Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $119 Million Affordable Housing Development in Rochester

New Construction and Preservation Project at Park Square II Brings 240 Modern Apartments to Inner Loop

Completes Two-Phase Plan To Redevelop Park Square Housing Campus

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of Park Square II, a $119 million affordable housing development, which now provides 240 modern and energy-efficient apartments near the Inner Loop in the city of Rochester. The redevelopment of Park Square I was completed in 2022 and included the rehabilitation of 335 affordable apartments. Between both completed phases, the development has preserved or created 576 affordable homes near Downtown Rochester. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 11,500 affordable homes in Monroe County, including more than 4,700 in Rochester. Park Square II continues this effort and is part of Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

“The completion of Park Square Community marks a historic investment in affordable housing in Rochester,” Governor Hochul said. “Having nearly 600 modern and affordable homes in the heart of Rochester is a boon to the current and future residents with access to all the area has to offer. We thank Conifer Realty and our local partners for sharing our vision and working with us hand-in-hand to make this important project a reality.”

Developed by Conifer Reality, Park Square II is affordable to households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income and provides a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom units. The project includes the preservation of a 200-unit, 21-story building known as “The Tower @ Park Square” and the new construction of a 40-unit building.

Both buildings will have electric heating and cooling, with ENERGY STAR fixtures and appliances. They will include indoor community spaces, outdoor areas and a fitness room. The project is located near public transportation, an Amtrak station, as well as several retail, healthcare, educational and recreational opportunities.

The project will include fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There are 12 units to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities and six units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

The Park Square housing complex was originally constructed in 1974 under the New York State Mitchell-Lama Program, which was established for the development of affordable housing, both rental and cooperatively owned, for moderate-income New Yorkers.

Park Square II is supported by HCR’s Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is expected to generate $44 million in equity, its State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is expected to generate $3 million in equity, $41 million from its Multifamily Preservation Program, $16 million from its New Construction Capital Program, and an additional $7 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds. The city of Rochester is supporting the project with $500,000 through its ARPA program. There are 150 units receiving Section 8 project-based vouchers administered by HCR. 

Mexican National Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Role in Large Scale International Cocaine Trafficking Offense

 

Sentencing Came as a Result of Homeland Security Task Force Investigation

A Mexican national was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import approximately 1,900 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.

According to court documents, Jesus Rauda-Avila, 46, was a member of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Marisela Flores-Torruco that was responsible for importing multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States. 

“Jesus Rauda-Avila conspired with a drug trafficking organization to import almost 2,000 kilograms of cocaine into the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This level of Mexican DTO importation is the root of the injection of drugs and violence into our communities. Because of people like this defendant, countless Americans lives are ruined, and their families are left picking up the pieces. The Criminal Division will pursue drug traffickers at this level and remove them from our law-abiding society.”

“This case highlights DEA’s global reach and commitment to justice for those who threaten the safety and security of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division. “The case against Rauda-Avila exposes the scope of international drug conspiracies, and today's sentence reflects what's possible when DEA, as part of HSTF, works hand-in-hand with our federal and international partners to dismantle the criminal organizations that threaten Americans."

The DTO, which had operations in New York, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, sourced its cocaine from Colombia and provided logistical and financial support to coordinate the narcotics’ passage through Central America and Mexico and into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement made several cocaine seizures, including approximately 971 kilograms of cocaine on April 21, 2017, and 500 kilograms of cocaine on May 10, 2017, nearly all of which was attributable to the DTO.

From 2016 to October 2017, in coordination with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, the defendant arranged and directed the transportation of funds, drivers, and vehicles from northern Mexico to southern Mexico to purchase and pick up cocaine, which was subsequently transported into the United States for distribution. The defendant conducted at least ten such narcotics purchases in partnership with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, each involving between 100 and 400 kilograms of cocaine.

Rauda-Avila pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine to the United States. Three of the defendant’s co-conspirators — Marisela Flores-Torruco, Qiyun Chen, and Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez — have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved with the related Chinese money laundering network. Flores-Torruco pleaded guilty to possession, manufacture, or distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison. Chen pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mendoza-Gomez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s offices in Cartagena (Colombia), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City, Mexico City, and Guatemala City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance in the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico.

Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; DEA; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

Three Defendants Indicted in Brooklyn Federal Court for Real Estate Investment Scheme

 

Defendants Targeted Aspiring Artists and Musicians, Stealing Millions of Dollars and Causing Victims to Declare Bankruptcy

In federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging John Christian Gelin, Heather Marquez, and Kaolee Vang-Thao with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  The charges arise from a multi-year and multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud financial institutions, investors, and prospective investors in connection with potential real estate transactions. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrests and charges. 

“As alleged, the defendants defrauded investors and lenders out of millions of dollars,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Because of their lies and greed, the defendants ruined the financial security of dozens of victims, leaving them on the hook for repaying loans they could not afford and causing some to declare bankruptcy.  Our Office will vigorously prosecute those who abuse the trust of others and profit through fraud.”

“Through repeated lies, these defendants allegedly forced trusting investors into financial stress – and for some, ruin – to illegally route more than four million dollars to their personal accounts.  The FBI’s Financial Crimes Task Force remains committed to apprehending fraudsters that steal from others to line their own pockets,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As alleged in the indictment, Gelin operated Kensington International, Inc. (Kensington), a purported real estate development company, and oversaw the Artist Financial Program (AFP), an affiliated entity that specifically targeted aspiring artists and musicians.  Gelin marketed the companies as real estate investment firms focused on purchasing distressed real estate that would be rehabilitated and resold for profit.    

The defendants raised investment capital by soliciting investors who generally had limited assets but high credit scores, and obtained loans and credit cards on behalf of the investors that they promised to repay.  Marquez and Vang-Thao, through their firms the Funding Club Consulting and the Financial Saver Network, respectively, submitted loan and credit card applications on behalf of the investors.  Unbeknownst to the investors, Marquez and Vang-Thao filed fraudulent applications with the lenders that often inflated the investors’ income to obtain higher loans.  Investors were not shown the applications before Marquez and Vang-Thao submitted them, and Marquez and Vang-Thao advised investors to lie to the lenders. Additionally, Gelin used the alias “Christian” to conceal from investors and potential investors his criminal history, which included serving three years in prison for committing a similar fraud scheme.   

Once the credit card and lending applications were approved, investors were instructed to wire 15% of the credit limit of the credit cards and loan proceeds to Marquez and Vang-Thao.  The remaining 85% was transferred to bank accounts controlled by Gelin.  Rather than using the loan proceeds entirely to invest in real estate as promised to investors, the defendants diverted investor funds to pay for their personal expenses and spent only a nominal amount of investor funds on buying and renovating homes. 

Also contrary to their promises to the investors, the defendants did not pay the lenders back in full.  As a result, the investors were unable to repay the full amount of the loans and credit cards taken out in their names.  Some investors declared bankruptcy.  In total, investors lost at least $4.2 million from the fraudulent scheme.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, they each face up to 30 years in prison.

If you believe that you or someone you know was victimized by the defendants, please contact the FBI by email at: KensingtonCase@fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Early Voting Check-Ins

 

Primary Election 2026

 

June 13, 2026 - Day 1

 

• Manhattan - 7,581
• Bronx - 1,448
• Brooklyn - 4,111
• Queens - 2,949
• Staten Island - 413

 

*Unofficial as of Close of Polls 16,502

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June 14, 2026 - Day 2

 

• Manhattan - 13,852
• Bronx - 2,788
• Brooklyn - 8,081
• Queens - 6,002
• Staten Island - 696

 

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 31,419

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June 15, 2026 - Day 3

 

• Manhattan - 19,216
• Bronx - 4,050
• Brooklyn - 11,438
• Queens - 8,389
• Staten Island - 984

 

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 44,077

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June 16, 2026 - Day 4

 

• Manhattan - 26,607
• Bronx - 5,774
• Brooklyn - 16,762
• Queens - 11,755
• Staten Island - 1,346

 

*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 62,244

DHS Know2Protect Campaign, Tim Tebow Foundation Launch “No Time to Waste” PSA Urging Action to Stop Online Child Exploitation

 

In recognition of National Internet Safety Month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Know2Protect campaign and the Tim Tebow Foundation are releasing a new public service announcement featuring Tim Tebow, Foundation Chairman. The “No Time to Waste” public service announcement (PSA), available on know2protect.gov and the DHS YouTube Channel, calls on parents, teens and communities to act immediately to protect children from online predators. In the video message, Tebow reminds viewers: “No time to waste. Every minute somewhere online, a child is being targeted. By the time you finish this video, another child will be groomed.”

