GOVERNORS CUOMO AND MURPHY INTRODUCE SPEEDY “EXPOSURE APS” TO AID TRACING, STYMIE SPEED OF SPREAD,show the spread case by case.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS INTELLIGENCE. From NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phillip Murphy. October 1, 2020:

Download the App Here

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today announced the launch of COVID-19 exposure notification mobile apps in their respective states that will serve as crucial tools to supplement the effort to trace and contact individuals subject to a COVID exposure.

The apps, COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ, notify users of potential COVID-19 exposure while maintaining user privacy and security.

With today’s launch, New York and New Jersey join Pennsylvania and Delaware in creating a regional COVID Alert app network that operates across state lines to stop the spread of COVID-19. Connecticut has also announced it will launch the Exposure Notification System in the coming weeks. The app can be downloaded here.

The free mobile apps-available to anyone 18 or older who lives, works, or attends college in New York or New Jersey-are available for download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. COVID Alert NY is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Bengali, Korean, Russian and Haitian Creole.

“We have a very exciting announcement that has taken a lot of work and it’s really creative and smart and I think it can make a big difference. This is a technology-based contact tracing app. Testing is only as good as your contact tracing,” Governor Cuomo said. “Testing is to identify a person, so you can isolate and quarantine that person and then find the connections from that person, and that’s contact tracing. We have about 15,000 people statewide who do contact tracing, they call them disease detectives. But we’ve been looking for a technology-based solution. And today, we are announcing an app that you can download for free from the app store called COVID Alert NY.”

“Over the course of our public health emergency, we’ve called for a shared sense of personal responsibility to support our contact tracing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Murphy. “With the launch of COVID Alert NJ and our regional app network, New Jerseyans and residents in our neighboring states can support our fight against COVID-19 simply by downloading an application on their phone. The app is free and secure, and your identity, personally identifying information, and location will never be collected. The more phones that have the app, the better we can fight this pandemic.”

Governor Lamont said, “This is another critical tool in our toolbox to help our state keep the spread of COVID-19 at bay. With our states using similar technology it recognizes, yet again, that the virus does not recognize boundaries, and that we must continue to work together to take all of the steps necessary to keep our residents safe. Our efforts on contact tracing have been successful, and this will supplement those efforts.”

The apps use Exposure Notification System technology developed by Google and Apple to strengthen New York and New Jersey’s contact tracing programs statewide. The COVID Alert apps will notify users if they have been in close contact – within six feet for at least 10 minutes – with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Knowing about a potential exposure can help individuals quickly make a plan to stay safe, including contacting their physician or the State Health Department hotlines to get more information about quarantining and testing to prevent community spread.

COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ are completely anonymous and do not track or collect any location data or personal data from your phone. The COVID Alert apps do not use GPS location data. The Exposure Notification System uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to detect when another phone with the same app is within six feet. Proximity is measured, but not geographic location. COVID Alert app users must explicitly choose to turn on exposure notifications – and can turn it off at any time.

COVID Alert apps serve to strengthen New York and New Jersey’s contact tracing programs. After downloading the app, users must opt-in to receive “Exposure Notifications.” As individuals go about their day, the app will use Bluetooth to sense any “close contact” – other app users who are within six feet of you for more than 10 minutes. When the app senses a close contact, your phone will exchange a secure random code with the close contact’s phone. Of note, your location, name or personally identifiable data are never disclosed. If you test positive for COVID-19, a public health representative from the local health department will call as part of the states’ contact tracing programs and ask if you are willing to anonymously notify your “close contacts” by uploading your app’s anonymous close contact codes. Each day, the app will compare your list of close contact codes to the list of codes associated with positive COVID-19 app users. If there’s a match, you will get an Exposure Alert, along with appropriate next steps to stay safe and prevent community spread like self-quarantining and getting tested. COVID Alert apps never reveal the identity of the COVID-19 positive individual.

The COVID Alert NY app will work in conjunction with similar apps in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, allowing New Yorkers to continue to receive exposure notifications when exposed to residents of those states. If a New York State resident travels to one of those states and is exposed to someone with COVID-19 who has an equivalent app, the resident will receive a notification.

COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ provide users with the latest information about COVID-19 in their states, including publicly reported testing data. In addition, the app features a Health Log where users can anonymously record daily symptoms.

COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ were created with software developer NearForm. COVID Alert NY is a partnership between Google, Apple and Tech:NYC. 

“New York State has led the nation in our pandemic response, and we are thrilled to augment our already robust contact tracing program with this innovative technology to keep New Yorkers safe and their privacy maintained. The COVID Alert NY technology complements the work of our contact tracing teams and will speed up the process by which New Yorkers are notified of potential exposure and provided with helpful resources on testing and social services from the State Department of Health. We urge all New Yorkers to take the simple steps to download the app today,” said New York Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.

“The launch of COVID Alert NY is a win for New Yorkers. It will equip people with one more tool to protect themselves from the pandemic, and help us all keep the curve flat. This app took a lot of time and effort, and I applaud the Governor and our tech partners for their innovative and collaborative work. This is proof that New York can accomplish anything when its political, business, and community leaders come together,” said Julie Samuels, Executive Director, Tech:NYC. “COVID Alert NY will not alone stop the spread of COVID, but I am hopeful it will play a constructive role as one of several components to our pandemic response strategy. Privacy and transparency are ingrained in the app, and I strongly urge everyone to download it.”

“Built with privacy at its core, the COVID Alert app puts power in people’s hands to fight against COVID-19. In using open source peer-reviewed technology, interoperable with Pennsylvania and Delaware, the States of New York and New Jersey will allow citizens to engage, protect each other and break transmission chains. This privacy preserving approach has already been successfully rolled out across borders in Ireland and parts of the UK,” said Cian O Maidin, CEO, NearForm.

Visit ny.gov/covidalerts for more information about COVID Alert NY. The app is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.

Visit covid19.nj.gov/app for more information about COVID Alert NJ.

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20 On the Rise Covid-Hot Communities Continue Spread. Show 5.5% Infection Rate. Get Tested If You Live in these 20 ZIP CODES

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. 10 P.M. EDT September 30, 2020:

We continue to aggressively track clusters with a particular focus on the 20 ZIP codes with the highest infection rates. Within these 20 “hotspot” ZIP codes, the average infection rate is 5.5 percent.

If you live or work in one of the following ZIP codes please get a test: Rockland County (10952, 10977), Brooklyn (11230, 11204, 11219, 11223, 11229, 11210, 11234), the Bronx (10465, 10462), Manhattan (10040), Queens (11374), Staten Island (10306, 10304), Suffolk County (11717, 11746) and Nassau County (11580). 

The rate of infection for the rest of New York State, excluding those 20 ZIP codes, is 0.82 percent. While these 20 ZIP codes accounted for almost a quarter of yesterday’s positive cases, they represent only 6 percent of the state’s population.
Areas with high positivity rates now have access to rapid testing machines that the State has made available.

Table of the Day: If you live or work in one of these ZIP codes please get a test. Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. New York’s COVID positive test rate is hovering at just over one percent. Yesterday (Tuesday) , there were 605 total hospitalizations. Of the 97,960 tests reported yesterday, 1,000, or 1.02 percent, were positive. Sadly, we lost nine New Yorkers to the virus.  

2. Cost should not be a barrier for essential workers to access mental health services. The State Department of Financial Services is extending its emergency regulation requiring NY health insurers to waive out-of-pocket costs, including cost-sharing, deductibles, copays and coinsurance, for in-network mental health services for New York’s frontline essential workers until November 27. 

 3. The state is working with Orthodox Jewish community leaders to develop an action plan encouraging community members to follow Coronavirus guidelines. I had a productive meeting with leaders of the community today to discuss how we can all work together to contain the spread of COVID that we’re starting to see in some religious communities across the state. We will develop an action plan to protect the health and safety of these New Yorkers. 

 4. The State has issued updated guidance for taxis, for-hire vehicles and other transportation services. Drivers are encouraged to transport passengers with the windows down to increase ventilation, and to implement physical barriers between rider and driver, in addition to the mandatory mask wearing requirement for both drivers and passengers. See the updated guidance here.  

5. National Governors Association Vice Chair Asa Hutchinson and I called on Congress to prioritize state and local aid. The pandemic is a national problem, affecting all states, and it demands a bipartisan and national solution. Read our joint statement. 

 Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: When the pandemic hit New York City, many food truck vendors put their businesses on hold — but they did not stop cooking. To help combat food insecurity in New York City, the Urban Justice Center’s Street Vendor Project has worked with food truck vendors and found a way to keep the grills on. Food truck vendors have since whipped up 6,500 meals that have been distributed throughout Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The program, which ends on Friday, has helped many immigrant-run businesses stay afloat while providing many tasty meals to New Yorkers in need.  If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

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COUNTY POLICE INVESTIGATION OF MOTORCYCLE FATALITY ON HUTCH–ANOTHER WARNING ON MOTORISTS’ MOTORCYCLISTS’ DRIVING BEHAVIOR ON COUNTY PARKWAYS

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. NEWS AND COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. September 28, 2020:

The Westchester County Police released the following media advisory over the weekend:

“(Hawthorne, NY) – A motorcyclist was killed Friday night in a three-vehicle collision that occurred on the Hutchinson River Parkway near East Lincoln Avenue in Mount Vernon.

The collision, which occurred about 9:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes of travel, involved two automobiles and a motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle was ejected off his vehicle, went airborne over the center divider and landed in the southbound lanes of travel. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His identity is being withheld pending notification to his family. The full circumstances of the crash are under investigation by the Westchester County Police Accident Investigation Team.

Westchester County Police are also continuing the investigation into another deadly crash that occurred early Friday morning on the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon. In that incident, three persons were killed about 2:30 a.m. when the driver of a Toyota lost control of his vehicle, causing it to strike a guard rail and roll over.

The deceased in that crash are identified as: Garibaldi Reyes-Jerez, 22, of West 170th Street, Manhattan; John Pena-Martinez, 24, of Creston Avenue, Bronx; and Maria Vasquez-Guzman, 16, of Grand Concourse, Bronx. They were passengers in a vehicle driven by Yordany Bautista-Hernandez, 21, of Tiebout Avenue, Bronx, who suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed at this time. Anyone who witnessed the crash on the Cross County Parkway is asked to contact Detective Brandon Amlung at 914-864-7728 or via email at bma1@westchestergov.com. All calls or emails are confidential.“

These two accidents are not isolated.

As a person who drives the Taconic Parkway regularly on the weekends, I am surprised there are not more of these tragedies. I have never seen the speeding, impatience, and poor judgment of impatient motorists and motorcyclists on the parkways of Westchester County than I have this year.

Motorists unhappy with vehicles ahead of them going 60 to 65 miles per hour (10 miles over the speed limit), routinely tailgate, look for an opportunity to cut into the lanes to the left or right of the slower car ahead (often cutting to the inside) and explode around the car ahead of them.

They narrowly miss cars they are cutting in front of to floor it more than the 65.

The wary driver, has to look frequently in the rearview mirror to be able to avoid or get out of the way of the Taconic cowboys heading for an early ticket to Heaven.

There is very little speed enforcement.

In the 40 miles I drive northbound and south bound, I see a lone Trooper Car, once in awhile. But obviously the trooper cannot catch too many. And getting into traffic, moving on out, to catch the cowboy, is not always safe or easy to do. They have a tough and dangerous job.

It is time the Westchester County put Overhead Speed Freeze Photo cameras on the Sprain, the Saw Mill, the Hutchinson River Parkways and the Taconic, and Route 9.

A speed camera would pay for itself even more than redlight cameras. Westchester County could wipe out its $150 Million deficit a matter of months and turn a surplus.

The fines would be increased and the violations would be amazing up.

Another behavior that skilled motocyclists seem unable to resist is flying up the highway as fast as they can possibly obtain. Hopefully not with your daughter riding behind the dashing young man. Hopefully no aging motorcycle enthusiast with a family would do that.

We have all seen the lone motorcyclist in the review mirror flying out of nowhere with the thundering whine and his cycle cutting in front of you narrowly missing the car he is cutting in front of. These are “closies” that often have a cyclists’ life saved by the prudent braking of the car the motorcyclist cuts off.

Another phenomena are the groups of weekend motorcycle friends roaring up the Taconic as a pack and they want to stay together and weave in and out of the passenger car traffic at a higher speed enjoying the freedom of the choppers. Most do this responsibly but at a higher speed. Sometimes the last cyclist in following the group, just manages not to get clipped by the car being bypassed.

