Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation into Civilian Death in Westchester County

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of Manuel Boitel, who died on January 23, 2026 following a motor vehicle incident involving an off-duty member of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on January 22, 2026 on the Taconic State Parkway in Westchester County.

At approximately 11:39 p.m. on January 22, an off-duty NYPD sergeant was driving on the Taconic State Parkway near mile marker 3.7 when they struck another vehicle driven by Mr. Boitel. Mr. Boitel was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on January 23.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change.   

Statement From Governor Kathy Hochul

“Today's announcement by the Gateway Development Commission is just the latest collateral damage of Donald Trump's vindictive quest to hurt New Yorkers no matter the cost. The stakes are enormous: hundreds of thousands of daily commuters, 10,000 union jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits all now imperiled by Donald Trump's attempts to rip away infrastructure funding from New York.

“Make no mistake, the Gateway Tunnel is vital to the economy of this state and the entire region, and I will fight like hell to ensure it gets built.”

 

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: Federal Actions Threaten NY's Farms and Food Production

 

New York farmers are under increasing economic and financial pressure because of federal policy changes, including higher tariffs, cuts to certain agricultural programs, and stricter immigration enforcement policies, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. These challenges could diminish farm production, squeeze profits, and lead to higher prices for consumers.

“There is real concern in rural New York about federal cuts, tariffs and labor shortages,” said DiNapoli. “New York’s farms are a vital part of the state’s economy and our local food supply, and we need policies that strengthen, not undermine their production and that lower, not drive up, prices in the grocery store.”

Agriculture is an important part of the state’s economy. New York’s 30,650 farms contributed nearly $3 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2022 and employed or supported 163,148 jobs in 2019. However, DiNapoli’s report identified impacts to the financial viability of family farms in the state from recent federal actions.

USDA Funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assists farmers through grants, subsidies, loans and technical support. In 2022, 3,275 farms in New York received $66.3 million in direct federal payments, excluding crop insurance payments. In addition, the state received $382 million in USDA payments from three major programs, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency and Rural Development. These programs fund a wide variety of projects on and off the farm, including housing, community water systems, renewable energy projects, guaranteed farm loans, conservation reserve programs and technical assistance for environmental projects. Nearly every county in New York receives assistance from at least one of the programs.

DiNapoli’s report breaks down changes to federal funding for agriculture, including reductions over 10 years of $1.8 billion for conservation and $150 million to forestry programs, and a cut of $84 million in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2026 appropriations for the Farm Service Agency. While some commodities and crop insurance programs will receive increased funding, these changes are likely to have limited impact in New York. New York’s dairy sector may be the only local commodity to see a significant benefit since most programs are geared toward crops like sugar, wheat and cotton not widely grown in New York. Inflation, coupled with flat funding for other programs, may undermine USDA’s support for farmers and rural communities in New York.

In addition, the decrease in funding for nutritional assistance programs will mean less money spent at grocery stores, farmers markets and for purchases by food banks, resulting in a loss of markets for farms.

Tariffs

Tariffs are impacting farmers, affecting their ability to sell their products around the world, and increasing the cost of supplies and equipment for farms that already operate on thin margins. New York dairy exports declined by as much as 12% in the first half of 2025 vs. 2024, and U.S. soybean sales to China dropped from 985 million bushels in 2024 to 218 million in the first eight months of 2025.

DiNapoli’s report found that prices have climbed for imported fertilizers, steel and farm equipment. In July, the National Corn Growers Association found that fertilizer prices had increased from the first of the year between 4.7% and 37.6%, depending on the type of fertilizer. Increased uncertainty around markets and production costs makes it tougher for farmers to plan for future growing seasons.

Immigration

New York farms employed more than 56,000 people in 2022, excluding contract farm laborers, according to the USDA. Many of the workers are immigrants who plant and pick crops and work with farm animals. In 2023, nearly 10,000 were employed through the seasonal H2A federal guest worker visa program, but New York’s Agriculture Commissioner estimates as many as half of the farm labor workforce in the state was undocumented in 2018.

Recent immigration enforcement has been a concern for many farmers, especially those in the dairy industry. Even the U.S. Department of Labor recognizes this as a serious issue for the nation’s food supply, saying there could be significant disruptions to production costs and it threatens the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S consumers.

The report noted that the loss of farm employees at crucial points in the growing season, or in the case of dairy farms, at any point in the year, could devastate individual farms.

Report

Federal Impact: New York State Farming and Agriculture

Related Reports

Federal Actions Threaten to Exacerbate Rising Food Insecurity

A Profile of Agriculture in New York State 

ASSEMBLYWOMAN RAJKUMAR'S EMERGENCY STATEMENT ON SNOW REMOVAL IN SOUTH QUEENS

 

I am aware of dangerous and unacceptable walking conditions across South Queens due to insufficient snow removal at key locations—including the path to PS 62, the school bus stop on Cross Bay Boulevard, and multiple MTA bus stops.

I am actively coordinating with the Department of Sanitation and community partners to address these conditions and clear safe, walkable paths as quickly as possible. Ensuring that students can get to school safely, commuters can access transit, and residents can move through their neighborhood without risk is an immediate priority.

If you are experiencing a snow removal issue in your area, please contact my office right away. Call or text 347-585-0327 or email grossj@nyassembly.gov. Reports from residents help us target problem areas and respond faster.

We are taking action so that South Queens is safe and accessible for everyone.

