By AMANDA ANDRIES

The first performance of “Breakfast at Epiphany’s,” a drag show at Lillie’s restaurant in Times Square, brought cheers to the packed audience after a priest from neighboring St. Malachy’s Church had demanded that the brunch time extravaganza be cancelled.

The “dragilicious brunch event,” planned by Michael Fratz and begun on Sunday, Feb. 24, was at the heart of the tiff between the Times Square church, also known as “the Actor’s Chapel,” and the Victorian-styled restaurant. The dispute started when Lillie’s management announced via a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”-modeled poster, placed in front of the restaurant, next door to the church, that drag performer Epiphany Get Paid would be having a weekly show on Sundays. It was at the same time as mass at neighboring St. Malachy’s.

The Rev. Richard D. Baker, pastor at St. Malachy’s, said he had at first assumed that the show was going to be something more inappropriate than it actually is.

“On the surface it appeared to be something that it wasn’t,” he said from his office at the church.

When the priest expressed his ire to the owners of Lillie’s, they decided to cancel the show altogether,  but then rescinded that decision after Epiphany protested. The restaurant then decided  to move the event to its Union Square location.

But Epiphany was not going to be run out of Times Square.

“This is absolutely serious, shutting down an establishment illegally over a drag show will not be permitted anywhere in NYC,” Epiphany said on the event’s Facebook page.

The drag performer spread the word via Facebook and other media outlets to the gay community and whoever else would listen.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s office got wind of the hullabaloo and decided to get involved. Her staff mediated a conference call involving Father Baker, Lillie’s owners and management, Epiphany and the show’s organizer. At the end of the call Lillie’s decided that the show would go on as originally planned at their Times Square location.

Father Baker came out of the meeting with a different perspective as well. “We are really good friends now. They really are wonderful people,” he said. “The Lord brings out good things out of tough times.”

Lillie’s owner Frank McCole spoke about the restaurant’s stance on the matter, “We celebrate every creed, every sexual orientation, every nationality. We’re all about having a good time,” he said.

Earlier that day Epiphany, 31, and a handful of drag queens and supporters took part in a “March of Solidarity” from the TKTS booth in the middle of Times Square  to Lillie’s at 249 W. 49 St. This was a tiny percentage of the 240 people who on the event’s Facebook page had said that they would attend the march. But not to be deterred, the vocal crew marched on.

“I don’t sexualize any of this. I see it as a practice or an art,” he said.

At Lillie’s for the start of the show, Epiphany, clad in a long, black, body-skimming gown with cutouts in the back, began the show by announcing, “I don’t lip synch!” She then launched into a fun set of show tunes, including a rousing rendition of  “When You’re Good to Momma” from “Chicago.”

Representatives from Quinn’s office were present, including Quinn’s father. They sat in a corner booth and appeared to be enjoying the show.

Also in attendance was Kelly Abiodun, 47, of Middletown, who came to Times Square to with her 6 year-old daughter, Kara and friends, to see the musical “Cinderella.” “I think it’s awesome,” Abiodun said. “Only in New York, whatever floats your boat.”

From the street, the only visible evidence that anything different was happening inside Lillie’s that day was a small police vehicle, which had been stationed outside both establishments since 11 a.m., that day. Opening the show was another famous drag queen, Ivy Winters, who appears in the current season of Rupaul’s Drag Race, while DJ David Serrano spun the tracks.

Epiphany, whose real name is Calen Tomaszewski and who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has been performing for 10 years. Epiphany also performs at Industry, Therapy and XO, among other places.

When asked if he will attend one of Epiphany’s shows in the future, Father Baker said, “I actually will be seeing the performer perform one of these days. But not on Sundays because I am a bit busy.”

Photo by Amanda Andries.

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By AMANDA ANDRIES

Former New York State Assemblyman and millionaire Jimmy Meng, who became the first Asian-American elected to the legislature in state history, was sentenced Tuesday to one month in jail for his involvement in a $80,000,bribery plot.

