MAYOR DE BLASIO NAMES KATHRYN GARCIA INTERIM CHAIR OF NYCHA

  Mayor de Blasio has appointed Kathryn Garcia as Interim Chair of the New York City Housing Authority, succeeding Stanley Brezenoff who will depart later this month.  Under Brezenoff’s leadership, the Housing Authority has launched a comprehensive plan to deliver $24 billion in vital repairs for 175,000 residents, achieved a historic contract agreement with Teamsters Local 237 that provides 7-day service to residents, launched weekend work order blitzes to eliminate NYCHA’s repair backlog, and significantly improved heating response times. 

Garcia is a seasoned veteran tested at some of the most complex roles in City government. She has extensive experience in managing and reforming large, complex agencies.  As Interim Chair, Garcia will work closely with NYCHA’s General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo to reverse decades of disinvestment in public housing and operationalize the City’s agreement with the federal government. DSNY First Deputy Commissioner Steven Costas will serve as Acting Commissioner when Garcia takes she leave of absence from the agency.

“Throughout his storied career in City government, Stan has never been one to back away from a challenge – and his time at NYCHA was no different. In less than a year, he secured a landmark labor deal, overhauled the agency’s heating response times and developed the plan to deliver major renovations that NYCHA residents deserve. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I thank Stan not only for his decades of service to the City, but for leaving NYCHA much stronger than he found it,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “There is no better person to continue our turnaround effort at NYCHA than Kathryn. She is a battle-tested leader who has taken on sprawling challenges from eradicating lead exposure to overhauling the broken commercial carting industry. She is ready to fight every day for the 400,000 New Yorkers who call NYCHA home.”

“This is one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs in America. I will leave this interim role knowing that we are putting NYCHA in very capable hands. I am confident that Commissioner Garcia is the right person to continue our efforts to improve the quality of lives for residents, and preserve public housing for generations to come,” said Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff.

“I am going to work every single day to make life better for the 400,000 New Yorkers who call NYCHA home. There’s been real progress—now it’s time to go farther and faster. We have a plan to renovate tens of thousands of apartments and an agreement with the federal government to improve all of our key services to residents. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and put these plans into action,” said Incoming Interim Chair and CEO Kathryn Garcia.

Garcia will serve as Interim Chair while the City begins the process of selecting a permanent head of the authority. As outlined in the agreement, the City, HUD and SDNY have a month to develop a list of candidates. The City will then have an additional month to select a permanent Chair and CEO from this list. 

Garcia is a world-class manager who has a proven record of cutting through red tape and putting people before bureaucracies. She spearheaded the development and launch of Lead FreeNYC, the City’s comprehensive plan to eradicate childhood lead exposure. Garcia coordinated across all relevant City agencies to deepen and expand their lead prevention efforts. The new plan will – for the first time – expand Local Law 1, eliminate lead paint hazards in NYCHA apartments and family shelters, target unsafe consumer goods, provide children with dedicated nurses and link together all City agencies responding to lead exposure. 

In her role as Commissioner of Sanitation, Garcia implemented the strategies to reach the City’s Zero Waste goal, and has operationalized several brand-new programs, including Organics collection and curbside electronic waste. She was responsible for overhauling the City’s snow-clearing operations by changing the prioritization of plow routes, which has greatly increased DSNY’s efficiency and productivity during storms. Most recently, she developed a plan to overhaul private commercial carting that will reduce air pollution, asthma and traffic fatalities in low-income communities across New York City that have borne a disproportionate share of the city’s waste.

Before her appointment in 2014 to DSNY Commissioner, Garcia was Chief Operating Officer at the Department of Environmental Protection, where she oversaw agency operations – including the delivery of one billion gallons of safe, clean drinking water to 9 million New Yorkers in the city and upstate New York every day. She worked very closely with DEP’s federal monitor to help bring the agency into federal compliance, and oversaw watershed and in-city water quality labs that conduct more than 600,000 analyses of the city’s drinking water every year to ensure the water was safe and of the highest quality.

