148 Days and Counting for me, and 14 Days for Andrew Cuomo

 

I told you that Andrew Cuomo would be out of office before me. I have 148 days left until I am term limited out of office, Governor Cuomo is resigning in 14 days. That will mean I am going to have to go into high gear and start my run for governor. 

Kathy Hochul will take over as governor, and she has a small base upstate where she won a special election for congress, but couldn't win the seat the following year. She was even not calling for the governor to resign. There is the possibility of Attorney General James running, but she was the person who went after Andrew. One other person comes to mind, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, who said to Errol Lewis that she wants to run for higher office. People here in New York City love me, and it is New York city where the majority of the voters are. Good bye Andrew, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Members of Brooklyn-Based “Ninedee Gang” Indicted for Racketeering and the Murder of a Former Federal Witness

 

Gang Members Allegedly Plotted the Retaliatory Killing of Shatavia Walls at the Louis H. Pink Houses in July 2020

 A nine-count superseding indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging four members of the Ninedee Gang, a violent street gang based at the Louis H. Pink Houses (“Pink Houses”) in East New York, with racketeering, murder in-aid-of racketeering, drug trafficking, firearms offenses and robbery.  The new charges were announced against defendants Quintin Green, Chayanne Fernandez, Maliek Miller and Kevin Wint.  Green and Wint were arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr.  Fernandez and Miller were already in federal custody as a result of prior charges and will be arraigned at later date.  

Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jacqueline Maguire, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrests and charges.

“It is our hope that today’s charges against members of the Ninedee Gang bring some solace to the family of Shatavia Walls as we seek justice for her senseless, cold-blooded murder,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis.  “This Office and its law enforcement partners are committed to ending the brutality that violent gangs so wantonly inflict on citizens in our communities.  I commend the FBI special agents and the NYPD detectives for their relentless investigative work on the case.”

“This investigation serves as a warning to criminals who behave as if there are no consequences to their actions. We have the ability in the federal criminal justice system to put these violent gang members away for a long time, and we will persist in our efforts to get them off the streets.  Our outstanding partnership with the NYPD allows us to pursue the most violent and persistent offenders and hold them accountable for their blatant disregard for human life and safe communities,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Maguire.

“The NYPD remains committed to providing every resource possible to dismantling the violent gangs and crews that prey on New Yorkers. I commend our police investigators and the prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for leading us to justice with this federal indictment,” stated NYPD Commissioner Shea.

As detailed in the superseding indictment and court filings, the Ninedee Gang is a criminal enterprise operating in East New York, Brooklyn.  The gang’s leaders, including Wint, promoted the gang on social media and in rap videos, highlighting its violence, drug sales and fraudulent activities. 

The plan to kill Walls was allegedly hatched by Green, Fernandez, Miller and others following a dispute on the Fourth of July 2020 over the lighting of fireworks.  During a confrontation with the victim, Miller called her a “snitch” and fired a gunshot into the air.  Walls had been called as a government witness one year earlier during a federal criminal trial in Brooklyn and testified that she had been shot by another Pink Houses gang member.

On the evening of July 7, 2020, Ninedee Gang members, including Green and a juvenile male, opened fire on Walls as she walked through a courtyard at the Pink Houses.  Walls was shot multiple times and succumbed to the gunshot wounds on July 17, 2020.  Ballistic evidence recovered from the scene of the fatal shooting showed that one of the handguns used to kill Walls matched the firearm used by Miller on the Fourth of July.  In the days following Walls’ murder, the defendants posted on Facebook a newspaper article about the murder and claimed credit on behalf of the Ninedee Gang.  

Additionally, Green is charged with the Hobbs Act robbery of a Target store on Staten Island on November 3, 2020; Wint with access device fraud; Fernandez, Miller and Wint with conspiracy to distribute marijuana; and Green, Fernandez and Miller with unlawful use and possession of firearms.

The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

If convicted of murder in-aid-of racketeering, Green, Fernandez and Miller face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment and are eligible for the death penalty.  If convicted of racketeering, Wint faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for accessory after the fact to Walls’s murder.

HPD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGER CHARGED WITH RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT AND UNLAWFUL EVICTION

 

 Margaret Garnett, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced today that a City Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) Construction Project Manager has been charged with owning a Brooklyn property in which the cellar was illegally converted into an apartment; and endangering the welfare of a tenant who resided in that property. The criminal conduct is alleged to have taken place between January 2017 and March 2020. DOI’s investigation began in February 2020 after DOI was notified of an alleged illegal eviction conducted by an HPD employee. DOI worked on the investigation with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, which is also prosecuting the case.

