Mayor Mamdani Announces “OPEN for Small Business,” Over 50 Reforms to Slash Red Tape and Increase Support for Small Businesses

 

Overhauling Procedures and Expanding Navigation (OPEN) eliminates outdated permits, redundant paperwork, and unnecessary fines for restaurants, bodegas, barbershops, and small businesses across New York City

 

From making it easier to host Bingo games to making it simpler to serve ice cream, the reforms target the pesky issues slowing our small businesses down  

 

New Executive Order reinforces excellence in City government’s customer service standards, offering concierge support and strengthened rights during inspections

Mayor Zohran Mamdani today announced “OPEN for Small Business”, a package of more than 50 regulatory reforms to reduce the paperwork and bureaucratic burden facing the city’s roughly 180,000 small businesses. Alongside an Executive Order that immediately implements several reforms, the package saves time, effort, and money for the small businesses that anchor New York’s economy and the one million New Yorkers they employ.

"You cannot tell the story of New York without our small businesses, and yet our city has often made it too hard for them to open their doors and keep them open," said Mayor Mamdani. "The owners tell us the same thing again and again. What wears them down is not simply the cost of any one fee, it is the paperwork and the inconsistency they face when dealing with their own government.  Today we are not only announcing reforms, we are building the machinery to find and fix more, so that a small business owner in this city is finally treated as someone government works for, not around."

In January, Mayor Mamdani signed Executive Order 11, which directed seven city agencies — the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), Department of Sanitation (DSNY), Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Fire Department (FDNY), and Department of Buildings (DOB) — to inventory their fees and civil penalties and recommend ways to reduce them. In the six months since, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice (DMEJ) and the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) held roundtables and surveyed over 500 business owners across all five boroughs to better understand the barriers they face.

Business owners who took part in these roundtables and surveys most often pointed to delays in opening, uncertainty about compliance requirements, and inconsistent enforcement as key pain points. OPEN responds directly to those findings.

What OPEN Means for Small Businesses Across the City

The more than 50 reforms in OPEN touch nearly every type of small business in New York City, and break down as follows: 25 for food service and food retail businesses, seven for transportation businesses, five for other retailers, four for child care providers, three for industrial and commercial businesses, two for personal care businesses, three for nonprofits running bingo and games of chance licenses, and six that apply to every business in the city.

“Having the backs of small businesses starts with listening and that’s what we’ve been doing,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “What I’ve heard again and again, across boroughs and industries, is the sense that government too often treats them as a problem to be managed rather than a constituency to be valued. Small business owners run on customer service, and they cannot survive without it. OPEN holds the City to that same standard, with a single point of contact to help owners open, clear rights when an inspector walks in, and an ongoing commitment to keep cutting the red tape that stands in their way.”

“I grew up watching my family navigate the same maze so many small business owners face, the paperwork, the fines, and the deciphering of city regulations. As we dramatically expand our NYC Business Express Service Team, new businesses will have a dedicated case manager to help them open their business quickly,” said SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya. “Thank you, Mayor Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Su, for your commitment to putting money back into the pockets of the entrepreneurs that power our city.”

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of New York City, but for too long outdated rules, excessive paperwork, and confusing processes at City agencies have stood in their way,” said DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. “Executive Order 11 and ‘OPEN for Small Business’ will save people precious time and money—cutting back on red tape and axing pricey fines, while upholding core protections New Yorkers deserve. DCWP is proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani to ensure our city is a place where hardworking business owners can thrive.”

“Every TLC driver is a small business on wheels, safely delivering service to nearly one million New Yorkers every day,” said Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Midori Valdivia. “Reducing unnecessary costs and fees for hardworking drivers — no matter how small those costs may seem — helps them earn a more dignified living, strengthens the industry, and supports a safer transportation system for everyone. This is just the beginning. We will continue looking for ways to provide meaningful relief to drivers while also holding the bases and corporations that directly benefit from their labor accountable for their fair share.”

“Our commercial corridors depend on clean, cared for streets, sidewalks, and public spaces to draw customers and create a sense of pride,” said Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson. “Our regulations and their enforcement should be clear, consistent, and equitable, with a direct connection to achieving our goals — cleaner streets, worker protection, sustainability. These new initiatives will reduce the burdens on small businesses, while ensuring that all New Yorkers do their part to keep us safe and our neighborhoods sparkling.”

“Small businesses are the backbone of New York City’s economy, and every dollar matters,” said DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia. “By eliminating these registration fees, we’re making it easier for food truck operators and small businesses with commercial cooking equipment to invest in their success, create jobs and keep serving communities across our city.”

