MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR CARRANZA, BOROUGH PRESIDENT ODDO ANNOUNCE MORE THAN 1,000 NEW PUBLIC SCHOOL SEATS ON STATEN ISLAND

  Former private school building to be acquired by the City and will be converted into new state-of-the-art facility

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza and Borough President James Oddo today announced that the City will acquire the St. John Villa Academy Campus, which the School Construction Authority will convert into a new public school space. The new project is expected to provide families on Staten Island with over 1,000 new seats in the area. The SCA and DOE are working in close partnership to develop a proposal for an educational campus to open on the site in the coming years.

“Schools are sacred places that fundamentally help our kids achieve their full potential and bind our communities together,” said Mayor de Blasio. “This new state-of-the-art facility will allow more than 1,000 children the opportunity to access a high-quality education.”

“Today’s announcement is a big win for parents and students on Staten Island, and will bring hundreds of new high-quality seats to the area,” said Schools Chancellor Carranza. “I’m looking forward to working with the Staten Island community to develop new, state-of-the-art facilities that will create new and exciting learning opportunities for our students.”

“New school buildings are a vital investment in our communities, and I am thrilled that we are going to be able support Staten Island families with this new campus,” said Lorraine Grillo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City School Construction Authority. “This campus provides seven acres of space for us to build new school buildings that will meet the needs of students and ensure they have access to cutting edge facilities.”

“This is a deeply bittersweet moment because the pain of the St. John Villa family is still palpable, and it will be that way for a long time. I recognize that,” said Borough President Oddo. “The closure of this school will never sit well with some, and I very much understand those deep emotions. As the person responsible to represent the 500,000 people of this borough, I knew what would be even worse than St. John Villa closing would be St. John Villa closing and this bastion of education reduced into an unwanted residential development. We have seen that regrettable scenario play out nearby in recent years. I am pleased the City has stepped up in a big way to acquire this precious space. I will do all I can to ensure the learning that takes place here in the future lives up to the rich tradition of educational excellence of St. John Villa.”

The approximately seven-acre property is conveniently located near the Verrazano Bridge. The DOE will conduct community engagement over the next several months to solicit feedback on the types of schools and programs that would best meet the needs of the district. The DOE and SCA will unveil a proposed plan and timeline for the new facility once the community engagement and final assessment of the condition of the current campus are complete. The City’s signed contract to buy the property is pending final statutory approval.

The City has invested significant resources to increase seat capacity across all school districts. As part of the current Capital Plan, we are investing $4.8 billion to create more than 44,600 seats in overcrowded areas, including 25 new DOE sites with 8,400 new seats since last year, and 14 new locations with 4,650 seats at the start of this school year. From September 2014 to September 2017, the City opened approximately 1,800 seats on Staten Island.

“While I know this is very difficult for the students at Villa, I hope that it gives you all peace of mind that it will continue to be an educational facility. Through this purchase, the legacy of Villa will live on through future generations of students,” said State Senator Diane Savino.

Council Member Steven Matteo said, “This is great news for Staten Island and the East Shore in particular. This purchase not only saves the site from residential development, but allows this facility to continue to be utilized to educate our children – a use for which the Borough President and I have been strongly advocating. I know this is a bittersweet outcome for those in the Villa community, but I hope they will take solace that the campus will remain a home away from home for Staten Island students.”

EDITOR'S NOTE:

  Yes that is great news for the tiny borough of Staten Island where the students are performing better than Bronx public school children. Kudos to the elected officials who represent staten Island which is one quarter the population of the Bronx. 

So Bronx elected officials while Chancellor Caranza admits that he and the mayor know that Bronx public school students are performing lower than the citywide average in overcrowded schools what are you going to do?

SENATOR RIVERA RESPONDS TO REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE'S COMMENTS ON THE NEW YORK HEALTH ACT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2018

Valeria Munt | (646) 259-5923 | munt@nysenate.gov

  "Mr. Molinaro needs to get his facts straight: Universal healthcare is not a radical idea. 