Meng, 70, appeared with his attorney, Todd Greenberg, before United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn. Greenberg spoke for over 45 minutes about Meng’s irreproachable character before he became involved in the bribery scheme.

Then a tearful Meng made a statement on his own behalf, begging the judge for leniency.

“I’m truly sorry because of my stupid actions,” he said. “I am a very good person who made a mistake in my life.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Kaminsky demanded that Meng receive the guideline sentence of 12 to 18 months (much reduced because of his plea), for fraudulently claiming that he would pay off DA’s  to gain a reduced sentence for businessman Eric Hu who was convicted of tax fraud

“He tried every trick that he could to get Mr. Hu to hire an attorney and he had the bribe hidden in a fruit basket,” Kaminsky said, referring to the $80, 000 that Meng had Hu hide in a fruit basket. Meng then sent someone to collect the basket, but was caught in an FBI sting.

Although Judge Ross said that a government investigation did not uncover any evidence that Meng actually contacted anyone in the Manhattan’s DA’s  office,  he did pleade guilty to the crimes. The judge also took Meng’s advanced age, air jordan 3 health problems and civic service into consideration in granting clemency

“He cajoled and lied to the victim and used threats that he would severely harm the victim,” the judge said. “He traded in civic status to enrich himself.”

She then went on to lay out his full punishment which included one month in jail, 750 hours of community service, mental health evaluations, a $30, 000 fine, four months of home confinement while wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet and two years probation.

Meng’s daughter, Congresswoman Grace Meng, sat in the courtroom to support  her father and wiped away tears as he spoke in his defense. Grace Meng took over her father’s office after the scandal broke. In the November election she became the first Asian-American woman elected to Congres

“We’re here in support of my father today,” she said outside the courtroom. “He has taken full responsibility for his actions and accepts all consequences and our family looks to getting past this chapter.”

Meng, who represented the 22nd Assembly District in Flushing was arrested on July 25, 2012, on federal bribery charges.

“He did it for the personal gain and greed,” Kaminsky said in the courtroom. “It makes people think that justice could be bought or sold.”

Photo: The defendant and his daughter, Grace. Photo by Amanda Andries

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By RACHEL SILBERSTEIN

Prestigious medical college Weill Cornell showed off its newest medical practice on West 84th Street and Broadway on Upper West Side at the ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, vowing to expand access to top-notch medical care in the neighborhood, and residents took notice.

The modern sun-lit practice rises three stories, employs 91 physicians and houses a full gamut of medical services for adults and children under one roof, from primary care to specialty services to imaging and radiology.

“It is our goal to promote an integrated, air jordan 12 multidisciplinary team approach to patient care that encourages our patients to remain healthy and vital throughout their lives,” said Dr. Laurie Glimcher, dean of the medical college.The progressive one-stop shop approach allows a seamless digital transfer of patient information between departments and is aligned with a push from the city to combat exorbitant health care costs.

“A lot of people talk about unnecessary care and high costs,” said Steven Corwin, CEO of New York Presbyterian Hospital.  “We believe in precise care; we believe in taking the cost out of the system.”

The new location supplements the university’s West 72nd street practice, which is filled to capacity, said hospital administrators.

“I think this will draw a new crowd since it is far enough away,” said administrator Jen Fischer. “People recognize the name and trust it.”

Upper West Side resident Anne Silberman, 29, said she sends her daughter to City MD, a medical practice up the street on Broadway and West 92nd, which conveniently offers walk-in urgent care.

“My doctor is good if you want to get in and out,” she said. “If I needed a specialist I would trust Cornell.”

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By VANESSA WALKER & DINA EXIL

The trial of a mentally ill man who hacked a psychotherapist to death with a meat cleaver resumed on Tuesday with the testimony of an attacked colleague who came to the victim’s aid and was severely injured by the assailant.

Defendant David Tarloff was charged with killing Kathryn Faughey, 56, and assaulting her office mate psychiatrist Kent Shinbach in a Manhattan office in 2008 and his trial has been postponed many times due to his courtroom outbursts and five years of uncertainty about whether Tarloff was mentally fit to stand trial.