Congressman Eliot L. Engel Responds to Trump State of the Union Address

  “Filled with baseless rhetoric and self-promotion, the President failed to deliver anything other than delusions of grandeur tonight. He claimed this speech would bring people together. Unsurprisingly, it fell well short. His swipes at the Mueller investigation, attacks on Democratic oversight and a woman’s right to choose, his commitment to radical conservative principles, and continued obsession with his faux border crisis undermined any real talk of unity.

“Once again tonight, the President made outlandish claims about crime in an attempt to scare people into thinking his ridiculous border wall is necessary. But the American people are too smart for that, as poll after poll has shown. Additional resources for our stressed ports of entry, more judges to handle asylum cases, advanced technology to monitor border crossings—Democrats support and have already proposed funding for these ideas. But we will not support a failed campaign promise that the President is using to stir up his base.

“While the President continues to harp on the border, he ignores the true crises facing our country: climate change, gun violence, and student loan debt, just to name a few. His lack of action will affect future generations, as it will be our children, and our children’s children, who pay the steep price for his failure to act.

“The rest of the State of the Union was littered with factual inaccuracies and lacked substantive policy measures. It was, to be sure, a Trump speech. The President made claims about the economy that aren’t supported by any real data, and had no issue taking credit for a lot of the work done by his predecessor, President Obama.

“The President gave lip service to issues like lowering the cost of prescription drugs, health care, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and protecting American workers. But Democrats have actually put forth plans that the President could have supported at any point in the last 2 years to deal with those issues. He did not. In fact, he spent most of his time trying to take health care away from people, while harming the middle-class with his trade war, shameful tax scam, and government shutdown.

  

“If the President’s goal was to unite a divided country tonight, he failed. If he was hoping to build any support for his racist immigration and border policies, he failed. If he was looking to reset his agenda in light of a House with a Democratic majority, he failed. Tonight’s speech was just more of the same.”

STATEMENT FROM BP DIAZ RE: The Passing of Shirley Rodríguez Remeneski

  "Shirley Rodríguez Remeneski was a special person, a pioneer in politics and government service and someone who had an impact on the lives of so many throughout her career. She paved the way for future generations as an advocate for women’s empowerment in 1960’s and 70’s and created countless opportunities for The Bronx and New York City with the programs she led to uplift the community after so many decades of neglect.

"She was someone truly committed to the community, and the progress made as a result of her work with numerous organizations has strengthened our most important institutions for years to come. I was fortunate to see the results of her work firsthand during my visits to the dual-language school she was instrumental in establishing, the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls.

"My thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Acting Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security Submit Joint Report on Impact of Foreign Interference on Election and Political/Campaign Infrastructure in 2018 Elections

Report Concludes No Material Impact of Foreign Interference on Election or Political/Campaign Infrastructure in 2018 Elections

  Acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen yesterday submitted a joint report to President Donald J. Trump evaluating the impact of any foreign interference on election infrastructure or the infrastructure of political organizations, including campaigns and candidates in the 2018-midterm elections. 

The classified report was prepared pursuant to section 1(b) of Executive Order 13848, Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Influence in a United States Election, which the President issued on Sept. 12, 2018. 

Throughout the 2018 midterm election cycle, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security worked closely with federal, state, local, and private sector partners, including all 50 states and more than 1400 local jurisdictions, to support efforts to secure election infrastructure and limit risk posed by foreign interference.  Efforts to safeguard the 2020 elections are already underway. 

Although the specific conclusions within the joint report must remain classified, the Departments have concluded there is no evidence to date that any identified activities of a foreign government or foreign agent had a material impact on the integrity or security of election infrastructure or political/campaign infrastructure used in the 2018 midterm elections for the United States Congress. This finding was informed by a report prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) pursuant to the same Executive Order and is consistent with what was indicated by the U.S. government after the 2018 elections.   

