WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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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, Joleen Simpson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced that MICHAEL R. WEIGAND, pled guilty to making false statements to federal agents about his involvement in, and his work for, the “Silk Road” online illicit black market, which was responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of dollars of narcotics and other contraband. 

WEIGAND’s false statements concealed his role in the operation of the Silk Road website.  WEIGAND surrendered today and pled guilty before United States District Judge William H. Pauley III.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Silk Road was a secret online marketplace for illegal drugs, hacking services, and a number of other criminal activities. 

Michael Weigand helped Silk Road by, among other things, identifying technological vulnerabilities in the site, supplying technological advice directly to Silk Road’s leadership, and travelling overseas to remove Silk Road evidence from a co-conspirator’s residence.  When Weigand was questioned by law enforcement in 2019, he falsely claimed not to have done anything at all for Silk Road.  For his various false statements, Weigand now faces potential prison time.”

IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Joleen Simpson said:  “During its years of operation the Silk Road website allowed thousands of individuals to anonymously conduct narcotics transactions, launder money, and facilitate other illegal transactions.  This investigation took law enforcement above and beyond its traditional role in financial crimes.  In effect, it put us squarely in the middle of the high-tech world of cyber-crime and the dark web.  When given the opportunity to provide truthful statements to the agents, Weigand knowingly and willfully attempted to deceive the agents of the role he played in providing technical expertise to the Silk Road operators.  I hope that this guilty plea will discourage others from providing false information to law enforcement officers in the future.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: 

“Weigand and others used their skills and savvy to create a secret online enclave for criminals to trade in illegal drugs and illicit goods and services.  They thought they were smart enough to evade law enforcement, but they were wrong.  When Weigand was confronted, he lied about his involvement – once again thinking we weren’t smart enough to catch him.  With today’s plea, he’ll have time to contemplate the truth as he awaits his sentence.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said: 

“Criminal activity on the dark web continues to be more prevalent, allowing easy accessibility to narcotics and illicit goods with the click of a button.  With online criminal enterprises growing, law enforcement technologies are advancing, and HSI with its partners are infiltrating the dark web, intercepting online dealings and locating the perpetrators.  Today’s guilty plea should stand as reminder to those criminals who have a false sense of security behind their computer screen, that they too will one day face the consequences of their actions.”

According to the allegations in the Information, court filings, statements made in court, and evidence presented during the 2015 trial of Ross Ulbricht, Silk Road’s founder and chief administrator:

Ulbricht created Silk Road in approximately January 2011, and owned and operated the underground website until it was shut down by law enforcement in October 2013. 

Silk Road emerged as the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet at the time.  During its more than two-and-a-half years in operation, Silk Road was used by several thousand drug dealers and other unlawful vendors to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services to well over one hundred thousand buyers, and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from these unlawful transactions. 

Silk Road was specifically designed to allow its users to buy and sell drugs and other illegal goods and services anonymously and outside the reach of law enforcement through the use of the Tor network and a Bitcoin-based payment system. 

WEIGAND – who is a computer programmer and electrical engineer – worked with Roger Thomas Clark, the senior adviser to Ulbricht, on certain aspects of Silk Road. 

For instance, WEIGAND and Clark worked to identify technological vulnerabilities in the Silk Road website.  WEIGAND also supplied technological advice directly to Clark and Ulbricht. 

In January 2019, WEIGAND was questioned by an IRS Special Agent and an FBI Special Agent.  After being specifically warned that it is a federal crime to make a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer, WEIGAND attempted to cover up his involvement in Silk Road by falsely stating, among other things, that (1) he never opened an account on Silk Road; (2) he never used the online pseudonyms “Shabang” or “~Shabang~”; (3) he never transferred Bitcoin to Silk Road; (4) he never exposed computer security vulnerabilities in the Silk Road website; (5) he never communicated with anyone who used the online pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts,” “DPR,” or “Silk Road”; (6) he never performed any services for the Silk Road website; and (7) he did not know the true identity of “Variety Jones” (one of Clark’s pseudonyms) on Silk Road.  WEIGAND also falsely stated that the purpose of his trip to London in late 2013, following the takedown of the Silk Road website and arrest of Ulbricht, was to meet with Clark’s associate regarding a marijuana seed business.  In fact, WEIGAND traveled to Clark’s London residence and removed Silk Road evidence.

WEIGAND, 56, of Kirtland, Ohio, pled guilty to one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  WEIGAND is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Pauley on December 18, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.

The founder and operator of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, was previously convicted of seven offenses after a jury trial: distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the Internet, conspiring to distribute narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, conspiring to traffic in false identity documents, and conspiring to commit money laundering.  Ulbricht was sentenced principally to life imprisonment and $183 million in forfeiture. 

The senior adviser to Ulbricht, Roger Thomas Clark, pled guilty to conspiring to distribute narcotics and his sentencing is currently pending; Clark faces a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison.

*            *           *

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding joint efforts of the IRS-CI, the FBI, and HSI.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the FBI’s Cleveland Office for its assistance.

This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Neff is in charge of the prosecution.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the White Plains Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joseph Ricca. September 22, 2020:

On his Facebook Page late Monday evening, Dr. Joseph Ricca, White Plains Superintendent of Schools posted this message on the first day of in school learning. Eastview Middle School has had a teacher test positive for COVID:

“We had a good first day of hybrid learning in the WPCSD today. It was wonderful to welcome our tigers back to our facilities. Thank you to all who worked so hard to get us here.

