What’s News, Breaking: Friday, December 1, 2023

December 1, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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FTX CEO BANKMAN-FRIED REPORTEDLY HIT UP FOR ‘PROTECTION’ PAYMENTS IN BROOKLYN JAIL

SUNSET PARK — FORMER FTX CRO SAM BANKMAN-FRIED was reportedly hit up for protection payments during his pretrial detention time at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Cointeligraph reports. New York mob enforcer-turned-informant Gene Borrello claimed in an interview that he spent time with Bankman-Fried, who was “out of his element” in jail.

Other prisoners saw the former crypto mogul as timid, having “the body of the 80-year-old,” and presumed to have access to money, Borrello said.

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POLICE SEEK MAN ACCUSED OF STRIKING STRANGER IN FACE WITH BOTTLE

CYPRESS HILLS — POLICE SAY A MAN WAS MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS ON FULTON STREET in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, at 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, when a stranger walked up to him and struck him in the face with a glass bottle. The victim was transported by EMS to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in stable condition. Now, police have released a photo of the suspect and are seeking the public’s help finding him. The individual is described as male with a dark complexion and slim build, last seen wearing a black hooded jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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POLYCHORAL MUSIC FROM 1600S HEADED TO BROOKLYN CATHEDRAL

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — MORE THAN 300 STUDENTS FROM CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS BROOKLYN AND QUEENS recently attended a rehearsal of rarely-performed pieces of Baroque Polychoral music dating from 1600s Venice at the stunning Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn, in preparation for concerts to be held on Dec. 8 and 9. In Polychoral music, multiple choirs are positioned at different locations to produce what has been called “one of the most magnificent sounds ever created.” In the 1600s, people traveled from across the globe to experience the music, including Marc Antoine Charpentier, whose “Mass for Four Choirs” and “Te Deum” will be included in the upcoming performances.

Free tickets are available on Eventbrite for “A Polychoral Christmas,” presented by The MACC Ensemble with The Unsung Collective.

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GOVERNOR HOCHUL: NEED LEADERS WHO
WILL SERVE, ‘FIGHT FOR’ NEW YORK

STATEWIDE — DECLARING, “I’M GLAD HE’S GONE,” GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ON FRIDAY SPOKE WITH SPECTRUM NEW YORK 1 NEWS after the vote to expel George Santos’ from Congress, his brief career in the House, and the adverse impact she believes he had on New York. “When you look at his lack of ethics and the fact that, you know, he has not served the people of our state, particularly New York 3 where he resides, it’s been an abysmal run for him. And he has not done what he has to do for New Yorkers…I need people I can work with to fight for New York, to bring federal money to our state, to create jobs and opportunities. And George Santos just took up space.”

A governor has, by law, 10 days after a vacancy in the House of Representatives to issue a proclamation for a special election. The special election must then be scheduled 60-70 days from the date the proclamation is issued.

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GOOGLE: IF YOU USE THE CHROME BROWSER, UPDATE IT IMMEDIATELY

WORLDWIDE — PEOPLE USE WHO THE CHROME BROWSER FOR WINDOWS, MAC OR LINUX are urged to immediately install an emergency security update released by Google on Nov. 28. Google has acknowledged that the vulnerability is already being exploited, adding to the urgency. Security researchers, forming part of the Google Threat Analysis Group, discovered and reported the vulnerability on Nov. 24, PCMagazine reports. Users of Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi are also advised to apply the fixes when they become available, The Hacker News reports.

If Chrome users haven’t enabled automatic updates on their computers and devices, they can visit Google’s support page to manually obtain the latest version of Chrome.

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REP. GOLDMAN: ‘THE PEOPLE OF NY-03 WILL NOW
HAVE A REAL REPRESENTATIVE’ IN CONGRESS

CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN CONGRESSMAN DAN GOLDMAN (D-10) on Friday morning, Dec. 1, met with former Rep. George Santos’ constituents, particularly a group identified as the Concerned Citizens of NY-03, to advocate for Santos’ expulsion. Following the expulsion vote, Goldman stated that, in trying to protect a narrow majority, House Republicans put their own interests first and left the citizens of New York’s 3rd Congressional District (parts of Queens and Nassau County) “without real representation in Congress.” Calling out Rep. Elise Stefanik in particular, Goldman denounced the action of the “more than half of House Republicans” who voted against Santos’ expulsion. “Despite their best efforts, the Congress of the United States won today. But more importantly, the people of NY-03 will now have a real representative in the House.”