While the report remains classified, its findings will help drive future efforts to protect election and political/campaign infrastructure from foreign interference. 

Attorney General James Announces Settlement With Hospital For Illegally Billing Rape Survivors For Rape Exams

9th Settlement of AG’s Ongoing Statewide Investigation

  Attorney General Letitia James today announced an agreement with the BronxCare Health System (“BronxCare”) after an investigation that revealed the hospital illegally billed sexual assault survivors for forensic rape examinations. As part of the settlement, BronxCare will implement a written policy to ensure that sexual assault survivors do not receive bills for their rape examinations, provide full restitution to any improperly billed sexual assault survivors, and pay costs to New York State. This is the ninth settlement the Attorney General’s Office has secured as part of its statewide investigation into the improper billing of rape examinations. 

“The trauma of sexual assault is more than enough for a survivor to bear. The secondary trauma of fighting an illegal bill for a forensic rape exam is unfathomable, and we will not allow it to continue,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “Let me be clear: hospitals have a fundamental responsibility to comply with New York law. My office will continue to do everything in our power to protect survivors and their rights.”  

The investigation into BronxCare follows the settlement with the Brooklyn Hospital Medical Center (“Brooklyn Hospital”) in 2017. Following that settlement, the Office of the Attorney General launched a statewide investigation into illegal billing procedures that has so far resulted in settlements with seven additional facilities.  

The investigation into BronxCare revealed that between January 10, 2016 and December 26, 2017, BronxCare improperly billed 17 patients for its hospital services, billed the insurers of 10 of these patients, and sent 12 of the bills to collection. The emergency room physicians separately sent bills to 13 of these patients and sent 12 of the bills to collection. These bills ranged from $35 to $1,957. The investigation also revealed that BronxCare failed to advise patients of their billing options, as required by law.   

New York State Executive Law Section 631(13) provides that when a hospital furnishes services -- including a forensic rape examination -- to any sexual assault survivor, it shall provide such services to the patient without charge and shall bill the New York State Office of Victim Services (“OVS”) directly, or alternatively, the sexual assault survivor may voluntarily opt to assign the costs to private insurance. The purpose of Executive Law Section 631(13) is to ease payment of services to sexual assault survivors by providing for submission of bills to OVS; provide quality exams; and give victims of sexual assault the ability to choose a means of payment, either through the OVS program or their own insurance. Allowing sexual assault survivors to choose to have OVS directly pay for services ensures the privacy and confidentially of sexual assault victims. This increased privacy increases the likelihood that a victim will submit to a forensic rape examination, which in turn increases the ability of law enforcement agencies to identify offenders.  

New Yorkers with complaints regarding hospital billing or other health-care related issues may contact the Attorney General’s Health Care in-state toll-free Helpline at 1-800-428-9071 or 1-518-776-2477.   

Attorney General James Announces Conviction Of Unlicensed Physician For Illegally Performing Plastic Surgeries And Committing Fraud

Disbarred Plastic Surgeon Brad Jacobs Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges in Two Counties; Will Be Sentenced to 3 to 9 Years in Prison

   Attorney General Letitia James today announced the conviction of disbarred plastic surgeon Brad Jacobs, 56, of Westbury, NY, in New York and Nassau Counties for engaging in a 4-year scheme to illegally perform surgeries on patients, and for committing a massive disability insurance and welfare fraud scheme. Today, the defendant pleaded guilty in New York County to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, two counts of Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. Last week, the defendant pleaded guilty in Nassau County to one count of Insurance Fraud in the Second Degree and one count of Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree. 

Jacobs will be sentenced to a total of 3 to 9 years in state prison and executed confessions of judgment in favor of his victims totaling over $425,000.   

