Major Property Tax Relief on the Way for Senior & Disabled Homeowners thanks to the IDC

Cuomo signs into law SCHE/DHE program expansion set to help thousands more live affordably in New York

Members of the Independent Democratic Conference celebrated Governor Cuomo’s signing of Senator Diane Savino’s legislation to expand the Senior Homeowners’ Exemption (SCHE) and Disabled Homeowners’ Exemption (DHE).

This year, the IDC fought to increase the income eligibility for the SCHE and DHE programs which provide major property tax exemptions to residents living on fixed incomes. Seniors could potentially save upwards of $1,000 a year through the exemption.

Senator Savino’s legislation, which received support from Mayor Bill de Blasio, raises the income cap for SCHE/DHE to $50,000 for a full 50% property tax exemption and to $58,400 for a partial exemption, which will provide much-needed relief to New York City homeowners. The eligibility levels have not been raised since 2006. The current income limit for a full 50% reduction is just $29,000.

Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh carried the legislation through the Assembly.

“Our seniors and disabled New Yorkers, who live on fixed incomes, deserve to reside in their communities without the fear of losing their homes. Many of our senior citizens choose to age in place in the neighborhoods where they’ve raised their families, worked and enjoyed throughout their lives. I thank Governor Cuomo for signing this important legislation into law. I look forward to helping my constituents sign up for this savings,” said Senator Savino.

“Our seniors deserve to live out their golden years without worrying that they can no longer afford their homes, the places where they raised their children and hold cherished memories. It is important that for seniors and disabled homeowners living on tight budgets we create an affordable New York by bringing real property tax relief by raising the income eligibility for SCHE and DHE to 2017 levels. I’m proud that the IDC has been the driving force behind this policy and I thank Governor Cuomo for recognizing the importance of this initiative,” said Senator Jeff Klein.

“Giving property tax breaks to more seniors and people with disabilities who own their homes is an important step forward in our continuing efforts to ensure that our communities are affordable. This law will help thousands of New Yorkers to remain in their homes and their neighborhoods,” said Assemblymember Kavanagh. “I thank Senator Savino, Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Heastie, Governor Cuomo, our colleagues in government in both parties, and all the advocates, seniors, and people with disabilities who supported this critical legislation.”

The law will take effect soon after the New York City Council passes legislation to enable the raised income levels, which is supported by Mayor de Blasio and was included in his Executive Budget.

At that point, a 120-day window will open up for people to apply for the program for this year.  Those with applications already on file that were rejected this year will be re-processed for eligibility.  If a qualifying resident already paid taxes, the city’s Department of Finance would issue a credit.

On average a homeowner who qualifies for the program under the expanded income threshold could save up to $1,750 a year.

This proposal would also increase the cap for partial exemptions to $58,400, with property tax exemptions provided to qualified senior and disabled homeowners on a sliding scale.

SCHE/DHE at $50,000 (Proposed)
Income Range	Abatement
$57,500 - $58,400	5%
$56,600 - $57,499	10.0%
$55,700 - $56,599	15.0%
$54,800 - $55,699	20.0%
$53,900 - $54,799	25.0%
$53,000 - $53,899	30.0%
$52,000 - $52,999	35.0%
$50,100 - $51,999	40.0%
$50,001 - $50,999	45.0%
$0 - $50,000	50.0%

Members of the IDC said the new law would create affordability for residents living on fixed incomes.

“With living costs always going up, unfortunately more and more New Yorkers are having a difficult time keeping their homes, especially Senior Citizens and New Yorkers with disabilities. They fought hard to buy and keep their homes, so I am glad the income eligibility for SCHE and DHE will soon increase, which will help some of our most vulnerable homeowners. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for signing this vital and important piece of legislation into law,” said Senator Jose Peralta.

“Keeping up with the ever rising cost of living in the city can be difficult enough for the average New Yorker. This is especially difficult for the senior and disabled homeowners of our boroughs. Expanding the SCHE/DHE program will go a long way in helping New Yorkers on a fixed income continue to live close to their families in the city that they helped build. I applaud my IDC colleagues for never quitting when it comes to fighting for the most vulnerable of New Yorkers,” said Senator Tony Avella.

“HDFC co-ops are a crucial part of the 31st Senate District's affordable housing stock, and the expansion of this program to help seniors and New Yorkers with disabilities stay in their homes is a welcome step towards preserving affordability in the area. Seniors and people with disabilities often have limited mobility and depend on community support, so making it easier for them to stay in those communities will increase their quality of life as well as improving the life of the community at large,” said Senator Marisol Alcántara.