I love the social distancing and comradeship the motorcycle convoys represent and the Harley mystique and the motorcycle jacket with the club names. But please be careful on the mass passes on your love of the openroad.

Motorists, you are the biggest offenders. You have to realize that if you tailgate at 80 you have no margin of error when you pass.

The happy individual motorcyclist obsessed with his or her speed and the adrenaline of flying down curvy Westchester highways and two lane roads, must realize this not a movie, you are going 90 miles an hour down a dead end street. When there’s sudden slower traffic ahead, to avoid you have no margin, and they may clip you. You are roadkill.

24 hour video tape cameras on the same overpasses can observe frequent motorist reckless behavior and have trooper technicians issue mail summonses, by the way.

I mean no disrespect to motorists in a hurry or motocyclists out for this romantic and satisfying experience.

I am not trying to take away your rights or your right to experience the edge of performance.

Just perform responsibly.

The County might consider motorcycle Saturdays on the Bronx River Parkway. Imagine thundering through Scarsdale the BRP all to yourselves.

The County though could open a supervised motorcycle park of tracks and paths strictly motorcyclists and bicyclists (on separate hours.)

Remember no one wants the next motorcycle or motorcar trip to be your last.

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GOVERNOR’S COVID 19 SATURDAY- SUNDAY UPDATE

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1.00% Percent of FRIDAY’S Tests were Positive

Confirms 1,005 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 454,760; New Cases in 51 Counties

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Saturday updated New Yorkers on the state’s progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

“It’s vital that New Yorkers continue to practice the basic behaviors that drive our ability to fight COVID-19 as we move into the fall and flu season. Wearing masks, socially distancing and washing hands make a critical difference, as does the deliberate enforcement of state guidance by local governments,” Governor Cuomo said. “We’ll continue to closely monitor the data and keep New Yorkers updated so they can make educated decisions for themselves and their families. We can move through COVID-19 if we stay New York Tough and if we do so together.”

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 1,480 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 3 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday’s observed violations is below:

  • Suffolk – 3

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

  • Patient Hospitalization – 527 (+16)
  • Patients Newly Admitted – 95
  • Hospital Counties – 34
  • Number ICU – 164 (+10)
  • Number ICU with Intubation – 75 (-1)
  • Total Discharges – 76,528 (+72)
  • Deaths – 4
  • Total Deaths – 25,450

Of the 99,953 test results reported to New York State yesterday, 1,005, or 1.00 percent, were positive. Each region’s percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGIONWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAY
Capital Region0.5%0.7%0.7%
Central New York1.3%0.9%0.6%
Finger Lakes0.7%0.4%0.4%
Long Island0.7%1.0%0.9%
Mid-Hudson1.5%1.7%1.6%
Mohawk Valley0.3%0.6%0.5%
New York City1.1%1.0%1.1%
North Country0.5%0.1%0.2%
Southern Tier0.7%0.7%1.2%
Western New York1.9%1.1%1.3%

The Governor also confirmed 1,005 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 454,760 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 454,760 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany3,08219
Allegany1063
Broome1,55037
Cattaraugus2591
Cayuga2113
Chautauqua5687
Chemung44025
Chenango2491
Clinton1591
Columbia5913
Cortland1712
Delaware1330
Dutchess5,1157
Erie11,30857
Essex1673
Franklin660
Fulton3341
Genesee3192
Greene3230
Hamilton150
Herkimer3343
Jefferson1670
Lewis500
Livingston2071
Madison4931
Monroe6,00217
Montgomery2320
Nassau46,57671
Niagara1,7737
NYC242,311429
Oneida2,4077
Onondaga4,34221
Ontario4712
Orange12,01459
Orleans3322
Oswego4834
Otsego3383
Putnam1,5973
Rensselaer9083
Rockland15,10055
Saratoga1,0365
Schenectady1,3991
Schoharie841
Schuyler410
Seneca1060
St. Lawrence3220
Steuben40417
Suffolk46,34552
Sullivan1,5832
Tioga2345
Tompkins4091
Ulster2,2561
Warren3776
Washington2962
Wayne3161
Westchester38,05150
Wyoming1361
Yates620

Yesterday, there were 4 deaths due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 25,450. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

