronx: Castle Hill’s Diversity and Economic Opportunities

Comptroller DiNapoli's visit to Castle Hill in The Bronx, alongside Senator Nathalia Fernandez and Assemblymember Karines Reyes highlighted the neighborhood’s diversity and economic opportunities. It included stops at Ponce Bank, which received $35 million from the State to increase available funds for small businesses and home lending, as well as local staples Melanie's Roti and Mason Rx Pharmacy. The day concluded with the return of over $20,000 in unclaimed funds to local organizations.

Queens: Celebrating Community and Culture in Jackson Heights & Corona

In Jackson Heights and Corona in Queens, Comptroller DiNapoli joined Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and NYC Council Member Shekar Krishnan and visited vital healthcare resources and vibrant community hubs. Stops included Patino Eyecare and Superior Pharmacy, as well as Friend’s Tavern, Viva La Heights, and Los Arrieros. More than $6,000 was returned in unclaimed funds to local businesses.

Harlem: Connecting with Residents and Cultural Landmarks

In Harlem, Comptroller DiNapoli joined with Assemblymember Jordan Wright and Elinor Tatum of the New York Amsterdam News to connect with residents and explore the community's rich history. The visit focused on cultural landmarks and small businesses, connecting directly with residents about the issues that matter most to them. A number of community groups and business owners found a combined $16,000 in unclaimed funds.

Reuniting New Yorkers With Their Lost Money

On his neighborhood visits, as always, Comptroller DiNapoli emphasized his efforts to reunite rightful owners with their lost money, also known as unclaimed funds. From these three visits alone, more than $42,000 in funds were claimed, money that can now be used for business growth and community initiatives.

Do you have lost funds? If you or your business has lived or operated in New York, you may have unclaimed funds waiting to be found. All New Yorkers and organizations are encouraged to check the official state database to see if they have unclaimed funds.

Search for Unclaimed Funds

M U N I C I P A L  &  S C H O O L   A U D I T S

• Exploration Elementary Charter School for Science and Technology – Non-Payroll Disbursements
• Greenburgh Central School District – Procurement
• Elmira City School District – Capital Projects
• Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District – Emergency Drills

A G E N C Y   A U D I T S

• NYC Public Schools - College Readiness (Follow-Up)
• Department of Health - Medicaid Program – Oversight of Managed Care Provider Networks
• MTA - Transforming Into Construction & Development
• Department of Health - Medicaid Program – Improper Payments for Certain Third-Party Cost-Sharing Claims
• NYC Department of Social Services - New York City Department of Homeless Services – Oversight of Contract Expenditures of Institute for Community Living, Inc. (Follow-Up)
• Office of Mental Health - Oversight of Kendra’s Law (Follow-Up)

A L S O   I N   T H E   N E W S

• Sales tax surge offers relief as New York readies for federal funding shock
• Musk Wins $1 Trillion Pay Package, Creating Split Screen on Wealth in America
• Long Island needs feds for disaster prep and response
• New Windsor couple accused of Medicaid fraud scheme
• Millions in ‘Buy Local’ School Lunch Funds Going Unused, Recommends Removing Red Tape

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P O S T   O F   T H E   W E E K

Mexican National Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Transporting Woman to Engage in Commercial Sex

 

A 42-year-old citizen of Mexico has been ordered to prison after recruiting an 18-year-old victim from Mexico, abusing her, and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts in Houston, Texas.

Clemente Melendez Gutierrez was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty in August to one count of transportation for the purposes of prostitution.

“The defendant preyed upon this vulnerable victim and used physical abuse to coerce her to travel to the United States to engage in commercial sex for his own financial gain,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the severity of the defendant’s conduct, and the DOJ will relentlessly prosecute and hold accountable sex traffickers.”

“The damage inflicted by this defendant is immeasurable. Gutierrez subjected his victims to years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse in pursuit of his own personal profit,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Today’s sentence underscores our office’s steadfast pursuit of those who prey upon and exploit women for financial gain. Let it be known – human trafficking has no home in the Southern District of Texas.”

Melendez recruited the 18-year-old victim in 2007 using the false pretense of a romantic relationship. After meeting her in person in Mexico, he transported her away from her home, isolated her at his parents’ house, and told her that she was going to have to start working in commercial sex. When she refused, Melendez physically abused her—dragging her by the hair and punching and kicking her—then made her engage in commercial sex acts at a hotel in Mexico.

Several days later, Melendez had the victim smuggled across the U.S. border and traveled with her to Houston, Texas. After they arrived, he told the victim that she owed him thousands of dollars for her transportation and told her that she would have to work at a cantina and engage in commercial sex in the hidden back rooms of the cantina to repay her debt.