“Property taxes represent an affordability challenge particularly important to New York City seniors and those living with disabilities. This law takes a step forward in meeting that challenge. Recognizing the unique circumstances these households face and accommodating their needs means keeping our communities whole. I am proud to be a part of meaningful action to make our communities more affordable and to work in partnership to keep more money in the pockets of these New Yorkers. Thanks to Senator Savino, Senator Klein, Governor Cuomo, and all my colleagues in government for their leadership on this issue. Now on the ground, in our communities, we need to ensure seniors and those living with disabilities take full advantage of this exemption,” said Senator Jesse Hamilton.

The IDC’s push to increase eligibility received praise from numerous advocacy groups.

MAN SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS-TO-LIFE FOR EAST HARLEM SHOOTING THAT STRUCK MTA BUS AT RUSH HOUR

  Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of DERRICK WHITE, 35, to 18 years-to-life in state prison for firing multiple gunshots on an East Harlem street corner, injuring a 31-year-old victim and striking the side of an MTA bus. On June 8, 2016, a New York Supreme Court jury found the defendant guilty of two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and one count each of Assault in the Second Degree and Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree.

“As prosecutors sworn to protect the most densely populated streets in America, we continue to hold gun offenders fully accountable,” said District Attorney Vance. “Derrick White endangered the lives of countless New Yorkers as he opened fire in the direction of a city bus at the height of rush hour. It is a miracle that nobody died or sustained serious injuries. On city streets and sidewalks, gunfire does not discriminate between intended targets and random bystanders. Thanks to my Office’s prosecutors, this defendant will serve a lengthy prison sentence for these remarkably reckless acts of gun violence.”

As proven at trial, at approximately 5:10 p.m. on April 20, 2015, WHITE was standing on the east side of Madison Avenue between East 103rd and East 104th Streets when he fired at least three gun shots at the victim — one of which struck the victim’s foot. Two other bullets hit an MTA bus traveling northbound on Madison Avenue, striking a panel on the bus’s exterior and a window on the passenger side. The bullets did not strike the passengers or driver of the bus. The defendant immediately fled to a residential building on East 104th Street.

NYPD responded to a 911 call and identified WHITE, a violent predicate felon, as a suspect after reviewing video surveillance footage. The defendant was apprehended two days later on April 22, 2015.

Assistant District Attorneys Michele Bayer, Deputy Chief of Trial Bureau 60, and Justin Tatham handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Charles Whitt, Chief of Trial Bureau 60, and Executive Assistant District Attorneys David O’Keefe, Deputy Chief of the Trial Division, and John Irwin, Chief of the Trial Division. Assistant District Attorneys William Mahoney, Counsel to the Conviction Integrity Unit, and Yuval Simchi-Levi also assisted with the prosecution of the case.

District Attorney Vance also thanked Investigator John D’Alessio of the Manhattan DA Squad and the following members of the NYPD for their assistance with the investigation: Detective Leonardo Moscoso of the 20th Precinct Detective Squad; Detectives Facelis Turner and William Dunn of the 23rd Precinct Detective Squad; and Officers Matthew Vantress and Jonathan Perez of the 23rd Precinct.

Defendant Information:

DERRICK WHITE, D.O.B. 04/18/1982

Bronx, NY

Convicted:

• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts

• Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony 1 count

• Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a class D felony, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 18 years-to-life in prison

DAVID BARIL SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICER AND STRANGERS WITH HAMMER

Defendant Attacked Three Victims Over Three Days Before Assaulting Police Officer

  Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of DAVID BARIL, 32, to 22 years in state prison for using a hammer to attack an NYPD officer and three other victims during a three-day series of assaults. On May 22, 2017, the defendant pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer and Assault in the Second Degree.

 

“For two full days in 2015, New Yorkers were gripped with fear as a hammer-wielding man was on the loose in Manhattan,” said District Attorney Vance. “David Baril randomly attacked three strangers in three separate, public locations in the span of a few hours on a single day. Two days later, the heroic actions of two police officers brought his spree to an end, but not before the defendant turned his hammer on one of the officers. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to thank those officers for their bravery, as well as the prosecutors in my office for bringing this defendant to justice.”  