LINGBO LIANG, 53, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged with one count each of Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, and Unlawful Eviction, both class A misdemeanors; and Unlawful Acts and Criminal Fines and Imprisonment, both violations of the City’s Administrative Code. Upon conviction, a class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to year’s incarceration; and violations are punishable by up to 15 days incarceration. LIANG was arrested in June and issued a Desk Appearance Ticket. She was arraigned today in Kings County Criminal Court and released. Her next court date is October 7, 2021.

LIANG began working at HPD in September 2005; and since December 2019 has worked as an HPD Construction Project Manager, whose duties and responsibilities include building inspections, authorization of repair work and oversight of contractors carrying out new construction, rehabilitation, and repairs, among other functions. LIANG receives an annual salary of approximately $65,640 and has been suspended since her June arrest.

DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said, “Illegal apartment conversions are dangerous, criminal, and have no place in New York City. That the defendant in this matter is a City employee who was entrusted with building inspections and safety and had issued vacate orders for conditions that were similar to what was allegedly found on her property is deeply concerning. The defendant’s alleged participation in an illegal eviction of her tenant only compounds the violation of what we should expect from an employee of a City housing agency. I thank Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and his office for their partnership on this investigation.”

According to the criminal complaint and findings of the investigation, the defendant owns 1958 West 9th St., in Brooklyn. Records from the City Department of Buildings (“DOB”) indicate that the property is registered as a private, two-family dwelling, which allows for two families to reside on the main and second floors but not in the cellar. The investigation found that a tenant resided at that property in a fully furnished cellar from January 2017 to January 2020. The defendant collected rent from the tenant; there was no written lease agreement and, initially, the tenant paid the defendant a monthly rent of $880. In 2018, the defendant raised the monthly rent to $1,500, which the tenant paid by check the first month and then the defendant directed the tenant that going forward the rent should only be paid in cash.

The tenant called the New York City Police Department several times in January 2020 after disputes with the defendant, first because the defendant changed the locks on the cellar apartment and then again several days later, on January 19, 2020, when the defendant attempted to gain access to the cellar apartment by banging on his door with a hammer and the defendant subsequently began to remove the tenant’s belongings and throw them into the street. Also on January 19, 2020, 311, which provides the public access to City services, received a complaint that people were seen living illegally in the cellar of the two-family home on 9th Street and were not paying rent. In response, a DOB inspector conducted an inspection the same day during which the defendant identified herself by showing her HPD badge. The DOB inspector observed that the cellar residence had illegal gas connections at the stove and the dryer and both were unsafe and unpermitted. Additionally, there was no secondary means of egress, and there were no walls or windows in the sleeping area. The DOB Inspector affixed a Partial Vacate Order on the cellar door and issued violations for work without a permit and for maintaining or converting the residence as a dwelling for more than the legally approved number of families authorized by the Certificate of Occupancy. After a court order was issued, the tenant regained supervised access of the cellar residence in March 2020. The tenant entered the apartment with police assistance and found all his personal property had been removed. During that event, the defendant told the tenant to “get out,” indicated she did not know where the tenant’s belongings were, and further indicated the tenant had moved out on January 31, 2020.

The defendant also told DOI investigators that there was no apartment in the cellar, the cellar only contained laundry and boiler rooms, and that at no time had a tenant lived in the cellar. The investigation found that in the past five years, in her role at HPD, the defendant had recommended vacate orders on at least four occasions, two of them for homes or apartments the defendant inspected where she found similar conditions to what the DOB Inspector observed at the defendant’s property. 

DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett thanked Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and his staff for their partnership on and prosecution of this matter. Commissioner Garnett also thanks HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll for her and her staff’s cooperation on this investigation.

A criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Bronx Man Convicted Of Murder, Robbery, And Drug Trafficking Offenses

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict Friday against KASHEEN SAMUELS, a/k/a “Kash,” a/k/a “JR,” on five counts, including charges relating to the felony murder of Andrew Torres during an armed robbery, as well as other charges relating to robbery, robbery conspiracy, and narcotics conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos presided over the 9-day trial.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Kasheen Samuels planned and carried out dangerous gunpoint robberies for years.  He spread addiction in our communities by selling crack cocaine and heroin.  A young man was shot and killed during one of his robberies, and Kasheen Samuels now stands convicted of that murder by a unanimous jury.  We will continue our work with law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute gun violence and drug trafficking crimes, and to pursue justice for the victims of violent crimes.”