Congressman Goldman had submitted the original complaint to the Ethics Committee about Santos that resulted in the scathing 56-page report from the Committee that preceded Friday’s vote.

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STATE DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN PLEDGES TO WORK
ASSIDUOUSLY TO NOMINATE SANTOS’ REPLACEMENT

STATEWIDE — CALLING GEORGE SANTOS’ EXPULSION “A HUGE WIN FOR DECENCY, HONESTY, AND THE RULE OF LAW,” NY State Democratic Committee Chairman Jay S. Jacobs said that the Dec. 1 House vote “ends a sorry chapter in the history of our county and our country.” Jacobs pledged to work closely with Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Queens Democratic Chair, Gregory Meeks and “to nominate the most qualified candidate with the best chance of success in the upcoming Special Election to fill the 3rd Congressional seat.”

According to the State Democratic Committee’s website, Jacobs, who previously served as the Nassau County Chairman of the Democratic party, is credited with helping flip the balance of power for five New York State Senate races in Nassau County, including electing the first-ever Iranian-American New York State Senator, and the first-ever Indian-American New York State Senator.

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REP. MALLIOTAKIS VOTES TO EXPEL
FELLOW REPUBLICAN GEORGE SANTOS

BAY RIDGE AND CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN’S ONLY REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS, REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-11), WAS AMONG THOSE VOTING TO EXPEL fellow GOP Rep. George Santos. Malliotakis, who serves southwestern Brooklyn and Staten Island, issued a statement after her vote, stating, “Earlier this year, the House requested the Ethics Committee conduct an investigation into the allegations against George Santos; they issued 38 subpoenas, interviewed 40 witnesses, and reviewed 170,000 pages of documents. Based on the evidence produced by their thorough investigation, it’s crystal clear that he improperly used campaign donations to purchase luxury goods, botox, make OnlyFans payments, and even committed credit card fraud against some members of this body and their families.”

Santos’ “actions are unbecoming of a Member of Congress and he has been nothing but a stain on our institution who lost the trust of both his constituents and colleagues,” declared Malliotakis.

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
IN RARE BIPARTISAN MOVE,
VOTES TO EXPEL GEORGE SANTOS

CAPITOL HILL — THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTED ON FRIDAY MORNING, DEC. 1, IN A RARE SHOW OF BIPARTISAN COOPERATION TO EXPEL EMBATTLED CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS, who represented New York’s 3rd District, encompassing Queens and part of Nassau County. According to the Associated Press and other news reports, Friday’s vote marked the third time the House tried to expel Santos. This third vote came after the House Ethics Committee released a scathing report accusing him of spending campaign donations on personal use. Congress voted 311-114, with a two-thirds support requirement in such cases.

Santos, who is only the sixth member in the lower chamber’s history to have his colleagues oust him, gave a belligerent floor speech Thursday evening ahead of the vote and implied threats of retribution. He claims he’s never been convicted, but the House Ethics Committee’s report accuses him of breaking federal law.

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FAMILY SUES WOODHULL HOSPITAL FOR $42M
OVER WOMAN’S DEATH DURING CHILDBIRTH

BUSHWICK AND DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE FAMILY OF A BROOKLYN WOMAN WHO DIED AFTER GIVING BIRTH IS SUING THE HOSPITAL FOR $42 MILLION with prominent civil rights attorney Sanford Rubenstein representing them. The Daily News reported on Friday, Dec. 1, that 30-year-old Christine Fields on Nov. 11 walked into Woodhull Hospital — which is part of the NYC Health + Hospitals public health system — to deliver her baby boy. The family, who said that Ms. Fields’ had experienced a normal pregnancy, claims in the litigation that the hospital ordered an emergency C-section over her objections, and that medical malpractice was responsible for Fields’ death, Rubenstein said. The yet-unborn baby’s heart rate had dropped and the hospital rushed Fields into surgery, where the newborn was delivered alive and healthy. The family is awaiting autopsy reports, the Daily News reported.

“Three children, ages 3, 5 and a newborn infant, will now be raised without a mother,’ said the family’s attorney Sanford Rubinstein. “This is tragic. This family had no reason to think this wasn’t going to be a healthy childbirth.”

