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• 

  Cop Shoots Pit Bull in Queens

  01 Feb 2018 by journalism / No Comments

  By JASMINE PERALTA & RYAN THAXTON

  Rosedale Queens resident Mercedez Diaz found some unexpected visitors in her front yard Thursday morning after one police officer shot at a pair of pit bulls, injuring one, and followed them to Diaz’s address. 

  This occurred when police responded to a 911 call of two loose dogs attacking a man just outside of Brookville Park around 6 a.m.. Upon exiting the patrol car on Brookville Blvd. both dogs charged one of two officers, whose names were not released.

  One officer fired a round at the dogs, hitting one in the leg. A blood trail could be seen where the hit dog then ran across Brookville Boulevard. and down 145 Ave., stopping in front of Diaz’s house. 

  “There was blood everywhere,” said Diaz, who described the stench of the blood as “overwhelming” as she hosed down the pavement. She recalled hearing the shot as she was getting ready to go to work before daybreak. “I looked out my window and saw a police officer with a flashlight and then I saw whimpering in front of my house full of blood.”

  The two dogs were taken in by Animal Care Centers of NYC where the wounded dog was expected to recover. All that was left of the incident was the blood splatter and Diaz using one and a half gallons of Lysol to wash it away.

  Authorities were not immediately able to identify the dogs’ owner.

  The homeowner who first reported the two dogs was not available for comment.

  Photo of Ms. Diaz cleaning blood stains by Jasmine Peralta

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• 

  Turkish Turncoat Ends Testimony

  09 Dec 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By AHMED JALLOW

  Reza Zarrab, the star witness in a billion-dollar scheme that U.S. prosecutors said violated sanctions against Iran, ended his testimony on Thursday at the federal court in Manhattan.

  Zarrab, 34, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who is accused of smuggling gold for oil in violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran, agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors against a Turkish banker, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who is standing trial for his alleged involvement in the scheme.

   In his seven days testimony, Zarrab detailed a sophisticated corruption and bribery scheme that involved the now president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials.

  Erdogan has repeatedly condemned the trial as a plot by his enemies to destabilize Turkey and his presidency.

  Zarrab’s decision to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors has angered Turkish officials who had moved to confiscate his assets –and that of 18 others—back home.  Some of the assets seized were yachts and houses.

  “All my assets were seized by the Republic of Turkey…,” he said. “It is as if I have obtained all the assets based on my cooperation here. I don’t understand,” he added.

  Zarrab also revealed in court that his life had been threatened by a fellow inmate who said that “he was instructed to kill me [Zarrab] because I was cooperating.”

  This threat prompted the F.B.I. to move Zarrab from the Brooklyn jail he had been held to an undisclosed location.

  In a separate lawsuit that came to light on Thursday, Zarrab was sued by an inmate who claimed Zarrab sexually assaulted him when both men shared a cell in Metropolitan Correctional Center, in Manhattan.

  Jail officials conducted an investigation into the matter but found the complaint to be unsubstantiated.

  After they grilled him about the lies he had told in the course of his life and career, defense lawyers asked Zarrab, “What happens if you lie about Atilla?”

  “I would be the worst thing to happen to my life,” Zarrab said.

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• 

  An Old Survivor Remembers Pearl Harbor

  07 Dec 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By PAULETTE GINDI

  The planes came in formation, bearing the red insignia of the rising sun and spitting death. They darted down on the Hickam Air Force base near Pearl Harbor, leaving in their wake death and destruction and ending the close friendship of Armando Galella and John Horan.

  Galella was now left with a broken heart and a fading story to tell.

  “Looking up, I couldn’t recognize who they were, they were so high,” recalled 96-year-old World War II veteran Armando “Chick” Galella during a Pearl Harbor commemoration held at the Intrepid Museum on Thursday,recalling the Japanese war planes.

  “Where’s John?” he recalled asking colleagues. He later learned that his best friend had died in the attack.

  When he wasn’t choking back tears at the sad memories Galella charmed the crowd with his purple lei, red white and blue striped tie, and a sailor hat that read ‘Pearl Harbor Survivor.’

  Last December 7, Galella visited Pearl Harbor with his family for the first time since the attack. This year, his family and friends joined him as he was honored at the museum as he threw a wreath of flowers into the scalloped waters of the Hudson River from the retired battleship’s deck. It was a blustery and sunny day.

