Senior FARC Commander Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for International Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy

 

Defendant Extorted Drug Traffickers for Millions of Dollars to Finance Terrorist Group’s War Against the Government of Colombia

Yesterday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Martin Leonel Perez Castro, a senior leader within the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (the FARC), was sentenced by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan to 252 months in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine internationally, intending and knowing that the cocaine would be illegally imported into the United States.  Perez Castro pleaded guilty to the charge in August 2023.  The defendant was also ordered to forfeit $1 million in drug proceeds.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), and Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.

“The defendant extracted millions of dollars from drug traffickers at the point of a gun, funding the FARC’s acts of terrorism and facilitating the global cocaine trade,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence handed down in a U.S. courtroom is fitting justice for Perez Castro, who granted drug traffickers his permission and protection to produce massive quantities of cocaine that was distributed in our country and elsewhere, causing incalculable harm.  The dismantling of international drug trafficking organizations and narcoterrorism groups will always be a priority of the Department of Justice.” 

Mr. Peace extended his appreciation to the DEA’s office in Bogota, Colombia, the United States Department of State, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Perez Castro, the Colombian National Police and the Government of Colombia.

“Justice has been delivered. Martin Leonel Perez Castro, who served as a former senior member and one of the highest-level drug trafficking members of the FARC, used violent tactics, which included terrorism, to help distribute shipments of cocaine from Columbia to New York City and the United States” stated Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino.  “While this sentencing closes the door to Mr. Castro’s activities, the DEA and our law enforcement partners, both globally and here in the United States, remain committed to making sure those who use violent and terrorist acts as a measure for illicit drug trade face the justice they deserve.”

“As a FARC senior official, Perez Castro was responsible for the distribution of more than 165,000 pounds of cocaine.  He helped create a revenue stream that funded the FARC’s decades-long campaign to overthrow the Government of Colombia, a conflict that resulted in far too many casualties.  Today’s sentencing is the result of the incredible investigative work of DEA and IRS-CI Special Agents and committed law enforcement partnerships globally,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Fattorusso.

The FARC was founded in 1964 as a left-wing paramilitary group dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Government of Colombia.  Over decades of conflict, the FARC attacked Colombian government forces and used targeted killings, kidnapping and other terrorist tactics to achieve its ends.  In October 1997, the U.S. Secretary of State designated the FARC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).  After the Government of Colombia and the FARC entered into a peace accord in 2016, the FARC formally dissolved.  On November 30, 2021, the U.S. Secretary of State revoked the designation of the FARC as an FTO.  The defendant’s conduct occurred prior to the 2016 peace accord.

Perez Castro was the Head of Finances for the FARC’s 30th Front, a group that operated in southwestern Colombia.  The 30th Front extorted drug traffickers by forcing them to pay “taxes” for every kilogram of cocaine trafficked through the 30th Front’s territory. The 30th Front also sometimes produced its own cocaine or held ownership stakes in cocaine shipments produced by local traffickers.  Cocaine revenues funded the FARC’s decades-long campaign to overthrow the Government of Colombia, a conflict that resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties.  Perez Castro was responsible for the distribution of at least 75,000 kilograms of cocaine.  He was extradited to the Eastern District of New York in June 2022.

The conviction and sentencing of Perez Castro are the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the Office and the DEA.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.  OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Dual U.S. and Albanian Citizen Arrested for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Distributing Instructions Regarding Homemade Explosives

 

A former New York man and dual citizen of the United States and Albania was arrested yesterday in New York on criminal charges related to his alleged involvement in attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and distributing instructional information regarding the making of explosives.

According to court documents, Erald Alimehmeti, 33, of Tirana, Albania, is a former resident of the Bronx, New York, and moved to Albania in 2014. Alimehmeti was arrested by Albanian authorities and imprisoned in late 2015 to 2019 and again from late 2020 to 2022 for weapons and assault offenses.

Between prison terms, Alimehmeti created and used numerous online accounts on encrypted messaging applications and social media websites to communicate with others about planning and training for attacks on behalf of ISIS. For example, in 2019, Alimehmeti expressed interest in “DC sniper” style attacks and referenced an “op” for which he sought the participation of confidential sources, writing, among other things, “Do you know sniping akhi? The formulas and ballistics?” and “I will brief you brothers right before the op, not here akhi. Do you both know how to use red dot optics and how to zero them?” Alimehmeti also requested what he described as “tactical” equipment and “gear” for “training” and “operations” in support of ISIS, including particular models of vests capable of holding “ballistic plates,” “magazine pouches,” and “knives,” and described modifications he intended to make to his “AKM,” an apparent reference to an assault rifle.