Inevitably, there will be challenges in implementing any new system in New York State and that is why Assemblymember Gottfried and I are making every effort to have a fully thought out proposal. For example, this legislation proposes that an individual's contribution would be based on their income and that an employer would still be required to contribute a percentage towards an employee's coverage. We must also consider that increased access to preventive care will lead to less emergency room visits and other intensive care services that are by far more costly. Furthermore, projected savings come from being able to negotiate on behalf of nearly 20 million New Yorkers to achieve lower healthcare prices, rather than smaller groups negotiating with far less leverage.

New Yorkers are not opposed to the concept of healthcare for all. We simply need to talk to more New Yorkers about the implementation of the New York Health Act, the fiscal benefits for families and businesses, and the type of health care that they would have access to under this system."

Office of State Senator Gustavo Rivera, 2432 Grand Concourse, Suite 506, Bronx, NY 10458

EDITOR'S NOTE:

While this is a press release from State Senator Gustavo Rivera as stated with the State Senate e-mail of Senator Rivera's aide and senate office address, we wonder why this came via the same aides private Gmail.

Could it be that this politically motivated e-mail should not be sent on a State Senate server, and that was why it was sent by the aides private Gmail? Or is State Senator Rivera trying to have it both ways by using his State Senate office to write this and send it by a private e-mail server. Where did we hear that before? 

That is What You Should Know.

News From Congressman Eliot Engel

 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS BLOCK NEW RUSSIA SANCTIONS

GOP Halts Action on Engel-Connolly SECURE Our Democracy Act

Republican House members today unanimously voted against new sanctions to punish Russia for its attack on American democracy. The GOP blocked action on the SECURE Our Democracy Act, legislation introduced by Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot L. Engel and Representative Gerald E. Connolly, which would impose sanctions on anyone found to have interfered with an American election from overseas going back to 2015.

Shortly before the vote, Rep. Engel said on the House floor, “When the next vote is called, my friends on the other side of the aisle have a choice to make. Will they vote to say to Putin—to our chief adversary—that we won’t tolerate his attacks on our democracy? Or will they again cede Congress’s oversight role and continue to cover up for the President, who cozies up to Putin, who sides with him over our allies, who continues to deny what everyone else knows is a fact. Make no mistake: the next vote is our opportunity to punish the criminals who interfered in our election—to send a message that there will be consequences for anyone who does so in the future. After this vote, every member will be on the record, letting the world know where they stand.”

“President Trump’s performance at the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin underscores the need for this legislation,” said Rep. Connolly during the floor debate. “Time and again, the President refuses to acknowledge the unanimous conclusion of all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies… that Russia was a threat and directly interfered with our 2016 election. Mr. Trump’s own Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, recently said ‘The warning lights are blinking red again. Today the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack.’”

The SECURE Our Democracy Act

•  Requires the Secretary of State to compile and regularly update a public list of foreign persons and entities who unlawfully interfered with a U.S. election after January 1, 2015 and any future election;

•  Bars entry to the United States and freezes U.S.-based financial assets of those listed;

•  Requires a public report;

•  Includes congressional oversight provisions to allow an override vote if the President waives the imposition of sanctions.

Democratic Primary Update

  No the two candidates above have not endorsed each other, but are in two of the hottest primary races this election season. 

  

 Ms. Alessandra Biaggi is taking on incumbent 34th district State Senator (and former IDC Leader) Jeff Klein, while Sergeant John Perez is seeking the open 87th assembly seat vacated by now State Senator Luis Sepulveda. 

 In the 34th State Senate race Ms. Biaggi is being backed by various anti IDC groups, and is believed to have soon to be Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez in her corner. It is a tough battle for State Senator Klein who does not want to wind up like his friend soon to be former Congressman Joe Crowley. More on this race in upcoming postings.

  As for the assembly races challengers to incumbents are in the 78th A.D. where incumbent Assemblyman Jose Rivera faces a challenge from former corrections officer Jose Padilla. Also in the 78th A.D. State Committeeman Kenny Agosto is facing a challenger.  In the 84th A.D. Incumbent Carmen Arroyo is being challenged by former aide to Congressman Jose Serrano Amanda Septimo. In the 85th A.D. incumbent Assemblyman and Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo faces a token opponent.