On the witness stand in Manhattan Supreme Court Shinbach described the grisly scene: responding to noises coming from Faughey’s room, he found her body covered in blood and heard someone say, “She’s dead. She’s dead.”

The therapist recalled being pushed from behind and Tarloff standing over him with a knife and saying, “I will kill you.”

Shinbach also testified that he saw Tarloff holding a rusty meat clever with a missing handle. In an attempt to wrestle the weapon from Tarloff, Shinbach slashed his finger and was pinned to the wall.

He said he recalled Tarloff saying “How do you like that?”

Tarloff allegedly asked the therapist for $1,000 and when Shinbach declined, he decreased the amount to $500, then $250. Shinbach said Tarloff took $90, his driver’s license and bankcard from his wallet.

“He said, ‘Now I know where you live,’“ said Shinbach.

“You’ve already killed someone why don’t you get out of here,” said Shinbach as Tarloff left the room.

Shinbach recalled Tarloff threatening to use a gun but he did not see one.

Shinbach suffered cuts to his left wrist and left cheek.

EMT Brain Sackf also took the stand, testifying that the cuts were severe and Shinbach needed surgery to reconnect tendons in his left arm and the scar on his left check. Photos of Shinbach injuries were presented in court.

Tarloff told investigators he went to the doctors’ offices with plans to rob a doctor who had treated him years earlier.  It was unclear why Dr. Faughey was attacked.

The defense admits the killing but argues that the defendant is not guilty by reason of insanity.

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By SEAN QUIGLEY

An immigration advocacy bus tour on Tuesday embarked on the last leg of their trip to Washington to meet with a bipartisan group of senators and press for an overhaul of the immigration system focusing on family reunification, rights of same-sex couples, worker protection and easing deportations.

Organized by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), immigration advocates and family members packed St. Peters Church on the Upper East side to bid farewell and good luck to 50 immigrant families as they wrap up a 19- state bus tour to gain national support for substantial immigration reform.

“Now is the time, now is the year to pass just and humane immigration reform for everybody,” said Daniel Coats of FIRM. “to ensure a path to citizenship, not an obstacle course.”

Tears, laughs, and multilingual cheers and chants filled the church as families and spouses of detained immigrants and undocumented workers told their stories, which will be bought to senators on Wednesday in order to put a face on families who have been torn apart due to deportation policies.

“This is my country, and I am so helpless,” air jordan 3 said 12-year-old American citizen Nushin Tarannum, whose family has been faced with insurmountable financial hardship and depression as her father who is from Bangladesh has been in detention for over a year. “I feel like I have no future.”

Ravi Ragbir, who emigrated from Trinidad, has been a lawful permanent resident for nearly two decades. Now, because of a minor conviction he faces permanent exile from the United States. “My daughters dream of having a father with her is broken, “ he said. “My wife’s dream of being with her husband is broken, because the system is broken.”

The group, although widely multicultural acted as one family, lending each other support, speaking each other’s languages, all united by the same hardships and desires to create a change in the immigration system so that families are no longer torn from their loved ones, and law abiding people are not forced to live with the constant fear of deportation.

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BY CLAUDIO MARTINO

A Manhattan Supreme Court judge on Tuesday sentenced the European fashion publicist turned art thief to no jail time but his immigration status kept him in lock-up

Phivos Istavrioglou, 29, fulfilled the requirements for conditional discharge when he pleaded guilty in February to the daring daylight theft of a Salvador Dali watercolor from a Madison Avenue art gallery last June and paid restitution of $9,100.

The immigration action he faced remained unclear.

On June 2012 Istavrioglou made away with “Cartel De Don Juan Tenorio,” a 1949 watercolor painting by the Spanish surrealist, now worth $150,000.

Istavrioglou was caught on video blatantly stealing the piece from the Venus Over Manhattan gallery on Madison Ave. Not only did he manage to walk away from the gallery unnoticed, he left the country.

Despite the successful heist, Istavrioglou returned the painting in a cardboard tube by mail from Greece only a few days later. A detective lured the defendant back to the United States by posing as an art gallery manager who was offering him a job and he was arrested at the airport.

