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Mount Eden News: Inside #Pope's Visit to New York

Mount Eden News: Inside #Pope's Visit to New York: Inside #Pope's Visit to New York (Pope Francis, courtesy of Antonio Spadaro, SJ, editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica.) B...

Inside #Pope's Visit to New York

Inside #Pope's Visit to New York

(Pope Francis, courtesy of Antonio Spadaro, SJ, editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica.)

By Bob Howe

Papal Reflections  from Joseph M. McShane, SJ, President of Fordham

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 | The White House, Washington, D.C.

I rose at 5 and was on line by 6:10. Although the ceremony did not begin till 9:15, the time flew by. How and why?

The crowd was remarkably upbeat. In addition, I ran into many people whom I knew (which was quite a surprise).

The crowd was diverse and spirited—and very, very gracious. Not a cross word was said by anyone in spite of the long wait. When the President and the Pope finally appeared, the already-high spirits of the crowd really soared. The talks were brief but substantive. The President and the Pope are clearly very fond of one another.

I was deeply impressed with the talks that both President Obama and Pope Francis gave. I was even more impressed, however, by the images that will remain with me forever: the images of two principled men of prayer and peace standing side by side before the whole world, the image of two Americans bearing the weight of the world’s sorrows and hopes on their shoulders, the images of a remarkably diverse and hopeful crowd on the lawn of America’s house, the unforgettable sight of the sun rising on a beautiful early fall day over the City of Washington. Most of all, however, I came away with the sense that the President and the Pope have forged a close friendship, a friendship that gives hope to the whole world.

One of the most interesting encounters I had was with a woman who approached me at the end of the Pope’s remarks and asked me if he had blessed the crowd.

Thursday, September 24, 2015 | St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, N.Y.

Reflections on this evening’s Vespers Service at the Cathedral. Father Scirghi [Thomas Scirghi, SJ, associate professor of theology and rector of the Jesuit community at Fordham] and I made our way to the Cathedral via Metro North. After making our way through the rather rigorous security check point, we were ushered into the Cathedral and found our way to our seats which were behind a massive pillar on the North Aisle. Alas.

During the three hours before the Pope’s arrival, we were treated to a concert by the Cathedral, a lecture on the history of the Papacy, a short presentation on the history of the Cathedral and the recitation of the rosary.

The recitation of the rosary ended at 6:25, at which time the television monitors in the Cathedral were turned on to keep us up to speed on the Pope’s procession down Fifth Avenue. As you might imagine, the mood in the Cathedral became electric as the Pope got closer. Finally, the great bronze doors at the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Cathedral swung open, the organ swelled, the choir began to sing the anthems that signaled the Pope’s entrance.

(007 Actor Daniel Craig)

Then, something rather strange happened: although the congregation initially burst into thunderous applause when the Pope began to make his way up the main aisle, the applause soon became muted. I was taken aback by the sudden change in the volume of the applause until I realized that people had taken out their cellphones to snap pictures of the Pope as he passed by.

When he reached the sanctuary, the applause swelled again. Then, the mood changed markedly as the Pope disappeared to vest for Vespers. Ah, the Catholic liturgical decorum reigned as the Pope led us through the opening rites of Vespers.

The Pope began his homily with a heartfelt prayer for the Muslim pilgrims who had died earlier in Saudi Arabia. In the body of his homily, he addressed himself to the priests and religious in the congregation. (As he did in St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington yesterday, he offered his support to the bishops and the American Church for the pain that they (and we) had suffered as a result of the abuse scandals of the past decade.) The high point of his homily, however, was the praise that he heaped on the religious women whose hard work had built the American Church.

He was interrupted three times with thunderous applause when he spoke to and about the nuns. As I looked around the Cathedral, I could not help but be struck by the affection that the whole congregation had for these heroic women. I was also deeply moved to see many of the nuns around me crying for joy at the Pope’s words and the applause with which his words were greeted.

Following the conclusion of the Vesper Service, the Pope made his way slowly through the Cathedral reaching out to the infirm, the young, and the many religious women in the congregation. Then, he climbed into his Fiat and sped away.

The congestion dispersed quickly—but with great joy. For my part, I would have to say that I was deeply moved by his miraculous pastoral touch and the obvious love that he had/has for the Church, and the equally obvious love that the entire congregation had for him.