  The sun also shone on the “date that will live in infamy” quoting FDR, in 1941 when Japan surprise-attacked America on Hawaiian harbor shaped like a pearl, killing 2,403 Americans and leaving America no choice but to enter World War II.

  “I was 20 years old, I got up early that morning to go to downtown Honolulu,” said Galella. “I wanted to eat my breakfast early, and all of the sudden I hear ‘vroom vroom.’ I’m like, ‘what the hell is happening?’”The ceremony honored the lost, injured, and the 2,500 survivors.

  “I’m not a hero, I’m a survivor,” said Galella as he wiped his tears.

  Photo of Sgt. Armando Galella posing with his mom.

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• 

  Lawyers to ICE: Stay Out of Courthouses

  07 Dec 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By BRIAN MORENO

  The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys and other advocacy groups on Thursday urged the Office of Court Administration and Chief Judge Janet DiFlore to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from collaborating with New York Court staff or entering court property.

  The rally was promoted after a rise of ICE presence in courthouses throughout in New York City in the last year, especially in Brooklyn.

  A specific incident occurred last week when ICE agents in Brooklyn Criminal Court arrested Genaro Rojas Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant and a client of Legal Aid Society. Attorneys associated with Legal Aid Society stormed out of the courthouse in protest against the presence of ICE agents in the courts.

  “We hope to raise awareness around the fact, ICE, are taking community members from court,” said Legal Aid attorney Rage Kidvai. “The community members we’ve seen taken are without criminal records, trying to fight their case, fighting allegations against them. This practice actually makes [immigrants] neighborhoods and community unsafe.”

  ICE’s policies do not consider courthouse to be sensitive locations.

  Many undocumented immigrants who are victims of violence and hate crimes, witnesses of a crime,  accused of crimes, etcetera, shun courthouses because they fear the presence of ICE and possible deportation.

  “We cannot allow this president and his agents to disrupt the judicial system, a key pillar to our democracy, said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito of the New York City Council. “Discouraging folks going to court to seek justice greatly undermines our public safety.”

  Photo by Brian Moreno

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• 

  U.S. Olympian Says Russia’s Exit Boosts Chances to Win

  07 Dec 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By TATYANA BELLAMY-WALKER

  Two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, Hilary Knight says she isn’t worried about Russia’s exit from this year’s winter olympics — for Team Visa she says, it brings them closer to taking home a win for the states.  

  “I’m just focused on the U.S. and what we can do to bring back the gold medal to the United States,” the ice hockey star told the Brooklyn News Service. “It’s interesting as a competitor. I just want to go out there and compete.”

  Just days after the International Olympics Committee (IOC) banned Russia from the 2018 winter Olympics in South Korea for a state-backed doping program, some of Team Visa’s top athletes gathered at Root NYC in the Flatiron District, for a panel about wearable payment devices including pins and stickers.  

  The five Team Visa sponsored athletes included the Nigerian Women’s bobsled team, who “broke the internet” with their GoFundMe account to raise money for the journey to South Korea,  and USA skiing team member Maggie Voisin.

  Akuoma Omeoga, a brakemen for the bobsled team dodged questions related to Russia but said, “It’s always important to shed light on Nigeria and the continent of Africa.”

  Omeoga added, “Visa swept us under their wing. The financial backing along with the familial support has been outstanding.”

  Team Visa will head to the 2018 Winter Olympics Games on February 9.

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• 

  Isle Needs More Help, PR Mayor Says at Brooklyn College

  02 Dec 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By MARLENE GOMEZ & JAMIE DELIZ

  Puerto Rico isn’t getting the continued help it needs from FEMA and the Mayor of San Juan isn’t backing down!

  This determination was crystal clear as San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz-Soto visited Brooklyn College Thursday to boost awareness and aid to the Caribbean island following the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.

  The mayor said she recently received word that as of December 15, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Reservists would “pull out” of Puerto Rico because the island was in the “process of stabilization” 10 weeks after the hurricane hit.

  FEMA reportedly has provided more than $230 million to assist families and $464 million for rebuilding infrastructures. Yet, Puerto Rico’s debt exceeds $70 billion, which may take years to recover and pay off.

  Cruz who walked around at times holding back tears as she spoke about the state of the island, advocated that the debt be cleared. “What you knew before was no more.” Cruz said. “This was about saving lives, nothing else.” She added, “You cannot rebuild, you have to transform.”

