Two Defendants Convicted For Operating Multimillion-Dollar Business Email Compromise And Money Laundering Scheme

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday against OLUWASEUN ADELEKAN, a/k/a “Sean Adelekan,” and TEMITOPE OMOTAYO for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.  U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska presided over the one-week trial.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As a unanimous jury swiftly determined, Oluwaseun Adelekan and Temitope Omotayo were members of a years-long scheme to steal millions of dollars from businesses large and small across the globe and to launder their fraud proceeds domestically and internationally.  The two will now pay for their criminal activity and the harm they exacted upon their victims. ”

As reflected in the Superseding Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

Beginning no later than in or about July 2016, ADELEKAN and OMOTAYO agreed with others to impersonate trusted advisers and business partners of victim individuals and businesses, and to trick those victims into wiring millions of dollars into “business” bank accounts controlled by ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators. 

After the victims wired funds intended for their advisers and business partners to ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators, ADELEKAN and OMOTAYO caused those funds to be transferred quickly into different bank accounts in various locations throughout the world, including China and Nigeria.  ADELAKAN and OMOTAYO also created fraudulent invoices and contracts, using their victims’ identities, to be submitted to banks in support of the large volume of funds that were fraudulently transmitted via wire transfers.           

Through these false and deceptive representations over the course of the scheme, ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators caused losses to victims in excess of $6 million.

ADELEKAN, 39, of the United States and Nigeria, and OMOTAYO, 39, of Nigeria, were each convicted of (1) one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; (2) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; and (3) one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison.  The statutory maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by Judge Preska.  The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2022.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of Homeland Security Investigations and Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Ensuring County Redistricting is Done Fairly and in a Non-Partisan and Non-Discriminatory Manne

 

Legislation (S.5160-B/A.229c) Requires County Redistricting to Follow Specific Guidelines Requiring Districts Be Drawn to Be Nearly Equal in Population, Contiguous and Not to Favor Incumbents or Parties

 Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation (S.5160-B/A.229c) amending section 34 of the municipal home rule law to provide that regardless of any local law to the contrary, county reapportionment of members of local legislative bodies is first and foremost subject to state and federal constitutional requirements ensuring fairness and equity, and in furtherance of the principle of "one person one vote."  

After a 1991 court decision, there have been efforts to modify the standards by which county legislative lines are drawn. All too often, county governments have attempted to manipulate redistricting for the political advantage of the party in power. This bill would ensure an end to that practice, and promote fair and non-partisan drawing of lines based on specific guidelines consistent with the constitution. Upon signing of this bill, lines must be drawn in a manner that ensures:

• Districts are as nearly equal in population as is practicable;
• Districts are not drawn with the intent or result of denying equal opportunity of racial or language minority groups to participate in the political process;
• Districts consist of contiguous territory;
• Districts are not drawn to favor incumbents or any particular party or candidate; and
• Form to promote orderly and efficient administration of elections.

"As bad actors across the country work to undermine public faith in our electoral institutions, the importance of clear and uniform rules to govern political representation has never been more critical," said Governor Hochul. "This law will ensure the entirety of our state is governed by rules that are derived directly from the federal and state constitutions and ensure the right to equal participation in our political process." 

In the years since this bill was originally introduced in 2002, the consensus on which standards should govern redistricting has evolved. This bill updates the provisions of MHRL Sec 10(1)(a) (13) (a) and applies those provisions to charter counties by adding identical provisions to Section 34 of MHRL, which covers charter counties. Several of the standards included in this bill were part of the 2014 amendment to the New York State Constitution, which applied redistricting standards to the drawing of congressional and state legislative districts. By adding these standards to MHRL, they would also apply to the drawing of county legislative districts. The changes set forth in this bill will extend generally accepted standards for representation to all the people of New York. 

New York State Attorney General Letitia James Set to Announce Run For Governor Thursday or Friday

New York State Attorney General Letitia James pictured here from a 2013 event when she was running for Public Advocate of New York City is set to announce that she will be running for Governor of New York State as early as Thursday or Friday. 

