PRESS RELEASE: Yonkers State Senator George Latimer Calls for Inclusion of JCC Hate Crime Bill in New York State Budget

ALBANY, NY — March 21, 2017 — State Senator George Latimer (D-Westchester) today called on Legislative Leaders to include in the 2018 budget his legislation which establishes bomb threats to religious affiliated community centers as hate crimes.

The bill introduced earlier this month, has 14 New York State Senate co-sponsors and has been introduced in the Assembly by Charles Lavine of Nassau County. The bill is now S.5065 (Latimer)/A.6739 (Lavine).

“This legislation was introduced to address a pressing problem — one that continues to grow, with new bomb threats across New York State in the last two weeks. There is support for it, as it is now sponsored by a very prominent colleague in the Assembly. New York needs to act now to stem the growing number of hateful threats on our families simply because they attend locations with religious affiliations,” Senator Latimer said.

Latimer pointed out that once the budget is complete, consideration of major legislation tends to wait until the end of session, currently slated for the third full week of June. “There is no good reason to allow these hateful acts to not face the full measure of justice until it is convenient for the legislative calendar,” Latimer added.

Yonkers Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac: Embarking On a New Journey

YONKERS, NY — March 19, 2017 — Four years ago I embarked on a new journey and became a Council Member in the City of Yonkers. It has been one of the most beautiful journeys I’ve been on. It has shaped a big part of who I am and has taught me so much.

I am seeking re-election. My goal is to continue the work we have begun, to improve in areas where we can and to see projects started to their completion. I am so grateful for everyone who has supported this journey and will once again ask you to support my candidacy.

Please join me for my first official re-election fundraiser. I hope to see you there and I hope to count on your support!

Contact information:

Corazon for Office
P.O. Box #1521
Yonkers, NY 10704
E-mail: corazonforoffice@gmail.com

Yonkers Detectives Investigating Structure Fire at 1 Hawley Terrace

YONKERS, NY — March 16, 2017 — On March 15th, 2017, at approximately 3:45 AM, members of the Yonkers Police Department responded to an apartment building at 1 Hawley Terrace on a report of a fire.

Responding Officers met with the Yonkers Fire Department who were actively battling a substantial fire engulfing a large portion of the premises. Officers secured the area, established traffic posts, and escorted residents and members of the public to safety.

A temporary shelter was established at the Yonkers Police Athletic League building at 127 North Broadway. Affected residents were provided with provisions with the assistance of the Yonkers Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross. Representatives from the City of Yonkers Office of Constituent Services and the Office of the Aging were present to assist residents and facilitate social services.

Members of the Yonkers Fire Department reported they located a deceased occupant in one of fire apartments. The decedent was subsequently removed by the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office. Detectives from the Yonkers Police Fire Investigation Unit and Crime Scene Unit are actively investigating this incident, interviewing witnesses, canvassing the scene, and processing forensic evidence. Due to the extent of fire and water damage to the building, the investigation may span several days. The identity of the victim will not be released pending family notification.

Latest reports indicate that the main body of the fire has been knocked down; residents are still urged to avoid the area pending removal of heavy equipment and treatment of local roads. Affected residents of the building will be advised if and when they may re-enter their apartments.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Yonkers Police Detective Division at (914) 377-7724; all calls will remain confidential. 100% anonymous tips can be sent by texting the key word YPD plus the tip to 847411. Anonymous tips can also be sent to us directly through the Yonkers PD Tips app which can be downloaded for free to any Apple or Android device.

PRESS RELEASE: Anthony Merante Announces Bid for Yonkers 6th Council District

YONKERS, NY — March 12, 2017 — Anthony Merante, a local businessman, CPA, husband and father of two has announced his candidacy for 6th District of the Yonkers City Council. Merante has received the endorsement of the Yonkers Republican Party. He is seeking his first elective office. 
A lifelong resident of Yonkers, Merante 56 is running on a platform of holding the line on property taxes, increasing safety by greater community policing, improving and rebuilding Yonkers Public Schools, and better city services to improve neighborhood quality of life.
“I love Yonkers”, said Merante. I’ve lived here for over 30 years, and this is where my wife and I are raising our children. But, like countless other Yonkers families, we have great concern about the future. Taxes are rising yet services remain stagnant, and our school children are receiving less services and activities. Merante said. “I’m running for City Council because there is a better way. As councilman, I will focus on safer, cleaner streets for our families, better schools for our kids, and holding the line on property taxes to protect homeowners and seniors on fixed incomes”.

