By Forum Staff

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz last week announced a $13 million allocation of her Fiscal Year 2017 discretionary capital funds to pay for expansions, renovations, and enhancements at several borough Library branches.

The funds are based on needs assessments and requests made by the Library, Katz said. The allocation includes:

• $3.5 million for an exterior expansion and $92,000 for security cameras at Queens Library at Baisley Park (this comes on top of a $3.5 million allocation in FY 2016 for interior renovations);
• $3 million for the expansion of Queens Library at East Elmhurst;
• $3 million for an interior expansion of Queens Library at South Hollis;
• $1.4 million for interior renovations at Queens Library of Bay Terrace (this comes on top of a $96,000 allocation in FY 2016 for security cameras);
• $600,000 for window and door replacements at Queens Library at Forest Hills;
• $500,000 for an HVAC upgrade at Queens Library of Pomonok;
• $400,000 for the initial outfitting at Queens Library of North Forest Park;
• $385,000 to install an exterior self check-in system at Queens Library of Queens Village;
• $97,000 for a security system upgrade at Queens Library of Laurelton.

“Borough President Katz has put time, energy and resources into insuring a strong library system to serve the educational and informational needs of the borough,” said Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott. “This capital funding will help us move key library projects forward, so the community has expanded, updated facilities for reading and learning. Queens Library joins the community in thanking the Borough President for her support.”

In FY2016, Katz allocated $14 million for Library capital improvements, including security cameras at the South Ozone Park and Woodhaven branches, and a roof replacement at the Ozone Park library.

“Queens Library’s locations serve as centers of lifelong learning and enrichment,” Katz said. “These are substantial investments for not only renovations, expansions and enhancements, but also for the families of Queens. These funds are designed to help Queens Library continue to be a first-class library system of learning, literacy and culture.”

By Forum Staff

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance this week called on the Assembly to pass legislation to help combat identity theft by expanding the state’s enterprise corruption statute to include cybercrime and ID theft-related offenses, which have been plaguing the borough in recent years.

Currently, the Organized Crime Control Act provides increased penalties for patterns of repeated criminal activity—as defined by three or more criminal acts committed within a five-year period—carried out in connection with a structured criminal enterprise. Criminal acts covered by the OCCA include many financial and economic offenses but do not cover identity theft and related crimes. Cybercrime, however, is one of New York’s most pervasive and fastest growing crime types, Peralta said, and the harm caused to victims is significant, whether the victims are individuals or entire organizations.

The bill expands the OCCA’s definition of a criminal act to include identity theft and related offenses including unlawful possession of personal identification information, computer tampering, unlawful duplication of computer-related materials, criminal use of an access device, and unlawful possession of a skimmer device, among others.

“As gangs and organized crime syndicates are becoming more and more involved in perpetrating computer crimes, money laundering and identity thefts, this legislation will provide a much needed and commonsense tool for law enforcement,” Peralta said. “As is often the case, the law has not kept up with technology and currently, the New York’s enterprise corruption statute excludes a broad range of these crimes from its coverage. Computers are a part of our daily lives, and sadly, criminals use them to steal both our money, and our identities. My bill has passed the Senate several times, including during this year’s Legislative Session that is now coming to a close. The clock is ticking, and it is my hope that the New York State Assembly will step up to the plate and take up this important legislation, where it is sponsored by Assemblymember Michael Miller. As always, I want to thank Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance for his unwavering efforts in curbing organized crime, especially as it relates to the growth of cybercrimes and identity theft.”

Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) echoed Peralta’s sentiment.

“Law enforcement must keep up with the changing landscape of criminal enterprises. In this day and age traditional criminal organizations have become more complex and have turned to cyber-crimes to cover their traces while obtaining new avenues to make money,” he said. “I have pushed for legislation that would assist law enforcement with tackling such crimes within the state of New York. I am currently fighting for passage of a bill in the Assembly that if passed would assist law enforcement with updated language in penal law on criminal enterprises and their actions of such cyber-crimes. I commend Senator Jose Peralta for his efforts on passing this bill through the State Senate. District Attorney Cy Vance had been a strong advocate for this legislation and continues to diligently work to combat crimes where identify theft and fraud are perpetrated electronically.”

The law follows the recommendation of the White Collar Crime Task Force, which District Attorney Vance convened during his tenure as president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York. The panel issued a 100-page report recommending, among other proposals, that identity theft and related offenses be added as predicate felonies under the OCCA.

By Forum Staff

Finance Committee Chairwomen Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst) and the New York City Council recently approved a 90-day amnesty program to help relieve property owners from their outstanding Environmental Control Board judgments. A report released in November 2015 by the Department of Finance showed the City was owed $1.58 billion in unpaid ECB fines of which $386 million was interest, $709 million were penalty fees, and approximately 75 percent was more than two and a half years old.