 The big race in the Bronx for assembly is in the open 87th Assembly District. Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo announced his candidate Nurse Karines Reyes back in February, and again in May. Former U. S. Army Sergeant John Perez announced his candidacy on the same day as Crespo made his second announcement. The third candidate who worked for the former Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda is Farah Despanies. In this race the two female candidates objected to each other, but no specifications to those objections were filed. Candidate Sergeant John Perez was objected to by candidate Reyes's camp, and then filed his own court challenge to the Reyes petition in court. A fourth candidate running with State Senator Sepulveda's opponent withdrew, and was replaced with candidate Despaines. 

  As an expert challenger myself, I looked at all three of the remaining candidates petitions in the 87th A.D. I found fatal mistakes in the Reyes petition, and could not believe that the petition was handed in as is. Candidate Sergeant Perez should have an easy time of knocking Nurse Reyes off the ballot, and the court date is next week. Candidates Despanes and Sergeant Perez both handed in petitions that were better than the Reyes petition, and while there were only minor mistakes both should be on the ballot for the 87th Assembly District. It will be a very exciting assembly race in the 87th A.D. as I am already getting calls from my colleagues in the media about this race. 

More to come, and I am sorry that the usual blog postings have not been able to be put up.  

Why Are Trucks Getting Stuck on Parkways

  The police officer above is trying to figure out how a truck over ten feet high tried to squeeze under this Henry Hudson Parkway overpass with a nine foot-seven inch clearance. The truck from North Carolina was transporting furniture to the local Riverdale Horace Mann School which by car is off the West 246th Street exit of the Henry Hudson Parkway, but not by truck. Police had to close the parkway as the truck was pulled out of the underpass, and backed off the parkway. This happened at 10:30 AM.

 A State Police officer said that more trucks are going on to parkways now because the signs at the George Washington Bridge warning truck drivers of low clearance on the parkways have been taken down by the DOT, and not replaced. More photos are below.

Leader Of Violent Drug Crew Sentenced To 35 Years In Prison For 2016 Murder Of Nelson Dubon And Other Crimes

Kenneth Rudge Oversaw Activities of “YNR” Members on Webster Avenue, Including Heroin and Crack Sales, Shootings, and the Murder of a Robbery Victim in January 2016

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,  James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Ashan M. Benedict, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, announced that KENNETH RUDGE, 28, of the Bronx, New York, received a sentence of 420 months’ imprisonment from District Judge Kimba M. Wood at a proceeding held today in Manhattan federal court.  Rudge previously pleaded guilty to firearms charges arising from his use of a firearm in the murder of Nelson Dubon on January 21, 2016.  Rudge murdered Dubon in the course of a robbery in the South Bronx, which Rudge and other members of the violent street crew “YNR” committed as part of that crew’s drug business.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Kenneth Rudge and his YNR crew inflicted violence and death upon our community.  Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the NYPD and the ATF, Rudge will now spend the next 35 years in prison.”

According to the charging documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceedings and earlier court appearances:

Since at least 2012, a group of young men and women living in the vicinity of 188th Street and Webster Avenue, and referring to itself as “YNR,” engaged in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and heroin to addicts in that area.  YNR managed to bring large quantities of crack cocaine and heroin into its neighborhood and to inflict mindless and, ultimately, deadly violence on its community. 

RUDGE personally organized and participated in multiple acts of narcotics sales by junior members of YNR, including groups of minors working at RUDGE’s direction.  RUDGE also instigated multiple acts of drug-related violence.  Those incidents included the following, each of which was committed in the Bronx, New York:  1) a robbery in or about 2015, of a marijuana dealer in that marijuana dealer’s apartment, during which robbery a victim was pistol-whipped by one of RUDGE’s co-conspirator; 2) a robbery, in or about 2015, of a marijuana dealer, resulting in a shooting by RUDGE and others in order to thwart the victim’s attempt to retaliate for that robbery; 3) an attempted armed robbery, on or about January 21, 2016, of a marijuana stash apartment; and 4) a robbery, on or about January 21, 2016, of a narcotics dealer and others located inside a billiards club, during which RUDGE shot and killed Nelson Dubon.