Melendez set a quota for how much money the victim had to make each night, and he was violent with her when she did not work enough or make enough money. Melendez had the victim work at multiple cantinas and other locations until she was finally able to get away from the defendant in 2013. Between 2005 and 2021, Melendez repeated this pattern of conduct multiple times with different women and girls.

The FBI Houston Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission investigated the case.

“This sentence brings long-awaited, and overdue, justice for the victim who was subjected to years of abuse and exploitation at the hands of Melendez Gutierrez,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “Unfortunately, the physical, mental and emotional manipulation and trauma the victim suffered at the hands of this ‘suitor-turned-monster’ will remain with her forever. His long-awaited prison sentence reflects the tireless work and unwavering dedication of the investigators, victim specialists and prosecutors who, through the years, stood alongside the victim to ensure her voice was heard and her suffering acknowledged. While no prison sentence can erase the pain and trauma his victims endured, our hope is that today’s outcome represents accountability, justice and a step toward healing and hope.”

“With this sentence, we have removed a dangerous predator from the community who used physical and sexual abuse, threats of violence and psychological manipulation to groom and control his victims and force them to engage in commercial sex for his own profit,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “Working alongside our partners, we exposed his criminal scheme and helped ensure he was held fully accountable for his actions and the harm caused to the victims.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Valenti for the Southern District of Texas and Trial Attorneys Lindsey Roberson and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking. 

ICE Receives More than 200,000 Applications to Join ICE Law Enforcement to Help Remove Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens from U.S.

 

ICE received more than 200,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to help remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, terrorists, and rapists from the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received more than 200,000 applications from Americans who want to join ICE to help arrest and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from America’s streets.

“ICE has received more than 200,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the U.S.,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “Americans are answering their country's call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our country.”

ICE is offering a robust package of federal law enforcement incentives. You may be entitled to these benefits:

• A maximum $50,000 signing bonus
• Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
• 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents
• Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime for Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers
• Enhanced retirement benefits

For more information or to apply, visit: www.join.ice.gov

Arizona Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Plot Targeting Christian Churches

 

Zimnako Salah, 46, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced in the Eastern District of California to six years in prison in connection with his plot targeting Christian churches.

In March 2025, a jury in Sacramento convicted Salah of strapping a backpack around the toilet of a Christian church in Roseville, with the intent to convey a hoax bomb threat and to obstruct the free exercise of religion of the congregants who worshipped there. The jury’s verdict included a special finding that Salah targeted the church because of the religion of the people who worshipped there, making the offense a hate crime.

According to the evidence at trial, from September to November of 2023, Salah traveled to four Christian churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, wearing black backpacks. At two of those churches, Salah planted those backpacks, placing congregants in fear that they contained bombs. At the other two churches, Salah was confronted by security before he got the chance to plant those backpacks.

While Salah had been making bomb threats by planting backpacks in Christian churches, he had been building a bomb capable of fitting in a backpack. During a search of his storage unit, an FBI Bomb Technician seized items that an FBI Bomb Expert testified at trial served as component parts of an improvised explosive device (IED).

A search of Salah’s social media records revealed that he had consumed extremist propaganda online. Specifically, those records showed that Salah had searched for videos of “Infidels dying,” and he had watched videos depicting ISIS terrorists murdering people. In a cellphone video taken days before the crimes of conviction, Defendant Salah declared, “America. We are going to destroy it.”

“This sentencing sends a clear message: those who target people because of their faith will face the full force of federal law,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to protect the rights of all people of faith to worship and live free from fear, and we will hold accountable anyone who threatens or harms them.”

“Salah’s seeming ultimate goal to bomb a Christian church would have resulted in many deaths and injuries if his plan had not been thwarted,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “Thanks to the action of church security, local law enforcement, and the FBI, this defendant was stopped before he had a chance to carry out the crimes he sought to commit. Today’s sentence is justified by the history and characteristics of this defendant and serves to protect the public from this defendant. And it affirms that people of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence.”

“The FBI has zero tolerance for those who target Americans based on their religious beliefs,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “Salah sought to instill fear and disrupt Christian communities across California, Colorado, and Arizona. We are grateful for the cooperation of these churches and communities, which were vital in the investigation that led to Salah’s arrest and conviction. Today’s sentencing highlights the collective efforts of law enforcement and vigilant Americans in preventing this act of terrorism.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Roseville Police Department, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego Harbor Police Department, and the Arapahoe County (CO) Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Christopher Perras and Trial Attorney Sarah Howard of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea Kenny for the Eastern District of California.

Weekly News from State Senator Gustavo Rivera!

