Incarcerated Drug Trafficker Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison In Separate Fentanyl Trafficking Scheme

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that KEROME LENDON PAISLEY was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring, while already imprisoned, to traffic more than a kilogram of fentanyl.  PAISLEY’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, who also presided over his guilty plea.  

“After serving nearly 22 years in federal prison for a prior narcotics conspiracy, Kerome Paisley was given a chance to reenter society,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Instead, he brazenly chose to traffic more than 10,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills from behind bars, potentially endangering countless New Yorkers.  Those who are committed to dealing deadly drugs as a way of life—even from prison—will earn themselves substantial federal prison time.” 

According to the Complaint, the Indictment, and other documents in the public record:

During February 2025, as part of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy, PAISLEY used a contraband cellphone to organize the sale of over 10,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills that resembled legitimate 30 mg oxycodone pills.  After a co-conspirator of PAISLEY’s brought the pills to Peekskill, New York, to sell them, law enforcement officers found and seized them.  At the time, PAISLEY was approaching the end of a nearly 22-year federal prison sentence due to his role in a prior narcotics trafficking conspiracy.  After determining PAISLEY’s identity, law enforcement officers arrested PAISLEY on the day he was due to be released from his prior sentence.

In addition to the prison term, PAISLEY, 49, of Jamaica, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  

Mayor Mamdani Names Dana Kaplan City’s Close Rikers Czar, In Latest Step Toward Shutting Down Rikers Island

 

Czar will oversee next steps in closing Rikers Island, including reducing the jail population

 

Kaplan previously served as senior advisor to the Independent Rikers Commission 

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that Dana Kaplan will serve as the City’s Close Rikers Czar, a new role responsible for overseeing the closure of Rikers Island, reducing the jail population, advancing construction of borough-based facilities, ensuring the safe transfer of people in custody off the island and planning for the island’s future.

Kaplan brings more than two decades of experience in criminal justice reform, including as a senior advisor to the Independent Rikers Commission, where she helped shape and advance the City’s blueprint to close Rikers Island and transition to a borough-based jail system.

“Dana Kaplan has the vision and expertise to help us close Rikers Island, reduce the jail population and open a borough-based jail system that is smaller, safer and more humane,” said Mayor Mamdani. “She will lead coordination across agencies to deliver a system that respects the dignity of people in custody and the people who work in these facilities.”

“I’m honored to take on this role and work alongside City agencies, the City Council, federal partners and service providers to safely reduce the jail population, improve conditions and finish the job of transitioning to borough-based facilities,” said Close Rikers Czar Dana Kaplan. “Closing Rikers Island requires coordination, urgency and a commitment not only to closing the facilities, but to building a system rooted in dignity, accountability and care — turning a chapter in our city’s jail system and opening a new one by replacing Rikers with a smaller, safer and more humane system that better serves all New Yorkers.”

“We are excited to welcome Dana Kaplan as the Close Rikers Czar. She has dedicated her career to advancing criminal justice reform and played a critical role in developing the blueprint to close Rikers,” said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan. “Dana is uniquely qualified to help shepherd this work across the finish line and deliver a better jail system.”

“Dana brings experience, vision and, most of all, heart, to this critical position,” said New York City Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards. “Having worked with Dana for many years, I know that she will make important strides toward closing the jails on Rikers Island and promote the safety of everyone who works or is involved in the criminal legal system. We look forward to a strong partnership.”

“DDC is hard at work creating the four new, more humane jails that will help enable the closure of Rikers Island, and earlier this week marked a major milestone at the new Brooklyn jail where the last piece of structural steel was installed,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle. “Dana Kaplan was there for the inception of this program, and her coordination will be a vital and necessary piece of transitioning from Rikers to the new facilities.”

In 2025, the City Council passed legislation requiring the appointment of a coordinator to oversee the transition to borough-based jails. Kaplan’s hiring fulfills that mandate.

Her selection marks the latest step in the Mamdani administration’s work to meet the legal requirement to close Rikers Island and move to a smaller, borough-based system. The City recently took steps to move people off the island and improve conditions for both correction staff and those in custody.

Earlier this month, Mayor Mamdani announced the opening of the City’s first Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. The 104-bed, hospital-based unit serves people in custody with complex medical needs, providing specialized care in a setting designed for treatment and recovery.

On Wednesday, City agencies also marked a major construction milestone in Brooklyn, placing the final piece of structural steel atop the new borough-based jail.

About Dana Kaplan

Dana Kaplan has spent her career working on criminal justice reform and advancing a more equitable carceral system. Most recently, she served as director of the social impact campaign for the Oscar-nominated film “The Alabama Solution,” focused on reforming Alabama’s state prison system.

She also served as a senior advisor to the Independent Rikers Commission and Director of Justice Reform at the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.

In 2014, Kaplan joined the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ), where she served for eight years, including as Deputy Director of the Close Rikers and Justice Initiatives. She oversaw $150 million in contracted programming aimed at reducing the jail population and improving public safety. She also worked on implementing Raise the Age, helping move 16- and 17-year-olds off Rikers Island into juvenile facilities and community-based programs.