“The goal of this amnesty program is not only to ensure faster resolution of ECB debt, but to give property owners and small businesses an opportunity to resolve their debt and prevent tougher enforcement,” said Ferreras-Copeland. “I thank Council Member Ben Kallos and my colleagues for their support in passing this bill. The Council’s Finance Committee will continue to track the Department of Finance’s effort and find new avenues for collecting the $1.58 billion it is owed.”

During the 90-day amnesty program, which will be administered by the DOF later this year, respondents who have default ECB judgments will be able to resolve their debt by paying the base penalty and have additional penalties and accrued interest waived.

Respondents who have judgments against them as a result of being found in violation after an ECB hearing would be able to resolve their debt by paying 75 percent of the imposed penalty and have the accrued interest waived. In addition, respondents with conditions to correct will be allowed six months to comply.

The amnesty program will give property owners and small businesses an opportunity to pay before tougher enforcement is implemented, which may include income execution, wage garnishment, and sale of personal and real property.

In order to encourage greater participation, the program will be paired with an outreach plan targeting those areas with a high concentration of property owners with ECB judgments. Upon the conclusion of the 90-day program, the Department of Finance will no longer offer reductions to base penalties nor full waivers to penalties and interest.

“Local independent supermarkets play an active role in the small business economy and fill a necessary void in neighborhoods starved of healthy food options,” said National Supermarket Association President Rudy Fuertes. “Our members need support and resources, not onerous fees and fines. We support any initiative that will curtail overhead and help our businesses grow and hire – and this legislation will accomplish exactly that. I’d like to thank Council Member Ferreras for her leadership on this issue and continued efforts supporting New York City’s vibrant small business community.”

Last year, in an effort to bring about more transparency in the ECB debt collection process, the Council passed Local Law 11 that required an annual report from the Department of Finance detailing the amount of outstanding ECB judgments and the success of DOF’s collection efforts. The Committee on Finance has since continued to work with the Department of Finance to help find new ways of recuperating some of the debt.

By Forum Staff

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-East Elmhurst) last week introduced a bill to, as they said, crackdown on speeding drivers through proposals to improve pedestrian safety, including expanding the speed camera program to all school zones in the five boroughs.

According to published reports, since the installation of speed cameras in school zones at the beginning of 2014, 945,000 speed violation tickets were issued by September of 2015. According to the city Department of Transportation, at first, each camera issued an average of 192 violations per day. However, by September of last year, the number decreased to an average of 69 summonses per day.

“Just by looking at the number of tickets issued, we can see that drivers are speeding less and less in areas where cameras are installed,” Peralta noted.

Additionally, Peralta and DenDekker are sponsoring legislation that would remove temporal limitations of speed cameras installed to monitor school zones. Currently, the use of the speed monitoring devices in school areas is limited to periods of operational school hours, including one hour before and after the beginning and end of the school day; and during student activities, and up to 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after these activities take place.

When the state Legislature originally authorized this photo speed monitoring pilot program in 2013, it established 2018 as the end date. Under the Peralta-DenDekker proposal, the program would be made permanent.

“Clearly, installing speed cameras in school zones has been a successful initiative. To make this even more effective, we should do away with these senseless restrictions on times of operation and the number of cameras that may be in use. Accidents, especially preventable accidents, can occur at any time of the day, any day of the week,” Peralta said. “Speeding is one of the leading factors in many fatal and serious accidents, so let’s make sure we do everything we can to deter drivers from speeding, especially in school areas. This new legislation would save lives and would make streets safer for our kids and all pedestrians in general.”

The proposed legislation would also suspend the registration of a vehicle after five traffic camera violations. It establishes that if a vehicle has five violations in one year, then that vehicle’s registration will be suspended for six months. The suspension will begin five days after the notice of liability for the fifth violation has been mailed. Under current law, a moving violation cannot be issued for a traffic camera violation, only a fine can be issued to the owner of the car.

“The most important work we do as legislators is to protect the safety and well-being of our citizens. One way that we can do that is to hold reckless drivers accountable, which is what these two bills do,” DenDekker said. “Schools are safe places that attract students during all hours, including evenings and weekends. Lifting the time on speed cameras in school zones will ensure that these areas stay safe for kids all of the time, not just during school hours. The second bill suspends a car’s registration for six months if that car has five traffic camera violations in one year. This penalizes habitually dangerous drivers who create unnecessary risks in our communities. These bills help keep Queens, and all of New York, a safe place for pedestrians.”

