Monkeypox vaccine appointments are now available by the New York City Department of Health to eligible New Yorkers at https://on.nyc.gov/3yCdwA4. The site at the Bronx High School of Science will open this Sunday, July 17. For more information, text "Monkeypox" to 692692 or visit http://nyc.gov/monkeypox.
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"Last week, our city learned that ten deaths in only seven months is not enough loss, enough grief, enough pain for our jails to finally change. After the loss of Elijah Muhammad, we joined together in mourning and to demand more and demand better, and to hope that ten deaths would bring about the bold reforms New York City jails need, that this moment commands.
"Today, an eleventh person died while Rikers remains in crisis, a moral blight on our city and an immediate danger to everyone on the island. Another family is grieving, another community is in crisis, trauma endlessly compounding trauma. This is the fourth death in city custody since the courts approved the mayor’s action plan.
"It’s being reported that the eleventh death, like the tenth last week, was an overdose. There is no reason someone should die of an overdose while in city custody. It’s a failure on so many levels: a failure to keep opiates from entering the facility, a failure to properly supervise detainees, and a failure to swiftly provide lifesaving medical care to those who need it. To stop the endless loss, New York city jails must immediately expedite decarceration efforts, resolve significant staffing shortages and finally end solitary confinement. We must protect our neighbors’ lives and safety as we work toward ultimately closing Rikers permanently.
"Today, I pray eleven deaths is enough for urgent and radical reform."
"My top priority as Governor is to keep New Yorkers safe, and it is common sense to make pedestrian and bike safety education mandatory for drivers," Governor Hochul said. "This law will help prevent crashes and save lives, and I thank my partners in the Assembly and Senate for passing this legislation to make our streets safer."
Legislation S.1078B/A.5084A adds curriculum to the pre-licensing course that includes an overview of traffic laws governing motor vehicle operators' duty to exercise care with respect to pedestrians and bicyclists. This legislation also requires that pedestrian and bicyclist safety be added to the Department of Motor Vehicles instruction handbook.
The signing of this legislation is Governor Hochul's latest action in expanding traffic safety. In June, Governor Hochul signed legislation to reauthorize and expand the use of New York City school zone speed cameras to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Last October, Governor Hochul signed legislation establishing a school bus motorist education fund, which served to protect the safety of school children. Last summer, Governor Hochul announced the completion of $11.3 million in pedestrian safety projects in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Defendant Impersonated the Chief Procurement Officer of New York State to Fraudulently Obtain Medical Equipment During COVID-19 Pandemic
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that FATADE IDOWU OLAMILEKAN, a/k/a “Fatade Olamilekan Idowu,” a/k/a “Olamilekan Idowu Fatade,” a/k/a “Idowu Fatade,” a citizen of Nigeria, was extradited and arrived in the United States yesterday evening. OLAMILEKAN was extradited on fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain and attempt to obtain millions of dollars of medical equipment, laboratory products, computer equipment and hardware, and other merchandise from suppliers of such merchandise across the United States by impersonating, among other individuals, procurement officials of U.S. state and local governments and educational institutions. OLAMILEKAN will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Fatade Idowu Olamilekan is alleged to have carried out a sprawling criminal scheme to fraudulently obtain medical equipment and other merchandise. Olamilekan allegedly identified U.S. procurement officials, including the Chief Procurement Officer for New York, to then impersonate them and use their credentials to request millions of dollars in equipment shipments from various suppliers without advance payment. Olamileken has now been extradited to the U.S. for his alleged attempt to illegally profiteer from the worldwide pandemic.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “We allege Olamilekan impersonated state procurement officials during the height of the pandemic and stole critically-needed medical equipment that was in high demand and short supply. Fraud can have immediate and direct impacts on people, and we remain determined to bring those who commit it to justice.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court[1]:
From at least in or about 2018 through at least on or about September 14, 2020, OLAMILEKAN engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and attempt to obtain millions of dollars of medical equipment, laboratory products, computer equipment and hardware, and other merchandise from suppliers of such merchandise across the United States by impersonating, among other individuals, procurement officials of U.S. state and local governments and educational institutions. In particular, during the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, OLAMILEKAN impersonated the Chief Procurement Officer of New York State in an effort to fraudulently obtain medical equipment, including defibrillators. OLAMILEKAN engaged in the following conduct to carry out his criminal scheme:
First, OLAMILEKAN engaged in extensive research to identify specific procurement officials of U.S. state and local governments and educational institutions to impersonate and U.S. suppliers of medical, laboratory, and computer equipment to target as part of the scheme. This research included obtaining information about the current suppliers to the state and local governments and educational institutions OLAMILEKAN sought to impersonate and targeting those suppliers in order to avoid arousing suspicion. For example, OLAMILEKAN appears to have specifically targeted a medical supplier that was already providing medical equipment to New York State in or to avoid suspicion when OLAMILEKAN, who was impersonating the Chief Procurement Officer of New York State, contacted the supplier to obtain medical equipment.
