Senator Klein Helps Light Giant Riverdale Menorah

  This evening State Senator Jeff Klein helped light the traditional Riverdale Menorah. The Riverdale Menorah is the largest menorah in the Bronx, and stands In front of the Riverdale Bell Tower at West 239th Street and the Henry Hudson Parkway North service road. Over 100 people came out tonight to celebrate the lighting of the sixth candle (lanterns here) by Senator Klein and Rabbi Levi Shemtov. After the lanterns were lit there was dancing, jelly donuts, and potato latkes. Below are some photos of how the Menorah lighting went as the sun went down.  

Above - Just how does one get high enough to light the largest menorah in the Bronx? 

Below - With this Hi-Lo in place Senator Klein and Rabbi Shemtov get ready to rise up to the top of the Riverdale Menorah. 

Above - Senator Klein waves as he and Rabbi Shemtov rise to the top of the Riverdale Menorah.

Below - Senator Klein says the two Chanukah prayers before lighting the menorah. 

Above - You can see just how high up Senator Klein and Rabbi Shemtov are, as this is the same photo of Senator Klein saying the Chanukah prayers.

Below - Rabbi Shemtov lights the middle or helper candle which is used to light all other candles.

Above - There was a little problem in reaching the last candle (or lantern) to be lit, You can see Senator Klein holding on tightly as Rabbi Shemtov stretches out to light the last light. 

Below - With all six candles lit for tonight, the bucket is lowered. 

The Riverdale Menorah can be seen from the Henry Hudson Parkway, and for blocks as the light glows into the nighttime against the background of the Riverdale Bell Tower. 

MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS LEGISLATION CREATING ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEM

For the first time, New Yorkers will be able to register or change their registration online or via a new mobile app

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed legislation allowing for the creation of an online system to make voter registration easier for New York City residents. The Mayor previously held a public hearing for the bill, Intro 508-A, on November 27, 2017. Under this new legislation, the City will create an online portal and mobile application where voters can submit registration information or submit updates to their registrations.

“We’re embracing technology to help make voting more accessible for New Yorkers. This bill is one step towards fixing our antiquated electoral system, which for far too long has discouraged participation in the democratic process,” said Mayor de Blasio. “For the first time ever, New Yorkers will be able to submit the necessary registration information or submit updates to their registration online or through a mobile app. Now it is time for Albany to follow our lead and pass meaningful electoral reform to expand access to voting.”

“Online voter registration will make it easier for all New Yorkers to register or change registration online or through mobile apps and will help increase democratic participation,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Voting is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression, so I am excited to see how this program will help New Yorkers better engage with the electoral process. I thank Council Member Ben Kallos for pushing this bill through and for his continued advocacy for voter rights.”

In addition to requiring online and mobile apps for voters to submit their information, this new law requires the CFB to provide voters with a mechanism for an electronic signature on the voter registration form. It would also allow CFB to use signatures already provided to other city agencies, including IDNYC, if appropriate.  After the voter submits the information online, CFB would print the information onto a voter registration form with an electronically affixed signature and then deliver the printed voter registration form to the New York City Board of Elections.  The bill takes effect in 18 months. 

Mayor de Blasio has been an advocate for reforming the State’s antiquated voting laws. This has included pushing for early voting, same-day registration and automatic voter registration during the last legislative session in Albany. Under his leadership, the City has also offered the NYC BOE $20 million in exchange for critical administrative reforms. The NYC BOE has yet to respond to this offer.

100 PERCENT HAPPY HOLIDAYS

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

Happy Holidays

  The headline says it best as we wish all a Happy Holiday. There is one piece of get better soon, to the former 'Dancing District Leader' who now has become the former 'Dancing State Committeeman'. No Kenny Agosto was not voted out of his position, but in celebrating a little to much (as Kenny sometimes does) he has sprained one his ankles, and must stay off that foot for a while. We wish Kenny a speedy recovery so he can get back out in the district that he loves to serve.

  In the now Annual Ugly Sweater contest at the Bronx Democratic County Holiday Party (I was unable to attend due to other matters), it seems from the photos that I have seen Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo was a hands down winner. That was not because he is the county leader, but that his sweater was really ugly, did not fit (but then again Marcos may have put a few pounds on again), and the only thing missing was a polka dot bow tie to match Crespo's outfit. Congrats to the Assemblyman Crespo. 