Partnerships for Parks - Budgeting 101 with TD Bank and Winter Garden Tour

 

Budgeting 101 for Grassroots Groups with TD Bank Is your grassroots organization applying for grants or receiving donations? Are you wondering how to manage your funds? Join financial experts from TD Bank as they walk through the basics of budgeting for small nonprofits and community-based organizations dedicated to local parks. You’ll also have a chance for your group’s budget to be reviewed by these experts. In this workshop, you will learn: Budgeting basics for small nonprofits and community-based organizations Planning tips for annual or event-based budgets Personalized pointers on budget organization   Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, 6-7:30 p.m.  1 Vanderbilt Ave., 20th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 REGISTER NOW Garden Tour: Winter Flora in Tompkins Square Park Join us to explore Tompkins Square Park’s pollinator pocket gardens in the midst of the winter season. Kathleen Corrigan, volunteer gardener with Friends of Tompkins Square Park and native plant expert, will teach about caring for gardens when plants are largely dormant. You’ll also have the opportunity to see some rare February blooms! Come ready to learn and connect with other native plant enthusiasts. Coffee and snacks will be provided.   Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, 11 a.m.–noon Tompkins Square Park, corner of Avenue B and East Seventh Street, New York, N.Y. 10009 REGISTER NOW Partnerships for Parks is a joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks that supports and champions a growing network of leaders caring and advocating for neighborhood parks and green spaces. We equip people and organizations with the skills and tools needed to ensure these spaces are dynamic community assets.

ICE Officers Face an 8,000% Increase in Death Threats Against Them and Their Families

DHS calls on sanctuary politicians to stop the dehumanization and vilification of ICE law enforcement 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a threatening voicemail left for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minnesota on January 24. Our law enforcement officers are now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them while they put their lives on the line to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists from American neighborhoods.

A transcript of the voicemail is below:

“You’re a f**king fascist pig. You should f**king kill yourself.

“I hope your wife dies. I hope your mom and dad die. I hope everything wrong that could go in your life happens. I hope you have the most miserable life. 

“I hope you get hit by a bus. I hope you’re paralyzed, and your wife leaves you, and starts getting f**ked by BBCs every day.

“You are a traitor to the American people, to the values that made our country. You should kill yourself. You’re f**king disgusting.

“I hate you. Everyone hates you. You’re a f**king murderer. All of your friends are f**king murderers. Your bosses are a bunch of pedophiles.

“Kill yourself.”

Below is a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin:

“Our ICE law enforcement officers are now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from American neighborhoods. Make no mistake, threatening rhetoric and this unprecedented violence against our law enforcement is incited by sanctuary politicians through their repeated vilification and demonization of law enforcement. Comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences. The men and women of ICE are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, we just want to go home to our families at night. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop.”

Secretary Noem’s message is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. Assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is not only dangerous but is a federal crime and a felony. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer or dox our officers, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The public can report doxing and harassment against ICE officers by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing ICE’s online tip form.

United States Obtains False Claims Act Judgment Against California Rehabilitation Center and Owner Relating to Improper Paycheck Protection Program Loan

The United States District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment to the United States against JMG Investments Inc., a California corporation which runs a rehabilitation center, and its owner, Jeffrey Schwartz, on Jan. 15, finding that they violated the False Claims Act when they knowingly received and retained more than one Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan prior to Dec. 31, 2020, in violation of PPP rules. The District Court ordered Schwartz and his company to pay the United States a total of $1,565,294.38 in damages and penalties.

“PPP loans were intended to provide critical relief to small businesses,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to pursuing those who knowingly violated the requirements of the PPP and obtained relief funds to which they were not entitled.”

“Every pandemic relief dollar improperly used was money other businesses needed to stay afloat,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “My office will continue tracking down individuals and companies who unlawfully took advantage of COVID-19 government aid.”

“The favorable ruling in this case is the product of enhanced efforts by federal agencies such as the Small Business Administration working with the Department of Justice and other Federal law enforcement agencies to recover the product of this fraud as well as penalties,” said SBA General Counsel Wendell Davis.

The PPP, an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), was intended to support small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A borrower applying for a PPP loan was required to make multiple certifications relating to its eligibility and compliance with program rules. Among other things, PPP loan applicants in 2020 were required to certify that they would not receive more than one PPP loan prior to Dec. 31, 2020.

In August 2024, the United States filed a complaint against JMG Investments and Schwartz alleging that they violated the False Claims Act when Schwartz, on behalf of JMG Investments Inc., improperly received two PPP loans in 2020 in violation of PPP rules, and thereafter knowingly and improperly retained the proceeds of the duplicate loan. According to the government’s complaint, Schwartz and JMG Investments Inc. failed to repay the duplicate loan as they were required, which resulted in a loss to the SBA when it purchased the loan guaranty on the duplicate loan. The District Court ruled that the United States had shown it was entitled to judgment on all claims asserted against the Defendants and, accordingly, awarded the United States summary judgment.

This judgment against JMG Investments Inc. and Jeffrey Schwartz resolves claims brought in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit 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 United States may intervene in the action, as it did in this case. The amount of the whistleblower share in this case has not yet been determined. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Quesenberry v. JMG Investments, Inc., et al, No. 20-cv-8497-MWF (ASx) (C.D. Cal.).

The judgment obtained in this matter was 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 Central District of California, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.

This matter was handled by Trial Attorneys Jared S. Wiesner and Paden R. Gallagher of the Civil Division, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul La Scala of the Central District of California.

Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. 

Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation Into Civilian Death in The Bronx

 

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the deaths of a man and woman who died on January 22, 2026 in the Bronx.

On January 22, an off-duty Port Authority police officer allegedly discharged his service weapon, fatally striking his sister and critically injuring his mother in an apartment building in the Bronx. The officer then allegedly fatally shot himself. The officer and his sister were pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered two firearms at the scene.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change.