Kaplan is a recipient of the John Gardner Fellowship for Public Service from the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She also holds a master’s degree from the City University of New York.   

New Jersey Company Sentenced for Failing to Report Dangerously Defective Air Conditioners to the Consumer Product Safety Commission

 

Royal Sovereign International Inc., a New Jersey corporation that sold office and home appliances, was sentenced today to pay $395,786 in restitution to victims and a criminal fine of $8 million for failing to report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) dangerously defective air conditioners allegedly linked to more than 40 fires and one death.

According to court documents, Royal Sovereign, which also did business as Royal Centurian Inc., imported and sold more than 33,000 defective air conditioners manufactured in China between 2008 and 2014. The air conditioners used a faulty drain motor that could short circuit, causing them to catch fire and burn uncontrollably. Royal Sovereign recalled the defective air conditioner models in 2021.

Royal Sovereign pleaded guilty in August 2025 to a criminal information charging the company under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). In pleading guilty, the company admitted that it willfully failed to report information about the air conditioners immediately to the CPSC. According to the information, the company misled the CPSC in November 2010 by telling the agency that it was aware of only two fire incidents related to the air conditioners, and that it was no longer selling them. In reality, as alleged, the company knew of at least 16 fires and continued to sell the air conditioners. According to the CPSC recall notice, a woman died in August 2016 from smoke inhalation and her two children were injured after their Royal Sovereign air conditioner caught fire.

In addition to pleading guilty in the criminal case, Royal Sovereign previously agreed to a civil settlement with the United States that included a $16,025,000 civil penalty, the maximum authorized by the CPSA. The company has permanently ceased all operations involving the marketing, sale or distribution of consumer products.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey, and Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission made the announcement.

Trial Attorney Ethan Carroll of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Renee McCune of CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano for the District of New Jersey provided valuable assistance.

Actions involving violative products imported into the United States are coordinated through the Department of Justice Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort involving the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, the Civil Division, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Criminal Division, in coordination with the Task Force, leverages all the department’s tools and authorities to fight fraud on the federal government and recover funds for the public fisc.

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $38 Million Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in the Bronx

79-Unit Development Provides Supportive Housing for Vulnerable New Yorkers

Project Advances Governor’s Commitment To Expanding Housing Supply and Making New York More Affordable 

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of The Frederick Shack Residence, a 79-unit affordable and supportive housing development in the Bronx’s Crotona Park East neighborhood. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 10,000 affordable homes in the Bronx. The Frederick Shack Residence 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 Frederick Shack Residence represents exactly the kind of investment we need to make so that New Yorkers have an affordable place to call home, and access to the services they need to be successful,” Governor Hochul said. “This development will bring much-needed modern housing to the Bronx while also ensuring vulnerable New Yorkers can find the stability they need to build a stronger future.”

Developed by Urban Pathways, The Frederick Shack Residence was built on the former site of a 29-unit supportive Single-Room Occupancy facility that was demolished in early 2024 to make way for a larger building that could serve a wider population. Urban Pathways coordinated to relocate the former tenants to other permanent supportive facilities between 2022 and 2023. The site was transformed into a modern, seven-story building offering 79 supportive studio apartments.

The new building is named after Frederick Shack, Urban Pathway’s longtime executive director, who died earlier this month. Shack, who also served 15 years on the Supportive Housing Network of New York’s board of directors, was a tireless advocate for supportive housing and homelessness services.

The Frederick Shack Residence includes 55 apartments reserved for eligible individuals who will receive on-site support services. The State Office of Mental Health is providing $1.3 million in operating funding for these supportive apartments will be provided through an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative award.

The development includes fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There will be eight units to accommodate residents with mobility impairments and four units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

The seven-story building includes a recreation room, a common kitchen, and a landscaped back yard for residents. The all-electric building is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities 2020 standards, incorporating Energy Star appliances and a solar array.

State financing for The Frederick Shack Residence includes New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s State and Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs that generated approximately $22 million in equity. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program provided $10 million to support the creation of 70 of the supportive units.

Two Marion County Men Plead Guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Pound of Meth

 

Reshawn Graham (36, Ocala) and Tyrone Pierson (29, Ocala) have pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Graham faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. Pierson faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Graham’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 25, 2026. Pieron’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 21, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea documents, on October 7, 2025, an undercover law enforcement officer negotiated the purchase of a pound of methamphetamine with Graham. Later that day, Pierson met with the undercover officer and told the officer that the source of supply for the drugs had been delayed. The next day, Graham again reached out to the undercover officer and stated that Pierson now had the methamphetamine. Afterward, Graham and Pierson were arrested by law enforcement at a predetermined meeting location for the drug deal. Pierson was wearing a bag that contained approximately 438 grams of methamphetamine. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. 

The 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Releases Report on Death of Jesus Alberto Nunez Reyes

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) today released its report on the death of Jesus Alberto Nunez Reyes, who died on April 20, 2024 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens. After a thorough investigation, which included review of footage from body-worn cameras and a nearby security camera, interviews with involved officers and a civilian witness, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law.

Shortly after 4 a.m. on April 20, NYPD officers on foot patrol heard people shouting for help on 103rd Street in Queens. Officers approached the commotion in front of 39-21 103rd Street and saw Mr. Nunez Reyes holding a knife, standing next to a woman who was attempting to push him away. One officer directed Mr. Nunez Reyes to drop the knife several times, but he failed to comply. Both officers fired their Tasers with no effect. Mr. Nunez Reyes, still holding the knife, walked toward one of the officers and other people gathered on the sidewalk. The other officer discharged his service weapon, striking Mr. Nunez Reyes. Mr. Nunez Reyes was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Officers recovered a knife at the scene.

Under New York’s justification law, a police officer may use deadly physical force when the officer reasonably believes it to be necessary to defend against the use of deadly physical force by another. In this case, Mr. Nunez Reyes was armed with a knife, ignored repeated commands to drop the knife, and walked toward an officer and a group of bystanders armed with the knife. Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s use of deadly physical force against Mr. Nunez Reyes was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter.

Mayor Mamdani and Speaker Menin Urge Albany to Help Close City's Multi-Billion Dollar Budget Gap

 

For the first time in recent history, Mayor and Speaker jointly call for increased revenue and an end to the drain of City resources to the state  

   

Mayor and Speaker urge State to reduce NYC PTET tax credit to raise nearly $1 billion in city revenue and agree on initial savings in the City budget  

   

Mayor and Speaker agree to budget extender as State budget remains unfinished  

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Speaker Julie Menin today called on Albany to help close New York City's multi-billion dollar budget gap for the 2027 Fiscal Year, urging New York State to finalize its budget that delivers the City’s fair share of funding.   

  

The Mayor and Speaker stood united in City Hall to urge the Governor and legislature to significantly increase City revenue in the State budget, including by reducing New York City's Passthrough Entity Tax (PTET) credit to generate nearly $1 billion. As Albany leadership continue to negotiate their FY2027 Enacted Budget, the Mayor and Speaker agreed to pass a budget extender through May 12 to ensure New York City's FY2027 Executive Budget can incorporate the State's final budget decisions.  

   

The Mayor and Speaker voiced joint support for reducing the New York City Passthrough Entity Tax (PTET) credit to 75%. The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act limits taxpayers' ability to deduct state and local taxes from federal income tax. The New York City PTET allows pass-through businesses to restore this lost deductibility by paying a New York City business tax that is 100% rebated to business owners. The State could allow New York City to reduce this rebate to 75% to generate nearly $1 billion in additional revenue, while still allowing New York City residents to save on federal taxes.  

  

The Mayor and Speaker also highlighted the importance of working together to reach agreements on savings within the City budget — announcing their joint support for restructuring Pension Unfunded Liability, as well as class size mandate relief, which together would save New York City over $1 billion. No current or future retiree would lose a single dollar in pension benefits as they are constitutionally protected by the New York State Constitution.  

    

The Mayor and Speaker urged their partners in Albany to end the drain of City resources to the State, a long-standing practice that has shifted billions of dollars in City revenue to Albany. State cost shifts have sharply increased the City’s financial burden, including the elimination of AIM funding; restrictions to the Adult Shelter Cap, adding approximately $500 million in costs; and significant reductions in foster care aid, and support for low-income families. Additional cost shifts, including roughly $480 million in MTA costs, have further strained the City’s budget.   

  

Today, New York City contributes 55.6% of state revenue, but receives only 41.7% in return. At the same time, the City remains the engine of economic growth for the entire state. Between 2010 and 2024, the City’s economy more than doubled, growing 110%, compared with 68% growth in the rest of the state.  

  

“New York City is facing a generational fiscal deficit, and it’s going to require serious, good-faith partnership across every level of government to meet this moment. I’m glad to stand with Speaker Menin and leaders in Albany as we work to deliver a budget that reflects the needs of all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Mamdani. “If we’re serious about putting our city back on firm financial footing, we cannot rely on short term fixes. A structural crisis demands a structural solution. That’s why Speaker Menin and I are calling on Albany to reset its longstanding fiscal relationship with the City and amend the Passthrough Entity Tax Credit. Today it serves as a tax cut for the rich; a reduction would ensure the wealthiest pay their fair share.”  

  

“Mayor Mamdani and I are partners in delivering a responsible budget for New Yorkers, and we’re committed to closing the gap,” said Speaker Menin. “We are aligned on identifying real savings, maintaining the services New Yorkers rely on, and making clear that New York City deserves its fair share from Albany so we can continue investing in our communities. We will continue that partnership to produce a balanced and fiscally responsible budget.” 

Permits Filed for 2788 Sedgwick Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a six-story residential building at 2788 Sedgwick Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, The Bronx. Located between West 195th Street and West 197th Street, the interior lot is closest to the Kingsbridge Road subway station, served by the 4 train. Gentjana Ivanaj is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 57-foot-tall development will yield 11,567 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 17 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 680 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a cellar and a 59-foot-long rear yard.

Mohammad Badaly of Badaly Architects is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits have not been filed yet. An estimated completion date has not been announced.