BP Ruben Diaz Jr. Hosts Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Anniversary Event

FORMER OFFICIALS OF CENTRAL UNITED TALMUDIC ACADEMY IN BROOKLYN PLEAD GUILTY TO $3 MILLION FRAUD SCHEME

Defendants Submitted Fraudulent Reimbursement Claims for School Meals That Were Never Served

  Elozer Porges and Joel Lowy plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud relating to their participation in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. Porges and Lowy committed this fraud while serving in the administrative offices of Central United Talmudic Academy (“Central UTA”), a school system located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Porges served as Central UTA’s Executive Director, and Lowy served as Porges’s assistant. The pleas were entered before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. 

 Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Mark Peters, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation, and Bethanne M. Dinkins, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, announced the guilty pleas. 

 According to the indictment, court filings and facts presented during the guilty plea, from between approximately 2013 and 2015, Porges and Lowy submitted documents to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) specifically falsely claiming that its school children had received meals which, in fact, had never been served. The defendants fraudulently inflated the number of meals served at various Central UTA schools in order to obtain larger reimbursement payments from the federal government’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the NYSDOH that is designed to assist schools and other institutions in providing meals to, among others, at-risk children. In total, Porges and Lowy, fraudulently obtained more than $3 million in reimbursement payments to CUTA.

 At their guilty plea proceedings, Porges and Lowy admitted to submitting the inflated meal counts on behalf of Central UTA. As part of their plea agreements, Porges and Lowy are required to reimburse $3,256,338.68 to the USDA in restitution. Lowy is also required to pay restitution in the amount of $98,407.21 for food stamp and child care benefits he improperly obtained from New York City agencies.

 When sentenced, Porges and Lowy each face a statutory maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment.

The Defendants: 

ELOZER PORGES Age: 43 Brooklyn, NY 

JOEL LOWY Age: 29 Brooklyn, NY 

DOI STATEMENT ON NYPD’S RESPONSE TO OUR FINDINGS ON NYPD’S SPECIAL VICTIMS DIVISION – ADULT SEX CRIMES

The City of New York Department of Investigation 
MARK G. PETERS COMMISSIONER

  DOI’s Report on NYPD’s Special Victims Division (SVD) is evidence based. It relies on the NYPD’s own documents, which are attached to the report, as well as interviews with the most senior person in charge of SVD, Deputy Chief Michael Osgood, Commanding Officer of SVD, who has been running the unit since 2011. In addition, DOI spoke with other SVD supervisors, senior sex crimes prosecutors in all five District Attorney’s offices, numerous recent retirees of SVD and all major victim advocates in New York City. Furthermore, we shared the report with and requested comment from Commissioner O’Neill nearly two weeks ago. 

  NYPD’s statement inaccurately notes two numbers: 

1: In 2017, the average caseload of an SVD investigator was 77 (not 62). The 77 number is based on NYPD’s own documentation. (Homicide detectives average two cases per year). 

2: The number of detectives assigned to actively investigate adult sex crimes is 67 (not 85) and the NYPD did not dispute that number last Friday when we discussed the report with NYPD officials. (NYPD has a total of 3,000 detectives).

The report does not dispute the survivor-centered model or FETI. In fact, we commend these initiatives in our report.

DOI’s report demonstrates this: more needs to be done to properly respond to victims of adult sex crimes. The NYPD’s refusal to recognize this presents additional barriers to sex crimes victims in their pursuit of justice. 

Statement from NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer on the City’s Decision to Contribute to MTA Emergency Subway Plan

  Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released the following statement on the City’s announcement that it will contribute to the MTA’s emergency subway plan:

“When Chairman Lhota first introduced his plan last year, we immediately called on the City to fund it. For months and months since, we’ve continuously released alarming reports that have spotlighted the delays underground, the economic ramifications of slowdowns, and the crisis in our transportation systems. Each time, we’ve continued to call for the full funding of the emergency plan. It has always been the right thing to do.

“Today, it appears action is finally happening. We’re glad to see the City taking this step forward. Now, it’s incumbent upon the MTA to deliver results for all New Yorkers.”

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 2

Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 2a.m. through 2 p.m. Monday

  The New York City Emergency Management Department today issued a travel advisory for Monday, April 2. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for New York City in effect from 2 a.m. through 2 p.m. Monday. A cold front is forecast to bring two to four inches of snow to the NYC area on Monday. Snow is expected to accumulate on grassy surfaces, with limited accumulation on roadways. Snow is forecast to transition into a wintry mix late Monday morning.

A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means that periods of snow may cause travel difficulties. New Yorkers should prepare for slippery roads and are asked to use caution when driving, walking, or biking.