 

SENATOR RIVERA CONGRATULATES MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI ON HIS VICTORY

This week, Senator Rivera exercised his right to vote, joining thousands of neighbors in The Bronx and millions of New Yorkers across the City. Over 2 million New Yorkers voted, the largest election turnout in over 50 years.

Senator Rivera wants to congratulate Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani for running an excellent campaign, and for inspiring so many New Yorkers to engage in the political process. Senator Rivera released the following statement following the announcement of the Transition team for the Mamdani administration:

“Congratulations to the incredible Co-Chairs and Executive Director of the Mamdani Transition team. These first appointments set the tone for the incoming administration: bona fide experts tapped for their know-how and their shared mission. Governing this great City will take even more people power than winning this election did. I’m tremendously excited by what Mayor-elect Mamdani has done on day one of the transition. I look forward to supporting him and this team.”

Last Sunday, Senator Rivera attended the Veterans Day Commemoration at Memorial Grove in Van Cortlandt Park, where 21 bronze plaques were placed beneath newly planted oak trees.

Special thanks to Bronx Community Board 8, its Special Committee on Veterans Services, and the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance for holding this thoughtful event to honor our nation's veterans and active service members!

On Tuesday, November 11, our country commemorates Veterans Day where we honor the brave men and women of our Armed Forces. Their sacrifices ensure our safety and protect the freedoms we cherish as Americans. Thank you for your service and unwavering commitment to our country. 

SENATOR RIVERA ATTENDS THE 2025 SOMOS CONFERENCE IN PUERTO RICO

This week, Senator Rivera is attending the 2025 SOMOS Conference in Puerto Rico.

Senator Rivera joined Rose Duhan, CEO of Community Health Care Association of New York (CHCANYS), Jorge Rivera Agosto, Associate at Greenberg and Taurig LLP, Chef Greg Silverman, CEO of the West Side Coalition Against Hunger, Assemblyman David L. Weprin, and Elisabeth Benjamin, Vice President and Managing Director at the Community Service Society of New York for a workshop to unravel the health-related provisions in Federal Reconciliation, analyze the impacts of the recent and proposed Medicaid and SNAP cuts, and explore legislative and policy strategies to protect vulnerable families.

These experts helped participants gain a clearer understanding of the legal and policy landscape, provided data-driven strategies to mitigate harm, and discussed opportunities for coordinated advocacy and reinvestment for impacted communities. Thank you to all the panelists for joining!

THE RESULTS ARE IN: SENATOR RIVERA'S SECOND BLOOD DRIVE OF 2025 REACHED ITS BLOOD DONATION GOAL!

Last week, Senator Rivera hosted his second blood drive of the year at Fordham University, in partnership with the American Red Cross. The goal for this event was to reach at least 22 blood donors, and the goal was reached! Senator Rivera's team filled 90% of the available appointment slots and collected a total of 24 units of blood (22 Whole Blood units and 2 Power Red units; Power Red units are similar to a whole blood donation, except the machine allows you to safely donate two units of red blood cells in one session). Senator Rivera and our team greatly appreciate the teams at the American Red Cross and Fordham University who made this event possible and the Bronxites who showed up to help us meet our goal. If you missed this blood drive but would like to donate, you can find your nearest blood donation center here.

This Thanksgiving holiday, the Senate is proud to sponsor a Thanksgiving Day Student Showcase across the state.

The year's theme is “What are you thankful for?” Students are invited to submit an original poem, short essay, or artwork that expresses what they are thankful for.

Showcase submissions must be uploaded electronically in JPEG or PDF format to be featured on Senator Rivera’s website. Participants will receive a personalized certificate from their Senator in recognition of their contribution.

The submission period will remain open until November 21, 2025, to ensure student work can be published online in time for Thanksgiving Day.

SATURDAY 11/22: THE OFFICE OF BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY DARCEL CLARK IS HOLDING A GUN BUYBACK

Your Double Up Food Bucks are still good to use.

We know this time may feel uncertain, but Double Up Food Bucks NY is still here to help you stretch your food dollars. You can continue to use any Double Up Food Bucks you already have, whether they’re paper coupons, tokens, or electronic balances, even if your SNAP benefits are paused or your balance is $0. If you still have SNAP benefits that carry over into November, you can keep earning Double Up Food Bucks on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating locations.

 

What You Need to Know

• Grocery store coupons expire six weeks from the date they’re issued.
• Tokens and electronic balances do not expire.
• Some farmers markets will remain open through November 30.

For New York City Public School (NYCPS) students, CUNY is waiving the application fee to apply from Oct. 27 through Nov. 21. More than 80% of incoming CUNY students come from the NYCPS system. The fee will also be waived for New York State students outside of the five boroughs from Nov. 10 through Nov. 21 as part of the state’s College Application Month.