FBI CHARGES 33 IN MIDDLETOWN HEROIN-COCAINE RING

WPCNR FBI WIRE. Special to WPCNR from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. February 10, 2012:


Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Janice K. Fedarcyk, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Wilbert L. Plummer, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Joseph A. D’Amico, the Superintendent of the New York State Police, Ramon Bethencourt, the Chief of the Middletown Police Department, Frank Phillips, the Orange County District Attorney, and Carl E. DuBois, the Orange County Sheriff, today announced federal narcotics charges against 33 members of a drug trafficking ring operating in and around Middletown, New York. The ring was led by QUIANE WILLIAMS, CURTIS MACK, and STEPHONE HERRING, who were, along with many other defendants charged today, members of the Bloods, a nationwide gang. WILLIAMS and another defendant, JOSHUA MARTIN, are also charged with firearms-related offenses.


U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said:


“Drug dealing and gang violence shatter the quality of life in a neighborhood—residents are hesitant to leave their homes, children are afraid to play in the streets, and every corner has the potential for lethal violence. We refuse to stand by and let these purveyors of poison destroy our communities, and today’s charges are the latest manifestation of our commitment to rid our street of these dangerous influences. I commend the dedication and teamwork of our federal and state law enforcement partners in our ongoing effort to clean up the Southern District.”


 



FBI Assistant Director in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk stated: “Today’s arrests are the result of the kind of teamwork that has proven essential in making real headway against gangs in the Hudson Valley. The 9 Trey Bloods and their drug trafficking have been a detriment to the quality of life in Middletown. The work of the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and our partners will continue in earnest, with the goal being the safety and security of all of our communities.”


DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Wilbert L. Plummer stated: “DEA works with our law enforcement counterparts to identify and arrest those distributing illegal drugs throughout our communities. Our goal is to keep our streets safe from drug abuse and the violence associated. The 9 Trey gang has been taken down and will no longer be distributing heroin and crack in the Middletown area. I would like to acknowledge the work of all the law enforcement entities that participated in this investigation.”


New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico stated: “The problems associated with the proliferation of illicit drugs in our communities is compounded by the levels of gun- and drug-related violence that are committed by gang members looking to control the narcotics trade. These criminals have no regard for the safety of the community. This case, investigated with our law enforcement partners over a period of several years, has resulted in the arrest of a large number of violent offenders within these gangs. This case will significantly impact the ability of organized gangs to profit from the sale of narcotics in the Orange County area, and will keep them out of our communities for the foreseeable future.”


Middletown Police Chief Ramon Bethencourt stated: “As a result of this investigation, numerous individuals have been arrested and charged with serious offenses which serve to diminish the quality of life for the Middletown community. Both Mayor Joseph DeStefano and I are hopeful and confident that this investigation will lead to a reduction in crime and make Middletown a better, safer place to live.”


Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips stated: “This operation is another example of the successful partnership forged between federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as that between the Orange County DA and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. The gang members arrested today use violence to terrorize the community while engaged in the drug trade. New York State ‘drug law reform’ has essentially eliminated the ability of police and prosecutors to dismantle these criminal enterprises, and the federal commitment has helped tremendously to reduce the level of drug gang violence. We are fortunate to have a U.S. Attorney who is as committed to cleaning up the streets of Orange County as he is to cleaning up Wall Street.”


Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois stated: “My office remains committed to partnering with the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, with an emphasis on the Sheriff’s Office Gang Intelligence Unit, which is one of the largest repositories of gang intelligence files in the region. Compiling and sharing this information with other law enforcement agencies, especially the FBI, is a critical component in past, present, and future enforcement efforts.”


The following allegations are based on the indictment that was unsealed today in White Plains federal court:


WILLIAMS, MACK, HERRING, and a number of their associates were members of a sub-group of the Bloods, known as “9 Trey.”


