Former Baruch College Basketball Coach And Athletics Official Sentenced To 20 Months In Prison For Embezzling More Than $700,000

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MACHLI JOSEPH was sentenced to 20 months in prison for embezzling more than $700,000 in funds intended for Baruch College for the rental of their athletic facilities.  JOSEPH pled guilty in January 2018 before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty, who imposed today’s sentence.   

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Machli Joseph used the facilities of Baruch College as his own cash machine, renting them out without approval and without compensation to the school.  All told, his scheme diverted nearly three-quarters of a million dollars that should have been paid to the college.  Our Office is committed to pursuing those who misappropriate educational funds for their own profit.”

According to the Information and Complaint filed in this case, and statements made during the plea proceeding:     

MACHLI JOSEPH served as an athletic department official at Baruch College between 2002 and 2016.  He served as Baruch’s women’s basketball head coach between 2004 and 2014, its men’s basketball coach in 2002, as assistant athletic director from 2003 to 2011, and as associate athletic director from 2011 until August 2016.  At times when the Baruch College gym was not being used by the school’s athletic teams, it could be rented out to outside parties.  In his administrative capacity, JOSEPH had control over those gym rentals and their scheduling.

On numerous occasions between 2010 and 2016, JOSEPH rented the gym to outside parties, ostensibly on behalf of Baruch College.  In instructing the renting parties on how to provide payment, however, JOSEPH directed that payment be made to entities that were not, in fact, connected to Baruch College.  Instead, they were entities with bank accounts over which JOSEPH had personal control, some of which merely sounded like Baruch-affiliated entities.  On several occasions, JOSEPH simply directed that payment be made directly to him or individual associates of his.  Many of these funds were ultimately spent on personal expenses and items for JOSEPH and his family, including renovations to his home in New Jersey.  All told, the scheme improperly diverted over $700,000 of payments intended for Baruch College.

In addition to the prison term, JOSEPH, 43, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $787,194, and to pay the same amount in restitution. 

Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Department of Education – Office of the Inspector General and the New York State Inspector General’s Office.  

Three People Shot Dead in Castle Hill

  Police from the 43rd precinct responded to a call of shots fired at a Castle Hill strip mall. When they arrived they found three people had been shot and killed. This area which is right across the street from the Castle Hill Houses is prone to violence.

  It appears that at the table set up in front of the medical center (in the photo above) is where the shooting occurred. The red cones on the ground are where empty casings were found and marked. the victims were identified as Mustafa Tarver age 33, Christopher Alleyne also age 33, and Arileida Jimenez age 45 who is believed to have been an innocent bystander. 

 In talking to neighborhood residents who would answer questions, it seems that there was an altercation over the weekend which may have led to this shooting. The residents also said that there is a lot of trouble in the neighborhood, but this is something nobody expected. 

City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. and State Senator Luis Sepulveda were on scene when I arrived, but they were talking to people promoting the candidate for assembly who is the choice of The Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo, and just happens to be a nurse. I could hear people say you come around after people are killed, and their blood is in the street to promote your candidate for office. 

Police closed off the entire street in front of the mall, and searched the Castle Hill Houses looking for the shooter who remains at large. I spoke with the commanding officer of the 43rd precinct who said that this is an active investigation, and she could not comment any further. Police do have video of the shooter and the shooting. 

Twenty-Two Members Of Manhattan Crew Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Narcotics And Firearms Offenses

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging 22 members of a crew operating in and around the Thomas Jefferson Houses in Manhattan with narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses. 

A total of 14 defendants were taken into custody; two other defendants were already in federal custody.  Sixteen of the 22 defendants will be presented and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman later today.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter.   

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “In this Office’s continuing effort to improve the quality of life for the law-abiding and rent-paying residents of NYCHA housing, today’s indictment charges 22 members with allegedly operating a serious drug distribution network to deal crack cocaine in and around the Jefferson Houses in East Harlem.  These drugs destroy lives and cripple communities.  In addition, members of the crew allegedly possessed firearms to further their drug operation, bringing the danger of gun violence to the streets of New York.  Thanks to the outstanding work of the FBI and NYPD, the defendants will now face justice in federal court.” 