 The lineup of candidates going for her open Attorney General seat would include State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, Queens Assemblyman Clyde Vanel, Also mentioned is State Senate Ethics Chair Alessandra Biaggi, whose goal was to run for her grandfather's congressional seat, but through redistricting changes, the seat is no where what it was under Congressman Mario Biaggio. 

VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE (VNNA) IN-PERSON MONTHLY MEETING–7PM–NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance (VNNA)

November Monthly Meeting

Monday, November 1, 2021 — 7:00 PM

Guest Speaker — Marjorie Velázquez (D)

Please bring non-perishable items for 49th Precinct Council Annual Food Drive

MAYOR DE BLASIO CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF MAJOR R. OWENS HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMUNITY CENTER IN CROWN HEIGHTS

 

New center will offer sports and educational classes, camps and programming for children and community members, including free, low-cost and discounted opportunities to ensure access regardless of income 

 Mayor de Blasio, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), members of the Owens family, and elected leaders today celebrated the grand opening of the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center. The state-of-the-art, 60,000 square-foot retrofitted drill shed will serve Crown Heights as a neighborhood recreation center, complete with a 25-meter, six-lane competitive swimming pool, basketball courts, and a multi-purpose court able to accommodate a wide variety of sports, including soccer and community programming.  

“Investing in our people and communities, especially in ones that have often been overlooked, is how we build a recovery for all of us,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center will provide New Yorkers a place to thrive and grow for generations to come.”

 

“The Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Center is a transformational project that exemplifies New York City’s commitment to providing historically underserved communities with critical resources for generations to come,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “This center honors the legacy of Congressman Owens -- a tireless advocate for the residents of Crown Heights. I want to thank all of the leaders who partnered together to help bring this vision to fruition as we continue to work towards a Recovery for All.”

 

“The Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Center is rooted in community and is for the community,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Rachel Loeb. “NYCEDC and our partners worked hard to deliver a recreational center that captured former Congressman Major Owens’ vision, a place where people of all ages, all walks of life and from different communities could come together and have access to critical services and programming that open doors to opportunity. Now, children, families and seniors can benefit from this center for years to come and be inspired when they walk inside. We thank the Mayor, the State, Majority Leader Cumbo, BFC Partners, the Community Advisory Committee, our nonprofits, and all who worked on and supported this project.”

 

“Congressman Major Owens had a vision for Central Brooklyn, and this new community resource makes real one part of that vision -- providing Central Brooklyn's communities with the world-class recreational and educational resources they deserve,” said Chris Owens, son of the late Congressman Major R. Owens.  

 

“The new Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Center will offer needed recreational and enrichment opportunities for the surrounding community. We have seen in the past year how young people in underserved areas can fall victim to cycles of violence when they are not given proper outlets, and Crown Heights was no exception. By ensuring local kids have a place to go, and effective youth programming at their fingertips, this center will ensure we are creating a safer, healthier Crown Heights for all residents. In particular, I am very proud to have allocated funding toward the new Brooklyn Pride Center headquarters inside the armory, which will be a critical resource for the borough’s LGTBQ+ community. I thank Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo and all the local stakeholders for ensuring this center serves the needs of the community,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

 

The wellness center is now open to the public. Standard memberships for the gym within the center cost $30 per month, while seniors and low-income adults below the 200% Federal Poverty Level can join for $10 per month and youth memberships are as little as $8 per month. Additionally, 50% of memberships will be discounted to $10 per month for residents who live in Community Board 9.

 

The Major Owens Center will also welcome a variety of tenants to provide the following services and community programming at an accessible rate. With 35,000 square feet of office space for nonprofits, members will have access to a number of Brooklyn community-based organizations that will be permanently housed at the Center, including the Boys’ Club of New York will be the operator of the gym at the Center, providing high quality and diverse programming to the community. 