 

As admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, at approximately 1:45 p.m. on May 11, 2015, BARIL approached a group of people on the street near West 35th Street and 6th Avenue and struck a 20-year-old man in the back of the head with a hammer. The defendant immediately headed south on 6th Avenue, and several hours later, used the same hammer to attack another person in Union Square Park, hitting a 28-year-old woman on the side of the head. No more than five minutes later, he attacked a third victim on West 17th Street, approaching a 33-year-old woman from behind and using the hammer to strike the back of her head. BARIL was identified as a suspect using surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, and other means. 

 

Two days later, at approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 13, 2015, Police Officers Lauren O’Rourke and Geraldo Casaigne recognized BARIL on the corner of West 37th Street and 8th Avenue, and approached him. The defendant then removed a hammer from his pocket and repeatedly struck Officer O’Rourke’s head and body before Officer Casaigne drew his gun, fired multiple shots at BARIL, and struck him four times—including once in the back. The defendant dropped the hammer, which was later recovered at the scene.

 

Assistant District Attorneys Courtney Groves, Lisa Franchini, and David Drucker handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Lisa DelPizzo, Chief of Trial Bureau 30, Assistant District Attorney Warren Murray, Chief of Trial Bureau 50, Assistant District Attorney Eugene Porcaro, Senior Supervising Attorney of the Trial Division, and Executive Assistant District Attorney John Irwin, Chief of the Trial Division.

 

 

Defendant Information:

 

DAVID BARIL, D.O.B. 7/27/1984

Bronx, NY

 

Convicted:

• Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer, a class C felony, 1 count
• Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 3 counts

 

Sentenced:

• 22 years in state prison
• 5 years’ post-release supervision

Acting U.S. Attorney Announces Filing Of Motion To Dismiss Pending Charges In United States V. Javier Martin-Artajo And Julien Grout

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the Office has filed a proposed order to dismiss the outstanding charges against JAVIER MARTIN-ARTAJO and JULIEN GROUT, two former derivatives traders at JPMorgan Chase & Company(“JPMorgan”).  MARTIN-ARTAJO and GROUT were indicted on September 16, 2013, for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to hide losses in a credit derivatives trading portfolio at JPMorgan.  MARTIN-ARTAJO, a Spanish citizen, and GROUT, a French citizen, have not appeared on these criminal charges.  On April 23, 2015, a court in Spain rejected the Government’s request to extradite MARTIN-ARTAJO, and a prior determination had been made that attempts to extradite GROUT from France would have been futile.  The motion to dismiss is subject to the approval of United States District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.

As set forth in the proposed order, the Government sought charges in this matter based in part on the Government’s anticipated ability to call as a trial witness Bruno Iksil, a former colleague of the two defendants at JPMorgan.  Based on a review of recent statements and writings made by Iksil, however, the Government no longer believes that it can rely on the testimony of Iksil in prosecuting this case, even if the defendants appeared.  Based on these developments, among other factors, the Government has decided not to keep these charges pending, but rather to seek their dismissal at this time.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces 15-Year Prison Sentence For Leader Of Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Ring

Juan Ramos Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Shipping Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars Of Narcotics From NYC To Capital Region And Beyond

Schneiderman: We Will Aggressively Prosecute Criminals Who Fuel The Cycle Of Addiction

   Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced today that Juan Ramos, of Brooklyn, was sentenced in Albany County Court to 15 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, based upon his prior plea to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, a class A-I felony. Ramos was the leader of a large-scale narcotics trafficking ring that moved hundreds of thousands of dollars of heroin, cocaine and illegal prescription medication from the Bronx and Brooklyn, to the Capital Region and beyond, taken down in the Attorney General's Operation Uptown Red Alert. The defendant was sentenced today by Supreme Court Justice Thomas A. Breslin.

The sentences follow the launch of Attorney General Schneiderman’s Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic (“S.U.R.G.E.”) Initiative, a crackdown on New York’s growing heroin, opioid, and narcotics trafficking networks. The S.U.R.G.E. Initiative targets gangs and individuals who deal heroin and opioids and commit acts of violence in suburban and upstate communities across New York State. The Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force has collaborated with all levels of law enforcement to arrest more than 1010 individuals in metro areas across the state since 2010, working closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those criminals who target suburban and upstate areas.

In the past four months, Attorney General Schneiderman’s Operation Bricktown, Operation Un-Wise, Operation Gravy Train, Operation Bloodsport, Operation Pipeline and Operation Wrecking Ball have resulted in 240 traffickers and dealers being taken off the streets throughout New York State. 

“We have no tolerance for dangerous drug trafficking rings like the one Juan Ramos was running,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “As New York grapples with this devastating opioid crisis, my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those criminals who fuel the cycle of addiction.”

