FOLLOWING THRIVE NYC HEARING, WILLIAMS CALLS FOR FUTHER ACTION TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today sent the following letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Commissioner James P. O'Neill after the New York City Council's Committee on Finance held a hearing focused on ThriveNYC. March 26, 2019 To Mayor Bill de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Commissioner James P. O'Neill, As you may know, mental health issues and access to adequate care and resources are of paramount importance to me, both personally and in my capacity as Public Advocate. I know that you share this commitment, and I have been glad to see investments made toward improving these services- in healthcare, in law enforcement, and in community outreach. However, as has been discussed in reporting and in public hearings over the last several days, there are a number of areas where I believe more clarity and greater prioritization are required. With regards to ThriveNYC, it is clear that the intentions of the program, and its breadth, are positive. I do believe though, as was made clear in the hearing today, there are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues regarding the focus of the various programs and their metrics. In the hearing, it was stated that all of Thrive is focused on serious mental illness. I believe that we have to do a better job of separating out providing services for acute mental illness and general mental health- both are extremely important to address, and I do believe Thrive can and is addressing both, but they cannot be conflated. To do so is harmful to both the issues and the ability to collect meaningful metrics on the program. It was also left unresolved when the final report would be made available regarding the recommendations of the Crisis Prevention and Response Task Force. After the administration denied for so long the need for such a task force, I was glad to see it convened and to weigh in with my own experiences and prescriptions, but it is time for results to be finalized so that policy can be built around those recommendations. Both the creation and the discussions of the task force relate directly to police interactions, and this is an area where the city has profoundly failed many people experiencing mental health crises. It was recently reported that despite the administration's promise to provide all officers with crisis intervention training in 2015, in the years since only about a third of active officers have received this training. The overwhelming majority of officers still lack this critically important and sometimes life-saving training. I was glad to see the administration commit to further and faster training for 16,000 officers, but I believe that not a single officer in the field should go without this training. We are all in agreement that crisis intervention training is invaluable, so we must correct this deficit as quickly as possible. Police officers are real people, with real, difficult jobs. Yet as a city, we often seem to ask officer to have  have superhuman abilities. They are real people, with real, difficult jobs. Yet as a city, we often seem to ask officers to have superhuman abilities, we give them too much to do. I firmly believe that not every emergency calls for a police response, and that we should be developing alternatives that allow officers to focus with greater intention on specific responsibilities. At the same time, as long as our city calls upon the police force to respond to mental health crises, we must at a bare minimum give them the tools to do so safely and effectively- for both the officer and the individual in distress. Mental health is a crucial concern for New York City and the individuals within it who face a broad spectrum of issues with a varying degree of severity. What unites them all is the need for a robust, wholistic response that removes stigma and fear in favor of understanding and treatment. I look forward to moving with resolve toward this common goal and the solutions that enable it. Sincerely,   Jumaane D. Williams Public Advocate for the City of New York

VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE–MONTHLY MEETING–MONDAY APRIL 1, 2019–7:00PM

New York Hispanic Clergy Organization's 2019 Annual Banquet

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr.

District 18 Bronx County, New York

You should know that the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization will celebrate its 31st Annual Banquet on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at Maestro’s Caterers, located at 1703 Bronxdale Avenue in Bronx County from 1:00pm to 4:00 pm

You should also know that more than 800 people including ministers, dignitaries, community leaders, and other guests will gather to recognize the work of five members of the clergy who have distinguished themselves for their commitment, dedication, and service to their community.

This year The New York Hispanic Clergy Organization’s will recognize the outstanding work and commitment of: Bishop Dario Reyes, Sister Doris Rivera, Rev. Dr. Israel Suarez, Rev. Nidia Peña, and Sister Nilka Agosto.

Ladies and gentlemen, these recognition will be presented to these five individuals for their work on behalf of their community and humanitarian services to their neighbors in times of need:

For more information, please contact Silvia Soriano at 718-924-7318.

I am Council Member Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.

49th Precinct Council Meeting

   The 49th Precinct Council met last night at the Beth Abraham Center on Allerton Avenue. Captain Natiw arrived a little late as he was coming from an incident on Pelham Parkway just east of Williamsbridge Road. Four people in two cars went to Jacobi Hospital with injuries suffered from a road range incident between the four people. There were no arrests, and no major injuries, just some bruises and bruised egos. 

  When asked about two recent stabbings in the White Plains/Pelham Parkway area Captain Natiw said they were related to students from the Columbus Campus. In one incident a student was stabbed with an umbrella, and in the other a knife was used to stab the other person. When asked about gangs in the area of the Pelham Parkway Houses Captain Natiw said that gang prevention teams by the NYPD were on top of that issue. He spoke of the Private sanitation incident between two competing companies in which a fight occurred, and one driver sped away hitting fourteen parked cars. The driver of the truck was identified as Manuel Matias and he is wanted for the assault of the other driver, and reckless driving by hitting fourteen parked cars. call the 49th Precinct at 718-918-2038 with any information. a photo of the suspect is on the 49th Precinct Facebook page. 