Recent data highlights the necessity of Tebow’s message: In 2025, there were more than 21.3 million reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, including more than 61.8 million images, videos and other files related to suspected child sexual exploitation.

“Every child deserves to be safe, both online and off,” said Tim Tebow. “I’m grateful for the work our foundation team is doing alongside Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the DHS Know2Protect campaign to shine a light on threats that too often go unseen and empower people to act. Awareness is not optional; it’s one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent online child exploitation.”

Tebow urges viewers to take and pass the Pledge2Protect, Know2Protect’s nationwide call-to-action, which encourages parents, trusted adults, kids, teens and policymakers to take a stand against online exploitation and abuse by implementing five online safety steps and accessing age-appropriate resources to keep kids and teens safe online. Once you’ve taken the Pledge, the campaign encourages communities to pass it along, helping build a nationwide movement to keep kids safe online.

“We’re honored to have Tim Tebow and his foundation partner with the Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect Campaign,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “Every day, Homeland Security Investigations and the DHS Cyber Crimes Center are working to stop bad actors from harming our youth—but we can’t do it alone. We need everyone to stay vigilant, assess the risks, and take action to prevent child exploitation online. Please join us in making your Pledge2Protect to increase public awareness of this critical issue and keep our children safe.”

Tim Tebow and the Tim Tebow Foundation have directly supported the DHS Cyber Crimes Center’s Operation Renewed Hope (ORH) since its inception. ORH is an international, HSI-led annual law enforcement surge to identify and rescue victims of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. ORH’s fourth annual surge (ORH IV) took place in February and led to the largest online child sexual exploitation victim identification operation ever conducted. This year’s effort brought together specialists from 34 agencies across 29 countries, resulting in more than 500 victim identification referrals and over 200 positive identifications. Since ORH began in 2023, more than 850 children have been identified, located and rescued.

Tebow’s urgent message in the PSA reflects the reality uncovered by ORH IV: there’s no time to waste; communities must rally together to stop online child sexual exploitation and ensure every child’s safety.

To view the PSA, take the Pledge2Protect and access free resources, visit www.Know2Protect.gov.

Department of Justice Files Suit to Stop Ongoing Medicaid Fraud Related to New York’s $10 Billion Home-Care Program

 

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the State of New York Department of Health, New York State Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri, and Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), an Alpharetta, Georgia-based company that has managed New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program (CDPAP) since 2025.

“New York’s backroom deal with PPL has cost taxpayers millions of dollars and cast countless Medicaid patients to the curb,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald for the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Today’s action is the latest reminder that the Justice Department is mobilizing every available tool to protect taxpayer-funded programs from fraud and corruption.”

“One of the Justice Department’s key priorities is protecting the public fisc and delivering savings to American taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “New York’s failure to police a favored vendor that unlawfully siphoned millions of dollars of Medicaid funding is egregious and betrays the public trust. The Justice Department is acting to ensure that federal laws regarding truthful statements and fair dealing in federal health care programs are upheld and to prevent additional harm from being exacted against the public by Public Partnerships LLC and New York.”

The lawsuit aims to stop an alleged fraud scheme by which PPL has generated millions of dollars in unauthorized profits funded by federal taxpayers in connection with its takeover of New York’s $10 billion-dollar CDPAP program. The lawsuit alleges that the New York Department of Health awarded PPL the lucrative CDPAP contract after conducting a sham bid process, and then, despite learning of PPL’s intent to deviate from the representations made in its bid and violate the financial terms of the contract, failed to take action to hold PPL accountable and to protect public funds from misuse, resulting in a fraud scheme that remains unchecked to this day. The lawsuit seeks to enjoin all defendants from making further misrepresentations about the CDPAP program and from charging American taxpayers millions of dollars unauthorized by the contract. 