Photo: Art thief caught in action.

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By JULIA JOHN-SCHEDER

A disappointed defense team said Tuesday they were “heartbroken” over the guilty verdict that might send their client, the so-called ‘cannibal cop’, to prison for the rest of his life.

A Manhattan Federal Court jury of six men and six women found Gilberto Valle, 28, guilty of conspiring to kidnap, rape, kill and eat several women including his wife. The former New York City police officer was also found guilty in accessing without permission a police database to research his victims

The courtroom quickly filled up with spectators as word spread that the jury had come to a verdict after deliberating for four days. Upon hearing the verdict Valle’s shoulders slumped and his head hung low. Defense lawyer Julia Gatto, sitting to his right put her hands to her face and shook her head in disbelief.

The defense team had tried to make the case that Valle’s behavior was fantasy “role play” and raised the larger legal question of freedom of speech on the Internet

“We now have people getting prosecuted and convicted of their thoughts,” said  defense lawyer Robert Baum outside the courtroom.

Prosecutors had a different take on the verdict:

“Today, a unanimous jury found that Gilberto Valle’s detailed and specific plans to abduct women for the purpose of committing grotesque crimes were very real, and that he was guilty as charged,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement. “The Internet is a forum for the free exchange of ideas, but it does not confer immunity for plotting crimes and taking steps to carry out those crimes.”

Valle had used websites like darketishnet.com to exchange information on how to cook women and conspired with at least three others to abduct women. Among his potential victims was his wife and several of Valle’s college friends.

Valle’s parents, who sat in the courtroom every day of their son’s trial appeared to be shaken upon hearing the verdict. His mother hugged Gatto as well as other members of her son’s defense team. The mother kept stating her shock about the result. “Hang in there,” she said of her son to a host of reporters and cameras followed her down the subway steps

Valle and his defense lawyer Gatto hugged for a long time after hearing the verdict, both holding back tears.  Then he was handcuffed and led off. At a short press meeting outside the court, Gatto said Valle would stay in solitary confinement where he has been since his arrest in October.

Gatto said that her team would appeal the verdict in 30 days. Valle’s sentencing date was set for June 19.

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By LORETTA CHIN

Martha Stewart took the stand in Manhattan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday and testified before a packed court room to defend her namesake company against charges that she breached an exclusive contract with Macy’s by selling her merchandise in J.C. Penney.

“It’s a contract dispute—an understanding of what’s written on the page,” Stewart said to Judge  Jeffrey Oing.  “It just boggles my mind that we are here…it’s a real problem for a company like ours.”

The juryless trial began three weeks ago in the civil case of Macy’s Inc. v. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSLO).  Stewart, 71, was wearing a brown mini-skirt with matching vest over a light beige shirt and dark brown suede booties.  She maintained her composure throughout her questioning by Macy’s lawyer, Theodore Grossman and the lawyer for her company, Eric Seiler.

At the center were Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren and J.C. Penney’s CEO Ron Johnson who testified earlier.  Stewart had a personal and business relationship with Lundgren before her deal with Penney.  When questioned by Grossman, Stewart said that she was flabbergasted by Lundgren’s response when she called him to tell her about the Penney deal.  “I was quite taken aback by his response and then he hung up on me,” she said.

“I think I expressed my concern that there were problems with the interpretation of our contract” said Stewart when asked about her initial talks with Johnson, who had the potential to offer 700 outlets across America to sell Martha Stewart home products. Stewart cited her inability to talk to anyone else because of a confidentiality agreement between MSLO and Penney, but said that her company was “very careful with all of this” and “every single aspect of our relationship to anybody else that might have a problem or question has been  taken into consideration.”   “To us, it’s business as usual—it’s not any breach of confidentiality whatsoever,” she added.

Stewart talked about the mutually beneficial relationship with Macy’s, that it was a $300 million business for her company; as a business woman,  she anticipated that amount to grow over five years. “They have really kept us pretty static–we could have been much bigger,” said Stewart.