An after-school instructor at an East Elmhurst mosque has been charged with sexual abuse for touching a 9-year-old female student in an inappropriate manner on two occasions between November 2015 and Feb. 3, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Mohammed Rana, 46, was arraigned last Wednesday on a criminal complaint charging him with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He was able to post bail—$50,000 bond/$25,000 cash, according to court records—and was released last Friday.

According to the charges, Rana is an instructor of an after-school religious program held at the Masjid Abu Huraira Mosque on 31st Avenue. It is alleged that, sometime between Nov. 30, 2015, and Jan. 28, and the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Rana reached under the 9-year-old female victim’s clothing and grabbed and squeezed her chest with his hand while saying, “You are a good girl.” It is additionally alleged that on Feb. 3, Rana touched the victim about her chest with his hand over her clothing.

The case came to light when a sexual abuse prevention workshop, utilizing puppets, was conducted at the victim’s public school and the victim disclosed to the workshop instructor what allegedly had occurred to her.

“According to the charges, the defendant is accused of using his position as a religious instructor at a mosque to prey on a young student. These are serious allegations,” Brown said. “This case should serve as a clear and unmistakable warning that law enforcement is prepared to apprehend and prosecute sexual predators who betray and defile youngsters.”

If convicted, Rana faces up to seven years in prison.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Four Queens elected officials last week delivered emphatic endorsements of a three-day music and technology festival that heavyweight promoters hope to hold next summer in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens and Bronx) and City Councilmembers Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst), Peter Koo (D-Flushing), and Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) threw their support behind the Panorama Music Festival last Wednesday in a release issued by Goldenvoice, a division of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, one of five promoters vying for permits from the City to produce the massive event.

“The Panorama Music Festival will provide a fantastic opportunity for Queens to take its rightful place as a New York City showcase,” Crowley said. “I am excited to help bring a world-class music, technology, food and art festival to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.”

Panorama will present three days of “top-tier musical performances, dynamic art installations, and unique technology experiences honoring the park’s history as the site of the innovative and historic 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs,” according to Goldenvoice.

The promoter also said it has outlined a plan for how Panorama “will enrich the borough beyond the event itself. Panorama will provide a donation per paid ticket to the newly formed Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Alliance, which will be used to assist in their endeavors. Goldenvoice has committed to local hiring for jobs associated with the festival and Panorama will further support area businesses by working with local restaurants and food trucks inside the event to showcase the diverse and exceptional cuisines in Queens.”

Ferreras-Copeland called Goldenvoice “a model partner for a festival in our community. They have been engaging the community for the last two years. Panorama’s producers listened to the community concerns and adjusted their application to reflect the community’s desires.”

However, plans to rent out the expansive park for such events have been a source of contention in Queens.

“While public events of any scale that enhance our borough are encouraged, I take issue when it is at the expense of cutting off public access to our treasured parks like Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is enjoyed by thousands of families and residents every week in the summer months,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.

Goldenvoice, which has been under the AEG umbrella since 2001, produces the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, consistently among the most in-demand concert tickets in the world. Additionally, according to a 2012 economic impact study featured in Spin magazine, Coachella brought $254.4 million to the desert region that year.

The City Parks Department has confirmed that it has received permit applications from several organizations interested in producing festivals in FMCP, but has not indicated when a final decision will be made.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

An East Elmhurst man has been charged in four separate incidents with stealing packages after they had been delivered to the doorsteps of borough residents just three days before Christmas, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Frank Garcia, 26, was arraigned last Wednesday on a criminal complaint charging him with four counts of petit larceny and four counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. He posted the $5,000 cash or bond bail on Tuesday and was released, according to court and City Department of Correction records.

According to the charges, Garcia was seen walking down 47th Street in Astoria last Tuesday afternoon and removing packages that had been left on doorsteps by mail delivery services and placing the packages on a blue push cart. In reviewing surveillance video of the lobby of Garcia’s building, Brown said, police allegedly observed Garcia enter the building with a blue push cart containing several packages. Police allegedly recovered the blue cart and an assortment of packages containing ten curtains, two bottles of lotion, a pair of pants, a purse, a Bluetooth speaker and a bottle of soap. At the time of his arrest, Garcia allegedly told 114^th Precinct cops that he took the packages because he was out of work and it was Christmas.

“When people place mail orders, they do not expect their delivered packages to be brazenly stolen off their doorstep by somebody acting like the Dr. Seuss’ character in the book, ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas!’, as the defendant is accused of doing in this case—even though he had no way of knowing what the packages contained,” Brown said. “What the defendant now knows is that he faces the prospect of being incarcerated for his alleged actions.”

If convicted, Garcia faces up to a year in jail.