“The City's relationship with small businesses shouldn't end with enforcing rules. It should be built on respect, responsiveness, and service,” said Annie Levers, Director of the Mayor's Office of Operations. “By listening to business owners, improving customer service, and recognizing public servants who go above and beyond, we're making it easier for small businesses to succeed."

The Full Reform Package

Developed by DMEJ and SBS in partnership with the agencies named in Executive Order 11, the package includes proposals to: 

• Waive Mayoral approval for the sidewalk café program immediately, removing a layer of review that adds time without adding scrutiny, and will waive it for the roadway café program once outdoor dining reforms are enacted. 
• Work with the State to eliminate the second permit restaurants need just to serve ice cream and other frozen desserts, a requirement left over from decades-old dairy regulation, on top of the general permit they already hold to serve food safely. 
• Repeal the license a bodega needs to sell fruit, flowers, or soft drinks from a stand just outside its own door, on top of the license it already holds to sell those same goods inside. 
• Publish a single plain-language guide for child care providers covering DOHMH, DOB, and FDNY together, so opening a center means one playbook instead of three separate agency timelines. 
• Relocate the Health Academy, the City's only in-person location for the food protection course every restaurant needs, from the Upper West Side to 125 Worth Street, so an owner in Canarsie or Throgs Neck no longer loses most of a day just getting certified. 
• Remove the requirement that mobile food vendors carry a paper copy of their commissary agreement on the cart at all times, even though the City already has the same document on file and can look it up itself.  
• Extend license renewal cycles for newsstand operators, pawnbrokers, second-hand dealers, sightseeing bus companies, scale dealer repairers, and storage warehouses. 
• Cut DEP registration fees for cooking equipment and food trucks from $110 to $0 for the next twelve months. 
• Reduce the maximum penalty from $600 to $500 for three common food safety violations, and replace two overlapping City and State allergy-poster requirements with a single poster that satisfies both, so owners face one standard instead of the risk of multiple violations. 
• Remove outdated regulations on bingo and game of chance licenses held by nonprofit fundraisers, including prize caps set well below what today's fundraisers are worth, so nonprofits and the businesses that host them aren't boxed in by decades-old limits. 

A complete list of all 50-plus reforms is included in the accompanying policy summary.

The Executive Order

Alongside the reform package, Mayor Mamdani signed a new Executive Order to both create ongoing infrastructure for identifying regulatory reforms and make changes today to how government serves small businesses. The Executive Order: 

• Expands the mission of the NYC Business Express Service Team (NYC BEST) at SBS: the Executive Order creates a dedicated one-stop concierge service for new businesses, where they are assigned a single client manager who stays with them start to finish, facilitating permitting, licensing, inspections, and compliance across agencies.  Today, business owners either navigate this complexity alone or pay expediters to do it alongside them. The administration’s dramatic expansion of NYC BEST will ensure more businesses benefit from 1:1 compliance education, saving them time and money. Under the new Executive Order, SBS and partnering city agencies will work together to proactively reach small businesses ahead of qualifying inspections, instead of waiting on them to request for help. 
• Puts the Business Owner Bill of Rights in every owner's hands: the document sets out what owners should expect from City government during inspections: how they should be treated, what an inspector must tell them, and what recourse they have when those standards are not met. City agencies are required to provide it, but in SBS's 2025 survey of over 500 small businesses, only 9% reported ever receiving it. SBS and the Mayor's Office of Operations have broadened the document to better reflect what small business owners actually experience, and agencies will now distribute it at every point of service, including at inspections (available at nyc.gov/bizrights). 
• Establishes a permanent working group (the OPEN Taskforce): convened by SBS and DMEJ, the OPEN Taskforce will consist of nearly ten city agencies and offices who will continue to identify and fix the pain points business owners face, with an annual update of reform opportunities delivered to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice. 
• Strengthens customer service training and accountability for city inspectors: the Executive Order will require annual training and regular review of Customer Service Survey results by agency leadership so patterns are identified and addressed, and recognition each year for inspectors who demonstrate excellence in public service. 
• Directs SBS to develop recommendations to address small business costs beyond regulation: SBS will develop these recommendations by the fall to help businesses with other costs they face -- including insurance, commercial rents, utility costs – and address chronic storefront vacancy. 

ICE Lodges Arrest Detainer for Criminal Illegal Alien Arrested for Murdering Veteran in Utah

 

California sanctuary politicians RELEASED this criminal illegal alien from jail TWICE

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer asking Utah officials to not release from jail a criminal illegal alien who has been charged with the murder of an elderly veteran in Utah.

