NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: State Tax Receipts and Spending Outpace Division of Budget's Projections Through Dec.

 

State tax receipts totaled $85.8 billion through three quarters of the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025-26, $2.3 billion higher than estimates released in the Division of Budget’s (DOB) Mid-Year Update to the Enacted Budget Financial Plan. On a year-over-year basis, collections were $5.9 billion higher than those through December 2024, according to the monthly State Cash Report released by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“The state enters the final quarter of the fiscal year in good financial condition,” DiNapoli said. “However, continued threats from Washington pose a risk to the state’s finances, as well as its economy. The federal spending cuts necessitate a continued bolstering of reserves in order to protect the services New Yorkers rely on.”  

Personal income tax receipts totaled $44.9 billion and were $1.5 billion above DOB’s financial plan projections and $4.2 billion higher than the same period in SFY 2024-25, reflecting, in part, the impact of wage and financial market growth over the course of the year.

Year-to-date consumption and use tax collections totaled $17.9 billion which were 5.7%, or $964.4 million, higher than the same period last year and $384.4 million higher than DOB estimates.  Sales tax receipts, the largest share of these taxes, increased by $951.7 million, or 6.2%. Business taxes, which include collections from the pass-through entity tax, totaled $20.6 billion, $416.4 million higher than through December than in the prior fiscal year and $321.8 million higher than DOB’s financial plan projections. 

All Funds spending through December totaled $183.4 billion, which was $11.1 billion, or 6.5%, higher than last year for the same period, primarily due to increased Medicaid and other public health costs. All Funds spending through December was $1.2 billion higher than DOB projections, primarily due to higher local assistance spending partially offset by lower than anticipated spending from state capital projects funds. State Operating Funds spending totaled $100.1 billion, $9.1 billion, or 10% higher than last year and $401.2 million higher than projected. 

The state’s General Fund ended December with a balance of $53.9 billion, $2.4 billion higher than projected, primarily due to higher than anticipated tax collections but down by $1.3 billion, or 2.3% from the previous year.   

Report

December Cash Report

Related Report

State Fiscal Year 2026 Enacted Budget and  First Quarterly Financial Plans 

Mamdani Administration Announces Historic $2.1 Million Settlement to Address Hazardous Conditions and Tenant Harassment Across 14 Buildings

 

A&E Real Estate and associated bad actors agree to correct building violations, injunctions to end tenant harassment 

TODAY, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and incoming Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Dina Levy announced a $2.1 million settlement involving A&E Real Estate properties with associated principals Douglas Eisenberg and Margaret Brunn, and registered managing agent Brian Garland, to address tenant harassment and hazardous conditions across 14 buildings in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. In addition to the civil penalties, the settlement requires A&E to correct more than 4,000 building condition violations across these buildings and imposes injunctions prohibiting tenant harassment moving forward.  

 

This enforcement action, led by HPD’s Anti-Harassment Unit, represents one of the tools that the Mamdani administration is bringing to bear to protect tenants across New York. Mayor Mamdani made tenant protection a focal point of his administration on his first day in office, signing executive orders to revitalize the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants (MOPT) and help deliver housing more quickly, including on City-owned sites. HPD, the MOPT, and other agencies will continue to use every tool available to defend and strengthen tenants’ rights, confront bad-actor landlords, and intervene when unsafe or illegal conditions put tenants at risk.  

 

“Every tenant in New York City has a right to a safe and livable home and our administration is taking decisive action to deliver exactly that. This settlement will bring real accountability and relief for the tenants of these buildings, who have been suffering from poor conditions and harassment for far too long,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “From our first day in office, we have made addressing the housing crisis a priority. Enforcement actions like these are just one of the many tools that we will use to deliver on an affordability agenda for New Yorkers.” 

 

“We will not stand by when bad landlords let buildings decay and tenants suffer. This settlement is a statement of values: that every New Yorker has a right to feel safe in their own home,” said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. “We will continue to use City tools to deliver real results for tenants, whether through enforcement actions like this or working in partnership with owners who are committed to providing safe and quality housing to New Yorkers.” 