According to the Superseding Indictment and the evidence at trial:

In June 2017, Kasheen Samuels and others conspired to rob a man of money and jewelry in the Bronx, New York and Middlesex County, New Jersey. The robbery took place in a New Jersey hotel, during which a young man was shot and killed. SAMUELS assisted in planning the robbery, provided a gun that was used during the robbery, and obtained jewelry stolen from one of the victims.

In addition, during April 2016, SAMUELS and others conspired to steal drug-trafficking proceeds near an autobody shop in the Bronx.  SAMUELS also conspired to distribute large quantities of heroin and crack cocaine in the Bronx and Burlington, Vermont, from 2015 to 2018. 

SAMUELS, 34, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery in April 2016, which carries a maximum prison term of twenty years; conspiracy to commit robbery in June 2017, which carries a maximum prison term of twenty years; robbery on June 21, 2017, which carries a maximum prison term of twenty years; murder through the use of a firearm on June 21, 2017, which carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of five years and a maximum prison term of life; and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum prison term of ten years and a maximum prison term of life.  SAMUELS was acquitted of one count of attempted robbery in April 2016 and one count of using a firearm in connection with that attempted robbery.

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office of New Jersey, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the Burlington Police Department, the New York City Police Department, and the Yonkers Police Department for their assistance.

OcasioCortez.com - 1 of 64 Alexandria’s top three tips for having conversations with someone who may be hesitant to get vaccinated.

 

A little over half of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated — that’s over 166 million people.

However, that means half of the country is still unvaccinated. The reasons some are reluctant to get vaccinated are varied, but we know that getting vaccinated is the number one way we will get ourselves out of this pandemic and ensure a healthy society for decades to come.

We’ve overcome pandemics time and time again — polio, influenza, and chicken pox were all brought under control after a majority of the population was vaccinated against these diseases. COVID-19 will be no different.

Last week, Alexandria hopped on Instagram to share some tips for having conversations with loved ones in your life who may be hesitant to get vaccinated. We wanted to share those with you:

1. Find their number one reason for hesitancy.

   There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the COVID-19 vaccines, but there’s usually one main issue a person may have heard that’s giving them hesitancy. Empathize with some of those root causes. It’s totally normal to be concerned, so don’t mock people! Understand where they’re coming from. Asking follow-up questions with genuine curiosity is key.

2. Share your personal experience with getting vaccinated.

   If someone is getting bad information, it’s likely that they might not trust traditional institutions or vetted reporting. So sending them a bunch of articles and stats in response and trying to “debate” is not going to work. Shaming someone won’t persuade them.

   What people do respond to is personal stories from people they actually know. So share your story about getting vaccinated and ask them non-judgmentally if they have any questions about your experience.

3. Offer assistance to lift any logistical barriers.

   A lot of people don’t know or don’t believe that the vaccine is actually free. Let them know it’s free (from your personal story!), offer them a ride, or show them how to make an appointment.

Now that you have the tools to have meaningful conversations about the COVID-19 vaccines, we want to know:

What questions do you have about how to talk to your loved ones about the vaccine? Let us know by filling out our COVID-19 Vaccine Survey so we can help.

Take our COVID-19 Vaccine Survey

Conversations like what we described above are the best tool we have to get more people vaccinated and end this pandemic sooner. Thanks for doing your part by talking to your friends, colleagues, and loved ones about getting vaccinated.

— Team AOC

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - AUGUST 9, 2021

 

31,562 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

12 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday 

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19.

"COVID-19 is spreading across our State, and it will take New Yorkers' concerted effort to get vaccinated and defeat this virus for good," Governor Cuomo said. "The Delta variant is threatening to hamper our ability to rebuild and revitalize New York for the future, and getting shots in arms is the surest way out of the COVID crisis. For everyone who is able to get the vaccine and hasn't yet received it—we have available vaccines and sites are open today, so get it as soon as you can."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 108,965
• Total Positive - 3,615
• Percent Positive - 3.32%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.96%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,225 (+63)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 173
• Patients in ICU - 246 (+7)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 95 (+7)
• Total Discharges - 187,829 (+113)
• Deaths - 12
• Total Deaths - 43,151
• Total vaccine doses administered - 22,623,028
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 31,562
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 298,217
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 73.7%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 67.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 76.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 69.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 61.8%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 56.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 64.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 57.8% 

Former Bronx Public Charter School Teacher Charged In Connection With His Sexual Exploitation Of Former Students

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jacqueline Maguire, the Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the arrest of JESUS CONCEPCION, a/k/a “Mr. C.,” for enticing four minor victims to engage in sexual activity, transporting those minor victims across state lines to engage in illegal sexual acts, and inducing one minor victim to produce child pornography.  CONCEPCION was arrested on August 7, 2021, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was presented today in the Western District of North Carolina.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Jesus Concepcion abused his position as a teacher at a public school in the Bronx to engage in sexual relationships with several of his students.  Concepcion sexually exploited those students, who were minors, at the public school, in and around the Bronx, and in other states.  Together with our partners in the FBI, we will work tirelessly to ensure that anyone who engages in this type of conduct will be subject to the full force of the law.”