According to local reporting, the fatal shooting took place on May 30 in West Point, Utah. James Randell “Randy” Witten, a 71-year-old veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, was hanging up porch decorations when a car pulled up to his house. A suspect came out of the car and fired repeatedly at Witten, killing him from behind. The shooter then got back into the car and fled the scene.

The victim: U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force veteran James Randell “Randy” Witten, 71.

Surveillance footage from the area was used to identify the getaway car, which was located in Las Vegas on June 16, with the suspect inside. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested Axel Eduardo Chavez-Marroquin, an illegal alien from El Salvador, and charged him with murder with a dangerous weapon, discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, dangerous weapon conduct by a restricted person, and obstruction of justice. ICE lodged a detainer for Chavez-Marroquin the same day he was arrested. He was transferred to the Davis County Jail in Utah on June 29.

The suspect: Axel Eduardo Chavez-Marroquin

Chavez-Marroquin’s criminal history includes a conviction for domestic violence in Santa Ana, California in 2024 and another arrest for domestic violence in Laguna Niguel, California in 2025. ICE lodged detainers for Chavez-Marroquin both times, but both times California sanctuary politicians refused to cooperate with ICE and RELEASED him from jail back into the community.

“This monster is charged with murdering a 71-year-old Army and Air Force veteran in Utah. California sanctuary politicians RELEASED this criminal from jail TWICE after arrests for domestic violence. Following his release, he went on to commit this heinous murder,” said Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “This illegal alien should’ve never been allowed on our streets, and James Witten should still be alive today. ICE is now asking officials in Utah to commit to not releasing this criminal from jail and to work with ICE so that we can remove him from our country. Reckless sanctuary policies in states like California are putting American lives at risk.”

Chavez-Marroquin entered the United States illegally through California in 2021. He was then RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration.

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Stamford Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking, Gun Possession Offenses

 

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OMAR PARRA, also known as “D” and “Dee,” 39, of Stamford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 100 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Jimmy Arce as a distributor of fentanyl in southwestern Connecticut.  During the investigation, investigators regularly observed Arce supplying Parra with fentanyl for redistribution, and made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl, as well as crack cocaine, from Parra.

Parra was arrested on March 14, 2024.  On March 15, 2024, a search of Parra’s residence and vehicle revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack; items used to process and package narcotics; a loaded .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun; and $16,574 in cash.

Parra has been detained since his arrest.  On December 9, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and a quantity of heroin; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Parra’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug and arson offenses.

Arce pleaded guilty and on January 12, 2026, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Danbury, and Darien Police Departments.  The DEA HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.

Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia Sentenced to Life in Prison and Ordered to Forfeit $15 Billion in Drug Trafficking Profits

 

“El Mayo” Spent Nearly Four Decades Leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s Trafficking of Tons of Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Other Deadly Drugs into the United States, and Ordered Ruthless Acts of Violence to Protect His Enterprise

Ismael Zambada Garcia also known as El Mayo, 76, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to pay $15 billion in forfeiture for his role as the principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise - the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world - and for his involvement in racketeering.

"Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "El Mayo's conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department's commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison."

"Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. "He will spend the rest of his life in a U.S. prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, who refused to let El Mayo's years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs. We hope that today's sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel's narcotics trafficking and violence."

"Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. "Today's life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished."

"The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations," said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. "This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life. Today's sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it."

"Today's sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: No matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you," said Administrator Terrance C. "Terry" Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "For decades, Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel - now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization - fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people."

"Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time - the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada Garcia," said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa's victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world's most dangerous criminals off the map permanently."

"El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades," said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office. "It's also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence. In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel - bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice."

Today's sentencing is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF). Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California. The EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York with the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment. Zambada Garcia then pleaded guilty to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge.  

Zambada Garcia's rise to power began with the Cartel's inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics - including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl - into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.

The Cartel's operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia's leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.

The Cartel's distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel's operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.

Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia's leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia's criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.

The DEA, HSI, and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit (NDDU) are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, along with the Eastern District of New York's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY's Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force and the Southern District of Florida's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.

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 NDDU investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.

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 U.S. 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.

Attorney General James Announces Arrest of Rochester Nursing Home Employee for Stealing $150,000 from Residents

 

Tammy Echols Embezzled Resident Funds from St. John’s Home

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest and arraignment of Tammy Echols, 56, of Rochester, for stealing more than $150,000 from vulnerable residents of St. John’s Home (St. John’s), where she worked. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) found that from January 2023 to August 2025, Echols used her position in the nursing home’s business office to issue checks from the facility to her friends, associates, and local businesses to which she owed money. After taking a fee, Echols’ friends and associates sent most of the stolen money back to Echols. Echols was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree.