As a CPA, I will use my skills to make certain that Yonkers taxpayers are getting better value for their tax dollars. I’m committed to making city government work smarter and more effectively on the issues that really matter,” Merante added.

Anthony Merante has received the endorsement of the current 6th District Councilman and City Council Majority Leader John Larkin. Larkin stated “I met Anthony more than twenty years ago through our involvement in our neighborhoods and we became friends. Anthony truly has the best interests of our City’s neighborhoods. I know Anthony will continue to represent the District with care and professionalism to insure residents’ voices are heard. I support Anthony 100 percent and look forward to his representing the people of the 6th District”.

Mr. Merante has also been endorsed by Dee Barbato, the former 6th District Councilmember who noted, “I’ve been a friend and neighbor of Anthony for more than 20 years and know him to be a hard working, caring individual who has devoted himself to his community; he truly cares about the City of Yonkers as witnessed by his involvement in countless organizations over the years. I’d be proud to have him as my representative on the city council and know the 6th District would be in good hand”.

Anthony Merante is a 30-year resident of Yonkers, He graduated Saint John’s University, Bachelor of Science in Accounting and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1987. Merante is also a member of the New York State Society of CPAs. He is a Yonkers businessman; the owner of Anthony J. Merante CPA, P.C., and Co-Owner and Vice-President, Westchester Kitchen & Bath, Inc.

Anthony has been married to his wife, Yolanda, for (33) years. They have two children, Anthony Jr. (22), Gianna (16), and their dog Snoopy Rudolf. The Merante children attended Yonkers Public Schools and the family are Parishioner of Annunciation–Our Lady of Fatima.

Over the years, Anthony Merante has shown dedication to his community. He has been Sprain Lake Knolls Civic Association President for 7 years and a member for 20 years. He has also served as a former treasurer to the First Precinct Community Council, and spokesperson for Yonkers Education Advocates. He is a member of the Enrico Fermi Educational Fund and a treasurer for the Yonkers Columbus Day Celebration Committee. Anthony has been active in Yonkers schools as a former member of the Patricia DiChiaro Elementary School PTA, and the Yonkers Middle/High School PTA. He has been a supporter of law enforcement as a volunteer at the Annual Police National Night Out.

YFD Deputy Chief Kevin Ford: The Alarm Structure Fire at 31 Riverview Place, in Yonkers, NY, Extinguished

YONKERS, NY — March 10, 2017 — This morning at approximately 6:30am, we received calls from the residents reporting heavy smoke in the building.

First arriving units confirmed the report and found heavy fire in the rear of the building from the ground floor to the top floor.

The building is a four story wood frame set back from the street making access for Fire apparatus very difficult. All residents were evacuated and suppression activities were initiated.

Because the rear porches were covered with plywood as well as sheetrock, it was very difficult to open up the walls to look for hidden fire. The fire eventually went to 3 alarms because of these difficulties.

The fire was contained to the rear of the building, but there was heavy water damage to all of the apartments. The building can not be re-occupied until the owner cleans up the water damage and repairs the back steps.

25 residents were relocated by the Yonkers Office of Emergency Management.

The fire started in the rear of the building, but the cause is still under investigation.

Deputy Chief Kevin Ford is Yonkers Fire Department Chief of Operations

DAILY VOICE: Yonkers Neurologist Among Those Charged In $50 Million Healthcare Scheme

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- A Westchester County neurologist was among six charged in a multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme that spanned more than a decade.

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara announced that Emad Soliman, who lives in New Castle and has a practice in Yonkers, was among those charged in a reported 12-year scheme to “defraud Medicaid, Medicare and other private health insurance companies out of more than $50 million.”
Soliman, 47, was arrested in Westchester on Thursday morning, Bharara said. 
“As alleged, these defendants that included a cardiologist and neurologist ran a medical practice that for years bilked public health care programs and private insurance companies of more than $50 million,” he added. “Thanks to the hard work of federal and state investigators, this fraud has been revealed and the alleged perpetrators forced to face the consequences of their actions.” 
According to Bharara, Soliman - who is a board-certified neurologist - was a part of the scheme that included making false representations to insurance providers, submitting false claims to those providers, paying “exorbitant kickbacks to local primary care medical offices in exchange for lucrative referrals from their office” and accessing, without authorization, electronic health records of patients at a particular Long Island hospital, among other infractions. 
In the indictment, it is alleged that to further their scheme, and to hide from the insurance providers the size of the fraudulent claims, the doctors submitted claims to the providers falsely representing that certain medical tests had been ordered or performed. 
“These doctors included Emad Soliman, who knowingly participated in the scheme to allow (the practice) to submit false claims to the insurance providers in his name, as well as two other doctors who did not know their identities were being used to further the fraud,” the indictment says. 
"Public health insurance programs, like Medicare and Medicaid, are not a personal pocketbook for criminals seeking to exploit a program designed to help those who need these programs the most," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. stated. "As alleged, the six defendants carried out a massive health care fraud scheme against these programs and private insurance companies for over twelve years and submitted more than $50 million in fraudulent claims. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who defraud taxpayer-funded programs.” 
Soliman has been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, wire fraud, making false statements relating to health care matters, conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identification information and making false statements to a federal agent. He is due back in court later this year, where he will face up to 75 years in prison. 
“Health care fraud schemes like the one alleged here loot government health programs, compromise patient well-being, and undermine the public’s trust in the health profession," Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Regional Office of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, said. "You can bet our agents will continue to thoroughly investigate such allegations and hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes.”