In addition, in 2019 and 2020, Alimehmeti regularly posted pro-ISIS propaganda online, praising specific ISIS leaders and promoting ISIS-issued publications and videos. For example, Alimehmeti’s social media posts included praise of the ISIS propagandist Shaykh ul-Haqq Musa Cerantonio and the Libyan terrorist and high-ranking al Qaeda official Abu Yahya al-Libi; photographs of various jihadist publications, such as “The Islamic Ruling of the Permissibility of Self-Sacrificial Operations: Suicide, or Martyrdom?” and “The Book of Jihad”; and a video depicting the killing of U.S. Special Forces in Niger and an accompanying comment in Albanian, which translates to: “The Islamic State in Africa killing crusaders, American and French special forces. Look at how the US special forces scream before they die!!! Hahaha!”

Alimehmeti also described his work compiling resources on mixing dangerous chemicals and making explosives to a confidential source and discussed how to make specific types of incendiaries to spray at innocent bystanders in a terrorist attack. On an encrypted messaging channel, Alimehmeti posted dozens of links and downloadable documents on topics such as explosives-making, firearms-handling, defensive tactics, and outdoor survival, with comments encouraging the use of these resources. For example, he posted a video and described it as “a video release from the official media of the Khilafa, explaining how YOU O Muwahid can make TATP explosives in your own home ... SO FIGHT THEM O MUWAHID,” an apparent reference to a well-known ISIS video titled, “You Must Fight Them O Muwahhid,” which provides step-by-step instructions for constructing a TATP-based explosive device and attacking a human target with a knife.

Alimehmeti is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and one count of distribution of information pertaining to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction in furtherance of a federal crime of violence, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists principally of agents and analysts from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department, is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, and law enforcement partners in Albania and Australia, including the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley and Jane Y. Chong for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jessica K. Fender of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Governor Hochul Announces Full Containment of Jennings Creek Wildfire at Sterling Forest State Park

 

Multi-Agency Response Results in 100 Percent Containment of New York’s Largest Wildfire Since 2008

Since Nov. 10, 427 Fire Companies — Nearly All of Them Volunteers — Have Sent More Than 1,300 Firefighters and Equipment To Help

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that after 14 days, the Jennings Creek/Sterling Forest State Park wildfire on the New York border is now fully contained. The State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers are leading the incident response in cooperation with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, New York State Police, Orange County, New York Army National Guard, and many other State and local partners plus wildland firefighters from New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Colorado and Montana. Response actions in the area will continue in the coming days with a smaller force of state and local experts as final fire control efforts advance.

"For two weeks, firefighting crews and staff responded from around the state to battle the Jennings Creek wildfire and today they were successful in fully containing the fire,” Governor Hochul said. “From the start, we launched a coordinated response with every available resource to help our first responders complete this mission, and could not have done this without the professional and volunteer crews that worked alongside our partners in New Jersey, and crews from Colorado and Montana. I thank all of them for their hard work, spending time away from their families and working tirelessly every day to keep New Yorkers safe."

As part of the response, the Governor deployed additional State assets including personnel and Army National Guard Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, as well as State Police Huey helicopters. Combined, these helicopters dumped more than 500,000 gallons of water on the fire over the course of a week. The State also deployed bulldozers and bulldozer operators and other professional staff and volunteers to contain the fire. Since Nov. 10, 427 fire companies — nearly all of them volunteers — have sent more than 1,300 firefighters and equipment to help. Responders attacked this fire from the ground and in the air. The steady rain and snow in the past two days brought much needed moisture to the region, acting as a blanket to drop the ground temperature and suppress the fire.

To date, the fire has burned 5,304 acres across New York and New Jersey since Nov. 8. The fire is 100-percent contained and 100-percent controlled. As a result, the State’s Incident Management Team, along with volunteer crews have demobilized. Some sections of fire may remain within the deeper forested interior of the park and qualified fire crews from DEC, Parks Forest Rangers and Montana will continue to patrol the perimeter throughout the rain and snow late this week, and proceed with mop-up operations as needed until the fire is completely suppressed.