Deaths by County of Residence
CountyNew Deaths
Erie1
Kings2
Oneida1

1.02 Percent of SATURDAY’S COVID-19 Tests were Positive

6 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

SLA and State Police Task Force Visits 1,604 Establishments; Observes 9 Establishments Not in Compliance

Confirms 866 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 455,626; New Cases in 44 Counties

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state’s progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

“COVID-19 remains a force to be reckoned with throughout the country and around the globe, and we cannot drop our guard. While our numbers remain relatively flat, we continue to closely monitor the data daily as always,” Governor Cuomo said. “I urge New Yorkers to keep wearing masks, socially distancing and washing their hands, and local governments must continue to enforce state public health guidance. By staying vigilant and smart, we can beat COVID together.”

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 1,604 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 9 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday’s observed violations is below:

  • Queens – 1
  • Suffolk – 8

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

  • Patient Hospitalization – 541 (+14)
  • Patients Newly Admitted – 88
  • Hospital Counties – 34
  • Number ICU – 155 (-9)
  • Number ICU with Intubation – 59 (-16)
  • Total Discharges – 76,595 (+67)
  • Deaths – 6
  • Total Deaths – 25,456

Of the 84,770 test results reported to New York State yesterday, 866, or 1.02 percent, were positive. Each region’s percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGIONTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAY
Capital Region0.7%0.7%0.5%
Central New York0.9%0.6%1.1%
Finger Lakes0.4%0.4%0.7%
Long Island1.0%0.9%1.0%
Mid-Hudson1.7%1.6%1.6%
Mohawk Valley0.6%0.5%0.2%
New York City1.0%1.1%1.2%
North Country0.1%0.2%0.2%
Southern Tier0.7%1.2%1.4%
Western New York1.1%1.3%0.7%

The Governor also confirmed 866 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 455,626 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 455,626 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany3,09513
Allegany1060
Broome1,57222
Cattaraugus2601
Cayuga2154
Chautauqua5735
Chemung46121
Chenango2490
Clinton1601
Columbia5910
Cortland1710
Delaware1341
Dutchess5,1205
Erie11,34234
Essex1670
Franklin660
Fulton3351
Genesee3212
Greene3230
Hamilton150
Herkimer3340
Jefferson1703
Lewis500
Livingston2070
Madison4930
Monroe6,02624
Montgomery2320
Nassau46,64367
Niagara1,7774
NYC242,693382
Oneida2,4125
Onondaga4,36523
Ontario4732
Orange12,03622
Orleans3353
Oswego49310
Otsego3380
Putnam1,5992
Rensselaer9113
Rockland15,16767
Saratoga1,0448
Schenectady1,4023
Schoharie851
Schuyler410
Seneca1060
St. Lawrence3220
Steuben41612
Suffolk46,38742
Sullivan1,5918
Tioga2351
Tompkins4134
Ulster2,2604
Warren3814
Washington2960
Wayne3182
Westchester38,09847
Wyoming1371
Yates642

Yesterday, there were 6 deaths due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 25,456. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

Deaths by County of Residence
CountyNew Deaths
Bronx2
Cattaraugus1
Manhattan1
Onondaga1
Orange1
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WPCNR NOW PRESENTS WHITE PLAINS WEEK-ENDS.

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS “WEEK-ENDS.” September 27, 2020:

White Plains Week Friday News Roundups of White Plains beginning this week are now on www.wpcnr.com.

White Plains Week in its 20th year of reporting of county, state, and national news is a penetrating analysis look of the important developments Mr. and Mrs. White Plains need to be aware each week and the effect on residents’ future.

Each new Friday program going forward will now be rebroadcast worldwide right here on www.wpcnr.com, after each new program produced Friday is aired on White Plains TV countywide on Verizon Fios ch 45 and in White Plains on Altice Optimum channel 76

Now that White Plains Television has opened the new White Plains Community Media studios in the White Plains Library and production is in smooth glitchless stride with no hiccups or malfunctions from the first day, WPCNR is pleased tor introduce the Friday, September 25 telecast with John Bailey and Jim Benerofe in the video below.

Click arrow, lower left to view the September 25 edition of White Plains Week.
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DOCTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL DISTRIBUTION OF OXYCODONE PILLS FOR 11 YEARS

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WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. September 26, 2020:

Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RUVIM KRUPKIN, a New York state-licensed doctor, pled guilty today to conspiring to illegally distribute large quantities of oxycodone from a medical office in Brooklyn, New York. 

