New York City

Subterms

    More stories

    • 188 Shares199 Views

      in Elections

      Daniel Penny’s Lawyers Will Ask to Throw Out Chokehold Charge in N.Y.C. Subway Death Case

      by

      Mr. Penny’s subway-car struggle with a homeless man, Jordan Neely, ended in death. On Thursday, his lawyers will also ask a judge to exclude video of Mr. Penny discussing the encounter.Minutes after a subway rider named Daniel Penny choked Jordan Neely in a train car in May 2023, Mr. Penny stood inside the Broadway-Lafayette Street station in Manhattan telling officers, “I just put him out.”Mr. Penny was recorded on body-worn camera explaining to officers that Mr. Neely, a homeless man, had entered an F train and thrown his possessions on the ground, and that he was “was very aggressive, going crazy.”“He’s like: ‘I’m ready to go to prison for life. I’m ready to die, I’m ready to die,’” Mr. Penny told an officer, according to court filings from prosecutors. “And I was standing behind him. I think I might have just put him in a choke, put him down. We just went to the ground. He was trying to roll up. I had him pretty good. I was in the Marine Corps.”Last year, Mr. Penny, who is from Long Island, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, and jury selection for his trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 21. In a hearing on Thursday, lawyers for Mr. Penny asked a judge to suppress the comments he made to officers at the subway station and later at a precinct house, and to dismiss the indictment against him.When the video of the encounter spread online last year, it reverberated through the nation. The chokehold was captured in a four-minute video that showed Mr. Penny with his arms around Mr. Neely’s neck and his legs wrapped around his body. Mr. Neely struggled against Mr. Penny’s restraint as two other men stepped in to hold him down.Mr. Penny cooperated with officers who came to the scene and arrested him after Mr. Neely died, even going back to the Fifth Precinct to speak with them, his lawyers said in court filings. However, his statements followed what they argued was an illegal arrest.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares199 Views

      in Elections

      Tim Pearson, Adams Confidant, Resigns Amid Corruption Investigations

      by

      Few people in city government were closer to Mayor Eric Adams than Timothy Pearson, who had a role in handling migrant shelter contracts.One of Mayor Eric Adams’ closest aides and confidants resigned on Monday, less than a week after the mayor was indicted on corruption charges — and nearly a month after federal agents seized the aide’s phones in a separate corruption inquiry, according to a resignation letter his lawyer said had been sent to the mayor.The aide, Timothy Pearson, had a broad portfolio that included dealing with contracts for migrant shelters and focusing on public safety. He is the fifth senior member of the mayor’s administration to announce his departure in the past three weeks.In the letter, Mr. Pearson thanked the mayor and lauded the administration’s accomplishments.“As I look ahead to the next chapter of my life, I’ve decided to focus on family, self-care and new endeavors,” he wrote.A retired Police Department inspector, Mr. Pearson is also a defendant in four sexual harassment lawsuits filed by subordinates, and he is the subject of two separate inquiries by the New York City Department of Investigation. He was among the several senior administration officials whose phones were seized by federal investigators on Sept. 4.Tracking Charges and Investigations in Eric Adams’s OrbitFour federal corruption inquiries have reached into the world of Mayor Eric Adams of New York. Here is a closer look at the charges against Mr. Adams and how people with ties to him are related to the inquiries.Some members of the Adams administration had for weeks been pressing for the resignations of Mr. Pearson and others whose phones had been seized.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 150 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      NYC Fire Department Chief to Plead Guilty to Bribery Charge, U.S. Says