“New Yorkers save up for their entire lives to afford dignified care in a nursing home, and they expect the staff treating them to have their best interests at heart,” said Attorney General James. “Tammy Echols took advantage of the trust St. John’s residents placed in the facility to line her pockets with vulnerable residents’ savings. My office will continue to go after fraudsters who corrupt our health care system and make sure they are held accountable.”

As a Senior Account Specialist at St. John’s, Echols was responsible for billing residents and their families for expenses not covered by Medicaid as well as issuing refund checks when they made overpayments to the facility. The OAG’s investigation found that Echols used her position to issue fraudulent refund checks from the nursing home to businesses she owed money to and to friends and associates who would transfer the funds to Echols after taking a small handling fee. In total, Echols embezzled $154,525.99 that St. John’s residents had deposited with the facility to cover their expenses. The investigation found that the businesses Echols issued checks to included a local florist, a bakery, and a construction contractor.

Echols was arrested, charged, and arraigned before Rochester City Court Judge Latoya Lee. If convicted on the top count, she faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. The charges against the defendant are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty in court.

The OAG thanks the Rochester Police Department for its valuable assistance in this investigation.

Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on $225 Million North Aud Block in Buffalo’s Canalside

Mixed-Use Development Will Create Affordable Housing and Commercial Spaces, Broaden Efforts to Reconnect Buffalo to its Historic Waterfront

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of construction at North Aud Block, a $225 million mixed-use development in Buffalo’s Canalside. This transformative project will convert a vacant parcel into 251 affordable and market-rate apartments, and will include 18,000 square feet of commercial space, 20,000 square feet of open, community space and 137 parking spaces. The project is built on the site of the former Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, also known as the Aud, which closed in 1996. It is part of a comprehensive plan to redevelop the entire parcel of land where the Aud once stood and follows last year’s opening of a visitor center there. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 11,600 homes in Erie County, including more than 8,300 in the city of Buffalo. North Aud Block 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.

“For too long, the North Aud Block has sat in the shadow of Canalside as a vacant reminder of the past, but today, we are rewriting its future as a vibrant destination on Buffalo’s historic waterfront,” Governor Hochul said. “This transformation represents exactly what our strategy was designed to achieve: turning underutilized land into hundreds of new homes and enhancing an important economic corridor. By honoring Buffalo’s rich history while investing in the future, we are ensuring Canalside remains a premier, welcoming destination for generations to come.”

North Aud Block, developed by Pennrose, will appeal to families of varying sizes and income levels. It will feature 187 affordable units available to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income. The remainder of the apartments will be market-rate. There will be a mix of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

The project’s design will retain the site’s connection to the former auditorium and will reflect portions of the area’s original 19th-century street grid. The facades will incorporate exposed brick, terracotta and metal paneling. The ground floor will consist of stone materials reminiscent of other historic downtown buildings nearby.

The buildings will be situated on the site to create a 20,000-square-foot public plaza along the canal, including seating and landscape features that will also serve as wind barriers and heat preservation. The open space will help connect the project to the surrounding Canalside neighborhood and KeyBank Center, home to the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits.

While the project celebrates the historic Auditorium, it will incorporate 21st-century amenities. The development will be all-electric, with heat pumps, energy recovery ventilation, ENERGY STAR appliances, water-conserving plumbing and electric vehicle charging. It will have fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There will be 13 units to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities and six units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Empire State Development (ESD), previously owned the North Aud Block site. The Aud was demolished by the state in 2009.

This project is part of the State’s plan to redevelop the entire former Buffalo Memorial Auditorium parcel of land. In November 2025, Governor Hochul announced the opening of The Chandlery, a visitor center and retail store. The 14,000-square-foot, four-story masonry building evokes 19th century structures along the Erie Canal. A public art installation, Destination, also debuted then in commemoration of the Erie Canal bicentennial.

North Aud Block is supported by HCR’s Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is expected to generate more than $30 million in equity, its State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is expected to generate more than $35 million in equity, and $65 million in subsidy. The project is also supported by Empire State Development with $12 million from the NY-RUSH program, $10 million from the NY Works Economic Development Fund, and $2.5 million from the Regional Council Capital Fund Program. The site is participating in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s successful Brownfield Cleanup Program and, when completed, would be eligible for approximately $20 million in tax credits administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. 