  Speaking of Bow Ties, it seems that the City Council is investigating a claim of sexual harassment charge against the Bow Tie wearing fashionable Bronx City Councilman Andy King by a council staffer. The City Council Standards and Ethics Committee met Friday behind closed doors, but no details of the meeting or any names were released as of now. Councilman King is being accused of inappropriate comments, and would not comment on the matter since it is under investigation by the council Standards and Ethics Committee. Just Thursday morning Councilman King was in Riverdale, for the Annual Bronx Menorah lighting. His wife dropped him off for the event. 
  So what are bike lanes for? According to one Brooklyn Elected official they are for people like him to use when the road dieted street he is traveling on backs up. Brooklyn State Senator Martin Golden is being accused of that, and while his license plate has been run it seems that there may be three unpaid violations on the car including one for speeding in a school zone, another speeding ticket, and an unpaid ticket by a muni meter. Police are not investigating the bike lane incident because the bike rider in the lane has not filed a complaint. Just who was the bike rider? A transit advocate and member of Brooklyn Community Board #2's Transportation Committee. 
  Next week a look ahead to 2018, and what's at stake. 
  If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered here  you can e-mail me at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call me at 718-644-4199. Happy Holidays.

Attorney General, Mayor's Office To Hold Clean Power Plan “People's Hearing” In New York On January 9Th

With Trump EPA Ignoring AG Schneiderman’s Request for Public Hearings in NY, Hearing Gives New Yorkers Chance to Make Their Voices Heard on Proposed Repeal 

New Yorkers Are Encouraged to Testify or Submit Testimony on Importance of the Clean Power Plan in Combating Climate Change

  With the Trump administration ignoring Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s request that the EPA hold public hearings in New York on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan, the Attorney General’s and NYC Mayor’s offices will hold a “people’s hearing” on January 9^th to ensure New Yorkers’ voices are heard.

New Yorkers are on the front lines of climate change, as tragically demonstrated by Hurricanes Sandy and Irene. The country’s reliance on dirty, non-renewable fossil fuels for power generation is a major contributor of climate change pollution and its impacts on the lives and livelihoods of New York’s residents, including more frequent and intense storms, rising sea levels, higher temperatures, and increased air pollution. The Clean Power Plan is a vital tool to slash greenhouse gas emissions from one of the leading causes of climate change pollution, fossil-fuel burning power plants. EPA has refused to schedule any public hearings east of West Virginia, despite the direct climate impacts facing residents of New York and other states on the eastern seaboard.

New Yorkers are encouraged to sign up to testify and/or submit testimony on the Trump Administration’s proposal to scrap the Clean Power Plan. Testimony will be compiled and submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ahead of the January 16, 2018 deadline for comments.

The hearing will be held in in partnership with Councilmember Costa Constantinides and The New School, and co-sponsored by a number of New York organizations.

Attorney General Schneiderman leads a coalition of states and localities – including New York City – that is legally defending the Clean Power Plan.

WHAT: New York City “People’s Hearing” on the Repeal of the Clean Power Plan

WHEN:

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Session 1 (2:30pm-5:00pm)

Session 2 (6:00pm-8:00pm)

WHERE:

The New School – Auditorium

66 West 12^th Street

New York, NY 10011 

SUBMIT TESTIMONY OR SIGN UP TO TESTIFY:

https://ag.ny.gov/clean-power-plan-peoples-hearing-registration

Four Men Plead Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Two 2016 Bank Burglaries

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that four defendants have pled guilty to participating in two bank burglaries.  In April and May 2016, MICHAEL MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, and ANTHONY MASCUZZIO, assisted by CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, stole more than $5 million in cash, jewelry, collectables, and other valuables from the banks’ vaults and safe deposit boxes.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “Like a scene from a movie, these defendants used blow torches to cut into bank roofs, and subsequently vaults and safe deposit boxes, to steal more than $5 million in cash and customer valuables.  But the scene in court today was of guilty pleas under oath and the prospect of real-life prison.”