As part of his guilty plea, KRUPKIN also agreed to forfeit $124,000 in proceeds obtained through his illicit distribution of oxycodone.  KRUPKIN pled guilty before United States District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan federal court.    

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As he admitted in court today, Ruvim Krupkin, for more than a decade, wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone, enriching himself at the expense of others, while the country suffered from a devastating opioid epidemic.  He now awaits sentencing for his crime.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and statements made during court proceedings:

KRUPKIN, a licensed internal medicine doctor with specialties in oncology and hematology, practiced at a medical office in Brooklyn.  From 2006 to July 2017, KRUPKIN prescribed over four million oxycodone pills to individuals he knew had no legitimate medical need for the pills.  KRUPKIN charged each patient $200 in cash for each visit, payable directly to him.   

As a hematologist, KRUPKIN treated patients who had, or claimed to have, sickle cell anemia – a medical condition that can cause pain for which oxycodone, in conjunction with other treatments, may be legitimately prescribed. 

However, KRUPKIN wrote thousands of prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone to patients, knowing that they in fact had no legitimate medical need for the prescriptions.  KRUPKIN generally performed little to no physical examination on these patients; indeed, the medical notes for each patient were largely the same from one visit to the next. 

In addition, KRUPKIN typically issued patients prescriptions for a large dose of oxycodone – typically 180 80-milligram pills, until approximately 2010, when the formula for oxycodone changed, reducing the street value of the 80-milligram pills. 

At that time, KRUPKIN began prescribing 180 or 240 30-milligram pills.  KRUPKIN’s patients filled their prescriptions at pharmacies throughout New York, and in certain cases, sold the oxycodone pills they received to drug dealers, who in turn re-sold the pills at high value on the street.  KRUPKIN knew that certain of his patients were diverting the oxycodone pills he was prescribing, but he nonetheless continued writing prescriptions of oxycodone for such individuals. 

*                *                *

KRUPKIN, 69, of Summit, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count of participating in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence for the defendant will be determined by the judge.

KRUPKIN is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Torres on January 26, 2021, at 11:00 a.m.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI-NYPD Health Care Fraud Task Force.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the New York City Human Resources Administration for its work on the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Tara M. La Morte and Alexandra N. Rothman are in charge of the prosecution.

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CARRIAGE TRADE WESTCHESTER RESTAURANT FORMER OWNER HEADS TO JAIL FOR FRAUD

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La Cremaillere , Banksville in old times

WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation September 24, 2020:

Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that BARBARA MEYZEN, a/k/a “Bobbie Meyzen,” the former owner and operator of La Cremaillere Restaurant in Banksville, New York, was sentenced in White Plains federal court to two years in prison for fraud in connection with her multi-year scheme to defraud the restaurant’s lenders, mortgagee, bankruptcy creditors and customers and to obstruct the bankruptcy process. 

MEYZEN had previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti.

According to the allegations in the Superseding Information to which MEYZEN pleaded guilty and other court documents:

MEYZEN owned and operated the La Cremaillere Restaurant in Banksville, New York from 1993 to August 2020.  From August 2015 to July 2016, MEYZEN submitted applications for credit on behalf of La Cremaillere to at least nine lenders, factors and financiers. 

In support of those applications, MEYZEN gave the potential lenders La Cremaillere’s bank statements that she had modified to change negative balances to positive balances; to remove references to checks returned for insufficient funds; and to reduce service fees. 

For example, MEYZEN modified one month’s statement to change a negative beginning balance of $32,865.57 to a positive beginning balance of $27,766.29; to change from negative to positive the negative ending balance for that month of $5,268.13; and to change service charges of $2,385.60 to $8.00. 

When one lender discovered that MEYZEN had altered the bank statements, MEYZEN created an email account in the name of one of the bank’s officers and sent the lender an email in which she, in the guise of the bank officer, told the lender that the statements were genuine.

MEYZEN also falsely represented to the same lender that the second mortgage on the restaurant’s property in Banksville had been discharged.  She created a false satisfaction of mortgage on which she forged the signature of a representative of the restaurant’s second mortgagee, who is MEYZEN’S relative by marriage. 