Juan Ramos was the leader of a drug trafficking ring that trafficked hundreds of thousands of dollars of heroin, cocaine and illegal prescription medication from New York City to the Capital Region, and also to the States of Maine and Pennsylvania. During the underlying investigation, more than two pounds of bulk heroin were seized, capable of being packaged into 50,000 bags of heroin to be sold on the street, giving the heroin an approximate street value of $500,000. Also seized during the investigation was more than a pound of bulk cocaine with an approximate street value of $50,000, a homemade heroin kilogram press, 1,067 Oxycodone pills, over $21,000 in cash, two shotguns and one handgun. During the investigation, Ramos utilized his $120,000 BMW to deliver narcotics to customers.

The investigation, conducted by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force, the City of Albany Police Department and the New York State Police, led to the indictment of 27 people, all of whom have now pled guilty with the exception of two defendants that still have active warrants for their arrests. The charges against those defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

In addition to prosecuting major drug trafficking rings, the Attorney General has taken numerous steps to combat the opioid crisis in New York. In June of 2011, Attorney General Schneiderman introduced state legislation for I-STOP, an online Prescription Monitoring Program or a “PMP,” that enables doctors and pharmacists to report and track controlled narcotics in real time. The OAG has also aggressively enforced laws that require parity in health plan coverage of mental health and addiction treatment, reaching agreements with six companies. Attorney General Schneiderman also announced national agreements with Cigna and Anthem, who both agreed to remove prior authorization requirements for medication-assisted treatment nationwide. The office has also reached agreements with Purdue Pharma and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., to ensure that these opioid makers engage in responsible and legal marketing.

TWO BRONX MEN INDICTED ON ASSAULT AND OTHER CHARGES FOR PELTING DELI CLERK WITH AVOCADOS

Victim Suffered Broken Eye Socket And Blurred Vision For Days After Attack

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that two Bronx man have been indicted on Assault and other charges for throwing avocados at two deli clerks, inflicting serious injuries, including fracturing a victim’s eye socket. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “Surveillance video of the vicious attack shows a senseless and immature act against two men who were simply trying to make a living. No one should be made to feel terrorized in their workplace.” 

  District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Brad Gomez, 28, of Gerard Ave., has been indicted on second-degree Assault. He was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Gomez and co-defendant Jestyfer Henriquez, 25, of Walton Ave., have each been indicted on third-degree Assault, fourth-degree Criminal Mischief, and two counts of second-degree Menacing. Henriquez was arraigned on July 17, 2017. Both men are due back on October 30, 2017. Gomez faces a maximum of 7 years in prison and Henriquez faces a maximum of 1 year in jail if convicted of the top charge.

  According to the investigation, on the early morning of May 29, 2017, inside Stadium Gourmet Deli on E. 161st St. and Walton Ave, Henriquez and Gomez were involved in a dispute over a food order. Gomez hurled several avocados at clerks Amr Alzabide and Essam Girgis, breaking Alzabide’s eye socket and causing the victim’s eye to be swollen shut for several days, later requiring surgery. Both defendants also damaged several shelves and merchandise. The defendants fled the establishment and were apprehended due to surveillance footage of the incident.

  District Attorney Clark thanked Detective Jorge Mergeche of the 44th Precinct as well the District Attorney’s Crime Victims Assistance Unit for their hard work. 

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

Which candidate ensures every inch of City Hall will work for you?

Elvin Garcia - Democrat for City Council 

Friends, It takes real leadership and experience in coalition building to ensure every inch of City Hall is working for the Bronx.  And for nearly 3 years as Mayor de Blasio's Bronx Borough Director, I was grateful to have been the Bronx leader in: the greatest expansion of Universal Pre-K the borough has ever seen the foundation for the first-in-the-Bronx ferry terminal right here District 18 the expansion of resources for Women and Minority Owned Businesses the launch of a comprehensive community policing program -- including the 43rd Pct in District 18 One of the most common questions we get from voters is: "what are you going to do for our community?" Our response speaks to our longstanding investment in the community: "Let me tell you what I have already done for the neighborhoods in District 18, and what I plan to do next on...." Public Safety Education Transportation Small Business NYCHA LGBT Community

I'm the only candidate in this race who's ensured  every inch of City Hall has worked for District 18.  Best, Elvin Garcia Candidate for City Council - District 18 EDITOR'S NOTE: I have left out the contribute buttons that  were on this page, but could not on  the links above. This is in no way to be taken as any  support of the above candidate  or any other candidate in this race. This is for informational purpose only.