CDPAP is a Medicaid program that provides home care through lay caregivers to Medicaid patients with disabilities or significant medical needs. In spring 2024, the New York Legislature passed a statute that consolidated the management of CDPAP from hundreds of pre-existing “fiscal intermediaries” to a single fiscal intermediary, setting up one of the most lucrative contracts for administering a Medicaid program in the nation. The lawsuit alleges that although New York purported to conduct a fair bidding process to select the single fiscal intermediary during summer 2024, New York pre-selected PPL for the billion-dollar contract by conducting a sham bid process that resulted in PPL being awarded the contract in late 2024. 

The lawsuit further alleges that PPL and New York repeatedly made knowing misrepresentations to the public concerning the date by which PPL’s transition could be completed, intentionally concealing that, since the contract’s inception, both PPL and New York were aware that the transition would likely not be complete by April 1, 2025 – the contractually designated transition date – and would result in severe disruptions to patient care and harm to patients across the state. Worse yet, PPL and New York, without explanation, have disregarded key limits the contract imposed on the revenues and profits PPL was entitled to receive under the contract – limits that were central to the goal of saving hundreds of millions of dollars through the CDPAP transition. 

Instead of ensuring that PPL complied with the contract and protecting the American taxpayers, New York has permitted PPL to raid the CDPAP program of millions of dollars in excess revenues, billing at hourly rates in excess of those anticipated by New York prior to the contract award. As a result of PPL’s self-dealing and New York’s failure to require it to comply with the terms of the contract, the purported cost savings that the CDPAP transition was to provide largely have been erased. To date, New York and PPL repeatedly and willfully have misled the public and the New York Legislature concerning important aspects of the CDPAP transition, including, without limitation, the gross mismanagement of the program by PPL and New York. 

This case was investigated by the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch.

Statement from NYGOP Chair Ed Cox on Hochul Administration Bid-Rigging Scheme

 

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement in response to a federal lawsuit naming several senior Hochul administration officials over their Medicaid homecare bid-rigging scheme:

 

“Republicans first called out this scandal months ago. Today's lawsuit further suggests that this was a corrupt scheme from the start. 

 

"Under Kathy Hochul and one-party Democrat rule, corruption is the operating system of New York State Government - and that's why New Yorkers will fire Kathy Hochul and elect Republicans up and down the ballot in November."

Mayor Mamdani Announces 600 Tickets for Historic Knicks Championship Ceremony at City Hall

 

Mayor Mamdani to host City Hall Ceremony honoring New York Knicks’ NBA Championship on June 18 

 

Public lottery for tickets will open now until 11 a.m. tomorrow at Knicks.com/CeremonySweeps   

 

Winners will be notified after lottery closes

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that New York City will give away 600 free tickets to Thursday’s City Hall ceremony celebrating the New York Knicks’ 2026 National Basketball Association (NBA) championship. 

 

A public lottery for tickets will be open starting now until 11 a.m. tomorrow, June 17, at Knicks.com/CeremonySweeps.  

 

Winners will be notified after the lottery closes. The lottery will select 300 winners, with each winner receiving two tickets. 

 

The ceremony will begin at noon on City Hall Plaza and will feature speeches, musical performances and a special presentation honoring the team’s championship season. Mayor Mamdani will also present the New York Knicks with Keys to the City in recognition of their historic achievement. 

 

“From packed watch parties in our parks to joyous celebrations that spilled out onto our streets, this championship belongs to New York City,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The Knicks brought together New Yorkers from every borough and every walk of life. That’s why we’re making these tickets free and accessible – so working-class people have a chance to be part of this historic moment and celebrate the team that brought a championship home.”  

 

The City Hall ceremony will be preceded by a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes. Kicking off near Battery Park at 10 a.m., the parade will travel north along Broadway before concluding at City Hall. Players, coaches, elected officials and special guests will participate in the procession. While the City Hall ceremony is a ticketed event, the parade is free and open to the public. New Yorkers are encouraged to line Broadway and cheer on the team as it makes its way through Lower Manhattan.