It was an experience of the Church at her best: inclusive, joyful, eager to embrace and transform the world in imitation of the Lord Himself.

Friday, September 25, 2015 | The United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Pope Paul VI was the first Pope to visit the United States, and the first to address the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Pope Paul VI was the first Pope to visit the United States, and the first to address the General Assembly of the United Nations. (He did so on 4 October 1965, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. I remember that day quite clearly—for a number of reasons.

First, my father (who was the SAC of New York for the State Department of the United States) served as the federal coordinator of security for the Pope’s visit. Second, I was honored to attend the Pope’s Mass in Yankee Stadium. Third, Paul VI’s address to the General Assembly captivated the world (and continues to be one that I find myself returning to quite often. Finally, it was an unbelievably cold day, which made the pilgrimage to Yankee Stadium a particularly challenging one).

I guess that it was because my memories of that first papal visit to the United States and that first papal address to the General Assembly of the United Nations are so rich that I looked forward to today with such eager longing.

I rose at 4:45 and caught the 6:00 train to Grand Central. (I noticed that there was only one person awake in Campbell/Conley/Salice at the time that I boarded the train for Manhattan.) When I arrived at the rendezvous spot to which I had been directed by the Nuncio’s staff, I was escorted to the United Nations and whisked through security. (The ease with which I made it through security is probably due to the fact that I was with Cardinal Turkson from both Ghana and the Roman Curia.)

After just a few minutes, I was led into the Assembly Chamber where I found myself in remarkable company:

Daniel (007) Craig, Bill and Melinda Gates, Mayor Deblasio, Commissioner Bratton, Cardinal Bratton, Cardinals Dolan, Turkson, and Parolin, two Apostolic Nuncios, the editor-in-chief of the Pope’s newspaper, and the Pope’s press secretary (both of the last two are Jesuits)—and what we were told was the largest of the leaders of states ever to attend the opening session of this General Assembly.

From the moment that the Pope first stepped foot on the UN campus, the television monitors on either side of the speaker’s podium kept us apprised of his progress toward the chamber. When he was finally escorted into the chamber, the entire crowd erupted into applause. (I noticed that the often-photographed Daniel Craig turned into an eager photographer as he snapped picture after picture of the Pope as he made his way to the front of the chamber. James Bond was not the only one taken with the Pope. Far from it. Heads of State whipped out their cellphones to capture the moment forever. And the press corps dropped all pretense of being blasé. They cheered, snapped and stood on their tip toes with the abandon of Yankee fans—in a good year.)

When he was introduced and began to speak, Francis captivated everyone — from the most seasoned diplomat to the most fervent believer to the most wary critic. His address championed the poor and marginalized, pled for a complete ban on nuclear weapons, wove together the themes that he wrote of so eloquently in Laudato Si. He was simply extraordinary in all he said. For my part, I was thrilled that he spoke about Paul VI’s visit to the UN fifty years ago, and even more thrilled that he made Paul’s words his own.

Then, it was over. The crowd rose to applaud him. (He was typically quite humble in acknowledging the adulation of the crowd.) And once again, cell phones were whipped out and put to good use to record the event for posterity. (I snapped more than a few myself.)

Friday, September 25, 2015 | Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. Mass in The Garden.

Sadly, the evening began poorly because it took anywhere from two and a half to four hours to get into the Garden. (The lines ran all the way south from the Garden entrance to 23nd Street, west on 23rd Street to 8th Avenue and all the way north on 8th Avenue to 30th Street.) The back-up was due to the intense TSA security screenings that included hand-checking every bag, wallet and belt worn or carried by the twenty thousand worshipers who were making their way to the Garden. (Tempers became quite frayed around 4 p.m.)

Once inside, however, the mood of the congregation changed dramatically—and with good reason. The Garden had been transformed from arena to a peculiarly urban cathedral (New York style), with subdued lighting and liturgical furniture hand-crafted by local artisans. (The Garden didn’t disappear entirely, however: the concession stands remained open until an hour before Mass began, and the Archdiocese filled the three-to-four-hour period before Mass with a rich mixture of catechesis, entertainment by top-draw performers and a bilingual recitation of the rosary.)

