October 31, 2026 - Day 8
- Manhattan - 160,045
- Bronx - 57,167
- Brooklyn - 177,271
- Queens - 135,095
- Staten Island - 43,208
*As of Close of Polls – Unofficial and Cumulative 572,786
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Sunday, November 1, 2026
Early Voting Check-Ins General Election 2026
Cox: Tish James Corrupt, Involved in Apparent Pay-to-Play
NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement in response to a report that Letitia James turned a blind eye to corrupt, mismanaged homeless shelter operators after they donated to her campaign:
"This is the stench of Albany corruption at its worst. Letitia James wants New Yorkers to believe she is the ultimate corruption fighter, but when the investigation leads back to her own political donors, suddenly she goes blind.
"These corrupt operators apparently bought themselves protection with campaign contributions. Letitia James must be held accountable for this outrageous perversion of justice - and the best way for New Yorkers to do that is to vote out our corrupt and incompetent Attorney General and elect crime-fighting Saritha Komatireddy on Tuesday."
DHS Highlights Worst Illegal Aliens Arrested in Florida
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement highlighting examples of the worst illegal aliens recently arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state of Florida, including those convicted for such crimes as vehicular manslaughter, sexual assault, domestic violence, and arson.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove the worst illegal aliens from our country, no matter where they are,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “In the great state of Florida, we’ve arrested killers, sexual assailants, arsonists, and other heinous criminals who endangered our communities. There are few greater partners to us than the Sunshine State, and we will continue working with our state and local partners to make America safe again.”
Among the worst illegal alien arrests in Florida are:
Djina Christelle Maurice, an illegal alien from Haiti, arrested by ICE in Ocala on October 14. Her criminal history includes a conviction for vehicular homicide.
Tai Ngoc Ly, an illegal alien from Vietnam, arrested by ICE in Orlando on October 8. His criminal history includes convictions for predatory criminal sexual assault, robbery and burglary.
Jean Joel Joseph, an illegal alien from Haiti, arrested by ICE in Orlando on October 19. His criminal history includes a conviction for domestic violence.
Dinh Doan, an illegal alien from Vietnam, arrested by ICE in Cocoa on October 16. His criminal history includes a conviction for arson of occupied structure and arrests for assault and criminal damage.
Pedro Alvarez Rodriguez, an illegal alien from Cuba, arrested by ICE in Orlando on October 20. His criminal history includes convictions for robbery and identity theft, and arrests for battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting law enforcement officer with violence, and speeding.
Indian National Pleads Guilty to $227M Medicare Fraud
An Indian national pleaded guilty to a $227 million Medicare fraud scheme in which hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries’ personally identifiable information was purchased from a company based in Pakistan and used to bill Medicare for COVID-19 test kits that were never provided.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 36, an Indian national residing in Des Plaines, Illinois, engaged in a scheme to defraud the Medicare program by submitting false and fraudulent claims for over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits that were not requested by beneficiaries or provided to them. Over the course of six months, starting in January 2023, Kablazada and his co-schemers acquired three Chicago-area laboratories, Chicago Care, V Care, and Al-Ameer. Kablazada then paid approximately $11 million to a purported telemarketing company based in Pakistan to obtain personally identifiable information for hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries. Using those Medicare beneficiaries’ information, Kablazada caused the laboratories to submit $227 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for test kits that he knew were never requested by or shipped to the Medicare beneficiaries, for which Medicare paid approximately $136 million. To conceal their involvement in this scheme, Kablazada and his co-schemers paid themselves through overseas money transfers and unlicensed money transmitters, and they used the proceeds in part to purchase luxury vehicles.
As part of his plea agreement in this case, Kablazada agreed to forfeit over $46 million in fraud proceeds that law enforcement seized from ten bank accounts.
Kablazada pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on a later date and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen of the FBI Chicago Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ethridge of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI Chicago Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Deputy Chief Patrick Mott and Trial Attorney Claire Sobczak Pacelli of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andres Almendarez for the Northern District of Illinois assisted in investigating and prosecuting this case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the 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.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Israeli National Extradited to Face Charges for Stealing Nearly $3M in Virtual Currency Heist
Alexander Gurevich, 49, an Israeli national, had his initial appearance in the Northern District of California on a 2023 indictment that charged him for exploiting the Nomad Bridge’s self-executing computer program, also known as a smart contract, to steal $2.89 million in virtual currency. Gurevich was arrested in May 2025 in Israel and was recently extradited to the United States.
According to the indictment, on or about Aug. 1, 2022, Gurevich is alleged to have executed four exploit transactions from the Nomad Bridge and transferred a total of 103 WBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin) and 300 WETH (Wrapped Ether) from Nomad’s virtual currency address to a virtual currency address controlled by Gurevich through unauthorized and non-authenticated transactions. The estimated value of this virtual currency was approximately $2,894,390 at the time of the transactions. Shortly after he stole this virtual currency, Gurevich conducted a number of financial transactions to convert the virtual currency to other types of virtual currency, including Bitcoin, and continued to transfer the funds to multiple virtual currency addresses in order to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds of his unlawful activity.