According to the Complaint and Indictments filed in Manhattan federal court, as well as previous court filings and statements made in public court proceedings:

In April and May 2016, MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, MASCUZZIO, and CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN formed a crew that burglarized banks in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, by cutting into the banks’ vaults and the safe deposit boxes inside.  Specifically, from about April 8 to April 10, 2016, MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, and MASCUZZIO, with the assistance of CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, burglarized an HSBC Bank branch in Brooklyn, and from about May 19 to May 22, 2016, MAZZARA, CHARLES KERRIGAN, and MASCUZZIO, with the assistance of CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, burglarized a Maspeth Federal Savings Bank branch in Queens.  On both occasions, the burglars used acetylene blowtorches to cut into the top of the banks’ vaults from the roof of the building.  At the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank branch, they shielded their activities from view by constructing a plywood shed on the roof of the bank.  The burglars then entered the vaults from above and took cash belonging to the bank and broke open customers’ safe deposit boxes, stealing the valuables inside.  In total, the crew obtained more than $600,000 in cash and more than $4.3 million in valuables from both banks.  Surveillance footage captured some of the burglars’ activities as they prepared for and executed the burglaries.  Financial records and video surveillance also showed MAZZARA and MASCUZZIO purchasing some of the supplies that appear to have been used in the Maspeth burglary. 

MAZZARA, 45, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty before Hon. Katherine B. Forrest on December 13, 2017, to two counts of bank theft, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  MAZZARA will be sentenced by Judge Forrest on April 13, 2017. 

CHARLES KERRIGAN, 42, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty before Judge Forrest on December 11, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and bank theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, two counts of bank burglary, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of bank theft, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  CHARLES KERRIGAN also pled guilty to one count of witness retaliation while on pre-trial release, in connection with his assault of an individual who he believed had provided information regarding the burglaries to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”).  That count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a mandatory consecutive term of 10 years in prison.  CHARLES KERRIGAN will be sentenced by Judge Forrest on April 6, 2017.

MASCUZZIO, 38, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty before Judge Forrest on December 15, 2017, to two counts of bank theft, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  MASCUZZIO will be sentenced by Judge Forrest on May 4, 2018.

CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN, 40, of Staten Island, New York, pled guilty before Judge Forrest on November 9, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and bank theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, one count of bank burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of bank theft, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  CHRISTOPHER KERRIGAN will be sentenced by Judge Forrest on March 30, 2018.

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

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI and NYPD.

If you believe you were a victim of this crime, including a victim entitled to restitution, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement and/or receive notice of future developments in the case or additional information, please contact the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900.  For additional information, go to: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/victimwitness.html.

Canadian-Iranian Citizen Sentenced In White Plains Federal Court To 32 Months In Prison For Conspiring To Violate Iran Sanctions

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York (“FBI”), announced that ALI SOOFI, a Canadian-Iranian dual citizen, was sentenced to 32 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”).  SOOFI was charged and arrested by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) following a federal investigation.  SOOFI pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA on September 7, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed today’s sentence.

           

According to the Indictment filed against SOOFI, other court documents publicly filed in this case, and statements made in court proceedings, including today’s sentencing:

          

Between 2014 and December 2016, SOOFI conspired to export military items from the United States to Iran, both directly and through transshipment to intermediary countries, without a license.  In particular, SOOFI acted as a broker on behalf of Iranian clients, including a high-ranking official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”), who sought American military technology.  Over the course of the conspiracy, SOOFI sought to purchase and ship numerous items, including helicopters, high-tech machine gun parts, tank parts, and military vehicles, from the United States to Iran, all without a license and while knowing that such shipments were illegal under U.S. law.  During the multi-year conspiracy, SOOFI worked to fill specific orders for the IRGC by contacting other individuals with access to the requested military items through email, phone, and in-person meetings. 

           

The IRGC consists of an army, navy, and air force, Basij Resistance Force, and Qods Force.  Current IRGC forces consist of approximately 150,000 naval, ground, and air fighters, although the number of Qods Force fighters is unknown.  The IRGC has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, for its activities in support of the Qods Force, which consistently provides support to terrorist groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Taliban.

One of SOOFI’s customers was a Commander in the IRGC, who acted as a key figure at the Iranian Ministry of Defense responsible for procurement of parts and weapons.  Among the weapons SOOFI sought on behalf of the IRGC were dampeners – or shock absorbers – which allow high-tech machine guns to be mounted on helicopters and boats.  In addition, SOOFI sought to obtain slewing rings for tanks, military helicopters, target sights, jet engines, and military vehicles such as Humvees for the IRGC.  During one meeting in December 2016 during which SOOFI sought to acquire some of these military items, SOOFI explained that the items he sought were “for military for defense” and emphasized that the IRGC specifically wanted American military technology.