The long wait came to a close when the Pope arrived ahead of schedule. Once he arrived, he took two turns around the court in an indoor Popemobile. As you might imagine, the crowd roared when they spotted him. Once again, however, the initial applause and cheering eerily ended as people whipped out their cellphones to snap pictures of the Pope as he circled the floor.

Then, he disappeared and the mood turned liturgical-solemn. At least for a while. The opening hymn was properly festive; the readings were proclaimed with a quiet grace. And then, Francis walked to the lectern to deliver his homily. He drew the congregation in with a combination of wisdom, humility, a few savvy nods to the City and its moods and challenges and its quirky joys. The congregation fell under his pastoral spell and roared its loving approval as he preached. (He slyly looked up from his text. And he smiled. And that smile conquered the crowd.) Fortified by the crowd’s enthusiasm, the 78-year-old Pope grew stronger and more animated the longer he preached. Then came his capstone: the Pope assured the congregation that God lived in our City—with all of its challenges, its smogs and fogs, its joys, sorrows and moods (dark and light). That was all it took. The crowd very nearly swooned. They roared their loving approval of both the (papal) preacher and his consoling/challenging message. And the sedate urban cathedral once again became an arena—and arena of grace. What can I say? The soccer-fan Pope from Argentina hit a home run on a basketball court (the world’s most famous basketball court at that).

As the Mass continued, the arena once again became New York’s new cathedral. With a nod to the universal nature of the Church, the Eucharistic prayer was said in Latin, and the Lord’s Prayer was chanted Latin. A happy chaos reigned at the Kiss of Peace. Twenty thousand souls received Communion. Hymns both ancient and modern were sung with gusto or solemn decorum.

After Communion, Cardinal Dolan rose to thank the Pope for the graces of his visit. The crowd, however, was not going to let the Cardinal to speak for them. They interrupted his address with a series of raucous (hey, it was a New York crowd) standing ovations. (I don’t think it would be wide of the mark to say that they were delirious with joy. And they were determined to let their Father in faith know just how much they loved him. It was also clear that they simply didn’t want their moment of grace to end, and that they simply didn’t want to let Francis go.) As for the Pope, it was clear that he was touched and energized by the loving rapport that he had established with his New York flock.

All good things, however, must come to an end. Before he dismissed the congregation, the Pope departed from the solemn cadences of the Roman Rite and looked directly at his brothers and sisters (or were they his sons and daughters) and asked all of them (us) to pray for him. (At that moment, we were all transported back to the scene that unfolded in St Peter’s Square on the evening on which he was introduced to the world—and asked the vast crowd that had gathered when the white smoke appeared over the Sistine Chapel to pray for him. He need not worry. All who were in the urban cathedral known as MSG will pray for him, the Pope who hit a home run on a basketball court (and the most famous basketball court in the world at that).

I would imagine that the Knicks and the Rangers are jealous tonight. A soccer fan stole the spotlight in their home. And New York embraced a new star. Or basked in the love of a Father who called his sons and daughters to live with a new sense of purpose.

#Pope #PopeFrancis #Papal Visit #UnitedNations #MadisonSquareGarden #BronxNews #Fordham University

Mount Eden News: #Pope Watch

Mount Eden News: #Pope Watch: #Pope Watch Fordham Prepares for #PopeFrancis’ Visit Will Stream Papal Speech By Joana Mercuri Fordham University BR...

#Pope Watch

#Pope Watch

Fordham Prepares for #PopeFrancis’ Visit

Will Stream Papal Speech

By Joana Mercuri

Fordham University

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- There is just one day until Pope Francis arrives in New York City as part of his visit to the United States, and Fordham is making arrangements to get the University community as involved as possible.

In the days leading up to the pope’s visit, Fordham has been preparing “spiritually and pastorally” in every way it can, said Lito Salazar, SJ, executive director of campus ministry. “We are encouraging daily and Sunday Mass homilists to consider invoking Pope Francis’ words or commenting on his global pastoral ministry whenever relevant to unpacking Scriptures at liturgical celebrations,” Father Lito said.

“In addition, the intentions of the pope and his visit have been and will continue to be in the intercessory prayers of the faithful. The Holy Hour devotion set for Mondays will have the same intention.”