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “As alleged, these drug dealers hold communities hostage by creating an atmosphere of fear, and the wares they’re pushing are now having a deadly impact beyond our city.  The FBI Metro Safe Streets Task Force, which made today’s arrests, is committed to deterring street violence and will continue to pursue those that endanger New York City communities.”  

As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and in other court papers[1]:

From 2014 up to June 2018, JOSE HERNANDEZ, a/k/a “Cheerio,” a/k/a “Bheerio,” CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, a/k/a “Hood,” a/k/a ”H.O.,” a/k/a “Peanut,” LUIS AVILES, a/k/a “Toby,” GERALDO BUSANET, a/k/a “Bunazie,” SAMMUEL CABAN, a/k/a “Sammy,” JASON DAVENPORT, a/k/a “Jay,” JAMER DAVIS, a/k/a “J-Rock,” JERRELL FULCHER, a/k/a “Relly,” a/k/a “Butta,” RICO GONZALEZ, CLARENCE GRANDY, a/k/a “Butta,” TITO LLANES, a/k/a “Reek,” BENJAMIN LUCRE, a/k/a “Gotti,” DERRICK RICHARDSON, a/k/a “Fazo,” PARIS ROBERTS, a/k/a “Rambo,” ROCKY SANCHEZ, EDWIN SANTANA, a/k/a “E.B.,” a/k/a “Fat,” a/k/a “Defat,” LARRY SMITH, a/k/a “Scrap,” SHAHIEME SMITH, a/k/a “Mills,” a/k/a “Ira,” ISAAC SOLER, a/k/a “Doughboy,” DYLAN WILLIAMS, a/k/a “Rock,” a/k/a “Rockyo,” JAMES WILSON, a/k/a “Gotti,” and ROBERT WRIGHT, a/k/a “Rob Santana,” participated in a conspiracy to distribute 280 grams and more of crack cocaine and in around the Jefferson Houses, a public housing project in East Harlem, New York.

From 2014 up to June 2018, certain members of this Crew, namely JOSE HERNANDEZ, CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, BENJAMIN LUCRE, EDWIN SANTANA, LARRY SMITH, ISAAC SOLER, and DYLAN WILIAMS used, carried, and possessed firearms in furtherance of the crack cocaine conspiracy of which they were members.    

Charts containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below.  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. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD, and commended the NYPD's Manhattan North Narcotics, Major Case. 

The charges contained in the Indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.       

COUNT	CHARGE	DEFENDANTS	MAX. PENALTIES
1	Narcotics conspiracy 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b)(1)(A) and 846	JOSE HERNANDEZ, 31 CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, 34 LUIS AVILES, 31 GERALDO BUSANET, 31 SAMMUEL CABAN, 28 JASON DAVENPORT, 30 JAMER DAVIS, 23 JERRELL FULCHER, 21 RICO GONZALEZ, 21 CLARENCE GRANDY, 20 TITO LLANES, 22 BENJAMIN LUCRE, 18 DERRICK RICHARDSON, 21 PARIS ROBERTS, 19 ROCKY SANCHEZ, 23 EDWIN SANTANA, 29 LARRY SMITH, 28 ISAAC SOLER, 27 DYLAN WILLIAMS, 20 JAMES WILSON, 29 ROBERT WRIGHT, 23	Life in prison Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
2	Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c ) and 2	JOSE HERNANDEZ CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE BENJAMIN LUCRE EDWIN SANTANA LARRY SMITH ISAAC SOLER DYLAN WILLIAMS	Life in prison Mandatory minimum of five years in prison

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.

A.G. Underwood Announces Victory In Ongoing Lawsuit Against Charter-Spectrum

First Department Fully Rejects Charter-Spectrum’s Motion to Dismiss AG’s Lawsuit; Decision Affirms Victory in NY Supreme Court in February

AG’s Suit Alleges that Charter-Spectrum Promised Internet Speeds It Knew It Could Not Deliver

   New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood released the following statement, upon a decision by the Appellate Division, First Department rejecting Charter-Spectrum’s motion to dismiss the Attorney General’s lawsuit:

“This decision affirms the basic principle that our office – and state attorneys general nationwide – can continue to protect consumers from fraud by their internet service providers. 

