By ANDREW HUGHES
A city traffic agent was charged on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court with multiple felony accounts in the death of 21-year-old Lafayette College student, whose body was severed in half at impact in an accident on the Williamsburg Bridge while the defendant allegedly was driving drunk
Stefan Hoyte, 26, was behind the wheel of his 2013 Infiniti G37 on March 16th when he slammed into a divider, killing Amanda Miner, who was celebrating her 21st birthday. Another off-duty traffic agent Michael Camacho, 24, was in the passenger seat but only received minor injuries.
Judge Melissa Jackson read the charges to Hoyte, who pleaded not guilty and was expected to face a trial later this month. The Brooklyn resident faces charges of vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and criminal negligent homicide.
Police reports show that Hoyte’s blood alcohol content was above the legal limit at .103, which is higher than the .08 allowed under federal law. The toxicology report had not yet released to the court.
Hoyte’s defense attorney claimed he was not intoxicated.
“There is a substantial amount of evidence that this was an accident,” said Hoyte’s attorney Scott Cerbin. “This was the result of weather conditions and the driver losing control.”
Superstorm Stella hit the New York City area just two days earlier but Hoyte admitted to having two drinks at a bar to officers at the scene. Hoyte’s eyes were reportedly watery as well.
“The defendant’s BAC was over the legal limit,” said the prosecutor’s attorney. “He shouldn’t have been behind the wheel of a car and his actions cost Amanda Miner her life.”
The crash was notoriously gruesome. Photos of Hoyte’s 2013 Infiniti crushed in half circulated online. Miner was ejected from the vehicle and her body was also mangled in the accident. Passersby caught video that showed debris from the wreck all over the highway with the front half of the car seen in the middle lanes.
Hoyte had a calmer demeanor than his last appearance on March 21st when he was seen visibly laughing. His relatives once again were present to support him but were not closely following him, as they were last time, to cover his smiles. Miner’s family were also present.
It is unclear whether the jury will believe Hoyte’s claims that he was sober. Regardless, he was driving 15-25 miles over the speed limit and will likely be charged with at least one criminal offense.
By ANRES RODRIGUEZ
Retired New York City police officer Michael Rizzi was sentenced on Thursday morning to 15 months in prison for running a multimillion-dollar prostitution ring.
Rizzi, 44, as part of a plea deal also was ordered to serve three years on supervised release, as well as a three-month home detention and will be subject to computer monitoring comparable to what is given to sex offenders.
The sentence was significantly lighter than the initial 51 months the prosecution initially sought.
Rizzi’s lawyer, Javier Solano, said he was very satisfied with the sentencing, especially in regards to the escorts’ classification. “They tried to portray them as victims, which is factually false,” he said.
Brooklyn Federal Court Justice Carol Bagley Amon explained that normally under the law, escorts would be considered victims, but in this particular case she saw them more as “entrepreneurial persons” who were Rizzi’s cohorts.
The classification of the escorts as victims would have upped Rizzi’s prison time, a factor prosecution was hoping to capitalize on.
Amon- who had previously laughed at Rizzi’s claim of the escorts providing platonic companionship to affluent individuals- said before the sentencing, “as a New York City police officer, he should have known better.”
Rizzi remained silent throughout the sentencing but exited the courtroom smiling.
By DEIDRA BRISCO
Tony winner Laura Benanti and Hamilton standout Javier Munoz on Thursday announced the nominations for the 62nd Drama Desk Awards and — to few theater fans’ surprise — the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler took the laurels with ten nominations.
Not far behind came the new musicals Come Far Away and Anastasia, each nominated in nine categories.
On the smaller stages of Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, bows go to The Hairy Ape and The Band’s Visit, each garnering seven nominations. The announcements were made at Feinstein’s 54/Below.
Hello Dolly was recognized in the following categories: Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actress in a Musical for Bette Midler, Outstanding Featured Actor for Gavin Creel, Outstanding Featured Actress for Kate Baldwin, Outstanding Director of a Musical for Jerry Zaks, Outstanding Choreography for Warren Carlyle, Outstanding Set Design for Santo Loquasto, Outstanding Costume Design, Outstanding Sound design.