 

“It is an honor to advance the vision of the Mamdani administration and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development that safe, livable homes are a right for each and every New Yorker. By holding bad actors accountable, we are making it clear that no landlord will escape the consequences of violating the Housing Maintenance Code. Tenants should not have to fight day in and day out for a crumbling ceiling to be repaired, for mold to be remediated, or for heat and hot water to be available — these are basic rights. Through the tireless work of our enforcement teams, we are delivering justice for tenants. HPD will continue to hold landlords accountable and deliver justice for New York City tenants," said Incoming Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner, Dina Levy.  

 

The litigation that led to this settlement regards 14 buildings across three boroughs: 150-45 73 Avenue, 35-64 84 Street, 37-06 81 Street, 35-16 34 Street, 48-16 46 Street, 37-25 81 Street, 80-01 37 Street, 37-30 81 Street, and 150-40 73 Avenue in Queens; 2 Ellwood Street, 342 Fort Washington Avenue, and 350 Fort Washington Avenue in Manhattan; and 65 Ocean Avenue and 230 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. HPD’s initial investigation revealed widespread unsafe conditions at four buildings; when those violations were not corrected, HPD escalated enforcement by filing motions with the Court seeking civil contempt, additional Orders to Correct, and further civil penalties. 

 

Over the course of litigation, more than 1,000 violations have been corrected following enforcement actions and court orders, and HPD has made an additional $488,000 worth of repairs through the Emergency Repair Program. Should A&E not comply with these settlement terms, HPD may seek additional court orders and further penalties. 

VCJC News & Notes 1/16/2026

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

2. Shabbos schedule
   
   
   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 1/16/26 @ 4:36 pm
   
   
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 1/117/26 @ 5:40 pm

   If you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.

   
   

   This week’s kiddush, featuring a variety of salmon (3 different seasoned), tuna fish, herring, fresh gefilte fish, broccoli salad, pasta salad w/ dried tomatoes and peppers, and fruit salad will add an extra boost to your Shabbos enjoyment. It’s sponsored by the VCJC.  Come join us for services and stay to enjoy the kiddush and the company.
   

3. Interested in learning torah with a group of fellow members of your community?

   Want more details?

   Contact the VCJC office at 718-884-6105 or info@vcjewishcenter.org

   Or you can speak to Stuart Harris or Matthew Hartstein after davening on Shabbat morning.

   
   

4. About our new kiddushim
   For the past several weeks, the VCJC has upgraded its kiddush after Shabbos services. Kiddush now takes place in the ballroom. There is a greater variety of food, which can be enjoyed while seated at covered tables. Our aim is to offer a more enjoyable and meaningful experience, and to encourage conversation and interaction among attendees. This is an evolving effort. It has received very positive reviews so far; we’d love to have your opinion as well. Please join us for services and kiddush, and let us know what you think!
   
   

   
   

   
   

5. Shabbos parsha

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Parashat Vaera 5786 / פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא

   17 January 2026 / 28 Tevet 5786

   Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

   Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2-9:35

   Vaera (“I Appeared”) opens as God promises to redeem the enslaved Israelites and bring them to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh repeatedly refuses to let the Israelites go, God sends a series of plagues: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, death of livestock, boils, and hail. [1]

   
   

   
   

6. January 19 is a double whammy
   It’s Martin Luther King Day and Rosh Chodesh Shevat!

7. You can do it! Give VCJC a boost!  Leave a (positive) review for us on Google
   The VCJC is working to build and grow for its next century in Van Cortlandt Village.  If you have had a good experience with us or recognize our value to the community, please consider telling the world about it.  Go to our Google Business Profile and leave a review.  Thanks!

