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Saturday, July 6, 2019
Bronx Chamber of Commerce Upcoming Events!
State Comptroller DiNapoli: $16 Billion in Unclaimed Funds Waiting to be Claimed
State Comptroller DiNapoli is working hard to put lost
money back into the hands of New Yorkers. There's
$16 billion waiting to be claimed and the Office of
the State Comptroller returns over $1.5 million a day
and we want to do more. It's easier than ever to
see if there are any unclaimed funds in your
name. Simply visit our website and search your name
to get started.
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Thursday, July 4, 2019
PUBLIC SCHEDULE FOR MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO FOR THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019
On Thursday, Mayor de Blasio will be in Iowa. There are no official events scheduled.
Later, the Mayor will travel to Texas.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
It would have been nice for the Mayor of New York City to be in New York for the Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks display.
Mayor de Blasio can always watch the Macy's Fireworks Display on television if local New York stations are carried on Texas cable systems.
Then again we can also watch our Mayor of New York City on television not in New York City.
Council Member Ruben Diaz Sr - INDEPENDENCE DAY A DAY OF AMERICAN PRIDE
What You Should Know
By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz
District 18, Bronx County
You should know that today, 4th of July, Americans throughout our nation celebrate America’s Day of Independence from British Rule 243 years ago.
Having won the Revolutionary War, America was on the genesis of becoming the greatest nation on earth. We are a free independent sovereign Nation thanks to all those great Americans that have shed their precious blood on a battlefield fighting for all the freedoms people in America enjoy today.
Thanks to their strength and sacrifice on July 4th, 1776, America declared its independence and as a result, the most important document in American History was written. That document isThe Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence was an official act by all 13 American colonies in declaring America’s independence from British rule. The war between the American colonies and Great Britain lasted eight years from 1775-1783.
Today July 4th, 2019 as you take a day off from work, visit friends and family, enjoy a barbecue, or however it is that you are celebrating America’s Independence, I encourage you to take a moment to remember those who made and paid the ultimate sacrifice. We should recognize that our freedom wasn’t free, a price was paid for our freedoms. Also, thank a veteran for his and her service and remember those families who lost loved ones on the battlefield.
You should know that thanks to the Declaration of Independence many wrongs in American History have been righted, and Americans today can celebrate and say with pride.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
Today my wife Leslie and I will take a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are and what a privilege it is to be in America and call ourselves Americans. You, my dear reader, should do the same. Americans have much to be grateful for.
America we Salute You! Happy Birthday and God Bless America!
I’m Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.
Statement by 79th District Assemblyman Michael Blake on Independence Day
“Today, we celebrate the United States of America’s 243rd Independence. Let us remember that our pursuit for opportunities continue while we don't forget those whose lives were lost and the generations of color forever impacted. We thank those who served our country to give us a chance for Freedom.When the founding parents of our great nation declared Independence from the British Empire, they sought to establish a land where one may be truly free, and have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We all must live out these principles daily, especially in the face of our moral fabric being stretched to the core by a person and Institutions seeking to divide us as a people. From how we treat Black people who were enslaved back then as too many still are incarcerated now to migrants seeking a better way of life, where they desire to leave a life of tanks in a street to display political power to Tribal nations who had so much taken from them without respect restored.
With a never yielding spirit seeking justice, we must continue fighting for what we know is right. We must ensure that everyone is treated fairly. We must defeat the root causes and symptoms of racism, sexism, anti-semisitism, Islamophobia, anti LGBTQ and people of disability rhetoric, which still plague this nation today and seek to rise above the pain to achieve an everlasting promise.
The fight is not over. We may have declared freedom from the British, but, we are still fighting for full Independence from challenges within our cities, state and country. Until every single American including all Bronxites, of all races, woman, man or child, immigrant or non-immigrant truly has a possible chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we will continue to work to achieve that dream.As we celebrate today, let us continue to press ahead to achieve Independence and opportunity for all.Happy Independence Day.