“Practicing medicine without a license jeopardizes the lives of New Yorkers, undermines our healthcare system, and diminishes the work of licensed doctors committed to the health and safety of their patients,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This defendant not only endangered patients, but also stole public benefits intended to aid the most vulnerable among us.  My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who commit fraud at the expense of New Yorkers.”

“Through strict licensing requirements and high standards of professional conduct, New York State ensures that doctors and other healthcare providers are qualified and competent to treat patients,” said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “Practicing medicine without a license harms patients and defrauds the state’s Medicaid program and insurance companies. I applaud Attorney General James for securing this conviction and reminding New Yorkers that we do not tolerate this type of conduct.”

“Physicians have to be trusted as they provide life and death services,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “When an unlicensed person masquerades as a physician and breaches that trust, it is our duty to all New Yorkers to ensure that they are brought to justice. The State Education Department is committed to our partnership with Attorney General James as we continue to work together to ensure the public is protected from the dangers of those that practice illegally.”

Jacobs was licensed to practice medicine in 1988 and practiced until June 18, 2007, when the New York State Department of Health, Office of Professional Medical Conduct (“OPMC”) invoked its emergency powers to summarily suspend his license and shut down his practice. Jacobs was thereafter formally charged with 29 specifications of Professional Medical Misconduct, including gross negligence, incompetence, and moral unfitness related to his performance of surgeries, including breast augmentation, tummy tucks, liposuction, and rhinoplasty.  

In September 2007, Jacobs surrendered his license to practice medicine. The Surrender Order entered against Jacobs not only ordered him to immediately cease the practice of medicine, but it also prohibited him from sharing office space in which another physician provides health care services, and from sharing or receiving any fee for professional services.

According to statements made by the prosecutors and admissions made by defendant Jacobs as part of his guilty pleas, between September 2012 and June 2016, Jacobs defrauded patients undergoing costly cosmetic surgery procedures – each averaging between $8,000 and $10,000 – by falsely representing that he was authorized to practice medicine. The Attorney General’s investigation revealed that, over the course of four years, Jacobs, together with licensed physician Nicholas Sewell, allegedly performed surgeries on over 60 patients, along with scores of additional medical procedures including Botox and injectables. Many of the individuals allegedly defrauded were either former patients of Jacobs or individuals referred by Jacobs’ former patients.

Jacobs concealed his ongoing illegal practice of medicine and his associated income from both his disability insurance carrier and the Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS). Prior to losing his medical license, Jacobs had purchased a disability insurance policy with Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company. After losing his license in 2007, Jacobs filed a disability claim with Northwestern. A settlement was reached in June 2013, in which Jacobs received a lump sum payment of $750,000 and ongoing payments of over $100,000 per year from Northwestern, payable to a trust established for his benefit. However, in order to qualify for ongoing disability payments, Jacobs was required to file annual statements with Northwestern certifying that he was not employed or otherwise practicing as a physician. From 2014 to 2017, Jacobs filed four such annual statements with Northwestern, in which he falsely certified that he was no longer engaged in the practice of medicine, thereby fraudulently obtaining over $360,000 in ongoing disability insurance payments.

The Attorney General’s investigation further revealed that while he was receiving these vast sums of money from Northwestern – totaling over $1.3 million – Jacobs filed sworn documents with the government certifying that he was in need of, and entitled to receive, food stamp benefits. Between 2013 and 2017, Jacobs filed eight recertification statements with the Nassau County DSS which affirmed, under penalty of perjury, his continued eligibility to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits (SNAP, also known as food stamp benefits).  In every recertification, Jacobs concealed the over $1.3 million in payments he received from Northwestern, the income from his unauthorized medical practice, and his additional income of nearly $100,000 from a start-up skin care company, Nouveau Genesis. Instead, Jacobs falsely claimed that he had little or no income and resources and that he was being supported by his elderly parents.  Moreover, Jacobs concealed from the Nassau DSS that he received an additional $18,000 in deposits per year into his personal bank account from the trust, which he then used for entertainment and leisure, including expenditures of over $10,000 at Whole Foods and Walbaums, and $3,900 at Bagel Boss. In total, Jacobs collected almost $13,000 in food stamp benefits between 2013 and 2017.