8. Please help with information about buildings

   As part of rebuilding the membership and congregation, the Board of Trustees would like your help. There are a lot of either new or renovated buildings being put up in our catchment area. We would like to seek the cooperation of the owners / developers of those properties in publicizing these opportunities to live near an orthodox synagogue.  If you are aware of any of these buildings, please provide what information you can about them.  This could include the address, any contact information that might be posted, and any information about the building itself (size, type, etc.). Additionally, if you are aware of vacancies in existing buildings or of houses for sale, please let us know about that as well.

   
   

   
   

9. 3rd annual Community Cleanup Day for MLK Day
   We received the following in an email and are passing it on for your information.

   “My name is Spence Weitzen, and I work for GrowTorah, where we do experiential & environmental Torah education. I hope you're doing well!

   
   

   I'm reaching out as we're hosting our 3rd annual Community Cleanup Day for MLK Day with the UJA Federation of NY & Westchester Parks Foundation on Monday, January 19th, which also happens to be Rosh Chodesh Shevat! Here's a link to the event page.

   
   

   The event will take place at the Bronx River Pathway. We've had hundreds of participants collect hundreds of pounds of trash in the past while honoring the legacy of Dr. MLK Jr. and preparing for Tu B'Shvat.”
   
   
   Their flyer is below.  The snow date is March 29, 2026. Note that the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center is a collaborator!

   
   

10. An Appeal from the Met Council for SNAP help

    
    

    See the VCJC blog post from the Met Council’s announcement.

Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463

United States Files Forfeiture Action Against Two Anti-Submarine Warfare Crew Trainers En Route from South Africa to the Chinese Military

The Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint against two mission crew trainers (MCTs) that were interdicted in transit from the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The MCTs are mobile classrooms intended to assist the PLA to train personnel on the use of airborne warning and control system and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

“TFASA masquerades as a civilian flight-training academy when in fact it is a significant enabler of the Chinese air and naval forces and a pipeline for transferring NATO aviation expertise, operational knowledge, and restricted technology directly to the People’s Liberation Army,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to act decisively to preserve the U.S. military’s qualitative edge by preventing U.S. technology from falling into the hands of our adversaries."

“This seizure demonstrates the ongoing threat that China and its enablers pose to the national security of the United States through the unlawful procurement of U.S. military technology,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners continue to be steadfast in our commitment to use every lawful tool available to keep this critical technology out of the hands of our adversaries.”

"The Test Flying Academy of South Africa illegally exported U.S. military flight simulator technology and recruited former NATO pilots for the purpose of training China’s military, jeopardizing U.S. national security and placing the lives of American service members at risk,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “The U.S. government will pursue every avenue available to defend the homeland, protect our warfighters, and hold accountable anyone who aids our adversaries.”

“TFASA’s continued attempts to leverage our nation's military expertise and software gravely threaten United States' national security interests and the lives of American service members around the globe," said FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Vanessa Tibbits.  “May today’s disruption reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

“This successful interdiction highlights the critical role HSI plays in safeguarding U.S. national security and preventing sensitive technology from reaching adversarial military forces,” said Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel of Homeland Security Investigations New York. “By disrupting the transfer of advanced anti-submarine warfare training equipment to the Chinese military, HSI New York and our partners denied adversaries access to vital U.S. tactics and capabilities and, in turn, protected vital American interests. I commend HSI New York and our law enforcement counterparts for their steadfast commitment to countering illicit procurement networks and defending the integrity of U.S. defense technology worldwide.”

As described in the complaint, TFASA is a South Africa-based company that specialized in military flight testing and training through facilities in South Africa and China. TFASA was founded in 2003 with the support of the South African government to facilitate cooperation with China. According to its website, “TFASA Flight Test Services” trained Chinese military pilots for fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) training standards.

According to court documents, the MCTs and associated software were designed and manufactured, using U.S.-origin software and defense technical data, by TFASA. The purpose of the MCT project – dubbed “Project Elgar” by TFASA personnel – was to train PLA aviators on anti-submarine warfare techniques, expanding their capability to locate and track U.S. submarines working in the Pacific.