Surprisingly, the producers of Sunday in the Park with George did not wish to be considered for reasons unknown. Glenn Close’s performance and costumes for Sunset Boulevard were ineligible due to having been considered last year but were considered in other categories like direction, choreography, and design.
Other well-known names among the nominees were Bobby Cannavale for The Hairy Ape, Laurie Metcalf for A Doll’s House, Part 2, Kevin Kline for Present Laughter, Daniel Craig for Othello and Kate Blanchett for The Present.
The Drama Desk awards were originally named the Vernon Rice Awards, which was named after New Post theater critic Vernon Rice but the name was changed in 1955.
The Drama Desk is a non-profit entity that uniquely grants awards by the same criteria to all theater professional whether on of off Broadway. The group also espouses diversity and inclusion in the world of theater.
Though many attendees at Feinstein’s seemed pleased with the nominations, chatter grew later as some theater critics who refused to go on record, complained that worthy plays were shunted aside by the many nominations for Hello, Dolly!
“They practically gave it away to them,” said one disgruntled critic.
The awards was scheduled to be hosted by actor Michael Urie at Town Hall on June 4.
By DEREK NORMAN
Just after roll call, 10 police officers walked out of the 34th Precinct, stepped into their squad cars and pulled out into the uptown streets to begin their 4 p.m. to midnight shifts. A seemingly routine beginning of tour for a New York City police officer, despite one thing: a camera attached to the front of their uniforms.
Thursday afternoon marked the launch of the New York City Police Department’s pilot program requiring officers to wear video-recording cameras on the front of their uniforms and record any police activity engagement with the public. Initiating the “body-worn camera roll-out” program were 60 patrol officers from precinct in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.
“It offers a fantastic snapshot of what it’s like to be a cop here,” said Police Commissioner James O’Neill, at a mayoral press conference held in the precinct that afternoon. “Having been a cop for more than 34-and-a-half years… I wasn’t entirely convinced that wearing a camera on patrol was something I would have personally wanted to do. I’m totally convinced now that this is the way forward.”
Plans for phase two of the program encompass 20 local commands and more than 1000 officers wearing cameras. By June, the department would expand the program to Brooklyn, and by next fall, should span across the five boroughs. Officials plan that by next year, 5000 patrol officers would wear the digital devices.
“This is a historic day for New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This is the first day of the era of body-worn cameras and that means we are going on a pathway of transparency and accountability that will benefit everyone.”
The program, which came after a federal court order to end the controversial stop-and-frisk policing, has given the department an opportunity to rebuild trust among the public and repair the relationship between the community and the officers who patrol it. Despite recent years of having one of the lowest crime rates the city has seen, as according to de Blasio, the public is still recovering from decades of public mistrust and lack of accountability in the department.
“There is a constant yearning to do better and an unwillingness to ever rest on their morals,” said de Blasio. “We understand how high the stakes are. We understand the mission is to protect human lives. Complacency is not acceptable and this is the kind of innovation that has become commonplace in the NYPD.”
The pilot program will be federally monitored, as per the court order, as well as by the plaintiffs in the stop-and-frisk litigation. Before the program launched, there was extensive research conducted by over 50 agencies, the Justice Department, the Civilian Complaints Review Board, City Council, and most importantly: the citizens of New York.
Over 25,000 New York City residents responded to surveys from the city to gather opinions on the program; some responses resulted in changes to the approach. Public concern included, the invasion of privacy while entering a home, the anonymity of sexual assault victims and the potential for an officer to “forget to turn the camera on” when involved in a suspicious situation. In response to the latter, the commissioner noted that naturally there will be an initial learning curve, but officers who fail to use their cameras would be punished.
Requirements of the new policing approach include that each officer must inform any person that they are recording the situation, the data of each camera must be uploaded at the end of every tour, and each officer must participate in 90 days of patrol training in a mock environment at the Police Academy.
Noting the controversial deaths at the hands of police officers in recent years, like that of Eric Garner, a Staten Island resident who died as a result of an arrest several years ago, the use of body-worn cameras by police is what First Deputy Commissioner Ben Tucker is calling “a milestone to rebuilding trust in the city.”