YONKERS MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR EXECUTION-STYLE SHOOTING

Defendant Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced a Yonkers man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old Bronx man. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant knew the victim and shot him execution-style over a previous dispute, and will now spend many years in prison. This act of senseless gun violence has destroyed the lives of two young men.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Michael Canaj, 25, of 6 Ramsen Road, Yonkers, N.Y., was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Martin Marcus on March 22, 2019. The jury found the defendant guilty of second-degree Murder on January 18, 2019.

 According to the investigation, shortly after midnight on December 31, 2012 at 2324 Boston Road, the defendant shot Erion Mecani, 23, multiple times, causing his death. The defendant and the victim had a disagreement two years prior to the shooting, when the defendant stole the victim’s car and wrecked it while driving it. The defendant had promised to pay the victim for the damages, but instead shot him. Mecani was found dead with two gunshot wounds in the head in his father’s car about an hour after the incident.

 District Attorney Clark thanked to Detective Steven Smith of Bronx Homicide and United States Marshals Service Analyst John Heintz for their assistance in the case.

Owner Of Medical Technology Company Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Evading Taxes On Over $21 Million In Business Income

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that LEWIS STAHL, the owner of a Manhattan medical technology company, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for evading federal income taxes on more than $21 million in business income, which resulted in a loss to the U.S. Treasury of more than $6.3 million in taxes due and owing.  STAHL pled guilty to one count of tax evasion on September 27, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who imposed today’s sentence.  

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Lewis Stahl flagrantly evaded paying taxes on his business income, denying the federal government more than $6 million in taxes.  Knowing full well that he was committing a crime, Stahl will spend time behind bars for his wrongdoing.”

According to the Information to which STAHL pled guilty, court filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:

STAHL is an experienced businessperson who owns and operates a Manhattan medical software company (the “Medical Technology Company”) that develops and sells medical software applications.  The Medical Technology Company holds itself out as a provider of “computer ready” and “fully mobile” applications that allow physicians to prescribe medications and to order and view diagnostic information, lab results, and cardiology/radiology images.

Between 2010 and 2014, the Medical Technology Company earned more than $32 million in gross income.  Less business expenses, these earnings resulted in over $21 million in business income to STAHL, which he accessed by using business bank accounts and business credit cards.  STAHL used this money to fund the purchase of personal items for himself, such as clothing, jewelry, watches, real estate rentals, country club benefits, and a firearms collection.  Prior to 2015, despite earning this business income from the Medical Technology Company, STAHL deliberately avoided filing tax returns, and did not report any of the income to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). 

In March of 2015, an IRS revenue agent (the “IRS Revenue Agent”) contacted STAHL regarding his failure to file for the tax years 2010 through 2014, and asked STAHL to address the situation by filing delinquent Forms 1040 for those years (the “Delinquent Returns”).  Shortly thereafter, STAHL retained a certified public accountant (the “Accountant”) to file the Delinquent Returns for STAHL.  STAHL told the Accountant that he had failed to file tax returns in the past because he had payroll tax problems with the IRS and “stuck his head in the sand.”  He also told the Accountant that he did not have any personal bank accounts in his name because he believed the IRS would seize any such accounts.  STAHL further stated to the Accountant, falsely, that he was a “W-2” employee only of the Medical Technology Company, that his W-2 income was his only income, and that he had no ownership interest in the Medical Technology Company.  In truth and in fact, STAHL had an ownership interest in the Medical Technology Company, and had earned over $21 million in business income from the company, well beyond the income of a few hundred thousand dollars that was reflected on his W-2s.

The Accountant subsequently filed the Delinquent Returns for STAHL, which, as a result of the lies that STAHL told the Accountant, were false and fraudulent.  Specifically, the Delinquent Returns falsely claimed that STAHL’s total income was $38,652 in 2010; $7,115 in 2011; $84,615 in 2012; $100,000 in 2013; and $100,000 in 2014.  The Delinquent Returns further falsely reported that STAHL did not receive any business income in any of these years, and failed to include a Schedule C detailing the significant amount of business income that STAHL earned from the Medical Technology Company.  STAHL’s failure to report over $21 million in business income to the IRS – first by deliberately failing to file returns, and then by causing the false Delinquent Returns to be filed by the Accountant – resulted in a loss to the IRS of over $6.3 million in taxes due and owing. 

In addition to the prison term, Judge Abrams ordered STAHL, 63, of Boca Raton, Florida, to serve three years of supervised release, and to make court-ordered restitution to the IRS. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in this case.