      by

      Brian E. Cordasco was one of two former high-ranking officials arrested earlier this month and charged with soliciting and receiving bribes to speed up safety approvals.A former chief of the New York Fire Department, who was arrested earlier this month and accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to speed up the fire-safety approval process, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of bribery conspiracy, federal prosecutors said on Monday.The former chief, Brian E. Cordasco, had been involved in plea negotiations with the government before deciding to plead guilty, according to a letter federal prosecutors sent on Monday to Judge Lewis J. Liman of Federal District Court in Manhattan. Prosecutors hoped to schedule a plea hearing for early October.Lawyers for Mr. Cordasco did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.Mr. Cordasco and Anthony M. Saccavino, another retired chief who was also arrested in September, were responsible for overseeing fire safety approvals of large-scale building projects. From 2021 to 2023, the former chiefs solicited and received bribes that involved 30 different projects citywide, according to the six-count indictment.The retired fire chiefs were both charged with bribery and bribery conspiracy; honest services wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy; and making false statements, including to the F.B.I. during interviews in February. Mr. Saccavino has pleaded not guilty to the charges.The alleged scheme happened during a time when there were long waits, exacerbated by the pandemic, for projects that needed site inspections and approval for fire safety plans. The Fire Department’s policy in most cases has been to review plans and do inspections in the order in which they were requested.The projects Mr. Cordasco and Mr. Saccavino fast-tracked included a high-end restaurant in Manhattan, an apartment building in Brooklyn and two hotels near Kennedy Airport in Queens, according to prosecutors.In February, both men were placed on modified duty and removed from their positions at the Fire Department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention after searches of their homes.In 2023, the Fire Department paid Mr. Cordasco $257,296 and Mr. Saccavino $263,478, prosecutors said.In the letter filed Monday, prosecutors said that they had made an offer to Mr. Cordasco under which he would plead guilty to count one and that they understood from his lawyers that he intended to accept that offer.Decisions to plead guilty are subject to change, and a defendant like Mr. Cordasco could decide at the last minute that he wants to fight the charges.The decision comes shortly after Mayor Eric Adams of New York was charged with bribery and fraud in a federal corruption investigation. Mr. Adams was charged with five counts, including one count of bribery related to accusations that he solicited free and heavily discounted foreign luxury travel in exchange for helping to obtain approval by Fire Department officials of a new Turkish consulate.There was no indication that the case involving Mr. Cordasco and Mr. Saccavino was related to any of the federal corruption investigations swirling around the mayor, his campaign and some of his most senior aides.Tracking Charges and Investigations in Eric Adams’s OrbitFour federal corruption inquiries have reached into the world of Mayor Eric Adams of New York. Here is a closer look at the charges against Mr. Adams and how people with ties to him are related to the inquiries. More

    • 113 Shares199 Views

      in Elections

      In U.N. Speech, Netanyahu Declares That Israel Is ‘Winning’

      by

      The Israeli prime minister castigated Israel’s critics and the United Nations itself during his visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel arrived in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, he seemed to be entering a lion’s den.Speaker after speaker at the annual gathering of world leaders had portrayed Israel as a global villain. Police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who called Mr. Netanyahu a war criminal. His public rebuttal of a Biden administration plan to pause the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah raised tensions between the two governments.But Mr. Netanyahu bulldozed his way through his visit, castigating Israel’s critics and the United Nations itself, offering no diplomatic concessions, and ordering an airstrike in Beirut that may have killed Israel’s long hunted archnemesis, the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.The strike landed even as Mr. Netanyahu delivered defiant remarks to a U.N. General Assembly hall — largely emptied after dozens of diplomats walked out in protest — in which he triumphantly declared of Israel’s multiple conflicts: “We are winning.”It is an assessment some U.S. officials say could reflect short-term truth while skirting past the risk of a larger conflict that could be devastating for all involved.Hours later, senior Israeli officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military operation, expressed remarkable confidence about their military and sabotage campaign against Hezbollah. Their blows against the group over the past two weeks and Mr. Nasrallah’s possible death could be a turning point, they said, in their ongoing struggle with Iran, which arms and funds Hezbollah, Hamas and other proxy forces in what the officials portrayed as a plan to destroy Israel.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 113 Shares189 Views

      in Elections

      City Investigators Seize Cash From New York Sheriff’s Office

      by

      The Department of Investigation is looking into whether Sheriff Anthony Miranda’s agency improperly took money from cannabis stores that it raided, closed and padlocked.City investigators seized cash on Thursday from safes at the New York City Sheriff’s Office, which has raided hundreds of illegal cannabis shops and confiscated millions of dollars in proceeds and merchandise, according to a spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Adams’s administration.The Department of Investigation is looking into whether the office improperly took money from stores that it had closed and padlocked, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss the case without authorization.The spokeswoman, Liz Garcia, said the agents had been called to the agency’s Queens headquarters at the request of Sheriff Anthony Miranda, who was appointed by Mr. Adams. She said that on Wednesday, Mr. Miranda had discovered money that apparently was not properly accounted for.“Sheriff Miranda learned of seemingly unvouchered cash held in safe boxes and self-reported the incident to his supervisors,” Ms. Garcia said in a statement Thursday evening. “His supervisors then reported this to the Department of Investigation. We expect every city employee to follow proper procedures.”The Department of Investigation also has also been looking into whether Mr. Miranda, a former police sergeant, or others acting on his behalf solicited money for a police fraternal organization from merchants in exchange for protection against raids, said two of the people, who are law enforcement officers.“There’s no factual basis to any of that nonsense,” Mr. Miranda said when reached by telephone Thursday night.Here Are the Charges Eric Adams Faces, AnnotatedThe Times annotated the indictment.Tracking Charges and Investigations in Eric Adams’s OrbitFour federal corruption inquiries have reached into the world of Mayor Eric Adams of New York. Here is a closer look at the charges against Mr. Adams and how people with ties to Mr. Adams are related to the inquiries.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in Elections