Following his arrest by the NYPD in connection with the murder of Dubon, RUDGE attempted to corruptly influence and silence witnesses against him, including by attempting to have other YNR members find and silence an eyewitness to the murder.  RUDGE also continued his firearms use and violence in the days after the murder of Dubon, including through the pistol-whipping of a livery cab driver in a failed attempt to rob that person of his fares on or about January 25, 2016, in the Bronx. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the NYPD and ATF for their investigative efforts and ongoing support and assistance with the case.

Operator Of Bitcoin Investment Platform Pleads Guilty To Securities Fraud And Obstruction Of Justice

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JON E. MONTROLL, a/k/a “Ukyo,” pled guilty today to securities fraud and obstruction of justice.  MONTROLL, who issued and sold securities related to a bitcoin investment platform that he ran through false statements about the success of the business, later provided false sworn testimony to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and provided the SEC with a false document during the course of the SEC’s investigation into his operation of the bitcoin investment platform.  MONTROLL’s plea was taken by U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As he admitted today, Jon Montroll deceived his investors and then attempted to deceive the SEC.  He repeatedly lied during sworn testimony and misled SEC staff to avoid taking responsibility for the loss of thousands of his customers’ bitcoins.”

According to the Information, the allegations in the Complaint, and statements made during the proceedings in Manhattan federal:

JON E. MONTROLL operated two online bitcoin services:  WeExchange Australia, Pty. Ltd. (“WeExchange”) and BitFunder.com (“BitFunder”).  WeExchange functioned as a bitcoin depository and currency exchange service.  BitFunder facilitated the purchase and trading of virtual shares of business entities that listed their virtual shares on the BitFunder platform.

Between the launch of Bitfunder, in or about December 2012, and at least in or about July 2013, MONTROLL converted a portion of WeExchange users’ bitcoins to his personal use without the users’ knowledge or consent.  For example, MONTROLL exchanged numerous bitcoins taken from WeExchange into United States dollars, then spent those funds on personal expenses, such as travel and groceries.

Beginning on or about July 18, 2013, MONTROLL promoted a security referred to as “Ukyo.Loan.”  As described by MONTROLL in a public post about Ukyo.Loan, MONTROLL encouraged investors to “think of [Ukyo.Loan] as a sort of round-about investment” in BitFunder and WeExchange and, at the same time, described Ukyo.Loan as “a personal loan” and “for private investment purposes.”  MONTROLL further promised to pay purchasers of Ukyo.Loan daily interest on their investment and promised shares could be “redeemed at face value anytime upon request.”

During the summer of 2013, one or more individuals (the “Hackers”) exploited a weakness in the BitFunder programming code to cause BitFunder to credit the Hackers with profits they did not, in fact, earn (the “Exploit”).  As a result, the Hackers were able to wrongfully withdraw from WeExchange approximately 6,000 bitcoins, with the majority of those coins being wrongfully withdrawn between July 28, 2013, and July 31, 2013.  As a result of the Exploit, BitFunder and WeExchange lacked the bitcoins necessary to cover what MONTROLL owed to users.

Notwithstanding the scope of the Exploit, MONTROLL failed to disclose the Exploit to users of BitFunder and WeExchange, or investors in Ukyo.Loan.  Instead, MONTROLL continued to promote and sell Ukyo.Loan to customers and, on at least one occasion, falsely represented to customers that BitFunder was commercially successful.  As a result of his omissions and misrepresentations, MONTROLL raised approximately 978 bitcoins through Ukyo.Loan after his discovery of the Exploit.

The SEC’s New York Regional Office began an investigation into BitFunder and the Exploit.  During the course of the investigation, MONTROLL provided the SEC with a falsified screenshot purportedly documenting, among other things, the total number of bitcoins available to BitFunder users in the WeExchange Wallet as of October 13, 2013.  Additionally, during sworn investigative testimony on both November 14, 2013, and October 6, 2015, MONTROLL provided materially false and misleading answers to certain questions about, among other things, the timing of MONTROLL’s discovery of the Exploit.

MONTROLL, 37, of Saginaw, Texas, pled guilty to one count of securities fraud and one count of obstruction of justice.  Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 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.

MONTROLL will be sentenced by Judge Berman at a date to be determined.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also thanked the SEC, which previously filed civil charges against MONTROLL in a separate action.