Sincerely,
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Assembly Member Michael A. Blake
Comptroller Stringer Demands Answers after NYCHA Breaks Promise to Remedy Hazardous Playgrounds Uncovered in Earlier Audit
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer demanded answers from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) on the authority’s year-long failure to remedy potentially dangerous conditions at hundreds of NYCHA playgrounds found in an audit released last year. In a letter to NYCHA Interim Chair Kathryn Garcia, Comptroller Stringer called for a public explanation of how and whether NYCHA has overhauled its inspections process of its 788 playgrounds across 238 NYCHA developments citywide, and for a clearly delineated plan to remedy all deficient conditions uncovered by the Comptroller’s office over a year ago.
“As a father, I am appalled. As Comptroller, my office is demanding immediate accountability. It’s no secret there have been systemic management failures at NYCHA, but the failure to do basic inspections to ensure children are safe at NYCHA playgrounds is inexcusable – and it demonstrates outright neglect. When it comes to the safety of our city’s children, adults simply cannot look the other way. Today, I am requesting that NYCHA provide my office, its residents, and the public with a clearly delineated plan to complete the inspections that were promised – but never completed – over a year ago and an explanation for NYCHA’s failure to follow its own written policies,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “We as a city are defined by how we support our next generation. Protecting the health and safety of our kids is our first job – it’s what every government official should be laser-focused on, every day. It is urgent that we work together to remedy these potentially dangerous conditions. We cannot permit any delays, especially now as the school year has concluded and more of NYCHA’s children and families will seek a safe space to play.”
In April 2018, the Comptroller’s office issued an extensive audit report that detailed NYCHA’s failure to perform required inspections and proper maintenance of its 788 playgrounds across 238 NYCHA developments citywide resulting in deficient conditions across hundreds of its playgrounds including hundreds of examples of hazardous and broken equipment. After the audit revealed an abject failure by NYCHA to monitor, track, and fix these dangerous conditions for NYCHA’s 400,000 residents, including 100,000 children, NYCHA responded with a promise to inspect and address all conditions within 90 days. However, recent reporting demonstrates NYCHA’s broken promise to its residents and the thousands of children that use the playgrounds.
The findings from the Comptroller’s office April 2018 audit include:
- Visibly hazardous conditions, which may have posed imminent danger to children, were found at 72 playgrounds across 52 different NYCHA developments;
- 151 developments had a total of 352 playgrounds with damaged safety surfacing, such as mats and tiles that were loose, missing, warped or otherwise damaged;
- 97 developments had a total of 164 playgrounds with missing, bent, or broken play equipment;
- 55 developments had a total of 79 playgrounds with clogged or inadequate water drainage; and,
- An in-depth review of a sample of 25 developments where our auditors found hazardous playground conditions revealed that NYCHA was keeping bogus playground inspection reports with inaccurate information and egregious omissions of specific hazards, listing the condition of broken and dangerous equipment as “good.”
To read Comptroller Stringer’s letter to NYCHA Interim Chair Kathryn Garcia, click here.
To read Comptroller Stringer’s 2018 audit of NYCHA playgrounds, click here.
NYPD Police Officer Charged With Fraud And False Statement Charges
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James P. O’Neill, Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment and the arrest of EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ, a police officer with the NYPD, for conspiring to commit bank and loan fraud, as well as making false statements to federal law enforcement officers. RODRIGUEZ was arrested and was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara C. Moses. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated: “As alleged, Eduardo Rodriguez, an officer with the New York Police Department, misled a financial institution about his intentions for a loan. Instead of using the loan proceeds for a car, he allegedly used the money for other purposes. If anything, law enforcement officers should be held to a higher standard than the general public. At a minimum, they should be expected to obey the law.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said: “There is no place in the NYPD for criminal or unethical behavior. NYPD officers swear an oath to uphold the law and protect the public. If an officer fails to uphold this oath, they must be held accountable.”