PRESS RELEASE:Yonkers Launches $325,000 New Generation Yonkers Marketing Campaign

Campaign Features TV and Radio Ads, Print and Digital Advertising, and Metro-North Car Cards

YONKERS, NY — March 3, 2017 — Dean Bender of the public Relations and advertising firm Thompson & Bender divulged that Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano had engaged the firm for the next generation of the Generation Yonkers marketing campaign, that people in the know have advised the Yonkers Tribune is an initiative that will cost $325,000. The advertising promotional is said to be an “innovative economic development initiative created to reposition Yonkers as the next great urban frontier.”

Partner Dean Bender suggests, “The new campaign, which was developed by the Westchester-based advertising agency Thompson & Bender, has a new look and feel from the previous two campaigns and features leaders in the fields of business, higher education, restaurants, arts and culture.

The firm advises those featured in the new marketing campaign include:

· Mike Brady, President & CEO of Greyston Bakery;
· Jason Evege, Founder and Owner of Linoto textile company;
· Christian Petroni, Chef and Owner of Fortina Restaurants;
· Kanwal Singh, Dean of Sarah Lawrence College;
· Melissa Starke, Curator of Urban Studio Unbound Gallery
· Masha Turchinsky, Director of the Hudson River Museum

The Generation Yonkers campaign kicked off during the opening days of March with TV ads running for three months on FIOS and Cablevision, as 60-second spots running on WCBS-880 radio through the end of August and Gen Y is sponsoring the WCBS-880 opening bell report every weekday morning. Print ads will be running through the end of the year in local publications and interior car cards are appearing on the Harlem and Hudson Line of Metro-North through March 26. The campaign also includes a comprehensive program on a digital ad network that includes geotargeting, geofencing, key word search, contextual ads, search retargeting and Facebook ads. In addition, www.generationyonkers.com, new website for the campaign was also launched.

The new campaign was unveiled at a reception held at the Hudson River Museum featuring those who are appearing in the new ads as well as those who appeared in the previous campaigns.

“The secret’s out – Yonkers is the city to live, work and play in,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in our city over the last five years, thanks in large part to the Generation Yonkers marketing campaign and I am confident that this latest re-energized and refreshed campaign will continue the momentum. The future of Yonkers is now – we invite everyone to be part of it.”

Here is what some of the leaders featured in the new marketing campaign have said about Yonkers:

· “Yonkers is in the center of a renaissance. That same energy that started happening in Brooklyn about 10 years ago is happening here. I feel it germinating.”
— Christian Petroni, Chef and Owner of Fortina Restaurant, who is opening his newest restaurant in April at the Boyce Thompson Center in Yonkers
· “As a business owner, it’s so refreshing in Yonkers. People are more receptive to what you need to keep your business going. When you look at Brooklyn and you look at Yonkers, Yonkers just makes more sense.”
— Jason Evege, Founder and Owner of Linoto, a high-quality textile company that moved to Yonkers from Manhattan

· “One of our partnerships with Yonkers is the Environmental Education Center right there in one of the most exciting parts of the city. It’s really a way for our students to be involved in the vibrancy of Yonkers.”
— Kanwal Singh, Dean of Sarah Lawrence College which has the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River on the Yonkers waterfront

· “There is $1 billion worth of development going on in the City of Yonkers and the arts are leading the way.”
— Masha Turchinsky, Director of the Hudson River Museum

· “Yonkers has a really diverse artistic population. There’s a great vibe in the downtown.”
— Melissa Starke, FIT professor and Curator of Urban Studio Unbound Gallery

· “What we like about Yonkers and working with city officials is their real entrepreneurial spirit.”
— Mike Brady, President & CEO of Greyston Bakery, which has operated in Yonkers for the past 33 years

Bender writes: Yonkers is undergoing an economic renaissance with more than $1 billion in development under way. According to the city’s Department of Planning and Development, Yonkers has more than 5,000 multi-family residential units recently completed, under construction and approved for development. The city’s hotel market is also booming with approximately 1,200 rooms. Since 2012, the Department of Planning and Development has been responsible for winning 13 grants valued at more than $10 million and has administered a total of more than $40 million of existing grants during the past four years.”