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DELIVERISTAS WIN COURT BATTLE FOR MINIMUM WAGE

STATEWIDE — FOOD APP DELIVERY WORKERS ON THURSDAY WON THE RIGHT TO BE PAID MINIMUM WAGE after the state Supreme Court’s Appellate Division denied an appeal filed by app companies DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber to pay delivery workers the equivalent of $12.69 per hour, less than the 2019 minimum wage of $15 an hour. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, at the time a Council Member, was the lead sponsor of the original bill to establish a minimum wage for deliveristas.

“Today deliveristas won a monumental, long-overdue minimum pay rate that they so rightly deserve. As essential workers with grueling conditions, they deserve a pay standard that is not dictated by the whims of apps companies or by how many food orders they can achieve in an hour,” Lander said in a release on Thursday.

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POLICE SEEK MAN WHO SHOT 2 PEOPLE ON C TRAIN IN BROOKLYN

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT TWO COMMUTERS — a 17-year-old man and a 57-year-old male bystander — on a moving C train as it was approaching Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn around 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Cops said the stranger approached the 17-year-old and engaged him in a dispute before pulling out a gun and firing off multiple rounds. The young man was hit in the left hand and the bystander in the left ankle, and the suspect fled by foot on Ralph Avenue. The victims were transported to an area hospital in stable condition. The suspect is described as a male with a medium complexion, roughly 20 years old. He was last seen wearing a green jacket, blue jeans and black and white sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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ADAMS’ PRESS SECRETARY WAS A FOREIGN AGENT FOR TURKISH TRADE GROUP IN 2021

CITY HALL — ANOTHER TURKISH COMPLICATION FOR ADAMS: A year before joining the mayor’s office, Amaris Cockfield, one of Eric Adams’ press secretaries, registered as a foreign agent for a trade group linked to the authoritarian regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, The City reports. Brianna Suggs, Adams’ chief fundraiser who was recently raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into whether Adams’ 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government to obtain illegal donations, was paid about $100,000 by a political action committee called Striving for a Better New York, which is run by Cockfield’s father, Rev. Al Cockfield II.

PAC advisory board member, Brad Gerstman, told Politico the organization’s main function is to push back against “the left-wing” of the Democratic party.

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MAYOR’S NEW STRATEGY ON TRAFFIC SAFETY INCLUDES BETTER INTERSECTION ‘DAYLIGHTING’

CITYWIDE — JUST DAYS AFTER ANNOUNCING DEEP CUTS TO THE NYPD AND PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGETS, Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday, Nov. 30, announced a strategy to make improvements to at least 2,000 intersections annually. The plan includes the addition of lifesaving sight lines (known as daylighting) to at least a thousand intersections, and the expansion of safety technology pilot in city vehicles, particularly in contractor and licensee heavy-duty vehicles, similar to the one that killed a 77-year-old Holocaust survivor in Midwood on Monday. The plan also calls for the NYPD to include traffic violence data in regular CompStat reporting for the first time, treating traffic safety as a core public safety issue. “One traffic fatality is one too many,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said at Thursday’s announcement. Yet, Brooklyn alone has experienced several pedestrian fatalities during November alone, according to various news reports covering the collisions.

The day after 77-year-old Erika Wajsman was killed while crossing Avenue P, Transportation Alternatives released a report indicating that SUVs have accounted for 34% of NYC pedestrian deaths since 2022, including one in Borough Park on Nov. 14.

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EMT FREDERICK WHITESIDE COMMEMORATED BY FDNY MEMBERS, CITY OFFICIALS

STARRETT CITY — BAGPIPES PLAYED AND DOZENS OF FDNY MEMBERS AND CITY OFFICIALS STOOD AT ATTENTION to honor veteran EMT Frederick D. Whiteside at a solemn service on Wednesday. Whiteside, 43, died earlier this month of cardiac arrest while working at a 911 dispatch center in the Bronx. The celebration of his life was held at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. “He lived a full life. He laughed, he smiled, he gave back, he believed. He produced a beautiful child who is going to go on to do great things,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “There was only one role that Frederick took more seriously than being an EMT, and that was being a father to his beautiful daughter, Jaylynn,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.

The full service may be viewed online.

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STATE GETS NEARLY $24M TO BOLSTER ELECTRICAL GRID AGAINST EXTREME WEATHER

STATEWIDE — NEW YORK STATE HAS BEEN AWARDED NEARLY $24 MILLION in federal funding to strengthen and modernize the State’s electric grid, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The funding will help mitigate the impact of extreme weather and natural disasters on the grid. The US Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Tribal Formula Grant, under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide support for New York projects that help ensure the reliability of the State’s power sector infrastructure and access to affordable and clean electricity for New Yorkers. The NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will launch a competitive selection process in the first quarter of 2024 for projects that address goals in compliance with the award, which include: storm hardening, predictive analytics, climate justice, energy affordability and job creation.