 

Other local groups offering classes and programs include Imagine Swimming, Inc.; New Heights Youth; Brooklyn Pride; Digital Girl, Inc.; Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy; Globall Sports Center; and Betty Carter Auditorium for the Arts (BCAA). The partners who operate classes, camps, and programs at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center will work to ensure that their offerings are available to those across the Crown Heights community.

 

The Major Owens Center also has an onsite cogen plant, which will meet all of the project’s heating, cooling and electrical demand, effectively taking the entire 500,000 square-foot project off the ConEd grid, and providing safe haven to the community during brownouts or blackouts during periods of extreme heat.

 

Also part of the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center project is 415 units of housing, 60% of which will be much needed affordable housing for low income New Yorkers, as well as a 25,000 square-foot health center, run by Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center. These projects are expected to be completed by 2023.

 

Attorney General James, State Senator Mayer Deliver $2.7 Million to Westchester Hotel Workers Unlawfully Fired

 

250 Employees of Doral Arrowwood Were Unlawfully Fired Right Before Start of Pandemic; Impacted Workers Have Started Receiving Payments

 New York Attorney General Letitia James and State Senator Shelley Mayer today delivered $2.7 million to workers who were unlawfully terminated without sufficient legal notice and denied their rights and wages from the Doral Arrowwood Hotel and Conference Center when it abruptly shut down. Attorney General James joined a lawsuit and successfully argued that the hotel’s lenders — U.S. Bank National Association and Anderson Hill Road Capital, LLC — violated the New York Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act by failing to give workers 90-days termination notices and failing to pay up to 60 days of lost wages for failure to provide such notice. As a result of this lawsuit, Attorney General James recovered the lost wages for the 250 affected workers, who have started receiving payments.

“Protecting hardworking New Yorkers will always be a top priority for my office,” said Attorney General James. “More than 250 workers at the Doral Arrowwood Hotel were left to fend for themselves when the hotel shut down without sufficient notice, leaving them jobless right before the start of the pandemic. Today, we deliver big for these impacted workers — finally providing the wages they were unfairly denied and holding these greedy companies accountable for violating their rights. Thank you to State Senator Mayer for her tireless advocacy on this issue and for her partnership in putting our workers first.”

“This is wonderful news for the Doral Arrowwood workers who have finally gotten the money they deserve and are entitled to after being terminated without warning on Christmas Eve nearly two years ago,” said State Senator Shelley B. Mayer. “Upon hearing that they were let go, I immediately reached out to ensure their rights would be protected under the WARN Act. We continued to advocate for the workers with the New York state Department of Labor and the Office of the Attorney General. For the past year and a half, we remained in contact with the workers to ensure they were informed and their voices were heard throughout the case, including attending court appearances with them. Thank you to Jane Lauer Barker, Esq., Attorney General Letitia James, and Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, who worked tirelessly on behalf of the employees.”

Doral Arrowood is a hotel conference center in Rye Brook, New York that employed hundreds of workers. In December 2019, Doral Arrowwood management informed its workers that the hotel would be shutting down in about three weeks and employees would be terminated at the beginning of January 2020. Under the New York WARN Act, businesses with 50 or more employees are required to give workers a 90-day notice of termination if the business is closing. If an employer fails to give workers the adequate 90-day legal notice, employers are required by the WARN Act to pay workers up to 60 days of lost wages. The hotel failed to comply with the WARN Act, leaving workers to fend for themselves without pay just weeks before the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) immediately took action to enforce the WARN Act and recover lost wages, joining a lawsuit on behalf of the state Department of Labor and the People of the State of New York in an existing foreclosure proceeding in Westchester County State Supreme Court brought by U.S. Bank against Doral Arrowwood. The OAG argued that U.S. Bank — which held a mortgage secured by the hotel’s property — and Anderson Hill Road Capital — which acquired the mortgage note from U.S. Bank — were responsible for payment of WARN Act damages to the affected employees because they caused the hotel’s abrupt shut down when they refused to fund the hotel’s operations deficiency which would have allowed it to continue to operate and provide proper WARN Act notice to its employees. Justice Gretchen Walsh agreed with the OAG’s argument and ordered U.S. Bank and Anderson Hill to pay $2.7 million in lost wages to the workers — a major relief for the 250 hospitality workers whose job prospects were further ravaged by the pandemic.