From January 2010 through February 2010, WILLIAMS, MACK, and HERRING coordinated the drug-trafficking activities of the ring, which was known as the “Middletown Organization.” They obtained heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and marijuana from a variety of suppliers, including WILFREDO GONZALES, MICHAEL GILES, ANTHONY WEBB, KEVIN WILLIAMS, and RASUN KING. After obtaining the drugs, WILLIAMS, MACK, and HERRING supplied the drugs to 21 associates who were part of the Organization’s distribution network. Members of the distribution network also obtained narcotics from HENRY BRINSON, MAURICE COLON, and HECTOR BATISTA. Associates who were members of the distribution network include: JEREMY SCOTT ALLEN, CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON, VICTOR BURNS, LOREN DWYER, TAYSHAWN FIELDS, RAVEN FUENTES, MATTHEW GARCIA, VICTOR GONZALEZ, ZAKIYYAH HOULKER, BRUCE JACKSON, JEROME JACKSON, DUANE KIRBY, LUIS LIMA, JOSHUA MARTIN, DANIEL MISCHIYEV, KENNETH ORTIZ, JACQUELINE RICCI, JORGE SERRANO, JEFFREY SPANGENBURG, CLAUDIS WILSON, and MICHAEL WRIGHT.


Members of the Middletown Organization periodically moved the locations at which they stored and distributed drugs in order, among other reasons, to avoid detection by law enforcement. Members of the Middletown Organization engaged in a violent assault outside a diner in Middletown that resulted in the violent stabbing by MACK of RASUN KING, a defendant, multiple times. They also maintained firearms in order to protect the operation’s narcotics and drug proceeds. QUIANE WILLIAMS, who was previously convicted of a felony, is charged with possessing ammunition, specifically two boxes of Lawman 9 mm Luger ammunition. MARTIN, who was also previously convicted of a felony, is charged with possessing a firearm, specifically a .38 caliber Amadeo Rossi revolver.


* * *


Beginning this morning, federal and local law enforcement officers have been making arrests and conducting searches in connection with the Indictment and investigation, primarily in Middletown, New York. Twenty-six of the defendants have been arrested, and seven remain at large. In affecting today’s arrests, law enforcement authorities seized two firearms—a .22 caliber Junior Colt semi-automatic handgun and a .22 caliber H&R revolver, over 100 rounds of ammunition—including .22 caliber rounds, 9 mm rounds, shotgun rounds, and a magazine as well as $6,840 in cash.


The arrested defendants are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in White Plains federal court before a magistrate judge. All of the defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute one kilogram and more of heroin, 280 grams and more of crack cocaine, and cocaine and marijuana. If convicted, all of the defendants face a maximum sentence of life and mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. On the firearms charges, QUIANE WILLIAMS and JOSHUA MARTIN each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.


Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force—which consists of members from the FBI, DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration Customs Enforcement, United States Marshals Service; New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision; Bureau of Prisons, New York State Police Troop F; New York State Police CNET; City of Newburgh Police Department; City of Middletown Police Department; City of Poughkeepsie Police Department; Orange County Sheriff’s Office; Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office; Beacon Police Department; Village of Monticello Police Department; Port Jervis Police Department; Town of Wallkill Police Department; and Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan County District Attorney’s Offices. Mr. Bharara added that the investigation is continuing.


This case is being handled by the White Plains Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marcia Cohen and Rebecca Mermelstein are in charge of the prosecution.


The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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County To Shore Up Banks of Bronx River Above County Center & Fisher Lane Area

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. February 9, 2012:


 County Executive Robert Astorino announced today the county is taking the initiative in clearing and rehabilitating the county-owed Bronx River waterway, devoting approximately $9 Million in county money to clearing the river from obstructions and improving chronic flood areas.



Mayor Tom Roach (left) of White Plains appeared applauding the county initiative which is targeting the Bronx River banks on the portion of the river flowing through White Plains, and in the Fisher Lane flood plain, that Mayor Roach noted turned the North White Plains station parking lot into the lake during Hurricane Irene. The work will be paid for by the county ($700,000), with no cost to the city, part of Astorino’s initiative on mitigating Bronx River flooding announced today.



The work is being done by county park crews along the river north of the County Center, and is being funded south of the County Center by the Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of $1,000,000, which includes $87,000 from the county, and $514,000 in in-kind services from the county,  and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is funding the East Bank that remains to be done.



West Bank of the Bronx River has been rehabilitated and rerouted. Next will come the shoring up of the East Bank with installation of stone retainer walls (stone blocks piled in upper left await installation) to prevent erosion and silting from rains washing away the banks.The East Bank will cost $700,000 with the County paying $350,000 and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $350,000


 


The County Executive also announced projects at several other flood prone locations: Raising the Oak Street Pump Station in Mount Vernon/Yonkers, at a cost of $450,000 to $500,000; Bronx River realignment and bank stabilization at Garth Woods, $1,000,000 estimated;Harney Road in Eastchester/Yonkers, bank stabilization and channel modification, estimate not available; in Larchmont, drainage improvement along Pine Brook at Boston Post Road: County cost: $2.3 Million, Village of Larchmont, $2.3 Million; in New Rochelle, replacing the Hutchinson River culvert, $5,000,000 split between the county and New Rochelle.