We look forward to moving our case forward and holding Charter and its predecessor Time Warner Cable accountable for promising New York consumers internet speeds they could not deliver.”

Last year, the New York Attorney General sued Charter-Spectrum. Earlier this year, the New York Supreme Court fully dismissed Charter-Spectrum’s motion to dismiss.

STATEMENT FROM BRONX DA DARCEL CLARK, BROOKLYN DA ERIC GONZALEZ, QUEENS DA RICHARD BROWN, AND MANHATTAN DA CYRUS VANCE, JR., ON SCHOOL SPEED SAFETY CAMERA LEGISLATION (S6046A)

 "Drivers speeding in school zones endanger the lives of children. State lawmakers must allow cities to do everything in their power to stop entirely preventable crashes. The Assembly has passed this bill, and the Governor supports it. We strongly urge the Senate to pass speed camera legislation today. Our children's lives depend on it.”

EDITOR'S NOTE:

  It is unfortunate that that these four of the five New York City District Attorney's have also been taken in by the NYC DOT. 

The DOT surveyed a street for the Speed Camera program that it knew would be a street where there was speeding. I would not be surprised if several streets were surveyed, and the street with the highest number of speeders was chosen to be the street to be used. 

While the announcement came aat PS 81 everyone thought the street which was surveyed was the street in front of the school. In fact the DOT surveyed a street several blocks away from the school, a street behind the Russian Mission, which leads into the Henry Hudson Parkway South to Manhattan, and leads into the private community of Fieldston.

The four District Attorney's should investigate how the DOT choose the street it surveyed, why the DOT gave the impression that it was the street in front of a school, and how they tricked the state legislature.

The real answer is to have more police officers on the streets pulling over speeders, those who drive through not only red lights, but also stop signs, and most importantly the few reckless drivers who are currently on the road.

Comptroller Stringer Statement on School Zone Speed Cameras

  “The New York State Senate is putting the lives of our children in direct danger by failing to renew and expand New York City’s ability to use speed cameras near schools. Children on their way to school or the playground deserve the protection of speed cameras, which we know reduce speeding by a staggering 63% and pedestrian injuries by 23%. The Senate must quickly return and pass this lifesaving measure.”

In March, Comptroller Stringer released an analysis on reckless drivers. The report found that over 121,000 New York City vehicles received more than five tickets for speeding near schools and running red lights in just 26 months alone – and 1,107 times per day, a vehicle with multiple violations brazenly blows through a red light or speeds through a school zone.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Comptroller Stringer while quoting numbers which he knows that he can not identify which drivers were speeding, or just whom was at the wheel of the vehicle. The comptroller is just like the DOT which announced figures at PS 81 in the Bronx that ninety percent of the drivers it surveyed were speeding over the then 30 MPH limit, even by only one mile over the limit. 

The DOT did not survey the street in front of PS 81 which everyone thought they did. The DOT surveyed a street several blocks away from PS 81 which was behind the russian Mission, which led to the Southbound Henry Hudson Parkway, and into the private community of Fieldston. 

You see Comptroller Stringer you are doing the very same thing that the DOT did to get speed cameras passed. By the way how many of the 121,000 vehicles were Uber, Lyft or similar 'for hire' cars, trucks, or buses from the MTA or even school busse?

It is just an added on cost to the consumer.

Chairman Crowley and Reps. Larson, Davis, Cummings, Beyer, and Moore Call on President Trump to Stop Closing Social Security Field Offices

  Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley, Reps. John Larson, Danny Davis, Elijah Cummings, Donald Beyer, and Gwen Moore called on President Trump to stop closing Social Security field offices across the country. In the last year alone, the Social Security Administration (SSA) shuttered offices in Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Illinois.

As the Baby Boom generation ages and the number of Americans relying on Social Security benefits continues to rise, SSA field offices are in high demand. These offices provide a great service to the community, providing beneficiaries with resources and in-person assistance. Closing these offices creates an undue hardship on seniors and other beneficiaries who may face challenges in traveling further to get the help they need, as well as lead to overcrowding and longer wait times at other locations.