Anderson Hill entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with the OAG and the affected employees, and agreed to pay the full amount set forth in the court order. The WARN Act stipulation asserts that the former employees are owed $2,482,884.88 with an estimated employment tax amount of $223,459.64, for a total of $2,706,344.51. 

This is a case of first impression in New York in which a non-employer third party — in this case U.S. Bank and Anderson Hill — were found liable of WARN Act damages. In connection with the foreclosure proceeding, a receiver had been appointed by the court to operate Doral Arrowwood. A receivership is a court-appointed tool that can assist creditors to recover funds in default and can help troubled companies avoid bankruptcy. The court agreed with the OAG that under receivership law, “special circumstances” allowed for the lenders — who would ultimately take over the hotel and who had cut off funding unexpectedly — to be held liable.

“I am pleased that these impacted workers are receiving their wages, a just outcome that sends a strong message that New York has zero tolerance for businesses that treat workers unfairly and knowingly break the law,” said New York state Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. “I thank Attorney General James and State Senator Mayer for working with us to enforce laws designed to safeguard all workers in New York state.”

66 Days and Counting

 

Here I was at the Bronx Democratic Party Dinner, where they had me stand on a platform at one end of the room rather than having your mayor stand on the front stage. Was Carl Heastie and Jamaal Bailey telling me something about my future in politics? That I should step aside and let others stand where I have.

The New York State Democratic Party is trying to not have a primary for governor, as Jay Jacob has already endorsed Interim Governor David Patterson, I mean Kathy Hochul. However Jay Jacobs the New York Party Chairman refuses to endorse the Democratic candidate for Mayor of Buffalo. He went as far as comparing the Democratic candidate to David Duke who has been tied to the KKK in the south. Jay Jacobs is trying to fix the primary for New York State Governor, and refuses to do his job as Democratic Party Leader in the state by refusing to endorse a candidate for Buffalo mayor who is the Democratic candidate. Jay Jacobs, you should step down as the New York State Democratic Party Chair.

OCASIO-CORTEZ RELEASES STATEMENT AFTER REPOWERING PERMIT DENIAL FOR POWER PLANT IN ASTORIA

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released the following statement after Gov. Hochul denied a repowering permit for an NRG fracked gas power plant in Astoria: 

“Today, we are so grateful to the community leaders, organizers, volunteers from around the country, and the residents of western Queens and The Bronx who did not back down from the fossil fuel industry and said to NRG and the state: we will not compromise our air, we will not compromise our water, and we will create a more sustainable way of life to pass along to our kids. We thank Governor Hochul for hearing their voices, and for taking the necessary steps to prevent further investment in this unsustainable infrastructure in Queens.”

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign team led a grassroots canvassing effort to raise awareness of NRG’s proposal to the ‘peaker’ plant in Astoria, which would have impacted air quality for much of western Queens and the Congresswoman’s district. Team AOC trained 619 volunteers in deep canvassing, and went on to knock over 3,000 doors and make over 160,000 phone calls to residents about the Green New Deal and the power plant. From this outreach, the campaign found that the vast majority of NY-14 residents were opposed to the power plant (68% opposed, 22% needed more info). Online, Team AOC shared information on how to take action and participate in the public comment period for the proposal.

In April, Team AOC worked with community partners and allies to host an outdoor Earth Day event in Astoria Park to inform over 200 attendees about the NRG proposal and how to take action, alongside State Senator Michael Gianaris, State Senator Jessica Ramos, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, City Council candidate Tiffany Caban, and community organizations Sunrise Movement, Food & Water Watch, Sane Energy Project, Queens DSA, NYPIRG, Sierra Club, and the No Astoria NRG Plant Coalition. Video from the event is linked here.