  Earlier Cruz had said that about 166.4 million pounds of trash was picked up in San Juan, which includes the 87.7 million pounds of debris and vegetation.

  In San Juan, also according to Cruz, 218,778 out of 350,000 people were fed with the the help of The Hispanic Federation, providing some 217,000 pounds of food.

  While improvements are being made, some Puerto Ricans are still living in the dark.

  “As of today, about 90 percent of the people have water,” said Cruz. “Those that do not have water, don’t have water because there’s no electricity. There’s about 50-60 percent of generation of electricity, which does not mean that people have power at their homes. It means that electricity’s been generated, that we have a renewed capacity, but it does not mean that it’s being distributed.”

  Most of the hospitals in Puerto Rico are still running on generators, but it can not withstand “weeks and weeks and weeks of 24 hours a day,” said Cruz. In most cases, many doctors have to operate using the light from their cellular phones, while also having to pump, by hand, the “lungs of their patients.”

  Also present was New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, a native of Puerto Rico who has visited the island three times since Hurricane Maria hit. Her mother still resides there.

  “I come here to also challenge each and every one of us, that we make a long-term commitment to the future of Puerto Rico,” said Mark-Viverito. “Our ability to organize, and push back,  and demand that this government and this administration  do what is right by Puerto Rico, because this administration and this country owes a lot to Puerto Rico.”

  The San Juan mayor walked around with students relating ideas of how they could help the island. Then she ate a Nathan’s hot dog on a campus bench, saying she had been eating Spam for weeks.

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• 

  Turkish President Linked to Corruption Charges

  01 Dec 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By AHMED JALLOW

  In a case that Turkish president Reccip Tayyip Erdogan has condemned as a continuation of a coup attempt against him that took place last year, the key witness, Reza Zarrab, in Manhattan Federal Court testimony on Thursday, said Erdogan personally ordered two banks to participate in the elaborate scheme that helped Iran evade U.S sanctions.

  Zarrab, 34, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader, is cooperating with U.S. prosecutors as part of a plea deal for taking part in a billion-dollar scheme to evade the sanctions.

  The allegations about Erdogan, though brief, revealed the extent to which the Turkish president himself was involved in the scheme and marked the first time he has been implicated.

  Zarrab testified that in 2012, a senior Turkish official told him that Erdogan— who was prime minster at the time— and another official, the treasury minister, had given orders for the two banks “to start doing this trade.”

  This information, Zarrab testified, was relayed to him by then-economic minister, Zafer Caglayan, who said Erdogan directed Ziraat Bank and VakifBank, to take part in the scheme.

  Zarrab also testified that he had paid bribes to the general manager of Halkbank, Sulayman Aslan —whom he said was a major player in the scheme— but had never bribed the defendant, Mehmet Hakam Atilla, the deputy manager of Halkbank.

  The trial is putting a further dent into an already strained relationship between the the U.S and Turkey.

  In September, Turkish president Erdogan, who had deemed the investigation “as a step against the Turkish Republic,” raised the matter with President Trump.

  Erdogan reportedly gave a statement on Thursday before Zarrab’s testimony saying, “We did not breach the sanctions.”

  “Whatever the verdict is, we did the right thing,” he said at a closed meeting with his deputies, according to reports. “We have never made commitments to the U.S. on our energy ties with Iran.”

  “The world is not only about the U.S.,” he said. We also have a trade and energy relations with Iran.”

  Both the defendant, Atilla, and Zarrab dressed in civilian clothes on Thursday after Judge Richard M. Berman gave them permission to do so —they had been in prison suits the previous day.

   

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• 

  Welfare Cop Arraigned in Sex Crime

  30 Nov 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By TATYANA BELLAMY-WALKER

  An ex-city official was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a woman held in a city facility last May.

   

  John Lugo, 34, a peace officer for the city’s Human Resource Administration, was arrested on Sept. 18 after he was accused of locking a 43-year-old woman in a security office and forcing to perform oral sex on him, prosecutors said. 

   

  Lugo was charged with a criminal sex act in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree and coercion in the second degree, court records show. 

   

  The city’s Human Resource Administration includes the Department of Social Services, which offers low-income New Yorkers subsidies such as SNAP Benefits or food stamps and public assistance. 