In addition to the prison term, SOOFI, 63, of Canada, was sentenced to one year of supervised release.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.  SOOFI’s arrest is the result of the close cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

Former Honduran Congressman And Businessman Sentenced To 36 Months For Money Laundering

Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo, a Former Honduran Politician and Prominent Businessman, Was Sentenced for Laundering Drug Proceeds for the Cachiros, a Major Honduran Drug Trafficking Organization

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced todaythat Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo was sentenced to 36 months in prison for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from drug trafficking offenses.  ROSENTHAL pled guilty on July 26, 2017, before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed today’s sentence.  During the course of the money laundering scheme, ROSENTHAL was a Honduran congressman between 2010 and 2014, and a candidate for president of Honduras between 2012 and 2013.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “As he previously admitted in court, Yani Rosenthal was a prominent Honduran politician and businessman who moonlighted as a money launderer for the Cachiros, a violent Honduran drug organization.  Now this former presidential candidate has received a prison sentence called for by his crimes committed on behalf of a ruthless criminal syndicate.”

According to the Indictment, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings[1]: 

ROSENTHAL and his co-defendants – including Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva, ROSENTHAL’s father and a former vice president and congressman in Honduras – used entities associated with a holding company controlled by the Rosenthal family, Inversiones Continental (Panama), S.A. de C.V. (“Inversiones Continental”), to launder drug proceeds for the Cachiros, a prolific and violent Honduran criminal syndicate that distributed huge quantities of cocaine before being dismantled by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).  Through his conduct, which occurred over a period of at least approximately five years, ROSENTHAL provided the Cachiros with sources of funding for their criminal enterprise, a means to launder their narcotics proceeds, and public legitimacy, thereby contributing to an environment of impunity that allowed the Cachiros to thrive in Honduras and to import tons of cocaine into the United States. 

ROSENTHAL and his co-defendants helped the Cachiros launder drug money and gain access to the international financial system.  ROSENTHAL enriched himself through this conduct by profiting from business transactions with the Cachiros.  In 2012, while ROSENTHAL acted as a Honduran congressman and campaigned for the Honduran presidency, he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds from one of the leaders of the Cachiros and another major Honduran drug trafficker who led a separate drug trafficking organization, which were styled as purported campaign contributions.  Several aspects of the Cachiros money laundering scheme also received support from Fabio Porfirio Lobo, the son of a former president of Honduras.  Lobo was sentenced on September 5, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in United States v. Lobo, No. 15 Cr. 174 (LGS) to 24 years in prison based on his conviction for participating in a conspiracy with members of the Cachiros and others to import cocaine into the United States.

ROSENTHAL’s money laundering conduct involved a trade-based scheme in which the Cachiros used a front company, Ganaderos Agricultores Del Norte S De RL De CV (“Ganaderos”), to purchase cattle with drug proceeds at auctions in Honduras.  ROSENTHAL and others used Empacadora Continental, S.A. de C.V. (“Empacadora”), a cattle- and meat-processing firm affiliated with Inversiones Continental, to purchase the narcotics-derived cattle from Ganaderos.  Between 2008 and 2013, while Rosenthal acted as the vice president of Empacadora, he caused Empacadora to buy cattle from Ganaderos, knowing that Ganaderos was financed and supported by drug trafficking proceeds of the Cachiros.  By knowingly authorizing Empacadora to engage in transactions in criminally derived property, ROSENTHAL used the company in connection with a process that allowed the Cachiros to conceal the criminally derived nature of the Ganaderos assets, and to obtain fresh funds from Empacadora that were used to promote Cachiros drug trafficking activities and purchase other assets.  Empacadora, in turn, processed and exported the meat to the United States, among other places, in exchange for payments to Empacadora from U.S.-based companies that totaled approximately $500,000 between 2008 and 2013.  Over that same period, Empacadora paid a total of $6.8 million to Ganaderos in connection with the scheme.          

In addition to the prison term, ROSENTHAL, 52, was ordered to forfeit $500,000 and to pay a $2.5 million fine.  ROSENTHAL also remains designated as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, along with Rosenthal Oliva, Yankel Antonio Rosenthal Coello (ROSENTHAL’s cousin and co-defendant), Inversiones Continental, Empacadora, and Banco Continental, among other entities, as announced in October 2015 by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). 

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, New York Strike Force, and Tegucigalpa Country Office, as well as OFAC and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

The charges contained in the Indictment against Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva are merely accusations, and Rosenthal Oliva is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

[1] The descriptions set forth below of conduct by co-defendant Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation with respect to Rosenthal Oliva.