Montefiore Food, Mask and Hand Sanitizer Giveaway at Westchester Square Campus

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

On Aug. 14, in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, associates from Montefiore Westchester Square Campus were joined by State Sen. Luis Sepulveda, Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, and Council Member Mark Gjonaj to distribute masks, hand sanitizers, and lunch to the local community at their Raymond’s Avenue location. Lunch was provided by Montefiore cafeteria staff, and information on the importance of going to the ER for health emergencies was distributed to those in attendance, including information about how the staff at Montefiore are keeping Westchester Square COVID safe for their community. Thank you to our healthcare heroes at @MontefioreNYC

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Audrey Strauss, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, inspector-in-charge of the New York field office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced the unsealing of an indictment on Aug. 20 charging Brian Kolfage, Stephen Bannon, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea for their roles in defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall” that raised more than $25 million. The defendants were arrested this morning, Aug. 20. Kolfage will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020 at 10.55 p.m., an on-duty NYPD detective was arrested and charged within the confines of the 83rd precinct in Brooklyn. Samuel Lallave, 53, was charged with petit larceny (theft).

Norwood: Search for Missing 14-Year-Old Girl

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager within the confines of the 52nd Precinct. A photograph of the missing girl is attached. It was reported to police that Yessica Nivarrez Castro, 14, was last seen on Monday, August 17, 2020 inside her home at 323 East Mosholu Parkway North in the Norwood section of the Bronx at approximately 11 p.m. She is described as a female, Hispanic, 5 feet, 2 inches tall, weighs 95 pounds, and was last seen wearing all dark clothing. Anyone with information with regard to this incident is

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Peter C. Fitzhugh, special agent-in-charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the indictment and arrest on Aug. 19 of Yoel Abraham, Heshl Abraham, Zishe Abraham, and Shmuel Abraham, who are brothers, on charges of engaging in a scheme to systematically defraud Amazon.com, LLC, (“Amazon”), an online retailer and e-commerce platform. Through the course of the scheme, the defendants manipulated Amazon’s vendor system in attempts to fraudulently induce Amazon to pay for goods that Amazon had not ordered. In executing

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State legislature will hold a virtual hearing on the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias on New York State on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. On Aug. 4, the storm hit New York with heavy rain, tornadoes and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. Isaias left hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without power across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, the Hudson Valley and other areas of the state within the service territories of PSEG-Long Island, Con Edison, Orange and Rockland, National Grid, Central Hudson, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and other

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Life isn’t easy. Just ask Jose Ramon, a 54-year-old Parkchester resident who was diagnosed with ALS in January of this year. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. The condition is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. On Saturday, July 25, as part of a wider fundraising initiative spearheaded by the ALS Association, Greater New York Chapter, Ramon, supported by a group of friends and supporters completed a “Walk from Home”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Following Storm Isaias on Aug. 4, widespread power outages left thousands of Bronxites in the dark. Several days later, many residents still didn’t have their power restored. Blackouts and delayed service from Con Edison, which operates as a near-monopoly in the five boroughs, are not new according to Public Advocate Jumanne Williams. Williams recently released a report calling for a public power system for New York City to control its own electrical grid moving forward. Williams says public power would bring greater transparency and lower electricity rates to residents, and it has also shown to be more reliable

By DAVID GREENE

On August 18, the NYPD released body-worn camera footage of an incident involving the death of a person while in police custody that occurred on June 4, 2020 in the confines of the 9th precinct in Manhattan. According to the NYPD, the video includes available evidence leading up to, as well as during the incident. The NYPD released the video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident. All NYPD patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras. According to the agency, the benefits of cameras are clear: transparency into police activity, de-escalation of police encounters and accountability