   

  In an interview with DNAInfo, who first reported the incident in May, a spokesperson said the office of Social Services was working with law enforcement on the alleged assault. 

   

  “We will continue cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter and have taken and will continue to take appropriate action on this case,” Lourdes Centeno, a spokesperson told DNAinfo.com in September. 

   

  The victim’s attorney said Lugo told the woman she was “attractive” before threatening to slam her with additional charges for alleged trespassing at the city facility and alleged criminal possession of an unidentified pill. 

   

  Shortly after the assault, the woman attempted to notify a female court officer about the incident, but she was told “to be quiet,” prosecutors said. According to court documents, the victim tested positive for the defendant’s semen. 

   

  “He tried to use his power as a supervisor to cover up what he had done,” the victim’s attorney said. 

   

  Lugo’s bail was set at $50,000 and he was released from jail after it was paid, according to prosecutor and jail records. 

   

  Lugo’s attorney declined to respond to direct requests for comment. 

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• 

  Stringer Gives City Poor Grade in Boosting Minority Businesses

  16 Nov 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By PAULETTE GINDI

  New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer gave a D+ grade to the city for its inadequate promotion of women and minority owned businesses for giving only 4.9 percent of $21 billion in available funds to the group this past year.

  The evaluation came after the release of Stringer’s fourth annual “Making the Grade” report, which is New York City agency’s report card on minority and women owned business enterprises, analyzing the performance of the city and its individual agencies on their spending on Minority and Woman Business Enterprise.

  “The issue is about growing our neighborhoods by delivering real, community-level wealth creation,” Stringer said. “It’s critical to tackling our affordability crisis, and let there be no doubt that the city has a long way to go.”

  The report uses data from the comptroller’s website, CheckbookNYC, to analyze the money spent by 31 mayoral agencies on Minority and Woman Business Enterprises during the year.

  Even though the amount of spending has increased compared to previous years, the city’s grade remains a D+, mainly because the agencies who have the highest spending are also those with the worst Minority and Woman Business Enterprise performance, accoding to Stringer’s report.

  Stringer encouraged the city to hire a full time chief diversity officer for every agency to focus on Minority and Woman Business Enterprise accountability.

  “[4.9 percent] is so small. It’s the small piece of the pie that falls on the floor,” said Stringer.

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• 

  Horse Carriage Ban Stuck in the Stall

  16 Nov 2017 by journalism / No Comments

  By TATYANA BELLAMY-WALKER

  Animal rights activists urged New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito on Thursday to support a bill protecting horses from what they termed abusive practices in the local carriage industry.

  “We are demanding that this [bill] happens before the end of the year,” said Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets), an animal advocacy group. “Horses would no longer be allowed to be worked in Times Square,  Rockefeller Center, Columbus Circle and other chaotic, traffic-condensed areas in Manhattan.”

  Birnkrant added, “How can anyone say that horses should be pulling carriages in 2017?”

  In 2010, before assuming the role of speaker, then-Council Member Mark-Viverito introduced a bill to replace horse-drawn carriages with electric cars.“Many major cities across the world have already banned horse carriages,” she said, holding a “horses without carriages international sign,” during a NYCLASS protest in 2011. “We should not be the last to do so as well – we should be at the forefront of the changes in this industry.”

  Nearly seven years later, however – the bill’s passage now seems bleak.

  Gotham Gazette Editor Ben Max recently quoted Mark-Viverito via Twitter saying the council has “No plan to do anything on horse carriages.”

  Long-time efforts to ban horse-carriages faltered under the de Blasio administration despite the mayor having run for his first term in 2013 on a platform of removing them from city streets.

   Birnkrant said she was disappointed by his inaction but dodged further questions on the matter.

  Representatives of NYCLASS said the bill is an “evolving process,” which they say was introduced to the city’s council. NYCLASS, however, was not on the agenda for Thursday’s stated meeting. They declined to answer multiple interview requests on the number of city council members that support it.

  “We have sponsors on the bill and plenty of votes in the council. We are confident it is going to pass,” said Chris Coffey, a consult for NYCLASS.  “We have been super transparent.”

  Craig Sheldon, a volunteer of Friends of New York City Carriage Horses, appeared to be the only person opposing the rally.

  “It’s a secret bill that we haven’t seen,” he added. “They are trying to put hard working New Yorkers out business based on emotions not facts or evidence.”

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