Second, after OLAMILEKAN identified procurement officials to impersonate, he used aliases and a Lithuanian web hosting company to register email accounts with domains that had slight variations from the legitimate email accounts used by procurement officials in order to “spoof” or impersonate those officials’ email accounts (the “spoofed emailed accounts”). The spoofed email accounts used by OLAMILEKAN usually had the same username as the procurement official’s email account but added an extra letter or common domain name to the domain of the email account. These spoofed email accounts were therefore specifically designed to trick suppliers to impersonated procurement officials into thinking the spoofed email accounts were authentic. In total, OLAMILEKAN registered and used spoofed email accounts impersonating at least (i) eight different procurement officials of state and local governments in California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont; and (ii) three procurement officials of educational institutions located in Georgia and New York.
Third, OLAMILEKAN used the spoofed email accounts to send emails impersonating the procurement official and seeking quotes for medical, laboratory, and computer equipment from targeted suppliers. These emails typically indicated that the payment terms would be “net 30 days,” which is a standard term of trade credit for government and educational entities that only requires payment for the goods within 30 days of delivery. OLAMILEKAN therefore impersonated the identities of procurement officials of government entities and educational institutions in order to exploit this industry standard and fraudulently obtain equipment without providing any advance payment information or deposit prior to delivery of the equipment.
Finally, once OLAMILEKAN received a response from a targeted supplier, he provided the supplier with a purchase order containing the forged signature of the impersonated procurement official and an address for a warehouse located in the United States for delivery and storage of the equipment purchased. Once the purchased items shipped to the warehouse provided by OLAMILEKAN, he typically had the warehouse re-ship the items to another warehouse and, ultimately, from the United States to locations in Australia, the United Kingdom, and/or Nigeria. OLAMILEKAN also coordinated with the warehouses receiving the shipments from the targeted suppliers using the stolen identity of at least one U.S. resident, thereby further concealing his own identity and avoiding detection of his criminal activity. Because payment was not due to the suppliers until 30 days after delivery of the equipment, OLAMILEKAN was able to take possession of the equipment prior to detection of the fraud, which typically occurred after payment was not received by the supplier within the 30-day period.
OLAMILEKAN, 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 27 years in prison, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison, and 12 counts of aggravated theft, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison to be run consecutively to any other sentence imposed.
The maximum and minimum potential 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.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI. Mr. Williams also thanked Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (“EFCC”), the Central Authority Unit of Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice, and the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for their assistance in the investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from Nigeria.
The charges contained in the 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 Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
“We are reviewing the preliminary maps of Council Districts released today by the NYC Districting Commission. It is critical for the public to provide input on these first drafts as part of the ongoing redistricting process. We strongly encourage all New Yorkers to participate, and we will continue working to ensure communities’ interests are prioritized and protected.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga today announced a settlement with Brooklyn Mitsubishi and Brooklyn Volkswagen that will deliver $304,900 to New Yorkers wronged by the companies’ deceptive practices when selling used cars. The agreement resolves numerous violations of the city’s Consumer Protection Law, as well as licensing laws prohibiting deceptive and unlawful conduct in the industry. Mayor Adams and DCWP also secured $500,000 in civil penalties from the companies and a seven-day suspension of Brooklyn Mitsubishi’s two licenses, which has been completed.
“We’re not going to allow anyone to pick New Yorkers’ pockets on the street or in a used car lot,” said Mayor Adams. “This settlement is about protecting New Yorkers and sending a clear message: If you break the law and harm consumers, we will hold you accountable. We are helping deliver more than $300,000 back into the pockets of New York City consumers who were ripped off by Brooklyn Mitsubishi and Brooklyn Volkswagen and are stopping their unlawful behavior dead in their tracks. New Yorkers can trust that our administration will fight to protect every consumer, especially when their making big purchases like a car.”
“Any business that uses illegal practices to profit from vulnerable New Yorkers will be held accountable,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “I commend the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for putting a stop to their exploitative practices and ensuring a safe marketplace for New Yorkers.”
“A car can be one of the most expensive purchases consumers make and we will always do everything we can to protect the city’s consumers from unscrupulous auto dealers,” said DCWP Commissioner Mayuga. “With this settlement, we are delivering hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution for victims of Brooklyn Mitsubishi and Brooklyn Volkswagen and sending a clear message to the used car industry that DCWP has zero tolerance for businesses that seek to prey on unsuspecting consumers with predatory financing and sales practices.”