Gurevich is charged with causing damage to a protected computer, interstate transportation of stolen money, and money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for causing damage to a protected computer, as well as for interstate transportation of stolen money, and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for money laundering.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California, and Special Agent in Charge Scott R. Schelble of the FBI made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Israeli authorities provided substantial assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Boost your mood: Volunteer with us
Woodlawn Wednesdays
Wednesdays, November 4, 18 - Meet at 9am
Woodlawn Wednesdays are back! Tackle harmful plants like multiflora rose, bush honeysuckle, bittersweet, and Japanese angelica trees that threaten our native biodiversity in the northeast forest.
Meet at Woodlawn Playground
Woodlawn Pollinator Garden Volunteer Event
Wednesdays, November 4 - Meet at 1pm
Join us for an afternoon of caring for the Woodlawn Wildflower Garden and surrounding area. Volunteers will have the chance to plant goldenrods and daffodil bulbs.
Meet at Pollinator Garden next to Woodlawn Playground
Trail Work Thursdays
Thursdays, November 5, 12, 19- Meet at 9am
Blaze trails with us! Whether you’re an experienced trailblazer or new to trail maintenance, your help will make a significant impact to ensure trail safety for runners and hikers.
Meet at VCPA Learning Garden
Tune Up Tuesdays
Tuesdays, November 10, 24 - 10am to 1pm
Turnip to volunteer! Volunteers will help care for our garden, maintain compost bins, weed, water, and harvest produce. No gardening experience needed – just show up in clothing that can get dirty!
VCPA Learning Garden
Forest Fridays
Fridays, November 13, 20 - Meet at 9am
Join us along Turtle Creek, the stream feeding the mill pond from the northwest, to plant native trees from NYC Parks in the floodplain and cut back invasive phragmites by hand. Your work helps the floodplain forest take back ground from the reeds.
Meet at southern end of VC Golf House
You can support our work in Van Cortlandt Park!
Adopt a Bench
New Opportunity! A bench in Van Cortlandt Park is a meaningful way to celebrate a loved one, honor a special memory, or create a lasting connection to a place that brings so much to our community while supporting the park you love!
Make a Donation
The park is really big. Our staff is really small. Only with your help can we grow our capacity, hire more staff, and take on projects to improve Van Cortlandt Park… for YOU! Please consider a gift to Van Cortlandt Park Alliance today.
VCPA Merch Shop!
Show your love for Van Cortlandt Park while supporting the Alliance!
Become a Member
Members get VCPA merch and invitations to member only hikes while supporting their favorite park!
Our Contact Information
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance
80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Ste. E1
Bronx, NY 10463
718-601-1460
http://vancortlandt.org
EDGEMERE MAN SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FATAL SHOOTING OF 10-YEAR-OLD BOY IN DISPUTE OVER SHARED DRIVEWAY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ashram Lochan has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Justin Wallace in June 2021. Lochan pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter last month admitting he directed Jovan Young to fire multiple gunshots into his neighbor’s doorway because of a grudge over a shared driveway. The young boy was shot once in the chest as he stood near the doorway. Young also pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced last week to 24 years in prison for fatally shooting the child and seriously injuring another man.
District Attorney Katz said: “This was a profoundly senseless act of gun violence. Young Justin Wallace was gunned down because Ashram Lochan had a disagreement with a neighbor over a shared driveway. Lochan directed co-defendant Jovan Young to spray the neighbor’s home with bullets, killing 10-year-old Justin and wounding the child’s 29-year-old uncle in the process. Using guns to settle disputes is as stupid and dangerous as it gets, and we hope this sentence brings some measure of closure to Justin’s family, friends and community.”
Lochan, 32, of Edgemere, was sentenced before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant to 19 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Young, 34, also of Edgemere, was sentenced before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky to 24 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision, for his role in the offense.
Both defendants pleaded guilty in satisfaction of indictments that variously charged them with murder in the second degree, attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence.
DA Katz said that, according to the indictment and investigation, on June 5, 2021, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Lochan saw his neighbor, 29-year-old Kyle Forrester, entering Forrester’s home on Beach 45th Street. Lochan, angry over a disagreement about a shared driveway, directed defendant Jovan Young to shoot at Forrester just as the victim opened his front door.
Young fired multiple shots, hitting Forrester in his back, hand and neck. Forrester’s cousin, Justin Wallace, who stood inside the doorway was struck once in the chest.
Wallace was transported to a local hospital where he later died from the gunshot wound.