Watch the pope live

The pope’s address to the United Nations, which takes place Friday, Sept. 25 at 8:30 a.m., will also be live streamed from the McGinley lobby at Rose Hill; Lowenstein 2nd floor plaza at Lincoln Center; and Room 228 at Westchester.

In addition, students can enter into a lottery to win a ticket to that evening’s papal Mass at Madison Square Garden. The lottery can be found in the student tab at my.fordham.edu.

Students and community members will also have the opportunity to pray evening vespers along with the pope as he leads evening prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday, Sept 24. Beginning 6:45 p.m., the vespers will be streamed at University Church and Our Lady’s Chapel at Rose Hill and at Blessed Rupert Mayer, SJ Chapel at Lincoln Center.

Community service

On Saturday, Sept. 26, students are invited to participate in a community service project in honor of the pope’s visit. Participants will join Habitat for Humanity’s Pope Francis House in Yonkers to help construct homes.

“Care for the poor and the marginalized is a central theme of Pope Francis’ papacy, and using our gifts and talents to care for the needs of others is something that’s part of Fordham’s identity as a Catholic and Jesuit school,” said Conor O’Kane, director of campus ministry at Rose Hill.

“The pope has an authenticity and spiritual freedom that resonates with our students,” O’Kane said. “His leadership and emphasis on what it means to be a person of faith in the world today is a question that’s relevant to all of our students. So his messages have been animating all that we say and do here [in campus ministry].”

#Pope #Pope Francis #Fordham University #Holy Father 

Mount Eden News: Stiff Sentence for Viagra Bootlegger

Mount Eden News: Stiff Sentence for Viagra Bootlegger: Stiff Sentence for Viagra Bootlegger                 BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- They’re the little blue pills – and little yellow...

Stiff Sentence for Viagra Bootlegger

Stiff Sentence for Viagra Bootlegger

               

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- They’re the little blue pills – and little yellow pills – that are often instantly recognizable. But what a lot of consumers didn’t recognize is that these Viagra and Cialis pills were knock-offs – made from the same or similar ingredients as the real thing, but not manufactured by pharma giants Pfizer and Eli Lilly.

And now, announced Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson, 49-year-old Babou Jobe (pron JOE-bee) has been sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, half of which he paid. Jobe pled guilty on an earlier date to Trademark Counterfeiting in the second degree, a Class E Felony. He was sentenced by Justice Marc Whiten of the Bronx County Criminal Court.

When Jobe was arrested on September 18, 2014, at a store at 6 East 184^th Street in the Fordham section of the Bronx, he had in his possession nearly 14,000 Viagra and Cialis pills in bottles and blister packs, along with a sheaf of Viagra labels. All were counterfeits.

The Viagra pills contained the active ingredient of the real drug, but at less than 15 percent of the advertised dosage and the filler material included vulcanized rubber. Jobe told investigators, “Yeah, I know it’s fake,” admitting that he’d been selling the counterfeits since 2012, making about $1,500 a month.

The packaging for both the Viagra and the Cialis pills was close, but no cigar. Noted one representative of Eli Lilly and Co., the maker of Cialis, the bottles not only had invalid lot numbers, but the coloration and design was off.

Jobe, in taking this plea, also waived his right to appeal and, as a non-US citizen, is subject to deportation to his native Gambia. At his sentencing he stated, “I’m very sorry for what I did and I ask for forgiveness from the Court.”

The case against Jobe was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Peter D’Angelo and Supervising Assistant District Attorney Cristina Park of the Bronx D.A. Arson/Auto/Economic Crime Bureau. Jobe’s arrest resulted from an investigation initiated by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor with assistance from the New York County District Attorney’s Office.

#Viagra #Arrest #Bronx DA

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BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)-  -- Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson announces that, today, he informed his staff he has now requested that Bronx County Democratic Chairman Marcos Crespo support his nomination for a  position as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court.

Johnson said, "This spring, I did what I have done every four years, which was to submit my name for re-election to continue in the role of District Attorney for another term.  And once again, the Bronx Democratic Party, as well as the Republican and Conservative Parties, bestowed upon me their nomination to serve as District Attorney for another term.