Unfortunately, we also learned of a positive case of COVID-19 at Eastview this evening. The district is presently engaged in the contract tracing process with the Department of Health.

Accordingly, Eastview will observe a remote learning day today. Any additional scheduling modifications will be communicated as needed.

At present, there is no indication that any of our children were exposed in this instance.Please see the message from (Principal) Dr. Rodriguez below.

Any community member who may have potentially been exposed in this instance will be contacted with additional information and instructions. We know that, as we move forward, additional instances of COVID-19 in our district are possible.

We will continue to communicate with you as needed. Please continue to take all of the necessary precautions to stay safe and well.————————————————————————

Dear Eastview Community,

So that you are aware, a faculty/staff member at Eastview tested positive for COVID-19 this evening. The individual was in the building on Friday and was potentially in contact with other staff members.

The contact tracing process is taking place now and will continue with the Department of Health tomorrow. Any staff member who may need to quarantine will be contacted directly by our district nursing coordinator and/or the Department of Health as soon as possible.

Out of an abundance of caution, and to allow appropriate time to contact trace, Eastview will move into full remote learning for tomorrow, September 22, 2020.

All certified staff, clerical staff and teaching assistants will be working remotely on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Students will engage in a full day of remote learning and participate in their scheduled 9-period day. We anticipate that all un-impacted faculty and staff will return to the building on Wednesday, September 23rd and children will return to their hybrid schedule on Thursday, September 24th.

If that plan needs alteration, we will notify everyone directly tomorrow(today). Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly should you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,Dr. Daisy Rodriguez Principal

DaisyRodriguez@wpcsd.k12.ny.us

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2020. From the Mondaire Jones for Congress Campaign. September 21, 2020:

Today, Mondaire Jones, announced he had won his suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alongside 15 other plaintiffs, against President Donald Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to stop interfering in the November General Election through sabotaging the United States Postal Service. 
 
“The stakes of this November’s election are too high to watch from the sidelines. Now more than ever, our democracy is on the line, our rights are on the line, and the fate of this nation is on the line,” said Jones. “In the midst of a global pandemic requiring more Americans to vote by mail than ever before, we are simply asking for a free and fair election. I’m grateful to the District Court for affirming our right to one.”
 
In response to Jones’ suit, the District Court ordered the USPS to take the following national action: (1) to treat all election mail as Priority and First-Class; (2) to pre-approve all overtime pay between October 26 and November 6, 2020; (3) to submit a list of steps necessary to restore First-Class Mail and Marketing Mail on-time delivery scores to their highest levels; and (4) to allow late and extra trips to facilitate the prompt delivery of election mail. The Court also ordered the USPS to file weekly reports to keep the public apprised of its progress in meeting these goals.
 
The suit was filed on August 17th, 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by the law firm Cohen & Green and the Law Office of Ali Najmi, on behalf of Jones, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, and 14 other plaintiffs:

Democratic nominee for State Assembly in the 93rd District Chris Burdick, Democratic nominee for State Assembly in the 94th District Stephanie Keegan, Candidate for New York City Council Seth Rosen, Collegeville Borough Councillor Shannon Spencer, and voters Kathy Rothschild, Diana M. Woody, Perry Sainati, Robert Golub, Mary Winton Green, Marsie Wallach, Matthew Wallach, Mac Wallach, Carol Sussman, Rebecca Rieckhoff.
 
“The Court’s directive to ensure election mail is treated with the highest priority, and to ensure adequate and timely approval of overtime, is critical to protect our right to vote,” said Ali Najmi, attorney for Plaintiffs. “This national injunction will ensure the integrity of the election.”

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2020. From the League of Women Voters. September 19, 2020:

The League of Women Voters announced Friday that it will sponsor a virtual Candidates Forum for candidates in the U.S House of Representatives NY CD 17 election. There are five candidates in the race, Joshua Eisen (ECL), Yehudis Gottesfeld (C), Mondaire Jones (D; WF), Maureen McArdle-Schulman (R), and Michael Parietti (SAM).

In another announcement Friday, the League said it was cancelling the virtual forum for the Westchester District Attorney election because one of the candidates, Bruce Bendish did not respond to the League invitation.

The virtual Forum will be held Tuesday October 13, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The League will use the cloud-based video conferencing application Zoom, and participants will join from their chosen remote locations. 

The Forum will also be live-streamed via Facebook and be available for subsequent viewing through Election Day Tuesday November 3. Questions will be solicited from the public.

The New York 17th Congressional District covers parts of central and northwestern Westchester county, and part of Rockland county. The district is currently represented by Nita Lowey, who is retiring at the end of her term. 

League of Women Voters of White Plains president and member of the Westchester LWV executive committee, Stephen Cohen, said, “this Candidates Forum is an important opportunity for residents of the 17th Congressional District to hear where candidates stand on important issues in a calm, respectful, nonpartisan environment that encourages civil discourse. The Forums have even greater importance today when candidates’ options for making themselves known to their constituents is greatly curtailed. We are pleased that all candidates in the race will be participating.”

This Candidates Forum is being presented by the League of Women Voters of Westchester in conjunction with the local Leagues of New Castle, Northeast Westchester, and White Plains, and the League of Women Voters of Rockland County.