MEYZEN filed the false satisfaction of mortgage with the Westchester County Clerk, paid the Clerk’s filing fee, and sent a copy of the filed satisfaction of mortgage to the lender. 

MEYZEN later denied filing the false satisfaction of mortgage or paying the filing fee when she was interviewed by Special Agents of the FBI.  She told the FBI that she believed a loan broker with whom she had worked in the past, and whom she identified by name, had filed the false satisfaction of mortgage.

Throughout the summer of 2017, MEYZEN charged more than $148,979 in restaurant and personal expenses to credit card accounts of two of the restaurant’s customers. 

When one of the customers discovered the charges, MEYZEN claimed the charges were a mistake and repeatedly promised to resolve the problem.    MEYZEN gave the customer two checks in a total amount of $32,000 but the checks bounced.

  When she was interviewed by the FBI, MEYZEN denied knowing anything about unauthorized charges to the customer’s credit card or ever speaking with the customer about the unauthorized charges.  MEYZEN also denied giving the customer checks.

Meyzen filed bankruptcy petitions for Meyzen Family Realty Associates, LLC, which owned the real property from which the restaurant operated, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains in September 2018.  She filed a bankruptcy petition for La Cremaillere Restaurant Corp., which operated the restaurant, in April 2019. 

In May 2019, MEYZEN misled the office of the United States Trustee, which oversees bankruptcy cases, about insurance coverage on the restaurant property.  MEYZEN caused her bankruptcy counsel to give the United States Trustee and an attorney for Meyzen Family Realty’s largest creditor documents indicating that the property was insured when, in fact, she knew that the insurance coverage had been canceled months earlier for nonpayment. 

In June 2019, MEYZEN falsely testified under oath in a deposition conducted by the United States Trustee that she was not aware that the insurance had been canceled when she caused her attorney to turn the documents over to the United States Trustee. 

Two days after La Cremaillere filed for bankruptcy in April 2019, MEYZEN opened a bank account in her name and diverted more than $40,000 of the restaurant’s credit card receipts to that account. 

MEYZEN used a portion of that money to make payments to a food distributor and to an in-home nursing service.  This account was closed on May 1, 2019. 

On May 7, 2019, MEYZEN opened an account in the name of Honey Bee Farm, LLC at another bank and diverted La Cremaillere’s credit card receipts, as well as $20,000 in advances on La Cremaillere’s future credit card revenue, to that account.  MEYZEN used a portion of that money to pay restaurant and personal expenses.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Briccetti ordered  MEYZEN, 57, of Redding, Connecticut, to serve two years of supervised release, and to pay forfeiture and restitution each in the amount of $320,289.35.

*                *                *

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents of the FBI and the Criminal Investigators of the Office of Internal Affairs, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant United States Attorney James McMahon is in charge of the prosecution.

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Governor Appoints Vetting & Distribution Task Forces for any New Vaccine Introduced this fall. Does Not Trust Federal Government.

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WPCNR CORONA VIRUS REPORT. From the Governor’s Press Office. September 24, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State will form an independent Clinical Advisory Task Force comprised of leading scientists, doctors, and health experts who will review every COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the federal government, and will advise New York State on the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in fighting the virus. 

In addition, the Governor established a Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task Force that is charged with designing the best COVID-19 vaccination administration program in the nation. 

The Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task Force is comprised of experts in public health, immunizations, government operations, data and other fields relevant to vaccine distribution and administration. 

“The federal government’s response to COVID and the White House’s dispute with the FDA raises serious questions about whether or not the vaccine has become politicized,” Governor Cuomo said. “Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion and I wouldn’t recommend to New Yorkers based on the federal government’s opinion. We’re going to put together our own review committee headed by the Department of Health to review the vaccine, and I’m appointing a committee that is going to come up with a vaccine distribution and implementation plan on how we will do it. New York’s response to COVID has been a model for this country, and we should also be the model vaccination program for the country.”

The Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task Force will develop a plan for vaccine administration that will include:

  • Prioritization of vaccine recipients based solely on clinical guidance
  • Distribution network capable of providing two doses of vaccine to all New Yorkers
  • Qualified professionals and organizations to administer the vaccine
  • Data and IT infrastructure for scheduling appointments and tracking program metrics
  • Public education regarding vaccination program
  • Procurement of necessary supplies and equipment

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