Jacobs is scheduled to be sentenced in New York County on March 20, 2019 and in Nassau County on March 1, 2019, to total of 3 to 9 years in state prison. As part of his guilty pleas, Jacobs also executed confessions of judgment in favor of his victims totaling over $425,000.

The case against co-defendant Nicholas Sewell is still pending. Sewell is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Attorney General James thanked the New York State Department of Education, the Nassau County DSS, the New York State Department of Health, and Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company for their valuable assistance in this case.

Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance Meeting

  The monthly meeting of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance went off a little later than usual, because the President and Vice-President were stuck in a subway snafu. Pictured above in the back row are 49th Precinct commanding officer Captain Andrew Natiw (center) with the NCO and community Affairs officers. Left back row if VNNA past President Shradhanand Pirtam. Front roe (l-r) VNNA officers Treasurer John Messinger, President Bernadette Ferrara, Counsel Robert Nolan, Vice-President Sharlene Jackson-Mendez, and Secretary Marion Manfredi.

 The meeting began with Captain Natiw of the 49th Precinct going over crime numbers which he said have continued to decrease in the area. complaints came up about three buildings where suspicious actions were said to be going on. Captain Natiw said he is doing the best he can with the amount of officers assigned to the area, bringing up the two NCO officers who patrol the area in question. Romian Enea of Councilman Torres's office said that Councilman Torres was aware of the three houses in question, added that the city is using the three buildings for a special use, and said that was all she could say at this time. Several other questions were asked of Captain Natiw who gave a warning about double and triple parking, saying that those cars would now be ticketed. 

Ms. Romina Enea Deputy Chief if Staff to Councilman Ritchie Torres explains about the three addresses in question.

 Councilman Mark Gjonaj, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, and Assemblywoman Karines Reyes sent representatives who spoke. 87th Assembly District Leader John Perez spoke about the upcoming special election for Public Advocate, and answered some questions as to why there were problems in the November 2018 election where the ballot scanning machines broke down at an unusually high rate. May 10th will be the annual VNNA fundraiser at Maestros Caterers, and you can check the VNNA Facebook page for more information.

MAYOR DE BLASIO: RECORD-BREAKING 37% DECREASE IN EVICTIONS CITYWIDE

Residential evictions by marshals decreased 14 percent from previous year as Universal Access to Counsel program reaches 250,000 New Yorkers

   The de Blasio Administration today announced that residential evictions by marshals declined 37 percent since 2013, with approximately 18,000 evictions in 2018 compared to nearly 29,000 evictions in 2013. In 2018 alone, evictions decreased 14 percent, with 3,000 households and more than 8,000 New Yorkers across the five boroughs able to remain in their homes as a result. Since 2013, more than 100,000 New Yorkers who might otherwise have faced evictions have been able to stay in their homes.

“When we came into office only one in a hundred tenants fighting for their homes in housing court had a lawyer and today it’s one in three,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “To New Yorkers facing harassment and eviction: we have your back and you are not alone. We’re turning the tide against displacement by providing free legal services to people in need, since we believe tenants shouldn’t walk into Housing Court alone when their home is at stake.”

Over the course of the de Blasio Administration, residential evictions have steadily declined year-over-year in every borough. In Manhattan, evictions are down 47 percent since 2013.

This decline in evictions follows a milestone in the Administration’s efforts to combat homelessness and protect housing stability through its commitment to providing legal services for tenants facing eviction and displacement: as of June 2018, the City has provided nearly a quarter million New Yorkers with legal representation, advice, or assistance in eviction and other housing-related matters through tenant legal services programs at the Human Resources Administration’s Office of Civil Justice, including New York City’s Universal Access to Legal Counsel program, the nation’s first and largest initiative to ensure that every tenant facing eviction in Housing Court can access free legal services.