New York is one of nine states and five tribal nations that were awarded a combined total of $125 million as the seventh cohort of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants.

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BROOKLYN RESIDENT CONFIRMED AS FEDERAL JUDGE

CAPITOL HILL — THE U.S. SENATE ON TUESDAY, NOV. 28, CONFIRMED BROOKLYNITE MARGARET GARNETT AS A DISTRICT JUDGE ON THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT for the Southern District of New York. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also from Brooklyn, had nominated Garnett and endorsed her candidacy. Garnett is currently Deputy United States Attorney for the Southern District, where she oversees the court’s criminal and civil divisions. Sen. Schumer spoke from the Senate floor just before the confirmation vote, calling Garnett “a proud resident of Brooklyn, a brilliant legal thinker, and someone whose entire life story has been defined by public service.” According to the website Senate Democrats, Schumer highlighted Garnett’s decade-plus experience prosecuting a range of cases, particularly having tried the nation’s largest tax fraud case. Schumer added, though, that “Ms. Garnett is also a fierce defender of the rights of the accused.”

The 49-46 vote was mostly along party lines, with only two Republicans — both women — voting Yes. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted with Democrats to confirm Garnett. Some Democrats were absent or didn’t vote.

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AMICUS BRIEF DEALS WITH LAW RESTRICTING LARGER-CAPACITY GUN MAGAZINES

NATIONWIDE — AN AMICUS BRIEF THAT NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES AND A COALITION OF 19 ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACROSS THE U.S. HAVE FILED supports a California law that restricts large-capacity gun magazines. The amicus brief, filed Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in California, is for the case Duncan v. Bonta, dealing with the constitutionality of a California law that allows for the possession and sale of firearms magazines that accept up to ten rounds of ammunition, but prohibits larger capacity magazines. Attorney General James and her counterparts argue that California’s large-capacity magazine law is a constitutionally permissible restriction. They assert that states have widely adopted reasonable restrictions on the public carry, possession, and sale of many types of weapons, accessories, and ammunition deemed unsuitable for self-defense and that undermine the public’s safety.

The coalition also asserted that the Second Amendment does not protect large-capacity magazines because they are not “arms,” and they are not commonly used or suitable for self-defense.

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SEN. GILLIBRAND REVIVES BILL ON ROBOCALLERS, BOLSTERING PENALTIES

NATIONWIDE — SAYING, “DON’T DIAL IF YOU DON’T WANT A TRIAL,” U.S. SENATOR KIRSTIN GILLIBRAND on Thursday, Nov. 30, held a video conference to reintroduce the Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone Calls (DO NOT Call) Act to establish new criminal penalties for robocallers. The DO NOT Call Act strengthens criminal penalties for intentional violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which regulates the use of telemarketing calls. Under the DO NOT Call Act, repeated violations of telemarketing prohibitions are punishable by a prison sentence of up to 3 years, and the fines are doubled — from $10,000 to $20,000 — for falsifying caller ID information. Gillibrand also urges the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and track potentially devastating AI-powered scams.

“Robocalls are obnoxious and disruptive at best and mechanisms for insidious scams at worst,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Scammers should not be allowed unfettered access to New Yorkers at all times of day and night.”

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TWO SIDES OF KISSINGER: PAST SECRETARY OF STATE REMEMBERED FOR PROTECTING US INTERESTS ABROAD

WORLDWIDE — FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE HENRY KISSINGER, WHO DIED WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, is being remembered both as a shrewd and skilled leader who protected United States interests overseas, and also as a war criminal who turned his back on critical human rights violations when he believed doing so was necessary, even if it tore other nations apart. Kissinger, who reached his hundredth birthday on May 27, had as a Jewish youth fled the Nazis, then fought against them in the US Army 84th Division. He later earned his bachelor’s and advanced degrees at Harvard, before teaching International Relations there for two decades. Kissinger was credited with engineering new US relations with China, navigating America’s exit from Vietnam, and building power relationships with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He also negotiated the end of the Yom Kippur War, according to a statement that his consulting firm released on Wednesday.

Kissinger advised 12 Presidents, including the current U.S. leader, Joe Biden, Jr., and was the author of 21 books on national security.