Attorney General James Takes Action To Protect Liberian Residents Of New York

   Attorney General Letitia James has joined a coalition of attorneys general from nine states and the District of Columbia, led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, in supporting Liberians who have filed suit to block President Trump’s termination of their Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) status. 

DED allows foreign nationals whose countries have experienced armed conflict, civil unrest, natural disasters, or public health crises to stay in the country lawfully. Liberian nationals have been protected either by or DED or Temporary Protected Status at various times since 1991, following the outbreak of civil war in Liberia in 1989 that led to many Liberians fleeing to the U.S. for their safety and that of their families. Subsequent presidents have extended DED for Liberians. 

On March 27, 2018, President Trump issued a direction terminating DED protections for Liberians, effective next Sunday, March 31, 2019. Starting on that date, Liberian immigrants who have been DED beneficiaries — some for more than two decades — may be subject to deportation. 

“This is yet another backwards attempt by the Trump Administration to terminate the lawful immigration status of long-term residents who came to America seeking safety,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “These residents have contributed greatly to the economic and cultural fabric of New York and states throughout the country and deserve a pathway to citizenship, not to be put back into harm’s way. We stand together to support their right to remain in their home.” 

A group of plaintiffs who are scheduled to lose DED protections because of President Trump’s directive filed suit on March 8, 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. In ACT vs. Trump, they claim that President Trump’s change to DED policy for Liberians is unconstitutional because it was based on racial animus and national-origin discrimination, deprived DED beneficiaries of due process under the Constitution, and violates their constitutional rights to family integrity. They have filed a motion for the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from enforcing the President’s directive by removing Liberian immigrants who are DED beneficiaries. If granted, the injunction would prevent the administration from implementing the President’s directive, at least until the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights are fully adjudicated in federal court.  

In their brief in support of the plaintiffs, the states argue that their economies and communities would be harmed by the deportation of Liberians, who are hardworking colleagues and civic-minded community members. The healthcare sectors in these states and the people who benefit from them would be particularly harmed, as many Liberians are valued healthcare workers. The amici states also argue that they have interest in protecting the welfare of children born to Liberian parents and raised in this country as U.S. citizens and in ensuring that these children continue to live in stable and loving homes with their parents. 

Attorney General James is joined in this action by the attorneys general of California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia. 

House Dems Introduce the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act

  Congressman Eliot Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has joined House Democratic colleagues in cosponsoring theProtecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act, sweeping new legislation that will lower health insurance premiums, crack down on junk health insurance plans, strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and reverse the Trump Administration’s health care sabotage. The introduction of the bill comes on the heels of the President’s latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act in federal court.

“If only this Administration were as relentless in protecting our elections from foreign interference as it is with trying to steal people’s health insurance, we may actually be able to solve some of our health care woes,” Engel said. “Unfortunately, President Trump and his GOP cronies are only fixated on repealing the ACA, not helping the American people who are struggling to pay for their prescription medications. Therefore, it is up to House Democrats to work toward improving care, while also fighting to preserve the vital protections that are already in place.

“With the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care Affordable Act, Democrats are taking another step forward to meet our promise to lower health costs, while also ensuring sure those with pre-existing conditions remain fully covered. I am proud to cosponsor this important legislation.”

The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 includes provisions that will:

Lower health insurance premiums with strengthened and expanded affordability assistance

• Strengthening tax credits in the Marketplace to lower Americans’ health insurance premiums and allows more middle-class individuals and families to qualify for subsidies;
• Ensuring that families who don’t have an offer of affordable coverage from an employer can still qualify for subsidies in the Marketplace; and,
• Providing funding for reinsurance, to help with high cost claims, improve Marketplace stability, and prevent the Trump Administration’s sabotage from raising premiums.

Strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions

• Curtailing the Trump Administration’s efforts to give states waivers to undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions and weaken standards for essential health benefits, which would leave consumers with less comprehensive plans that do not cover needed services, such as prescription drugs, maternity care, and substance use disorder treatment.

Stop insurance companies from selling junk health insurance plans

• Stopping the Trump Administration’s efforts to push Americans into junk health insurance plans that do not provide coverage for essential medical treatments and drugs, and that are allowed to discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Reverse the GOP’s health care sabotage that has needlessly driven up premiums and uninsured rates, and empower states to innovate and invest in enrolling more people in affordable health coverage

• Reversing the Trump Administration’s sabotage by requiring open enrollment outreach, education, and funding for navigators;
• Investing in state efforts to conduct outreach to increase enrollment, educate consumers of their rights, and help individuals navigate the health insurance system;
• Empowering states to implement new approaches to increasing enrollment and allows states to set up their own Marketplaces; and
• Holding the Administration accountable for its use of federal dollars dedicated to increasing enrollment, outreach and running the federal exchange.