A considerable length of time was spent discussing the concept of a “store within a store” called Martha Stewart Home within J.C. Penney.  Although she asked for it, “Macy’s had never, never proposed that we could have our own store,” said Stewart who explained her motivation for the deal with Penney.  She said that she had an obligation to her company, shareholders, and customers when she strategically decided to move the company forward by entering into the contract with Penney.

She believed that the store within a store arrangement would not violate her contract with Macy’s and that her plan was to hire completely separate design teams.  When asked if  she ever asked for permission to have people who worked on Macy’s designs to also work on Penney’s designs, Stewart responded, “It is nowhere in our contract that specifies that our designers are exclusive to Macy’s.”

Referring to a temporary order that Judge Oing put in place earlier to stop Penney from selling her products that were under dispute as exclusive to Macy’s, Stewart said that the injunction was a major problem because goods were already designed and on the way to the store.

Stewart left the courthouse around 3:00 p.m.  A number of key people were supposed to testify but were not present.  Judge Oing told the lawyers that he needed to have the head honchos present and not just the role players, before making his decision. The trial was adjourned till the following morning.

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By Sean Quigley

The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously passed a law Tuesday to cross-reference persons involuntarily admitted to psychiatric hospitals with local pistol permit registries, hoping to serve as a model for localities across the nation.

The sponsor,  Legislator Kara Hahn designed the measure  to support Gov. Cuomo’s “common sense” gun control policies in the wake of mass shootings such as Sandy Hook.

“These events left an impression and mark on everyone,” said Hahn. “Certainly this will continue to haunt all of us, but today we have an opportunity to set an example for the nation.”

Police Commissioner Edward Webber supported the move, which stipulates that when a person is taken by authorities for psychotic behavior cross-checks would automatically occur to discover if the patient has access to firearms, then prompting further investigation and possible suspension or revocation of the pistol permit or that of any gun owner in the home.

Webber insisted no rights would be suspended without reasonable belief that the mentally ill person poses a serious threat to themselves or others.

“Although our police force is not psychiatrists or therapists they do receive training on recognizing threats and observing behavior,” he said. “We will act on the events of threatening actions and the accounts of family members.”

Hahn added that this measure will, air max 90 “laser focus on those who are threats, as most with mental illness are not a danger.”

Second Amendment advocate Jan Williams of Riverhead spoke out against the measure, arguing it might strip many innocent Long Islanders of their constitutional rights. “It doesn’t take much to take someone for a psych evaluation,” he said. “You’re making laws with no redress for the innocent. If I’m blowing off steam after my wife left me and someone calls the cops… when can I get my firearms back?”

Webber tackled this objection:  ”Every circumstance is different; this is all consistent with second amendment rights…We notify the licensing bureau, it does not change the licensing process.”

Hahn contended that the measure would prevent guns falling into dangerous hands, noting  the two things all mass shootings have in common were “mental illness and access to firearms…If somebody is taken involuntarily to a psychiatric center, that’s a red flag.”

She concluded: “As federal government debates nationally, local communities can make small and meaningful changes. “

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By JANURIE ULETT

Advocates for the homeless on Tuesday blamed the Bloomberg Administration”s housing policies for a  steep 73 percent increase in homeless families in New York City.

Statiistics provided by the Coalition for the Homeless indicated that families living in shelter nearly doubled to 50,000, the highest in history, since Bloomberg took office in 2002.

“We’ve entered a new era in New York City,” said Coalition analyst Partick Markee. “For the first time, we have no permanent housing program so homeless families can’t leave the shelter system.

Markee attributed the historic rise to the elimination in 2005 of federal housing assistance for the homeless, including public housing and rental vouchers. The city replaced these with what the advocates say was a less efficient temporary rent subsidy program. As rents rose by 25 percent and the unemployment rate remained high, the Coalition charged, . many families were pushed below the poverty line and into homelessness.

The advocates took note of the imminent end to Bloomberg’s tenure and appealed to mayoral candidates to reform the policies.

“ This crisis is the Bloomberg Administration’s own making,” said Markee.

The mayor’s office did not reply to requests for comment.

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