While recent rain helped improve dry conditions in many parts of the state, New York still has a statewide burn ban in effect until Nov. 30 due to increased fire risk. This burn ban prohibits the starting of outdoor fires statewide for purposes of brush and debris disposal, as well as uncontained campfires, and open fires used for cooking. Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width, or diameter are allowed, as are small, contained cooking fires. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited year-round in New York State, and several municipalities have burn bans currently in effect. 

Sterling Forest State Park will reopen for hiking and hunting effective Saturday east of Long Meadow Road and north of Route 17A. Trails in the fire zone will remain closed indefinitely.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE 'CITY OF YES' VOTE

 

"Our city’s affordable housing crisis has been deepening for decades, and one proposal will not undo that damage. At the same time, I commend the New York City Council for advancing a revised plan that aims to address the urgent crisis at hand. I thank the Speaker and entire Council for their commitment to taking on this urgent issue, and working with Council Members to address their concerns.

"The $5 billion investment in affordable housing and infrastructure is an important achievement with the potential to have a lasting impact on our city, one that we have to ensure is realized. I am particularly encouraged by the flexible modifications included in this plan—such as adjustments to parking requirements and mandates for affordability—that will make it easier to build homes that meet the needs of our diverse communities, as well as its balanced investment in affordability, infrastructure, and the staffing of city agencies that will help ensure these plans are implemented efficiently and effectively. 

"Though the plan has worrying cracks and carve-outs, it is still an important step in the right direction as we look to address our city’s affordable housing crisis, and it’s critical to remember efforts like this can only be effective if paired with preservation, voucher expansion, and other measures. As my office continues to review the final plan and potential implementation, I remain committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure these investments translate into tangible, lasting improvements for New Yorkers."

Housing Lottery Launches for 113 East 184th Street in Fordham Heights, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 113 East 184th Street, an eight-story mixed-use building in Fordham Heights, The Bronx. Designed by Fred Geremia Architects & Planners and developed by Gjek Popaj, the structure yields 51 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 50 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $99,772 to $181,740.

Residences come with energy-efficient appliances, air conditioning, hardwood floors, intercoms, smart controls for heating/cooling, and name-brand kitchen appliances, countertops, and finishes. Amenities include doorstep recycling collection, on-site resident manager, and an elevator. Tenants are responsible for electricity.

At 130 percent of the AMI, there are 27 studios with a monthly rent of $2,910 for incomes ranging from $99,772 to $161,590, and 23 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $3,099 for incomes ranging from $106,252 to $181,740.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than January 16, 2025.

Attorney General James Recovers More Than $1.6 Million from Former Leaders of Historic Queens Cemetery for Financial Mismanagement

 

Daniel Austin, Sr. and Anthony Mordente Allegedly Enriched Themselves With Charitable Funds While Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery Fell Into Disrepair

Funds Will Support the Restoration and Preservation of the Cemetery

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that she has secured more than $1.6 million from former leaders of Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, including Daniel Austin, Sr. and Anthony Mordente, who allegedly misused and took millions of dollars in charitable funds from the cemetery in order to enrich themselves. The funds will be returned to the historic nonprofit cemetery, now under new management, to support restoration and upkeep. Austin, Sr., who ran the cemetery for decades as President, Chief Executive, and Chairman, will return a nearly $1 million payout he wrongfully received. Mordente, who served in multiple cemetery leadership roles, including Director, Board Secretary, Treasurer, President, and Legal Counsel, will also return $585,000 he was improperly paid. A total of $1.672 million will be returned to the cemetery, including $187,100 that Attorney General James secured in previous settlements with other former Directors of the cemetery. 

“No one deserves to have their final resting place desecrated by mismanagement and greed,” said Attorney General James. “Daniel Austin, Sr. and Anthony Mordente used All Faiths Cemetery as their personal piggy bank, allowing the grounds to fall into disrepair while they lined their own pockets. This was not only unlawful, but also completely disrespectful to the families and loved ones of the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers buried at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery. My office will always fight to protect New York’s historic sites.”

Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery is a historic nonprofit cemetery in Middle Village, Queens that has served as the final resting place for more than 540,000 New Yorkers for nearly 150 years. After Austin, Sr. became president in 1990, conditions at the cemetery began to deteriorate. By the time Austin, Sr. stepped down as president in 2014, several sections of the cemetery had fallen into disrepair. Visitors reported toppled and sunken gravestones, cracked memorials, crumbling stairs, and roads full of potholes. Rather than invest charitable funds in maintaining the cemetery, Austin, Sr. and Mordente took money for themselves and allowed the cemetery to fall into disrepair. All funds secured in today’s settlements will go directly to the cemetery to support the continued restoration and preservation of its historic grounds. 

In September 2019, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against seven long-serving Directors and Board members of Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery after an Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation revealed that they had engaged in extensive misuse of the organization’s charitable funds and unlawful self-dealing. The OAG found that Austin, Sr., with the assistance of Mordente, extracted $900,000 from the cemetery’s funds as an unlawful, so-called retirement benefit for himself while continuing to serve in a “consultant” role, for which he continued to receive a salary and full employee benefits. The $900,000 retirement benefit was taken in addition to his previously agreed upon pension, and was paid out in one lump sum, instead of in standard monthly allotments. Austin, Sr.’s fellow former Directors did not dispute or otherwise oppose this self-dealing.

The OAG also found that following Austin, Sr.’s purported retirement, the cemetery’s Board of Directors elected his son, Daniel Austin, Jr., to serve as President, a role for which no other candidates were considered. During this time, Austin, Jr. diverted more than $60,000 from the cemetery’s payroll in the form of self-authorized bonuses. After learning this, Mordente and the Board permitted Austin, Jr. to remain in his paid roles as President and Director for many months, ultimately allowing him to resign with a full pension. Austin, Sr. then repaid the diverted funds on his son’s behalf, without any interest added or admission of wrongdoing from the younger Austin.

The OAG’s investigation also revealed frequent misuse of cemetery assets to directly benefit Board members and their families. Mordente, while serving as a Director, was paid to provide “outside” legal counsel to the cemetery. Between 1990 and 2020, Mordente was paid a retainer fee with zero oversight from the Board or documentation to justify the amounts paid. Additionally, multiple Board members, including Austin, Sr. and Mordente, used cemetery funds to issue personal mortgage loans to relatives without proper review of those insider transactions. Attorney General James alleges that this mismanagement and overspending of funds resulted in millions of dollars in unnecessary operating costs and financial losses for the cemetery. 

As part of this agreement, Austin, Sr. must return $900,000 to replenish the funds taken as a lump sum retirement benefit to the cemetery. Mordente will pay $585,000 to restore cemetery funds improperly used to pay his multiple salaries. Austin, Sr., Austin, Jr., and Mordente are also permanently barred from serving in a financial management role in any New York nonprofits or charitable organizations. 

Attorney General James previously secured settlements with four additional Directors named in the 2019 lawsuit for participating in or permitting improper and wasteful financial transactions, ultimately harming the cemetery. These Directors admitted to violating their duties as leaders of the cemetery by failing to provide adequate oversight of the cemetery’s finances and approving transactions with insiders without consideration of conflicts of interest. As part of these prior agreements, the Board members agreed to return the full amounts they were paid as Directors during the period in question, ranging from $38,500 to $50,000, for a total of $187,100.

VCJC News & Notes 11/22/24

 

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

Shabbos 
 
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 11/22/24 @ 414 pm 
Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely.  
Shabbos Ends Saturday 11/23/24 @ 5:17 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. 
Kiddush sponsored by Benz Panush in celebration of the birthdays of Stanley Krell, Merrill Penn, and Neil Harrow. 
  
If you have been meaning to do this, but haven’t, it’s not too late! 
Yizkor was said on Yom Kippur and  again on Shemini Atzeret. 
It is customary to make a charitable donation in conjunction with Yizkor.  If you wish to donate to VCJC as part of your Yizkor observance, it can be done in person at the office, by check, or online through our website 

Jewish Holidays: A Journey Through Tradition and Celebration - a VCJC book 
is now available in a printed version and in a pdf version. Read all about it on our blog. Printed versions need to be ordered ahead of time and can be picked up in the office or mailed to you. 

Our mailing address is:

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

3880 Sedgwick Ave

Bronx, NY 10463