Since 2014, the City has dedicated unprecedented funding for legal assistance for tenants facing eviction and harassment, increasing overall investment 17-fold from $6 million in Fiscal Year 2013 to over $104 million in Fiscal Year 2019.

“Preventing evictions and ensuring housing stability provides the essential foundation for New Yorkers to access opportunity,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “From families with children facing homelessness to seniors living on limited incomes to individuals working hard to make ends meet or get back on their feet, our City is working hard to guarantee any household in need can access resources to help them keep their homes. This program is a model that all New Yorkers should be proud of and that cities across the country can look to as they too fight the nationwide challenges of poverty and homelessness.”

“The substantial reduction in residential evictions by marshals is a testament to the critical difference that providing counsel makes in protecting tenants from evictions from their homes and neighborhoods,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks.  “As we implement this important first-in-the nation initiative, we will continue leveling the playing field for tenants in need across the five boroughs.”

“Having a safe, stable home is crucial for people to achieve their full potential,” said Human Resources Administrator Grace Bonilla. “HRA’s Universal Access to Counsel initiative is giving low income New Yorkers a fighting chance in housing court by leveling the playing field and giving them the tools and support they need to remain in their homes and neighborhoods.”  

“This latest decline in the number of evictions demonstrates that the administration’s comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to protecting tenants is paying off,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “At HPD, we are working on multiple fronts to ensure that New Yorkers live in safe and quality housing, including designing new tools to protect tenants and hold landlords accountable, from an expanded Certification of No Harassment Program, a new Speculation Watch List, and a new Tenant Anti-Harassment Unit.  We will continue to push the envelope to keep New Yorkers in their homes and neighborhoods.”

Through the Universal Access initiative, 400,000 New Yorkers facing eviction are expected to receive legal assistance annually when the program is fully implemented in 2022, with annual funding for legal services for tenants increasing to $155 million. In Fiscal Year 2018 alone, 33,000 households representing 87,400 New Yorkers received legal representation and advice, including over 25,000 households representing 69,000 New Yorkers facing eviction in Housing Court. In 2013, only 6,500 households representing 23,000 individuals had City-funded legal services.

The first phase of Universal Access included increasing access to free legal representation in Housing Court to low-income New Yorkers in fifteen zip codes across New York City that were identified as having high levels of eviction filings, shelter entry, and rent regulated housing.  During the second phase other high risk zip codes were added, one in each borough, for a total of twenty zip codes across the city.

The impact of the HRA’s tenant legal assistance programs has been remarkable:

·  HRA’s tenant legal services programs have successfully contributed to an overall citywide increase in legal representation for tenants facing eviction in Housing Court from 1 percent of tenants represented in court in 2013 to 30 percent last year.

· For example, in 2015, 16 percent of tenants facing eviction in Housing Court in the 15 zip codes first targeted for Universal Access services had legal representation.  In 2017, that rate tripled to 48 percent.

·And by the end of fiscal year 2018, in the fifteen zip codes targeted for legal services in the first phase of implementation, 56 percent of tenants – more than half of all tenants – who appeared in Housing Court to face eviction proceedings were represented by an attorney.\

· Since 2014 almost 250,000 New Yorkers have received legal assistance through tenant legal services programs.

Protecting tenants is a core part of the City’s strategy to confront the affordable housing crisis. Interagency enforcement is key in our efforts to ensure all New Yorkers have the safe housing they deserve. Last year, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) attempted more than 700,000 inspections and issued more than 522,000 violations. When landlords do not address the most severe violations, HPD takes them to court. In 2018 HPD initiated over 7,000 Housing Court cases and collected $7 million in settlements and judgments.

Call 311 or visit the Office of Civil Justice website at www.nyc.gov/civiljustice for legal help fighting eviction.