“I have gained tremendous satisfaction from working with this Office and all its staff to provide justice and fairness for the people of The Bronx.  However, after 42 years of public service, including the U.S. Navy, The Legal Aid Society, as a Bronx Assistant District Attorney, as a Criminal Court Judge, and as the D.A. for the past 27 years, after much inner reflection, I have concluded that I would like to serve in another capacity. It is time for change in my life. The judicial position will allow me to make  a career move that provides the change that I seek without giving up public service.

“Contrary to what has been reported, no one, including anyone associated with the Bronx Democratic Party, has ever offered me another position, nor has anyone asked me to step down or retire as the District Attorney. I have, over the years, enjoyed their full faith and support both personally and through many electoral processes.

“I understand that this position cannot be offered to me prior to the Judicial Convention on Thursday, September 24th. I would not make that presumption. In fact, having gone to the Convention in 1987 as the candidate of the then County Chairman and coming out without the nomination, I understand the process better than most. I realize that the decision rests solely with the Judicial Delegates.

“Should I not be granted the nomination, I will stand for reelection in November to the position of District Attorney in order to continue to serve the people of the Bronx, a job that I love.  It is a position that allows me to secure justice for Bronx residents and the people of New York.

“I will be making no further comment on this subject."

#BronxDA #Robert t. Johnson

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BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Zarnoff Taylor cared about his tricked-out all-terrain vehicle more than life itself. And as it turned out, more than the lives of the two men whom he suspected had stolen it.

Now, announced Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson, the 30-year-old Taylor will be spending the rest of his life with no possibility of parole for the murder of one of those men, and the attempted murder of the other.
             
After a two-week-long trial and just one day’s deliberation, on April 21st a jury found Taylor guilty of murder in the first degree (Class A-1 Felony) and attempted murder in the second degree (Class B Violent Felony).

On August 31st, 2015, he was sentenced by Supreme Court Justice John Carter to life without parole for the murder, consecutive to another 25 years in prison for the attempted murder.
             
Taylor's ATV was his pride and joy, the Yamaha Banshee’s tricked-out engine the envy of anyone who saw it. But when it went missing from the lot where he’d parked it, he and his buddies went looking. On April 16, 2010, Taylor brought 10 men in two vans to Soon Cycle on Ogden Avenue in the Mt. Eden section of the Bronx and found their suspects –
John Santiago (aka Juan Quinones)
and Jonathan Torres. Taylor kidnapped the two men at gunpoint, and drove them around for two hours, robbed them, beat them up and interrogated them, because he wanted to know if they stole his ATV.
             
Taylor found proof in their cell phones when he saw a picture of one of the two riding his bike.
             
He shot Santiago at point-blank range, but he wasn’t done with him.  As Santiago was bleeding out, Taylor drove around, and tried to find out where his ATV was. They drove clear across the Bronx, ending up in an industrial area near Co-op City, where Taylor forced Torres to carry the gravely wounded Santiago from the van.

Then Taylor shot Torres a half dozen times, and pumped yet another six bullets into Santiago. Somehow, Santiago survived, with surgery replacing nearly all his blood volume.  Torres did not survive.
             
Ironically, Taylor never recovered his stolen ATV.
             
One of the other men involved in
Taylor’s crime, Wader Mejia-Acosta, pled guilty in April to attempted robbery in the first degree and was sentenced to five years behind bars.  The other, Adonis Jimenez, pled guilty to attempted robbery in the second degree and was sentenced to four years.

###

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By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS) - Recent videos capturing shootings and muggings have residents wondering if the bad old days in the Bronx are returning. In both cases the bad guys struck in broad daylight in front of witnesses and video cameras.

At around 6:30 p.m. on August 24, a gunman opened fire in front of a group in Mount Eden. The surveillance video shows the suspect exiting a GMC SUV and approach a group of men in front of 115 West 172 Street waving a silver handgun. As the group scattered he began firing. One man was hit in the calf.

The gunman then climbed back into the SUV and took off. The victim was treated at Lincoln Hospital.

The suspect is described as a black male who is 5 foot 9 and 150 pounds.

He was last seen wearing a black baseball hat, a white t-shirt, white shorts, and bright blue sneakers.

In an unrelated case, a pair of muggers stuck up a man in Hunts Point in broad daylight.

Surveillance video shows a man sitting on a bench at Casanova Street and Viele Avenue when he was approached by two men demanding cash. One of the men pulled out a gun and pushed the victim up against the wall. The shocked victim handed over his iPhone, gold chain and $60 in cash.