The MCTs’ layout was modelled after the P-8 Poseidon, which is manufactured by Boeing and serves as the United States’ primary anti-submarine warfare maritime patrol aircraft. The MCTs were designed to run software specially designed by TFASA for Project Elgar. The software used a basic flight simulator program designed and marketed by a U.S. company, which TFASA software engineers then enhanced using technical data relating to Western anti-submarine warfare aircraft, including the P-8 Poseidon. Former NATO aviators with training in anti-submarine warfare techniques were part of TFASA’s Project Elgar team.

This interdiction is the latest instance implicating TFASA in its role as a primary trainer of the PLA. In June 2023, the Department of Commerce added TFASA and numerous of its subsidiaries and affiliates in South Africa and elsewhere to the Entity List “for providing training to Chinese military pilots using Western and NATO sources,” which the Department of Commerce noted was “contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.”

This interdiction of the MCTs is a product of the U.S. government’s coordinated effort to stop the PLA and its enablers from further threatening U.S. national security. The forfeiture action comes as China, Russia, and Iran began a week of joint naval exercises in South Africa’s waters on Saturday, January 10.

The FBI and HSI New York Field Offices and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security are leading the investigation of TFASA and its activities.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven B. Wasserman and Rick Blaylock, Jr. for the District of Columbia and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case.

The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government. 

MCT Inside Shipping Container

Shipping Container Housing MCT

Screenshots of Software Designed for MCTs

Governor Hochul Announces Designations to the Appellate Divisions in the Second and Third Judicial Departments

Justice Lisa Ottley to Serve as an Additional Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Department

Justice Christina Ryba to Serve as an Additional Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Third Department

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the designation of Justice Lisa Ottley as an Additional Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Department and Justice Christina Ryba as an Additional Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Third Department.

“I’m strengthening New York’s Appellate Courts by announcing the designations of two women whose legal expertise, judicial temperament and commitment to justice will ensure New York’s laws are applied fairly and correctly,” Governor Hochul said. “With the appointment of Justice Ottley and Justice Ryba, our courts will continue to uphold the public trust and serve as places of integrity and justice for all New Yorkers.”

Honorable Lisa S. Ottley

The Honorable. Lisa S. Ottley is an Associate Justice of the Appellate Term of the Supreme Court, presiding in the Second, 11th, and 13th Judicial Districts since her appointment in 2023. She presides in the Supreme Court, Kings County over a motion part covering various civil matters, bench, and jury trials. Prior to her appointment to the Appellate Term, Justice Ottley heard guardianship matters, and presided over jury and non-jury trials from 2016 to 2023.

Elected to the Civil Court in 2008, Justice Ottley was appointed the Supervising Judge of the Kings County Civil Court in 2010, the first African American Judge to be appointed to that position in Kings County.

Justice Ottley serves on the Guardianship Advisory Committee and is a lecturer and planning committee member at the Judicial Institute. She obtained her law degree from Temple University School of Law. She is a member of Brooklyn Community Church, and is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first African American Sorority founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University.

Honorable Christina L. Ryba

The Honorable Christine L. Ryba is the first Black person ever elected to the Supreme Court in the Third Department and will be the first Black justice elected from the Third Department to serve on the Appellate Division.

Justice Ryba was elected in 2015 to serve as a New York State Supreme Court Justice in the Third Judicial District, and in May 2025 she was appointed Administrative Judge of the District. Prior to this role, she served as Supervising Judge of the Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District. She currently serves as co-chair of the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, the mission of which is to ensure equal access to justice in New York State.

Before taking the bench, Justice Ryba worked for the state courts in a variety of positions, including Special Projects Counsel to the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Courts Outside New York City and Special Projects Counsel to the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General, attorney for the City of Albany, and an Associate at Nixon Peabody.

Justice Ryba is first vice president of the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York; member of the New York Women Judges Association and Judicial Friends Association; past president of the Albany County Bar Foundation and the Albany County Bar Association; member of the American Bar Association; and Chair of the Judicial Hearing Officer Selection Advisory Committee of the Third Department.

Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division Elizabeth Garry said, “On behalf of the Third Department, I thank Governor Hochul for this historic appointment. I have every confidence that Justice Ryba will continue to make great contributions to the judiciary and our community in this new and well deserved role. Justice Ryba brings a decade of judicial service as a Supreme Court Justice, and has demonstrated her commitment to fairness and justice throughout her career, notably serving as the Co-Chair of the court system’s Permanent Commission on Access to Justice. She has earned the respect of her colleagues by her work in both legal and administrative roles, as both the Supervising Judge and ultimately the Administrative Judge overseeing court operations for the entire Third Judicial District. We look forward to working with her in the years ahead!”

 

ICE Arrests Illegal Alien Who Weaponized His Vehicle in a Ramming Attack on Law Enforcement in San Antonio, Texas

 

ICE law enforcement is facing a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Robyn Argote Brooks, an illegal alien from Cuba who weaponized his vehicle against federal law enforcement officials and rammed two ICE vehicles with his car in San Antonio, Texas on January 13.

Robyn Argote Brooks

ICE officers were conducting a targeted vehicle stop to arrest Brooks. The illegal alien refused to comply with law enforcement commands to exit his vehicle. He then attempted to evade arrest by throwing his vehicle into reverse and backing up full speed, almost running over an ICE officer. Fortunately, he missed the officer and slammed into an ICE vehicle instead. The illegal alien then accelerated forward, slamming into a second ICE vehicle and injuring the officer in the front seat. ICE officers successfully arrested him.

"One of our officers was injured in this vehicle attack and we are praying for him, his health, and his family. As sanctuary politicians have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest, they have created an environment that incites violence against our law enforcement," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin."Our ICE officers are facing a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them. Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." 

Brooks entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s disastrous CBP One app in 2024, which allowed over a million unvetted aliens into the country. He is now in ICE custody.

This attack on another brave member of law enforcement took place while sanctuary politicians are actively encouraging organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers. Sanctuary politicians have created an environment that encourages rampant assaults on law enforcement.

From January 21, 2025 – January 7, 2026, ICE law enforcement officers experienced 66 vehicular attacks against them, compared to only two during the same time period the previous year. This is a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks.

Five Ophthalmology Practices Agree to Pay Nearly $6M to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Claims to Medicare and Medicaid for Cranial Ultrasounds

 

Florida ophthalmology practices Clay Eye Holdings LLC, Retina Macula Specialist of Miami LLC, Florida Eye Institute P.A., Miami Eye LLC, and Kendall Eye Institute Inc. have agreed to pay a total of nearly $6 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act arising from their billing for trans-cranial doppler ultrasounds (TCDs) through a kickback arrangement with a third-party testing company. All five practices have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations of other participants in the alleged scheme.

“Kickbacks and false claims increase healthcare costs for all Americans and undermine the integrity of healthcare decision-making,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Combatting such schemes will continue to be a priority for the Justice Department.”

“These settlements are a continuing testament to the United States’ commitment to fight healthcare fraud and ensure that federal healthcare dollars are spent consistently with the law,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida.

“Submitting false claims destroys the public’s trust in our federally funded healthcare programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office. “Working together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to prioritize safeguarding the integrity of the nation’s healthcare system and hold accountable those who try to profit from deception.”

“Kickback arrangements can corrupt legitimate medical decision-making and undermine the integrity of federal healthcare programs,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricardo Carcas of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate improper billing and kickback schemes to protect both Medicare and Medicaid as well as those served by these programs.”

The settlements announced resolve allegations that the settling practices knowingly submitted, and caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary TCDs. The settling practices performed TCDs on thousands of patients and billed Medicare and Medicaid hundreds of dollars per test. Before the patients received the results of the test, the practices and the third-party testing company identified the patients as having received a serious diagnosis that could qualify the patient for reimbursement of a TCD by Medicare or Medicaid. However, nearly all patients who received TCDs never had that diagnosis, and it was not reflected in the patient’s medical history or in the TCD results. The settling practices paid the third-party testing company based on the volume or value of tests ordered and referred the patients to the testing company’s preferred radiology group for the TCDs’ professional component.   