FBI Acting Assistant Director Jacqueline Maguire said: “Teachers serve as trusted figures to their students as they work to educate and prepare them for the future. As alleged, Mr. Concepcion egregiously breached that trust as he abused his position to coerce students – some as young as 12 years old – into having sex with him.  Parents deserve to send their children to school each day knowing they will be safe as they receive an education – and not be exploited and assaulted by a so-called educator who only sees students as his potential victims.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment filed on July 28, 2021, and unsealed today[1]:

CONCEPCION was a music teacher and orchestra instructor at a public charter middle school located in the Bronx, New York (“School-1”), from in or about 2000 up to and including in or about 2007.  CONCEPCION lured four of his students at School-1 into sexual relationships (“Minor Victim-1,” “Minor Victim-2,” “Minor Victim-3,” and “Minor Victim-4,” and together the “Minor Victims”).  The Minor Victims were as young as 12 years old at the time of the abuse.

From at least in or about 2002 through at least in or about 2007, CONCEPCION singled out the Minor Victims for personal attention.  He gave them money, clothing, jewelry, and other gifts, and he provided them with alcohol.  He told several of the Minor Victims that they were in romantic relationships with him and provided each of the Minor Victims with a cellphone so that they could communicate with him without their parents’ knowledge. CONCEPCION used the cellphones he provided and other devices to maintain his “relationships” with the Minor Victims and to arrange sexual encounters.

CONCEPCION engaged in sexual intercourse with the Minor Victims in various locations, including in School-1’s music room, in the back room of School-1’s auditorium, in his car, at motels, at his residences, and, after some of the Minor Victims left School-1, at their out-of-state high schools.  On numerous occasions, CONCEPCION brought the Minor Victims from School-1 or other locations in the Bronx to motels in New Jersey.  On at least one occasion, CONCEPCION had sexual intercourse with Minor Victim-3 in a New Jersey motel against her will.

CONCEPCION also instructed Minor Victim-3 to take naked photographs of herself and to send them to him.  CONCEPCION directed Minor Victim-3 how to pose, to touch herself in a sexually explicit manner, and to photograph her genitalia. CONCEPCION also attempted to induce another one of the Minor Victims, Minor Victim-4, to take sexually explicit photographs. When Minor Victim-4 resisted, CONCEPCION showed Minor Victim-4 the photographs sent to him by Minor Victim-3 and told Minor Victim-4 that these were the sort of photographs CONCEPCION sought.

CONCEPCION, 48, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, is charged with four counts of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and four counts of transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, each of which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.  CONCEPCION also is charged with inducing a minor to produce child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the efforts of FBI and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) for their outstanding work in this matter, particularly the FBI-NYPD New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.  She also thanked the FBI’s Charlotte Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance.  She added that the investigation is ongoing.             

Any individuals who believe they have information that may be relevant to this investigation should contact FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

NYS Office of the Comptroller - NYS Common Retirement Fund Reports First Quarter Results

 

The New York State Common Retirement Fund’s (Fund) estimated return in the first quarter of the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2021-22 was 5.82% for the three-month period ending June 30, 2021, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. It ended the quarter with an estimated value of $268.3 billion.

“The financial markets remain strong, as industry sectors and companies recover and adapt to the pandemic,” DiNapoli said. “We continue to seek prudent investments and manage the state pension fund to be able to withstand additional economic disruptions and unpredictable market swings. We are one of the best funded retirement systems in the nation because we look ahead and manage risk.”

The Fund's estimated value reflects benefits of $3.52 billion paid out to retirees and beneficiaries during the quarter. Its audited value as of fiscal year end March 31, 2021 was $258.1 billion and the annual return was 33.55%.

As of June 30, 2021, the Fund had 53.68% of its assets invested in publicly traded equities. The remaining Fund assets by allocation are invested in cash, bonds and mortgages (21.96%), private equity (11.21%), real estate and real assets (7.96%) and credit, absolute return strategies and opportunistic alternatives (5.19%).

DiNapoli initiated quarterly investment performance reporting in 2009 as part of his ongoing efforts to increase accountability and transparency. Quarterly rates of return provide a snapshot of performance over three months and reflect a fraction of the Fund’s annual investment return.