Anyone with information in either case is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS.

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at
WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COMor by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential

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Mount Eden News: Cops Coming to Reduce Crime

Mount Eden News: Cops Coming to Reduce Crime: City Hall Finally Listens to Wakefield  Cops Coming to Reduce Crime By Robert Press BRONX, NEW ...

Cops Coming to Reduce Crime

City Hall Finally Listens to Wakefield 

Cops Coming to Reduce Crime

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK,JULY 16- Elizabeth Gill, President of the 47th Precinct Council, demanded action when crime was going way up last year in the 47th Precinct, and it seems that City Hall heard her.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton came to Cardinal Spellman High School to explain the new 'Summer All Out' police department program. It is a three-month program called 'Summer All Out' in the 10 highest crime police precincts. The mayor and police commissioner praised the new program that was started last month. Crime decreased in the 47th Precinct in Wakefield with shootings down 70 percent for the past month.

In the past the Mayor said that there was a chain of command that had to be gone through to change the deployment of police officers in a precinct. Now that red tape has been cut to allow for an almost instant redeployment of officers where they may be needed when problems pop up. The 47th Precinct has been assigned 26 additional officers for three months, and several other officers commonly refereed to as 'House Mouse Officers' have also been deployed into the streets of the precinct. In all there are 330 additional officers that have been sent to the 10 precincts in the 'Summer All Out' Program which began on June 8th. Other Bronx police precincts in this three month program are the 43rd, 44th, and 46th according to Bronx Assistant Chief Commanding Officer Larry Nikunen. 

Deputy Inspector Stevenson of the 47th Pct. had only praise for his police officers, and he thanked 47th Pct. Council President Elizabeth Gill for her help in getting his command the much needed manpower to reduce the high crime rate. 

Commissioner Bratton spoke of how the NYPD must keep coming up with new strategies to keep ahead of the bad guys. However when asked the question - that it looks like the first thing that the new street officers are doing is looking at car registration and inspection stickers when they arrive on their beat. I then said that to me it looks like these officers might have a ticket quota to fill. 

Commissioner Bratton fired back to me, 'Well that's what it looks like to you', and then stepped away from the podium without any real answer. I asked one of the new officers the same question, and was told if the situation warrants a summons it will be given. 47th Pct. Commanding Officer Stevenson said 'No Comment' when I asked him the same question.  

#NYPD #MayordeBlasio #Bratton #SummerAllOut #Bronxnews

Mount Eden News: Authorities Snuff Out $2M bootleg Smokes Ring

Mount Eden News: Authorities Snuff Out $2M bootleg Smokes Ring: Authorities Snuff Out $2M bootleg Smokes Ring BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 9- District Attorney Robert Johnson announced mu...

Authorities Snuff Out $2M bootleg Smokes Ring

Authorities Snuff Out $2M bootleg Smokes Ring

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 9- District Attorney Robert Johnson announced multiple indictments of 20 people and six corporations containing 1,345 counts regarding a major smuggling operation that brought more than 44,000 untaxed cartons of cigarettes from Virginia to the Bronx during a single five-month period in 2014 alone. The participants are accused of evading more than $2.978 million in New York State and City taxes. The total maximum tax penalty, for New York City and State combined, is more than $35,768,000.

The various defendants face State felony charges ranging from Enterprise Corruption, Criminal Tax Fraud, and Money Laundering, to New York City Administrative Code violations of the Cigarette Tax laws.

After a two-and-a-half-year multi-agency investigation, 19 men and one woman were charged following simultaneous arrests in New York, Virginia, Connecticut and New Jersey. The Bronx County grand jury indictments were unsealed with the Supreme Court arraignment of several of the defendants in Part 60, before Justice Steven Barrett.  The following defendants are named in one or more indictment:

Cigarette smuggling is big business.  It is estimated that, in New York State, 58 percent of all cigarettes sold are untaxed, and smuggled in primarily from Virginia. With per pack prices topping $11 and more, bringing in untaxed cigarettes is very profitable – New York state and city taxes add $5.85 to each pack.