YONKERS TRIBUNE: Yonkers Albany Delegation of Four State Representatives Still Clueless Over the Needs of Yonkersites

The Political Hezitorial New York State Democratic Conference Leader Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senator George Latimer, New York State Assemblymember Shelley Mayer, and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow are suggested in a February 26, 2017 press release to have each approved, and have each subscribed that they have “listened” to constituent concerns and “answered” questions with respect to the FY 2017-2018 proposed NYS …

http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2017/03/yonkers-albany-delegation-of-four-state-representatives-still-clueless-over-the-needs-of-yonkersites-by-hezi-aris

PRESS RELEASE: Yonkers Man Extradited from Scotland to Face Charges in Shooting Death

WHITE PLAINS, NY — March 2, 2017 — Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced that Sheppard Adeghe (DOB 07/25/85) of 125 Caryl Avenue, Yonkers, New York was arraigned today before Judge Barbara Zambelli on an indictment charging him with:

• one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a class “A-1” Felony,
• one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony

in the shooting death of Elias Flores.

On August 10, 2016 at approximately 7:15 p.m., a car drove into the emergency room area at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers. The victim, who was suffering from a gunshot wound, was dropped off. Within an hour of his arrival at the hospital, the victim was pronounced dead.

An autopsy by the medical examiner determined the cause of death to be a single gunshot wound that passed through the victim’s arm and entering his chest.

Detectives from the Yonkers Police Department located the car that transported the victim to the hospital. Blood stains were found in the back seat.

Two days later, on August 12, 2016, the defendant applied for and was issued an emergency United States passport. That same day he boarded an international flight to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. From there, he flew to Edinburgh, Scotland.

In the course of their investigation, Yonkers detectives obtained information leading to the identification of the defendant, placing him on Poplar Street at the time the victim was shot and just before his arrival at the hospital.

On August 26, 2016, Yonkers Police received a tip that the defendant was in Edinburgh. On September 1, 2016 police there executed a Federal warrant and detained the defendant.

Extradition proceedings were commenced which resulted in the defendant’s return to the United States with the assistance of the United States Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The defendant pled not guilty.

His remand continues.

His next court date is March 14, 2017.

The defendant faces a maximum of twenty-five years to life in state prison.

Assistant District Attorney Julia Cornachio and Assistant District Attorney Brian Bendish of the Superior Court Trial Division are prosecuting the case.

In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

PRESS RELEASE: Jenkins for Westchester County Executive Campaign Ramps Up

YONKERS, NY — March 2, 2017 — The Jenkins campaign today announced two significant additions to his team for election as the next Westchester County Executive. The campaign has hit its stride, making pivotal new hires with the election still eight months away.

Joe Montalto has joined the team as Campaign Manager. For more than thirty years, Joe has served New York City, New York State and Westchester County governments. Before he spent time as a New York State Senator representing Brooklyn, Joe began his career serving the Koch Administration in New York City. He then made a move to the New York State Housing Department. Joe left the Housing Department to become a Senior Advisor to two state senate minority leaders and director of the New York State Senate Campaign Committee.

Montalto made the move to Westchester to serve as the deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Parks Department, and worked as the director of Rye Playland. Joe also brings to the table his vast experience in political campaigns at all levels throughout the state.

“Joe’s expertise is unparalleled,” said Jenkins. “He’ll come in and take the campaign to the next level. His political and governmental experience in Westchester helps us in all areas – strategic, tactical, and operational. He’s the right guy for the job.”

The campaign also announced the hiring of Peter Brown, a partner at BrownMillerGroup, to handle the campaign’s press operation. Peter, a national-level political operative, brings to the campaign laser-like focus on direct voter contact and targeted communications.

“Peter has won huge races. He has the breadth of experience we need to get the message out,” Jenkins said. “My campaign will be the most sophisticated grassroots campaign Westchester County has seen,” he added. “With the leadership in place, we are ready to go.