Safety Tips

·  Drive slowly. Vehicles take longer to stop on snow and ice than on dry pavement.

·  Four-wheel drive vehicles may make it easier to drive on snow-covered roads, but they do not stop quicker than other vehicles.

·  Use major streets or highways for travel whenever possible.

· Know your vehicle’s braking system. Vehicles with anti-lock brakes require a different braking technique than vehicles without anti-lock brakes in snowy conditions.

·  If you are driving and begin to skid, ease your foot off the gas and steer in the direction that you want the front of the car to go. Straighten the wheel when the car moves in the desired direction. If you have an anti-lock braking system (ABS), apply steady pressure to the brake pedal. Never pump the brakes on an ABS equipped vehicle.

·  Try to keep your vehicle’s gas tank as full as possible.

·  Keep the name and phone number of at least one local towing service in your car in case you break down or become stuck.

·  Exercise caution and avoid slippery surfaces; some ice may not be visible. Wear sturdy boots that provide traction to reduce slipping. Use handrails when using stairs.

·   Seniors should take extra care outdoors to avoid slips and falls.

·   Have heightened awareness of cars, particularly when approaching or crossing intersections.

Statement from Cynthia Nixon on Cuomo's Big Ugly Budget Dealmaking

  Cynthia Nixon, candidate for Governor, released the following statement on the budget process at 8:05 PM:

Under Andrew Cuomo, the state budget process has routinely become known as the “Big Ugly,” and this budget sounds like it will be particularly ugly for everyday New Yorkers. Instead of an open and transparent process with a public debate on the issues, Cuomo’s budget cobbles together a series of backroom deals. When sexual harassment legislation was negotiated, the only woman legislative leader in the state was shut out of the room, but a man being investigated for sexual harassment was part of negotiations. A major policy change on school budgets that would undermine local control and give Governor Cuomo unprecedented power to veto local school budgets is being decided without any input from local voters or parents. And Governor Cuomo is allowing essential reforms like tax hikes on multimillionaires, bail reform, and early voting to drop off the table altogether. Andrew Cuomo promised to clean up the corruption in Albany, but instead he has doubled down on secretive backroom deal-making, in a process driven by whatever soundbite will make the Governor look good, not by the budget that is good for New York families and workers. No wonder it’s called the “Big Ugly.”

Lehman College Presents a Special Screening of CNN en Español Documentary “Deportados”

   Wednesday night was a special screening of the CNN Espanol Documentary “Deportados” at Lehman College. The film tells the story of those who immigrated to the United States either as children or adults to find a better life than they had. It chronics the lives of several people who had lived here for many years, either as they grew up, got married, had children, or served in the armed forces for the United States, but for one reason or another wound up being deported. Statistics were shown of the hundreds of thousands of people who were deported in 2013, and in 2015. This film concentrated on a few who were deported in 2017 under the new presidency of Donald Trump.

One person interviewed told of how he worked for others by bringing people across the border to the United states, saying that it is a big money business. Others interviewed included a woman who was married and had three children, but was deported because she came into this country illegally as a child. Another story was of an immigrant who had a work permit, and enlisted in the armed forces as he was told it would lead to permanent citizenship. After completing his enlistment he was jailed on a traffic accident and since he did not apply for citizenship he was deported. He said that the only way he could come back into the United States right now was in a coffin to be buried in any cemetery with full military honors.

There was a panel discussion after the movie moderated by Juan Carlos Lopez CNNE Senior Political Anchor. The panel included Congressman Adriano Espaillat, The co-producer of the film Ms. Cathy Reyes, CUNY Instructor Jose Higurera Lopez, Lehman Professor Ulises Gonzalez, and Lehman Dreamer Francisco Aquino Ramirez.

Congressman Espaillat said that he voted against what he called were CR's or Continuing Resolutions to keep the U.S. Government going even though they had some mention of the Dream Act and Aid to Puerto Rico, but in his words the bills were tied to other things he was against. Ms. Reyes said that there were others who were interviewed for the film, but declined after the filming for f\ear of reprisals when the film came out. All had the same feelings about how people have come from other countries in the past for a better life, and even today there are those like the Dreamers who have the same thoughts.

Above - The five panelist Congressman Adriano Espaillat, CUNY instructor Jose Higurera Lopez, ESPN film producer Cynthia Reyes, Lehman College Professor Ulises Gonzalez, Lehman student Francisco Aquino Ramirez, and moderator Juan Carlos Lopez CNNE Senior Political Anchor.

Below - Congressman Espaillat explains the difficulty of voting on bills in Washington. He said that he voted against Continuing Resolutions that had in them funding for Dreamers and aid to Puerto Rico because there were other things he did not want in them.