If the program proves successful, by 2019, every single officer in the New York City police department will have a camera as a permanent fixture to their uniform.
“Mark my words…” said de Blasio. “This is going to make us safer.”
Photo by Derek Norman
By ISAAC MONTEROSE
A Manhattan City Council member and supporters held a rally at City Hall Thursday to introduce a campaign finance reform law designed significantly to raise the cap on public funding in local races.
Democrat Ben Kallos, advocated that the spending limit for public funds be raised from $638, 825 to $995,571.
The proposal was portrayed at a later hearing of the Council Committee on Governmental Operations as a way to help candidates who aren’t connected to wealthy donors.
“No matter what your cause,” said Kallos, “the road to victory starts with campaign finance reform that amplifies the voices of residents over special interests.”
Citing a quote from then-business mogul (now President) Donald Trump in which he described how he used large donations to have control over “very important people” , Kallos said it was statements like these and other cases that “create an appearance of impropriety that leaves residents to wonder about corruption in government.”
He also criticized the state government in Albany by calling it “broken” and called Albany politics “beyond dysfunctional”.
Elvin Garcia, a Bronx native running for the City Council said at the rally that the bill would make “ten small donors feel like a hundred”.
When asked if the bill would impact Mayor de Blasio’s fundraising for his re-election campaign, Kallos said that the bill would go into effect next year if it was passed. “This legislation would mean that the next mayor of the City of New York could run on small dollars only,” he added.
Kallos’ fellow City Council Member, Carlos Menchaca, praised the bill, calling it something that “really kind of shows the real impact of staying and maintaining the conversations, the connections and the relationships with our small dollar donors.”
Representatives of various advocacy groups also showed their support. “I like having dinner in Gracie Mansion as well as the next guy, better than some, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Morris Pearl, the chairman of Patriotic Millionaires, a group of “high-net worth” people who see economic inequality as a detriment to society. “We need a democracy where everybody can participate and the council people and the mayor represent everybody in the city, not just the big donors.”
Moira McDermott, the Executive Director of the 21 in ’21 Initiative, described it as “an important step to getting more women elected into office” while others praised the bill for furthering political inclusiveness.
According to Kallos, chairman of the committee, the bill has a good chance of passing and moving to the full Council.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Photo of Councilman Ben Kallos by Isaac Monterose
By RAYCHELLE L. BALENTIEN
Councilman Daniel Garodnick and others urged Mayor de Blasio to help small businesses grow by supporting a bill that would increase the ceiling for imposing the commercial rent tax on businesses below 96th St., in a press conference Thursday in the Flatiron area.
“Mr. Mayor, you cannot forget our small businesses!” Garodnick yelled to the crowd.
The tax is levied on businesses situated between Chambers and 96th streets who pay at least $250,000 annually in rent. Garodnick’s plan would double that to $500,000, to “throw a lifeline” to small businesses currently subjected to the tax, which is 15 percent of their annual rent, he said. He claims the legislation would “bring relief to over 3,400 businesses that pay the tax, while only impacting six percent of the revenue it brings in.”
The tax that was originally imposed in 1963 hasn’t been adjusted since 2001, and with rents steadily rising, Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer said she wanted “to do away with the Commercial Rent Tax altogether…”, and portrayed the levy as the double tax on small businesses that exists only in New York City and Florida.
Natasha Amott, owner of Whisk, a culinary store on Broadway and 23rd St., where the press conference was held, called the tax “antiquated and discriminatory,” and claimed the supporters of the bill “need to educate the mayor”, as he wasn’t fully aware of its “chokehold” on small businesses when asked about them at his budget hearing. She requested that the change be included in the final budget.
Other small business owners from the neighborhood attended, as well as several of the 35 council members who support the bill, including Margaret Chin, and co-sponsor of the bill, Helen Rosenthal, who added that the “majority of the money that comes from the CRT is not that of Small Business Owners,” and is a “serious burden” for businesses who employ New Yorkers from all boroughs with quality jobs.