The United States alleged that as a result of this scheme, the settling practices submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for TCDs between Jan. 1, 2018 and June 1, 2022 that were medically unnecessary, that were premised on false diagnoses, and that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law.

As a result of the settlements, Clay Eye Holdings LLC will pay $2,140,000, Retina Macula Specialist of Miami LLC will pay $1,750,000, Florida Eye Institute P.A. will pay $1,250,000, Miami Eye LLC will pay $525,000, and Kendall Eye Institute Inc. will pay $310,000. Of the total settlement amount, $333,500 will be paid to the State of Florida for its share of Medicaid, which is a jointly funded federal and state program.

The civil settlements resolved claims in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the Government’s recovery. The qui tam was filed by a whistleblower who will receive $1,135,250 in connection with the settlements.

The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from HHS-OIG and the FBI. The United States previously resolved similar allegations against Brandon Eye Associates P.A. and Pinellas Eye Care, P.A. (doing business as Gulfcoast Eye Care).

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

Trial Attorney Nelson Wagner in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S Attorney Mamie Wise for the Middle District of Florida handled the matter.

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

MAYOR MAMDANI APPOINTS AFUA ATTA-MENSAH AS CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER AND COMMISSIONER OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF EQUITY & RACIAL JUSTICE

Atta-Mensah is a nationally recognized strategist and organizer for racial justice  

As Chief Equity Officer, Atta-Mensah will lead work to create and publish the Racial Equity Plan within first 100 days  

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of nationally recognized organizer and racial justice strategist Afua Atta-Mensah as Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Equity & Racial Justice (MOERJ). In this role, Atta-Mensah will coordinate the administration’s work advancing racial equity across City agencies, including creating and publishing the Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan within the administration’s first 100 days in office. This commitment to the Racial Equity Plan, which the Adams administration failed to publish on schedule, marks a new era in New York City’s pursuit of racial justice under the Mamdani administration. 

 

Atta-Mensah has previously held roles including Chief of Programs at Community Change, Executive Director of Community Voices Heard, and Director of Litigation and Policy at the Urban Justice Center. In these positions and others across New York and internationally, she has fought to build social power for working people, including defending racial justice initiatives and fair and equitable housing. 

 

Mayor Mamdani also committed to create and publish the Preliminary Racial Equity Plan within the administration’s first 100 days in office. New Yorkers will then be able to comment on the Preliminary Plan before the Final Plan is published later this year. New York City voters supported the creation of a Racial Equity Plan by a wide margin in 2022, but the previous administration did not meet the timeline established in the City Charter to release it. In prioritizing the publication of the Racial Equity Plan, the Mamdani administration is reiterating its commitment to a more equitable and just New York City.  

 

“Afua Atta-Mensah has dedicated her career to serving the New Yorkers who are so often forgotten in the halls of power. There is no one I trust more to advance racial equity across our work in City Hall,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “That starts with making good on the promise of a Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan within our first 100 days in office, and it will continue as our administration focuses on equity and racial justice throughout its work. 

 

“I am honored by this appointment, and ready to seek citywide justice and accountability on behalf of all New Yorkers,” said Afua Atta-Mensah, NYC Chief Equity Officer & Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Equity & Racial Justice. “As the Mayor has made clear, this administration is committed to doing big things — and to doing them boldly. I look forward to partnering with community leaders and working alongside the teams at MOERJ and the Commission on Racial Equity to develop and implement a comprehensive, citywide Racial Equity Plan.” 

 

“There is no economic justice without racial justice. I am thrilled to get to work with Afua Atta-Mensah to make this more than just a statement of principle and to celebrate Black excellence and racial equity for all of the beautiful communities who call NYC home,” said Julie Su, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice.