Chief Digital Officer Of Premium Cable Network Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Defrauding His Employer Of More Than $7 Million

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, today announced that EMIL RENSING pled guilty in connection with his scheme to defraud his employer, a premium cable network (the “Network”), of more than $7 million through false statements about purported services to be provided to the Network by companies RENSING owned and controlled that were, in large part, never performed. RENSING pled guilty earlier today before United States Magistrate Judge James L. Cott in Manhattan federal court.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “Emil Rensing, an executive at a premium cable network, defrauded his employer out of more than $7 million by causing the network to pay companies Rensing controlled for services that were never rendered. To conceal his role in the payments, Rensing used false and stolen identities and dummy email accounts. I want to thank the FBI for their work to hold Rensing accountable for his crimes.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment to which RENSING pled guilty, a criminal Complaint filed against RENSING, and statements made during the plea and other court proceeding proceedings:

EMIL RENSING defrauded the Network of more than $7 million over the course of his five-year employment with the Network. Through his position as Chief Digital Officer of the Network, RENSING caused the Network to contract with vendor companies owned and controlled by RENSING to perform digital media services for the Network and to perform those services through vendor personnel identified in the contracts. In truth and in fact, however, the promised services were, in large part, never performed, and the vendor personnel designated in the contracts to perform the services – which included several of RENSING’s former professional associates and business partners – had never heard of the vendors or performed services for the Network. These individuals were further unaware that their names were being used by RENSING in this manner.

RENSING concealed his fraudulent scheme by, among other things, using false and stolen identities to hide his own involvement in the scheme. As to one of the vendors used to perpetrate the scheme (“Vendor-1”), RENSING provided the Network with a false name and email address as the “contact” to be used by the Network to communicate with Vendor-1. As to a second vendor, (“Vendor-2”), provided the Network with the name of a personal acquaintance as a “project manager” and “contact” for Vendor-2 when, in truth and in fact, this acquaintance had nothing to do with Vendor-2. Unbeknownst to this personal acquaintance, also established an email account in that acquaintance’s name that RENSING, posing as the acquaintance, used regularly to communicate with the Network about the vendor’s billing and other administrative matters.

After the Network learned of RENSING’s fraudulent scheme, RENSING was interviewed by attorneys for the Network. During this interview, which was recorded at the request of RENSING and his counsel, RENSING made multiple false statements to further conceal his fraudulent scheme.

RENSING, 43, of Manhattan, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.

Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Participating In Business Email Compromise Scams

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that DAVID CHUKWUNEKE ADINDU pled guilty this morning before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty in Manhattan federal court to a superseding Information that charged him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to use a means of identification in connection with a federal crime.  These charges stemmed from ADINDU’s participation in fraudulent business email compromise scams that targeted thousands of victims around the world, including the United States.  Collectively, the scams attempted to defraud victims of millions of dollars.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “As he has now admitted, David Chukwuneke Adindu participated in thousands of business email compromise scams, trying to trick various businesses into wiring millions of dollars to his overseas bank accounts.  Cyber is increasingly becoming a powerful tool for criminals, including those like Adindu who indiscriminately target businesses around the world with scams.  We are committed to tracking down and holding these cyber fraudsters accountable.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “Adindu targeted his victims from afar, but the pain he likely inflicted upon them hit too close to home. Most people assume they won't become a victim of a business email scam, but this case should remind the public that everyone is at risk. Today's guilty plea is yet another example of our efforts to confront cyber crime worldwide.”

According to the Information and statements made at public court proceedings:

Between 2014 and 2016, ADINDU participated in Business Email Compromise scams (“BEC scams”) targeting thousands of victims around the world, including in the United States.  As part of the BEC scams, emails were sent to employees of various companies directing that funds be transferred to specified bank accounts.  The emails purported to be from supervisors at those companies or third party vendors that did business with those companies.  The emails, however, were not legitimate.  Rather, they were either from email accounts with a domain name that was very similar to a legitimate domain name, or the metadata in the emails had been modified so that the emails appeared as if they were from legitimate email addresses.  After victims complied with the fraudulent wiring instructions, the transferred funds were quickly withdrawn or moved into different bank accounts.  In total, the BEC scams attempted to defraud millions of dollars from victims.

ADINDU and others carried out BEC scams by exchanging information regarding: (1) bank accounts used for receiving funds from victims; (2) email accounts for communicating with victims; (3) scripts for requesting wire transfers from victims; and (4) lists of names and email addresses for contacting and impersonating potential victims.                

ADINDU, 29, of Lagos, Nigeria, and Guangzhou, China, was arrested on November 22, 2016.  ADINDU pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to use a means of identification in connection with a federal crime, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

ADINDU is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Crotty on September 26, 2017 at 3:30 p.m.

Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the FBI.  Mr. Kim also thanked the Yahoo! E-Crime Investigations Team, and noted that the investigation is continuing.

U.N. Employee Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Fraud Offenses In Connection With Employment Of Bangladeshi Domestic WorkerU.N. Employee Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Fraud Offenses In Connection With Employment Of Bangladeshi Domestic Worker

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christian Schurman, Acting Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (“DSS”), announced the arrest of HAMIDUR RASHID, an economist working at the United Nations Secretariat ‎in the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, on fraud and theft charges in connection with RASHID’s hiring of, and obtaining a visa for, a Bangladeshi national employed as a domestic worker at RASHID’s home in New York, New York.  RASHID was arrested today and will be presented this afternoon in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV.       

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “Domestic workers brought to our country from abroad find themselves in a vulnerable position, far from home and facing a huge power imbalance relative to their employers. As alleged, Hamidur Rashid, an employee of the United Nations, took cruel advantage of his position of power, grossly overworking his domestic worker while paying her well below the wage he reported to the State Department and to the U.N.  Rashid also allegedly obtained the visa for his domestic worker through lies about the wages he intended to pay her, and once she was brought here, he allegedly set up a sham bank account to spend for himself the wages he purported to pay her.  In this country, even the most powerless have the same human rights as the most powerful.  And everyone is subject, in an equal way, to the rule of law.  We thank the Diplomatic Security Service for their commitment to this important principle of justice.”

Acting DSS Director Christian Schurman said:  “As the lead agency in this investigation, the Diplomatic Security Service demonstrated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of U.S. travel documents and the rights of visitors to the United States. We pursue those who fraudulently use domestic worker visas, like the G-5, to manipulate and exploit their employees for personal gain.  Diplomatic Security Service’s strong relationship with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.” 

According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:

Employees of international organizations such as the United Nations (the “UN”) may obtain G-5 visas for their domestic workers if they meet the requirements set out in 9 Foreign Affairs Manual (“FAM”) 41.21 and 41.22.  As part of the application process, an interview of the domestic worker at the embassy or consulate is required.  Proof is required that the applicant will receive a fair wage by U.S. and State Department standards.  To apply for a G-5 visa, the visa applicant must submit an employment contract that must include, among other things, the number of hours of work per week and the hourly wage, which must be the greater of the minimum wage under U.S. federal and state law, or the prevailing wage.  The employment contract must also state that, after the first 90 days of employment, all wage payments must be made by check or electronic transfer to the domestic worker’s bank account, to which the employer should not have access.

RASHID made false promises to a Bangladeshi national (“Witness-1”), who was to be RASHID’s domestic employee at an address in Manhattan, New York, about Witness-1’s salary in order to procure her employment in the United States.  In order to obtain a G-5 visa for Witness-1, RASHID caused false statements about Witness-1’s salary to be transmitted to the State Department in the form of an employment contract (the “First Employment Contract”) that satisfied the State Department’s requirements for payment of a lawful wage.  The First Employment Contract stated, among other things, that RASHID would pay Witness-1 $420 per week, which equates to a rate of $10.50 per hour, that the prevailing hourly wage for domestic employees in the New York City metropolitan area is $9.63, and that Witness-1 was not to work in excess of eight hours a day, five days a week.

RASHID then entered into a second employment contract (the “Second Employment Contract”) with Witness-1 with a substantially lower rate of pay, which did not meet State Department requirements for payment of a lawful wage.  The Second Employment Contract stated, among other things, that RASHID would pay Witness-1 $290 per week, which equates to a rate of $7.25 per hour.

Witness-1 worked for RASHID as a domestic employee in New York, New York, from approximately January 2013 through approximately October 2013.  Notwithstanding the terms of the First Employment Contract, Witness-1 worked far more than 40 hours per week, and Witness-1 was paid substantially less than what was required by both the First Employment Contract and the Second Employment Contract.  In order to deceive the UN into believing that RASHID was paying Witness-1 a lawful wage, RASHID created a sham bank account (“Bank Account-1”) purportedly belonging to Witness-1, into which RASHID deposited what would have amounted to a lawful wage.  RASHID then provided bank statements to the UN as proof that RASHID was paying Witness-1 as required.  However, RASHID never gave Witness-1 access to Bank Account-1 and instead used Bank Account-1 as RASHID’s own account.

HAMIDUR RASHID, 50, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of access device fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison; one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison; and one count of fraud in foreign labor contracting, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Kim praised the efforts of DSS in this investigation.  He added that the investigation is continuing.

The allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Bronx Borough President Diaz, NYC Police Commissioner O'Neill, and Police Foundation launch #MyBronxStory

  New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill, Bronx Borough President Rubén Diaz Jr., and the New York City Police Foundation today at the Bronx Community College’s Roscoe C. Brown Student Center Playhouse launched #MyBronxStory, a new campaign that aims to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The campaign invites Bronx residents to submit photos, videos, and other media to honor the history of their borough and prominent figures in their communities, as well as help identify ways that their neighborhoods can be improved through engagement with community partners and law enforcement.

To help promote the program to Bronx residents, the New York City Police Foundation and the NYPD are working with local schools, businesses, and organizations. Several of these Bronx community partners participated in the kick-off festivities including groups from the Renaissance Youth Center, Bronx High School for the Visual Arts, and renowned photographer Joe Conzo.

“The people who are most attuned to what’s happening in our neighborhoods are those who live and work here every day,” said Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “With the latest installment of this story campaign launching here in the Bronx, members of the NYPD are truly excited about connecting with the public we serve. We previously saw in Brooklyn that the benefit of fostering such positive relationships between the police and the community is a shared responsibility for fighting crime and keeping people safe, in every corner of our great city.”

“#MyBronxStory is a great initiative that brings Bronx residents closer to the police department and to one another by sharing what they love about their neighborhoods and how they are working to make their community’s a better place. I thank New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill, and the New York City Police Foundation for launching this innovative new program, and for their continued efforts to strengthen police/community relationships,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Applicants can submit their entries via www.mynycstory.org/bronx through September 29, 2017. The New York City Police Foundation is providing prizes for winning submissions.

“The New York City Police Foundation is thrilled to support #MyBronxStory to see how Bronx residents pay tribute to their neighborhoods, honor the people who make them exceptional, and help identify ways that communities and law enforcement can continue to work together to make the Bronx even stronger,” said Susan Birnbaum, New York City Police Foundation President and CEO. “We are so encouraged by the responses we received with #MyBrooklynStory, not just from residents who sent in submissions, but also the support from local businesses and neighborhood institutions who committed to being active participants in their borough. As we continue to expand the campaign throughout New York City we need everyone – residents, neighborhood leaders, and law enforcement – to work together to make all five boroughs of New York City safe places to live, work, and visit.” 

#MyNYCStory launched in Brooklyn in late 2016 and will expand to all boroughs in the coming months. For more information visit www.mynycstory.org/bronx.

About the New York City Police Foundation

The New York City Police Foundation provides strategic resources in support of NYPD initiatives that make New York City a safer place to live, work, and visit. The NYPD’s budget covers most expenditures for operations, personnel, facilities and equipment, but leaves little to finance innovative initiatives. The Police Foundation invests in programs that are designed to help the NYPD keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, strategies, and training that could not get funded in the city budget.

By supplying seed capital for numerous pilot programs, the NYPD is able to create model programs that stimulate and accelerate innovation to fight crime. Once established, these programs are often expanded and incorporated into the city’s budget, leveraging the Foundation’s initial investment many times over and having a major impact on NYPD operations.

The New York City Police Foundation is the only organization authorized to raise funds on behalf of the NYPD.

Police Foundation’s partnership with the NYPD in action:

·         The Foundation supports counterterrorist initiatives that include the International Liaison Program, which stations NYPD Investigators around the world to gather global intelligence for the protection of New York City.

·         All rewards for the Crime Stoppers and Gun Stop programs, which have assisted the NYPD in solving over 5,600 violent crimes and seizing more than 3,500 illegal weapons, are paid by the Foundation.

·         The Foundation supports the Neighborhood Policing community engagement activities to improve relations between the police and the communities they serve and to continue to drive crime down.

MAYOR DE BLASIO PARTICIPATES IN PRESS CALL URGING ALBANY TO PASS EXTENSION OF MAYORAL CONTROL

  Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you so much. Well, I want to welcome everyone and I just want to say a couple of words before we turn to Secretary Duncan, who I’m so pleased has joined us today. Look, this is about 1.1 million public school kids. It is not abstract. It’s very personal, it’s very tangible, it’s very real, and we know from painful experience what happened to our children when we had a system where no one was accountable and no one was in charge. We knew there was a tremendous inequality among schools and neighborhoods. Your education actually was determined by your zip code, and that was a bad thing, and there was a tremendous amount of patronage and corruption. That’s what 32 different school districts meant. It also meant 32 different sets of standards. I’ve said very clearly, some of the things we’re most proud of today in New York City, like Pre-K for All, and Computer Science for All, would not exist if 32 different districts were setting their goals and, in many cases, not being effective enough to put together such big, bold new approached. 

Remember, it was just 15 years ago that our school system barely graduated half of our students. I’m proud to say because of the work of Mayor Bloomberg, and now my administration – both believers of mayoral control – we now have the all-time high graduation rate of 72.6 percent. Our dropout rate is under nine percent compared to not so long ago in this city when it was well over 20 percent. It’s undeniable that mayoral control was at the essence of these fundamental changes. Schools are safer and they’re producing much better results for children. They’re also allowing us to create more of an approach based on equity. So, that’s what Pre-K for All is, and 3-K for All will be. That’s what Computer Science for All is. That’s what AP classes in every high school is – something that would have been unimaginable in the past system – to provide the highest quality courses in every kind of high school, again, regardless of zip code. 

So, I’ll just finish by saying there’s literally two days left. I’ve been in constant touch with the different players in Albany. I’m saying the same thing to every one of them. I can’t remember when an issue of this important went this late in the day with so little action. The support for mayoral control is across the ideological spectrum – 105 CEO’s signed a letter the other day. We had a number of the major labor leaders of this city together here at City Hall yesterday. There is a strong consensus that this is the only governance system that works. 

And now to turn to a man who has done a lot to improve education around the country and understands from a national perspective what actual accountability in education means. A tremendous pleasure to welcome not only a secretary of education, but someone who was one of President Obama’s closest advisors and friends, and I want to thank him for weighing in here at this crucial moment. Secretary Arne Duncan, welcome. 

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: Thanks so much for the opportunity. I’m happy to say a couple of things, and the Mayor and I will obviously take any questions you might have. 

If you sort of step back, broader than the New York context, and just look nationally, I can’t say clearly enough that I wish every political leader was accountable for improving student achievement, whether it’s mayors, whether it’s governors, whether it’s congressmen, senators, the President. And [inaudible] almost no political leaders are accountable for educational achievement. They all love photo-ops, they all love to visit schools, they all love to read to kids and kiss babies, but almost no one’s accountable. And, as a result, the United States ranks 28th, 29th, 30th in access to high-quality pre-K – that’s something Mayor de Blasio’s worked very hard to improve on. We are often 10th, 15th, 20th in terms of reading and math scores. K-to-12 – higher education – we’re 12th internationally. So, at no level relative to our international competitors – early-childhood, K-to-12, higher-ed are where we need to be and where we should be. And part of that is structural – almost nowhere are politicians allowed to be held accountable. And part of it, often, candidly, is political lack of courage because education – often K-to-12 education is so difficult, many politicians actually run away from it, to be honest. 

So, here we have in New York a counter-example to that. You have a structure as of today – or, at least, for the next two days – that for the past 15 years where there has been clear accountability. And you have a mayor who actually, rather than running away from that pressure, embraces it. And, for me, this is always about structure in governance, it’s never about this policy or that policy, or this mayor or that mayor. Clearly, the current mayor and the previous mayor in New York agreed on some things and disagreed on many things. But the one thing they both had in common was the courage to put their reputation, their resources, and their political future on the line to fight for kids. And where we have that – that unfortunately is a very unique and rare situation in the United States, and to have it in a place with so many students – as the Mayor said, over a million children who are receiving the benefits of that leadership and that courage and that accountability – to walk away from that makes no sense whatsoever. 

I think in the medical profession they have a basic threshold question of doing no harm. In education, I think we should have that same thing. At a minimum, we should do no harm. And if we were to lose mayoral control in New York for whatever reason, I think it’s unquestionable that harm would be done to children, and that, for me, is untenable. 

So, whatever the political issues are, I count on politicians of goodwill to find a way to resolve them. But to walk away from one of the only places in the United States – obviously such a critically, critically, important city – to walk away structurally from a place where the Mayor can control would be absolutely hurting children and, again, makes no sense to me whatsoever. 

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The above is from a press conference the mayor had on Tuesday.

Engel, Congressional Dems File Lawsuit Against President Trump Over Foreign Emoluments Clause

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and 195 House Democratic colleagues have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against President Trump alleging a serious violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause. The lawsuit stems from multiple reports that the President is profiting from foreign officials staying at Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., in addition to entities owned by foreign states leasing space in Trump Tower in New York City. The Foreign Emoluments Clause in the Constitution provides that “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” 

“By not completely and transparently divesting of his business interests prior to taking office, the President has created significant conflicts of interest that we believe violate the Constitution,” Congressman Engel said. “Foreign entities are staying or doing business at Trump properties as a means of building goodwill with the President and his family. Under this ‘pay to play’ culture, foreign governments are paying the Trump Organization to further their interests—potentially at the expense of the United States. Let’s be clear here: the Office of the President must not be for sale. Our Founding Fathers knew this, which is why they included the Foreign Emoluments Clause in the Constitution. No one should ever be allowed to buy influence in the White House, most especially if you represent a foreign entity. My Democratic colleagues in both the House and Senate understand and believe this fervently. That is why we have taken this important step.”

Save the Date: Hike-toberfest is Saturday Sept. 23rd, 2017

Hike, Eat, Drink & Celebrate with Friends during our new fun fundraiser for the hiking trails of Van Cortlandt Park. Come see why VCP is Where NYC Hikes.

Hikes start at 2pm: Hikers will have the option of going on a 4-5 mile hike throughout the park OR a 2 mile leisurely nature or history hikes. All hikes will be led by guides and take about 2 hours. All registered participants will receive a VCP Where NYC Hikes giveaway. 

Oktoberfest is from 4-7pm: Attendees will receive a Hike-toberfest Souvenir Mug, eat German food by Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten and enjoy local beers served by the Bronx Beer Hall. Special thank you to all the breweries for donating! Yard games will be set up to challenge your friends as you hang out on the Van Cortlandt House Museum Lawn. 

Tickets Available Now Online

or through the mail.

Friends of Van Cortlandt Park

vancortlandt.org

718-601-1553

info@vancortlandt.org

80 Van Cortlandt Park South Ste. E1

Bronx, NY 10463, US