It is alleged in the indictment that the boss, Mohamed Mustafa, headed the operation by acquiring cigarettes for distribution from Virginia, storing those cigarettes at 2118 Matthews Avenue in Morris Park and other locations in the Bronx, and by controlling the distribution of cigarettes to the New York City area without paying New York State or City tobacco taxes, thereby generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit proceeds for himself and other members of the enterprise. His lieutenant, Hiyad Chaib, is alleged to have assisted the criminal enterprise in all aspects of the operation, and would serve as the central contact for the employees and associates when Mustafa was away.

Mustafa and Chaib determined the New York-based distributors to whom they would sell cigarettes, the prices the

distributors had to pay for cigarettes, and the times and locations at which the distributors would exchange money for cigarettes, it is further alleged. They also controlled the storage facilities and both of them actively answered a “business line” to collect orders and arrange deliveries. Each week, almost 2,000 cartons of cigarettes (400,000 cigarettes) would pass through the enterprise costing the state over $100,000 in tax revenue. The total tax fraud is estimated to be close to $3 million; total maximum tax penalties, if the defendants are convicted, will reach nearly $36 million.

Indictment papers also describe how Mustafa and Chaib originally acquired the majority of the cigarettes they distributed in the Bronx from suppliers Rabih Saba and Moeen Khan, residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, who owned and managed a chain of mattress stores (“The Mattress Place”) and dollar stores around Richmond, Virginia. Indeed, Saba and Khan used their Virginia businesses, in part, as collection and distribution centers for cigarettes purchased in Virginia with only the low Virginia cigarette tax, and thereafter controlled the distribution of

the cigarettes to the New York City area without anyone associated with the Enterprise paying New York State or City tobacco taxes for those cigarettes. They also used their business and personal accounts to transfer money from the Bronx and Manhattan to them in Virginia.

To generate said money, Saba and Khan are accused of forming a network of cigarette buyers in Virginia who would visit Costco, Sam’s Club, Wawa, and other retail sellers of cigarettes, to purchase cartons of cigarettes in a large enough quantity to make trafficking them to New York profitable. Saba and Khan arranged with Mustafa and Chaib for near-daily deliveries to New York. Some of the proceeds were also sent to a number of the defendants’ home countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Money seized from the operation totals more than $100,000.

Operation Smoke Brake is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys W. Dyer Halpern, Jessica-Deanna Lupo, and Caitlin Carroll of the Arson/Auto/Economic Crimes Bureau, which is under the supervision of Counsel to the Investigations Division Mary Jo Blanchard, Bureau Chief William Zelenka and Executive A.D.A. Thomas Leahy.

#Cigarettes #BronxDA #Bronxnews

Mount Eden News: Inmate charged with attacking social worker in Rik...

Mount Eden News: Inmate charged with attacking social worker in Rik...: Inmate charged with attacking social worker in Rikers District Attorney Robert Johnson announced the indictment of 35-yea...

Inmate charged with attacking social worker in Rikers

Inmate charged with attacking social worker in Rikers

District Attorney Robert Johnson announced the indictment of 35-year-old Jonathan Hodgson in the brutal June attack on a Rikers Island medical worker.

Hodgson was arraigned in Bronx Supreme Court before Justice Joseph Dawson and pled not guilty to: assault in the first degree (Class B Felony); assault in the second degree (3 counts) (Class D Felony); assault in the third degree (Class A Misdemeanor) and resisting Arrest (Class A Misdemeanor). 

Hodgson is being held at Rikers Island’s George R. Vierno Center on an underlying Manhattan indictment for attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the first degree for a January, 2015 attack. On June 18^th, he stepped into the office where 69-year-old mental health clinician Ralph Atlas was working.  

Hodgson is accused of, without warning or provocation, pummeling the Corizon employee in the face and head, breaking the clinician’s jaw, fracturing his eye socket and nose, as well as causing other injuries for which the victim had to be hospitalized.        

Bail was set at $10,000 following the D.A.’s request for $250,000; Hodgson is to return to court on September 1, 2015, Part 77, Hall of Justice, 265 E. 161^st Street, Room 680. The defendant has asked to represent himself in Court.

If convicted of the charges, Hodgson faces up to 25 years behind bars.  The case against Hodgson is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ara Ayvazian of the Bronx D.A. Intake Bureau.  The charges in this indictment are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.    

#RikersIsland #NYPD #BronxDA #Bronxnews