“New Yorkers are losing jobs when these businesses are forced to close down,” said Chin, who said she knows of owners who closed their business directly due to the tax.
“New York City is stepping on the neck of our small businesses,” and Manhattan is now “overwhelmed by banks, chain drug stores, and vacant store fronts because small businesses can’t keep up with the financial burden.”, said Garodnick. With reform 40 percent of businesses “will have more money to expand, hire, and keep their doors open.”
Representatives of the mayor could not be reached for comment.
Photo of Councilman Garodnick at podium by Raychelle L. Balentien
By STEVEN FERRARO & JON REMACHE
A Brooklyn man was sentenced to a minimum of three years and a maximum of six years in prison for holding two women, 16 and 23, and forcing them to prostitute themselves for three months before he was caught in an online sting conducted by police officers.
Kadeem Moore received a reduced sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking. He originally faced 25 years to life. Moore was arrested in March 2015 with his accomplice, Francois Cousins, for using verbal and physical violence to force the two captives into sex acts for money – money that Moore pocketed.
According to many reports, the 16-year-old girl met the 23-year-old woman via Facebook in January 2015 and arranged to meet at the Days Inn Hotel in Long Island City. When she arrived, the 16-year-old was introduced to Moore and both were forced into prostitution.
Both victims tried to escape captivity and failed many times. The 16-year-old tried to escape and was hit and choked by Moore, court records showed. This did not deter the victims as the older woman called 911 during one date with a man and told the dispatcher that she and the teen were being forced into sex acts, but when police responded, the two were nowhere to be found.
The call prompted local police to explore the darker corners of the internet. After finding advertisements for the victims, an undercover sting operation was arranged. When an undercover officer arrived at a designated room in a hotel in Jamaica, Queens, the two agreed on a deal where the officer would pay the victim $120 in exchange for sex, leading to the arrest.
Moore, 20, was handed his sentence, along with the requirement to register as a sex offender, at the Queens Boulevard courthouse. He appeared in the court in front of his family, who were delighted to find out from his lawyer that Moore was reading a book – “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.” Moore nodded and blew a kiss to them as he walked into the courtroom. After he was sentenced, he mouthed “I love you,” to his mother.
By DEREK NORMAN
Professional gambler Billy Walters has yet to fold as closing arguments of the insider trading case finished in Manhattan Federal court Thursday, sending the jury to deliberate.
Looking for a flush, the defense spent the better portion of two and a half hours relentlessly smearing the credibility of the government’s star witness, Tom Davis, the former chairman of Dean Foods, one of the largest dairy distributors in the nation. Davis, who is facing lesser-charges after agreeing to provide testimony against Walters, has admitted to tipping Walters with insider information, as well as instances of cheating on his wife, lying to authorities and stealing from his own charities.
“You know blinders for horse racing… the kind they use so the horse can stay on track?” asked defense attorney Barry Berke to the jurors. “Well the prosecution kept these blinders on so that you would not see some things.”
Berke resurfaced many government exhibits and times throughout the trial where cracks appeared in the government’s argument. The “bat phone,” or burner cell which according to Davis, was given by Walters to discuss incriminating information, was brought back into question and stressed that it was actually used for extramarital affairs. And again, the phone records were displayed, highlighting all calls made between Walters and his brokers, which according to the defense were “cherry picked.” All the purportedly questionable evidence provided by prosecution, was referred to by Berke as “like putty, the kind you use to patch holes in the wall.”
Phil Mickelson, the champion golfer who made over $48 million in 2012 alone, was brought back into conversation as the defense presented his credentials and net worth, asking the jury why a man who has that much money would go into risky trades to pay a debt? “It makes no sense. This I would call putty,” said Berke.
“Mr. Walter’s may not be as educated as some of the Wall Street guys, but he learned a few things,” said Berke of Walter’s ability to play the stock market. “This was a gambler’s play. He goes all in. A lot of times, you don’t know what the deal is. But if it goes through, it’s good and if not, it’s bad. That’s always the gamble that Walters plays.”