The members are calling on the president to stop the closures, and in the event that an office has closed, another should be opened to provide these much-needed services to the community.

“Now is the time to declare a moratorium on the closure of SSA field offices. In the event that a specific office must be closed due to unique circumstances, another one should be opened serving the same population in a nearby location – it should not be ‘consolidated’ into other offices, thereby reducing overall access to service in the local community. We urge you to act quickly before more damage is done to those seeking Social Security,” the members wrote in the letter.

The letter can be read here. 

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We would have liked to see in addition to the vanishing Social Security offices that the vanishing or cut backs to post offices that now close on a semi regular basis since there can be only one clerk in a Bronx post office have been included. 

It is bad enough that many Bronx residents experience poor total service from the Postal Department, but perhaps Chairman Crowley should has contacted his fellow Bronx representatives on the needs of their districts.

We mean this in no way to criticize Congressman Crowley, but make him aware of the Bronx postal problem if he is not already aware of it.

VISION ZERO: MAYOR ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLIST ROUTE ALONG PARK ROW, EASING ACCESS ACROSS LOWER MANHATTAN

Changes modify the restricted access nearest One Police Plaza on Park Row, a vital connector from Chinatown to City Hall and Lower Manhattan that has been largely closed since 2001

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that Park Row in Lower Manhattan had officially opened this week to pedestrian and bicycle access in newly dedicated and designed space.   Vehicular traffic on Park Row has been limited since 2001; the redesign includes a new two way bike lane, new pedestrian space and Wayfinding signage to direct tourists to the many attractions of Chinatown and Lower Manhattan.  NYC DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Luis Sanchez, NYPD Counter Terrorism Executive Officer Inspector Jeffery Schiff, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, and Council Member Margaret Chin joined in today’s ribbon cutting.

“Park Row long served as the best and fastest route between lower Manhattan and Chinatown, and for the first time since 2001, we are fully re-opening the street for pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We thank the elected officials of lower Manhattan and Chinatown for focusing our attention on how we could make these changes effectively – and to the partnership of DOT and the NYPD to redesign a street that could be both functional and secure.”

“For years, Chinatown residents, advocates and elected officials have asked that we find the way to ease access to Park Row, maintaining safety while also dramatically increasing mobility and accessibility for thousands of cyclists, pedestrians and bus riders,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.  “We worked cooperatively with the NYPD, and added to the high-impact changes we made last year on Park Row, added critical new protected bike lanes and safer pedestrian crossings near City Hall.”

This New York City Department of Transportation project, implemented in coordination with the NYPD, will help reconnect the Chinatown and Civic Center areas that have been somewhat physically separated since 9/11. 

DOT began preliminary work on Park Row from Worth Street to Frankfort Street last Fall after consulting with local Community Boards and stakeholders and substantially completion the project earlier this months. This portion of Park Row, nearly a half-mile in length, now includes  10,000 square feet of new pedestrian space and a two-way protected bike path. 

This project successfully addresses the Chinatown community’s long-term efforts to get the City to consider opening up further access along Park Row to connect the neighborhood with the rest of Lower Manhattan.  Park Row has been closed to vehicular traffic other than emergency vehicles and MTA buses since 9/11. 

As part of the project, DOT resurfaced a section of the roadway in preparation for the project and NYPD relocated protective barriers along the corridor to allow for the access while maintaining the necessary security for One Police Plaza. DOT also installed new Wayfinding signage on both ends of the Park Row project to further integrate the new bike and pedestrian space into the area and guide visitors.  DOT’s Streetlighting Division transformed lighting in the area to brighter and more energy-efficient LED bulbs.  The NYPD supported the efforts by relocating or removing cement barriers, unused guard booths, shipping containers and some planters.  Service on the M9 and M103 MTA buses was not affected during or after construction.

DOT has developed preliminary plans to connect the eventual Park Row bike path with the existing bike network via Frankfort Street, including the newly completed protected lane adjacent to City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge. On the north end of the project, DOT is studying connections to Chatham Square and the existing bike path along East Broadway in Chinatown.