Governor Hochul Announces $250 Million Transformative Redevelopment Underway at Buffalo’s Marine Drive Public Housing Comple

Initial Phase of Marine Drive Apartments Will Create 254 Affordable Units

Three-Phase Plan Will Ultimately Bring

730 New Affordable Homes to Buffalo’s Waterfront

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that construction is underway at the redevelopment of Marine Drive Apartments, a 70-year-old public housing complex in Buffalo. The $250 million first phase of the three-phase transformation will include the new construction of 254 apartments across four buildings. When complete, the entire $600 million Marine Drive redevelopment will replace the original 616 units with approximately 730 new apartments. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 11,600 affordable homes in Erie County, including more than 8,300 in the city of Buffalo. Marine Drive Phase I 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 Marine Drive redevelopment will help transform the Lake Erie waterfront for generations to come,” Governor Hochul said. “Our administration is prioritizing projects like this – investments that enhance affordability, revitalize neighborhoods, and modernize housing. This project reflects our commitment to building modern, affordable housing that strengthens communities and expands opportunities.”

Built in the 1950s, the pre-existing seven-building Marine Drive housing complex is now nearly obsolete. The three-phase redevelopment will create hundreds of modern, affordable homes and support the continued transformation of Buffalo’s waterfront.

The 254 apartments constructed in the first phase will be affordable to households earning up to 120 percent of the Area Median Income. There will be a mix of studio, one, two, three, and four-bedroom units. All current residents will remain in their homes until new apartments are completed, ensuring there will be no displacement during construction.

Developed by The Habitat Company, Duvernay and Brooks, and Bridges Development, an affiliate of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, the development team worked closely with existing residents and the surrounding community to ensure resident input shaped the project’s design and timeline. The project is included in the City of Buffalo’s four-year strategic plan.

The plan also includes 5,000 square feet of new retail and commercial space, a new community center, landscaped green spaces, and a public plaza, as well as upgrades to the site’s essential infrastructure including the electrical grid and the sewer and water lines.

Marine Drive is located on the Lake Erie waterfront, in downtown Buffalo, and within walking distance of the Buffalo Metrorail and the city’s Amtrak station. The project features will bring economic benefits to the entire neighborhood.

Marine Drive Phase I will be all-electric, with energy-efficient appliances, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, and an Energy Recovery Ventilation system to improve indoor air quality. It also will have fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There will be 27 units to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities and seven units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

Marine Drive Phase I is supported by HCR’s Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is expected to generate $81 million in equity, its State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is expected to generate $18 million in equity, and $93 million in subsidy.

The site participated in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's successful Brownfield Cleanup Program and became eligible for $31.6 million in tax credits administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority provided $4 million in capital funding, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency provided $2 million in HOME funding, and the City of Buffalo provided $900,000 in infrastructure funding.

More than 100 units will be covered under a Section 8 Project-Based Housing Assistance Payment Contract issued under the guidelines of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Rental Assistance Demonstration Program to be administered by the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority. Another 36 units will receive Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers administered by HCR. 

COIB Settlements Announced

 

 

The New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (the “Board”) announces three settlements.

 

Misuse of City Resources. A Highways and Sewers Inspector at the New York City Department of Transportation (“DOT”) used his City vehicle to drive 41 miles for personal trips on 15 days when he did not work for DOT. To resolve this misuse of a City resource, the now-former Highways and Sewers Inspector agreed to pay a $2,500 fine. In setting the fine, the Board considered that the former Highways and Sewers Inspector had similarly misused of a DOT vehicle in the past, resulting in DOT both warning him and suspending his commuting privileges; once his commuting privileges were restored, he engaged in this misconduct yet again. The Disposition is attached as “COIB Disposition (DOT).”

 

Misuse of City Position; Aiding a Violation of Chapter 68. A City Custodial Assistant at the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (“DCAS”) created a fraudulent parking placard that said “DCAS” in large letters. With the permission of his supervising Custodian, the City Custodial Assistant also included on the placard the supervisor’s DCAS-issued cell phone number. On at least two occasions, the City Custodial Assistant placed the placard on the dashboard of his car to avoid receiving parking fees and tickets.

 

In a joint settlement with the Board and DCAS, the Custodial Assistant agreed to serve an eight-day suspension, valued at approximately $1,134 to resolve the misuse of his City position for personal gain. And in a joint settlement with the Board and DCAS, the Custodian agreed to serve a four-day suspension, and to forfeit two days of annual leave, for a total value of approximately $1,014, for aiding in a violation of the conflicts of interest law. The Board determined that the penalties imposed by DCAS against the City Custodial Assistant and Custodian were sufficient and imposed no additional penalties. The Dispositions are attached as “COIB-DCAS Disposition 1” and COIB-DCAS Disposition 2.”