Good Morning, Brooklyn: Tuesday, May 10, 2022

May 10, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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INDICTMENT FOR CREDIT CARD AND LICENSE FRAUD: Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on Monday announced that a Brooklyn man has been indicted for allegedly forging more than one hundred credit and gift cards to rack up high-end purchases from luxury retailers, including Gucci and Prada. The defendant has also been indicted in a separate case for allegedly forging a North Carolina driver’s license.

The district attorney identified the defendant as Berlioz Florestal, 20, of Midwood, who was charged with 223 counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and other forgery related charges. He was released without bail and ordered to return to court on July 28, 2022.

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SENTENCING IN SHOOTING OF BASKETBALL PLAYER: A Brownsville teenager, who was only 14 when he fatally shot a 16-year-old boy who was playing basketball, has been sentenced to 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced yesterday. In September 2018, the defendant, identified as Aaron Nathaniel, in an incident captured on video surveillance, opened fire on a crowd of people on a basketball court, fatally striking the victim, 16-year-old Oluwadurotimi Oyebola, known as Timi, of Queens, once in the head. The defendant was arrested two weeks later following an investigation.

The defendant was sentenced as a juvenile offender by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Craig Walker.

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CARIBBEAN MARKETPLACE OPENS THIS WEEKEND: Caton Flats and Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace, formerly known as Flatbush Caton Market, celebrates its grand opening this Friday, May 13 amid a weekend of festivities, with Mayor Eric Adams, Urbane, and several city government agencies. The grand opening will also introduce Mangrove™ accelerator — an economic mobility platform and incubator program whose goal is to spur community wealth opportunities — to the site to promote the growth of new and existing small local businesses.

Additionally, the Marketplace welcomes several new food-hall vendors, including Picky Eaters (@pickyeatersnyc) by Osei Blackett, which offers contemporary Indo-Afro cuisine capturing Trinidad’s diverse food culture; and Petisco Brazuca (@petiscobrazuca) by Ricardo Rosa, specializing in Brazilian snacks such as coxinhas and empanadas.

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FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL NEXT MONTH: Enjoy Francophone Cinema, courtesy of the French Embassy-Villa Albertine’s free annual French film festival in New York city parks, starting on June 3. This year’s edition of Films on the Green, with the theme From Page to Screen, spotlights 12 diverse and world-class literary adaptations, two of which will be held in Brooklyn. WNYC Transmitter Park on Greenpoint Ave. will be the theater on June 24, at 8:30 p.m. with the showing of LE CAPITAN by André Hunebelle (1960), in which a warrior tries to save the life of a teen sovereign from a ruthless adversary. Then on September 9 in McGolrick Park, the film “Eleanor’s Secret,” about a library that becomes magical, will be shown, and is suitable for children ages 4 and up.

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GRAHAM FIESTA RETURNS: The Graham Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) is resuming its annual Graham Avenue Fiesta this Saturday, May 14, as a celebration of the resilience and renewal of its local businesses and community as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in its 17th year, this full-day street fair – along seven blocks of Graham Avenue (Avenue of Puerto Rico), between Broadway and Boerum St. – brings out the entire neighborhood for a family-friendly day, with this year’s theme being the importance of health care and financial literacy.

The event, a collaboration between the Graham Avenue BID, the area’s business improvement district, and Clearview Productions will also help the Graham Avenue BID launch its “Get It @ Graham” local shopping campaign, which introduces its Get It @ Graham Community Gift Card program, with a growing list of participating restaurants and retail merchants.

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YMCA HOSTS HIRING EVENT AT NYC BRANCHES: The YMCA branches around New York City will host hiring events this Saturday, May 14, and next Wednesday, May 28. Community members will be able to interview for a range of jobs on the spot. (More info via at www.ymcanyc.org/careers)

Bring a resume and stop by any branch in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or the Bronx. No appointment required but must show proof of being fully vaccinated.

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FABULOUS FIFTH AVENUE FAIR RETURNS: Back after Covid, a 20-year Park Slope tradition returns this Sunday, May 15 — THE FABULOUS FIFTH AVENUE FAIR, known for its family-friendly, homegrown local vibe. Local Fifth Avenue businesses set up right in front of their bars, restaurants, and boutiques – with outdoor music, games, rides, dance, art show and vintage cars.

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MAYORS OF NEW YORK CITY, LONDON COLLABORATE ON REDUCING FOOD WASTE: C40 Cities has launched new partnership with American Express to support the development of consumption-based emissions inventories for New York City and London. The collaboration, involving consumption inventories, was discussed today at a meeting between C40 Chair, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with Adams announcing that New York City will sign on to the C40 Good Food Cities Declaration to increase access to balanced and nutritious food to residents and reduce food waste by half.

New York City and London join 13 other cities in the C40 Good Food Cities Declaration to increase access to balanced and nutritious food, and prevent waste.

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IPS NEWS: FOOD DELIVERY WILL SUPPORT LOCAL PANTRIES: U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-11^th District/Southwest Brooklyn) yesterday delivered 500 pounds of food to the Bay Ridge Community Development Center as part of her efforts “to support local food pantries and families as food prices continue to rise,” she said. Rep. Malliotakis facilitated a donation with Goya Foods.

Thanking the Congress member, Bibi Esahack, executive director for the Bay Ridge Community Development Center, said, “It’s important to recognize that New York City is still experiencing food insecurity and we all must do our part to help those who are struggling.”

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IPS NEWS: BROOKLYN MUSEUM RECEIVES CHECK FOR ARTS OF AFRICA COLLECTION: Congressmember Yvette D. Clarke (D-Flatbush and Central Brooklyn) on Saturday presented a check for the Community Project Funding awarded to Brooklyn Museum. The funds will support critical costs for the upcoming creation of the first-ever permanent galleries for the museum’s world-renowned Arts of Africa collection.

The galleries will be the second-largest freely accessible collection of African art permanently on view in New York City, and the only one located in Brooklyn.

Rep. Yvette Clarke (at left) presents check to the Brooklyn Museum.
Photo credit: Office of Congressmember Yvette Clarke

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GANG LEADER SENTENCED: United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall yesterday sentenced Ronald Williams, a leader of the ‘90s Crew street gang based in the Canarsie and East Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn, to 24 years’ imprisonment for several counts, including conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. A federal jury had convicted him more than four years ago, following a two-week trial. (See page 20.)

Williams’ co-defendant, Leon Campbell, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to murder-for-hire conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute marijuana, and was sentenced in November 2019 to nine years’ imprisonment.