“I wanted to buy a car to provide a better life for myself and my family,” said Karinie Olivero, consumer who is receiving restitution as part of today’s settlement. “But these dealerships preyed on consumers like me with false and misleading information, and they failed to notify me of my rights under the law. Thankfully, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Mayuga have helped me recoup some of my investment and sent a clear message to all dealerships engaged in fraudulent practices that this kind of activity will not be tolerated.”
Last November, DCWP charged Brooklyn Mitsubishi and Brooklyn Volkswagen with more than 7,000 violations. As part of today’s settlement, 36 consumers are getting restitution totaling $154,900, leaving $150,000 for new consumers who come forward with complaints, which can be submitted directly on DCWP’s website in English or Spanish. As part of the settlement, these dealerships agree to fully comply with the law going forward.
In the suit, DCWP charged the dealerships with using deceptive advertising to lure customers to their dealerships and then illegally selling cars at prices well above the advertised prices. The dealerships persistently advertised “expired” prices with false claims stating, “the price you see is the price you pay” and “no dealer fees” that weren’t honored when consumers got to the dealership. The dealerships also falsely advertised accessories, warranties, and add-on products that did not come with the vehicle.
Additionally, the dealerships had a practice of luring consumers with lower credit scores by promising “guaranteed approval” for financing and pre-approval for financing from a fake finance company. The dealerships misled consumers about warranties, executed illegal contracts, failed to maintain required records, failed to respond to DCWP’s subpoenas, and submitted false license applications to DCWP.
DCWP currently licenses 509 used car dealerships across New York City and has received more than 5,000 complaints about the industry over the past five years. In that same period, DCWP has conducted more than 3,346 inspections of used car dealerships and issued more than 2,070 violations, most of which were for failure to post required signs, parking or storing cars on sidewalks and public roadways, or missing price disclosures. As a result of mediating complaints, charging businesses with violations of the applicable law and rules, and executing settlements, DCWP has secured over $1.8 million in consumer restitution and more than $4.7 million in fines against used car dealerships over the past five years.
DCWP encourages New Yorkers who are looking to buy a used car to read the Used Car Consumer Bill of Rights, which dealerships are required to post and give to each consumer before they sign a sales contract. This Consumer Bill of Rights must be provided to the consumer in the language in which the contract was negotiated if the translation is available on DCWP’s website.
When shopping for a certified pre-owned automobile, consumers should make sure they know the specific criteria for certification, obtain proof that the car they are interested in purchasing met those criteria, and receive documentation of any promised warranties. Any consumer who has had a problem with a used car dealership should file a complaint with DCWP online or call 311. New Yorkers who are trying to get their finances in order before buying a car or who are struggling with debt can make an appointment for free with one-on-one financial counseling at one of the city’s Financial Empowerment Centers by calling 311 or going online.
This case was handled by DCWP Staff Counsel Matthew Mansfield and former Staff Counsel Mark Butler, under the supervision of former Associate General Counsel Adam Blumenkrantz of the General Counsel Division, which is led by General Counsel Michael Tiger.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JEREMY ORTIZ-MOLINA was sentenced to 204 months in prison today for leading a conspiracy to traffic eight kilograms of methamphetamine to New York City. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The sentence today reaffirms our judicial system’s unflinching commitment to hold narcotics traffickers accountable. Methamphetamine promotes violence, ruins lives, and destroys families. The defendant sought to profit from trafficking significant quantities of this horrific drug and will be justly punished.”
According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings:
In or about February 2021, ORTIZ-MOLINA led a conspiracy to traffic wholesale quantities of methamphetamine from Florida to New York City. ORTIZ-MOLINA supervised his codefendants DEREK ORTIZ SOCIAS (who is ORTIZ-MOLINA’s son) and PEDRO ROSARIO CARRASQUILLO.
ORTIZ-MOLINA personally negotiated the sale of eight kilograms of methamphetamine for $8,500 per kilogram to a confidential source and then directed ORTIZ SOCIAS and ROSARIO CARRASQUILLO to deliver those drugs to Manhattan inside a trailer. To conceal their crime, the defendants also loaded motorcycles into the trailer, as part of a cover story that they were making the trip to sell motorcycles. The bricks of methamphetamine, which laboratory tests determined to be approximately 99 percent pure, were hidden inside a trap in the trailer.
After his codefendants were arrested, ORTIZ-MOLINA continued trying to sell kilogram quantities of methamphetamine to the confidential source and also offered to sell heroin. A search of ORTIZ-MOLINA’s phones revealed additional evidence of narcotics trafficking.
Codefendant ROSARIO CARRASQUILLO was previously sentenced to 96 months in prison and codefendant ORTIZ SOCIAS’s case is pending.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA, New York State Police, and NYPD. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Jun Xiang is in charge of the prosecution.