      Eric Adams Indictment: Read Charges NYC Mayor Faces

      by

      Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Thursday unveiled a five-count indictment against Mayor Eric L. Adams of New York, charging him with bribery conspiracy, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Mr. Adams, who is up for re-election in 2025, insisted he was innocent and says he intends to fight the case, which is led by […] More

    • 125 Shares119 Views

      in Elections

      These Are the People Running for NYC Mayor Against Adams

      by

      Now that Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted, his path to re-election in New York is likely to become much more difficult.Mr. Adams is running for a second term in a competitive Democratic primary next June. Already, four prominent Democrats have entered the race, arguing that Mr. Adams is a poor manager and has not addressed the city’s affordability crisis. And even more challengers may enter the race.So far, the field includes Brad Lander, the city’s left-leaning comptroller who recently pledged to end street homelessness for severely mentally ill people, and Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller who has focused on affordable housing and whose 2021 mayoral campaign was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct.There is also Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn who is proposing free “universal after-school” programs, and Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens who has focused on affordability and is friendly with unions.Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens who is weighing entering the race, wants to stop rent increases that have taken place under Mr. Adams. And former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 after facing a series of sexual harassment allegations, is also considering running, and has focused this year on combating antisemitism.If Mr. Adams resigns, the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would become acting mayor and might run for the job on a permanent basis. Mr. Williams is a left-leaning former City Council member from Brooklyn who has been a fierce critic of Mr. Adams, assailing the mayor’s aggressive policing strategy.Mr. Adams’s approval rating was already dismal before his indictment. In a Quinnipiac poll taken last December, only 28 percent of New Yorkers approved of the job he was doing — the lowest rating for any New York City mayor in a Quinnipiac survey since it began polling the city in 1996.Mr. Adams, a former police officer who ran for mayor on a public safety message, won by a slim margin in the 2021 Democratic primary. He beat his closest challenger, Kathryn Garcia, the city’s former sanitation commissioner, by roughly 7,200 votes. More

    • 75 Shares129 Views

      in Elections

      What Happens if Eric Adams Resigns?

      by

      If Mayor Eric Adams were to resign, New York City’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would become the acting mayor.Mr. Williams, a left-leaning Democrat from Brooklyn, has served as public advocate since winning a special election in 2019. He was re-elected to a full term in 2021 and ran unsuccessfully for governor the next year.Mr. Williams has been a fierce critic of Mr. Adams, assailing the mayor’s aggressive policing strategy and pushing to end solitary confinement in city jails. Mr. Williams has also cast doubts about the mayor’s ability to govern amid a swirl of federal investigations.Within three days of becoming mayor, Mr. Williams would name a date for a special election to pick a new mayor, according to the city’s charter. The nonpartisan election could be held within 90 days. The city’s relatively new ranked-choice voting system, in which voters can rank multiple candidates, would be used.No public advocate has become acting mayor before. Only two mayors have resigned — Jimmy Walker in 1932 and William O’Dwyer in 1950 — both after corruption scandals. The office of public advocate was created in 1993.Mr. Williams said recently that he was exhausted and angered by the troubling headlines about Mr. Adams and his administration, arguing that the municipal corruption scandals appeared to be “the worst since Tammany Hall.”“I’m not sure how you continue to govern with, every day, more corrupt arrests, more corrupt suspicions,” he said.Mr. Adams has insisted that he will not resign. The mayor recently told reporters that more than 700,000 people had voted for him in the 2021 election.“I was elected by the people of the city, and I’m going to fulfill my obligation to the people of this city,” he said.On Wednesday, after news of his indictment was made public, the mayor made it clear that his stance had not changed.“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Mr. Adams said in a statement. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.” More