The prosecution was given half an hour of rebuttal before the long trial was finally left to be shouldered by the jury alone. Stepping up to the lectern, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Goldman, hastily tried to sway the jury one last time, as he resurrected government exhibits and attempted to rebut the defense.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re not gonna like Mr. Davis,” said Goldman. “He’s morally corrupt, he’s a womanizer and he stole money from a charity he ran. But how do you know that? Tom Davis told you that because he could not hold on to his lies anymore.”
“Billy Walters found his cash cow in Tom Davis,” continued Goldman. “And he milked it for all it’s worth.”
After the prosecutors called, throwing their last chips into the pot, the judge formally charged the jury. They went were sent into deliberation just before the end of the day, as both teams and the defendant must now await the verdict. There is an old gambling saying that goes, “eat your betting money, but don’t bet your eating money.” Soon the Las Vegas professional gambler will find out if he’s hit the jackpot or ate his last bet.
“The stakes are high, but there’s only one verdict to be reached,” preached Berke to the jury. “It’s all or nothing.”
By BRIAN BONILLA
At the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Passover Seder, students showed that the best way to fight religious intolerance is with unity.
On Thursday, more than 75 Catholic, Muslim and Jewish middle school students from four New York City schools came together to experience a traditional Passover Seder and learn about each other’s holiday traditions. The annual event is a way for young minds to learn about other faiths and how to be tolerant of other religions.
“We’re all Human first,” said Aminata Camara a sixth grade teacher for the Islamic Cultural Center. “This shows that we can all come together as one. We can all put our differences aside, especially these times with a lot of stigma and misunderstandings in the media about certain faith groups.”
The voices and laughter of students filled the room as they interacted with each other. They sat at tables with students from other faiths and worked on drawings that expressed the similarities between each religion represented. After some of the drawings were presented everyone broke matzo bread and shared a traditional Passover Seder meal which included fish, vegetables, and bitter herbs.
“So many students live in a bubble they live in their own world around their family, religion. their friends,” said Evan Bernstein, the director of the ADL in New York City. “This is one of those opportunities for them to break out of their bubble.”
One student who understands this is Ben, an eighth grade student at the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan.
“I go to a Jewish school and it’s not every day I get to meet people from other religions,” he said. “Now if I meet someone who isn’t Jewish I’ll have more of a background behind them instead of being completely oblivious to other religions.”
This event comes at a time where cases against Trump’s travel ban, which targeted people of Islamic faith, are ongoing and interfaith tensions are high. Maybe something can be learned from these kids.
Photo by Brian Bonilla.
By STEVEN FERRARO
The Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council unveiled a new policy agenda on Thursday including more immigrant rights and climate change reform to help battle effects on the city on proposals by the Trump Administration.
The highly idealistic agenda amounted to a battle plan against the avowed policies of President Donald Trump.
Referred to as the “18 for ‘18”, the Caucus presented 18 policy changes on the steps of City Hall, ranging from reducing homelessness to the eventual closing of the Rikers’s Island jail. The leaders vowed to fight for New York to remain as a sanctuary city and supported the right to counsel for immigrants facing possible deportation.
The council members present, including Ben Kallos, Donovan Richards, Stephen Levin, Brad Lander and Antonio Reynoso focused on these issues some two months after President Trump’s executive orders clogged the borders and allowed aggressive deportation.
The group has also decided to push back on President Trump’s climate change stance by working to require big buildings in the city to become “greener” and searching for new ways to reduce emissions.
Local activist Phoebe Chung said that New York alone “produce[s] more emissions than 100 countries in the world.” The policies were designed to counter President Trump’s plans to cut EPA funding in order to increase the military’s budget.
The group also planned to tackle strained relations between communities and police. With the help of Communities United for Police Reform, the council is looking to help strengthen the bond between officer and civilian by supporting the Right to Know Act, requiring police officers to identify themselves and the reason for any interaction, and obtain informed consent before searches, according to the executive summary of the rally.
The council members also suggested that all officers carry cards with them at all times with their full names and contact information as well as teach the people in their patrol neighborhoods rights that people may not be aware of during police interactions.