According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment[1]:
In June 2017, RODRIGUEZ agreed with at least two other individuals (identified in the Superseding Indictment as CC-1 and CC-2) to submit an application to a lending institution (“Lender-1”) for an automobile loan for the express – but false – purpose of financing RODRIGUEZ’s purchase of a vehicle from a real automobile dealer that RODRIGUEZ did not own and never intended to own. In connection with that application, Lender-1 issued to RODRIGUEZ a loan (“Loan-1”) and, specifically, a check representing the proceeds of that loan. RODRIGUEZ, in turn, endorsed that check and provided it to CC-1 and CC-2 with the understanding they would deposit and withdraw money against that check for RODRIGUEZ’s enrichment.
In March 2018, USPIS inspectors interviewed RODRIGUEZ, and he falsely denied any involvement in applying for, or any knowledge about, Loan-1.
In April 2018, RODRIGUEZ was again interviewed by federal law enforcement officers. Although RODRIGUEZ admitted during that interview that he did, in fact, endorse the check issued in connection with Loan-1, RODRIGUEZ claimed to have endorsed the check and provided it to CC-1 and CC-2 for the purpose of CC-1 and/or CC-2 returning the check to Lender-1. That statement was false: as noted, RODRIGUEZ endorsed the check not for the purpose of returning it to Lender-1 but to obtain proceeds from Loan-1. Similarly, although RODRIGUEZ admitted during the April 2018 interview that he did, in fact, work with CC-1 to obtain Loan-1, RODRIGUEZ denied any previous relationship with CC-1, stating in substance and in part that CC-1 had contacted RODRIGUEZ without any prior prompting by RODRIGUEZ. That statement was false: RODRIGUEZ had a prior business relationship with CC-1 dating back to at least December 2015 and had been in substantial telephone contact long before when he claimed he first met CC-1.
RODRIGUEZ, 41, of Goshen, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit loan fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The statutory 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.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD.
The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation
Attorney General James Announces $5.8 Million Multistate Settlement With LexisNexis
LexisNexis Resold Millions of Dollars’ Worth of Crash Reports Without Paying New York State Agencies Their Required Share
Attorney General Letitia James announced a multistate settlement with LexisNexis Risk Solutions and several of its affiliates (LexisNexis) for defrauding state law enforcement agencies out of more than $2.8 million. LexisNexis deliberately failed to pay those agencies agreed-upon fees — $900,000 in New York alone — for the resale of car crash reports. New York’s share of the settlement is approximately $1.7 million, or 30 percent of the total $5.8 million multistate settlement.
“LexisNexis failed to live up to the terms of its agreements and defrauded New York State agencies out of nearly a million dollars,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “My office will continue to fight every day to guarantee businesses that partner with our state live up to their agreements and to ensure New York gets every penny it’s owed.”
Law enforcement agencies generate reports of automobile crashes, which are purchased by individuals and by insurance companies for use in claim adjustment. Companies, like LexisNexis, enter into agreements with agencies to obtain crash reports and resell them to customers, agreeing to pay a fee to those agencies every time a report is sold.
LexisNexis defrauded law enforcement agencies in New York and other states by paying law enforcement agencies for only the first crash report sold, and not for each subsequent report resold, as their contracts required. In particular, the investigation found that from June 2012 through May 2019, LexisNexis fulfilled customer crash report requests by searching its database and — if it had previously sold the requested report to another customer — would resell the report without paying the contracted agency its agreed-upon fee for the new sale. LexisNexis would then omit the new sale from reports of sales it was contractually obliged to provide to the agencies. As a result, LexisNexis generated monthly reports for the agencies that falsely understated total crash report sales, and deprived New York State law enforcement agencies of sales fees they were entitled to receive.
As part of the settlement, LexisNexis will pay the fees it previously evaded and will discontinue its fraudulent resale practices.
The investigation began after New York State, and the additional parties involved in the settlement, received information from a former LexisNexis employee who came forward as a whistleblower and filed a report under the New York False Claims Act and the acts of the other jurisdictions involved. The New York False Claims Act allows private persons to file civil actions on behalf of the government, and to share in any recovery.
The New York State Attorney General’s Office conducted this investigation in coordination with the States of Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Tennessee, and the City Solicitor of Baltimore.