Astorino said the county owns the Bronx River and therefore can execute rehabiltation projects faster than on properties owned by the state, such as the Saw Mill River Parkway, that he indicated was the state responsibility. “The county can and must do whatever it can on its own. While I will continue meeting with state and federal officials to advocate for assistance, we will do everything we can at the county level, working with our municipalities, to target achievable projects to reduce and prevent future flooding.”


The County Executive told the CitizeNetReporter chronic flooding at the North White Plains railroad station would not be addressed but will be tackled in the future.


The Cloverdale Road area in White Plains, another chronic flooding area in White Plains would not be addressed in this phase. County Legislator Bill Ryan, a resident of Seneca Avenue, told WPCNR, the small capacity of the sewer along Cloverdale Road was overmatched by the flow of water from the marsh east of and adjacent to the Central Westchester Parkway. Ryan giving his opinion only, said the cost of replacing that sewerline would cost well into the millions and would have to involve ripping up just completed construction on I-287. In his opinion, some homes that chronically flood in the Cloverdale area would have to be raised up to a higher level and the homeowners bought out and the area turned into a park to absorb the flooding naturally.

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Police Ask Public Help Seeking Hit and Run Driver in Pre-Dawn MLK Accident

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. February 8, 2012:


White Plains Police are seeking information from the public on the identity of a the driver of a dark Toyota sedan that  struck a White Plains man shortly before dawn this morning.



SITE OF HIT & RUN Wednesday morning. Victim was discovered opposite County Optical and Laundromat.


The victim was discovered  by an approaching car, that had to swerve to avoid the victim who was lying face down bleeding in the middle lane of Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. He was lying just past the intersection of West Post Road on MLK, in front of an laundromat a few minutes past 6 A.M. . Two motorists stopped to help when they spotted the victim and reported the downed man. The victim was conscious when he was discovered.


Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong reports to WPCNR:


The case is being investigated as a hit and run.  The victim is a White Plains resident, 28 years of age, he was taken to Westchester Medical Center as a precaution but his injuries are non-life threatening. Detectives are looking for an auto described as a dark colored Toyota which fled northbound on MLK.  We will be checking area video to see if we can locate this auto. 


Persons who have information that may lead to the apprehension of the hit-and-run driver may call 914-422-6111. Your identity will remain anonymous.


A previous investigation by White Plains police into a hit and run on Post Road was successful in finding the car and driver of that incident, using video tape of the accident. Commissioner Chong urges the driver to contact police on this incident and turn themselves in.

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Soundview Manor Revised “Bed & Breakfast” Zoning Amendment Furnished

WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. February 8, 2012:


The owner of Soundview Manor has furnished WPCNR with a copy of the revised zoning amendment they submitted to the Common Council Monday evening which would classify the property as a single family residence with the right to operate a bed and breakfast on the premise. 


To date, the Mayor’s Office has not responded to WPCNR inquiry as to city hall’s next move, whether the Common Council will consider the revised amendment submitted Monday.


The owner advised WPCNR that they expected the council to take a vote on the matter at the next Council meeting in March. Again, city hall has not confirmed this or commented on the status of the proposal, though asked to do so by WPCNR.


Herewith is the revised amendment submitted by the owner to the City Clerk at Monday evening’s hearing on the Soundview request:


AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WHITE  PLAINS WITH RESPECT TO ESTABLISHING “BED AND BREAKFAST” AS A PERMITTED   ACCESSORY USE IN THE R1-30 ZONING DISTRICT


 


 


The Common Council of the City of White Plains hereby ordains and enacts as follows:


 


Section 1. The Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains, adopted June 1, 1981, and amended to date, shall be and hereby is, further amended at Section 2 by adding the following new definitions to read as follows:


 


A. After “Basement,”


 


“Bed and Breakfast”: An owner-occupied residence recognized as a historic site by inclusion on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places, sharing a common boundary with a neighboring property with a non-residential used or to be used for providing accommodations, with a morning meal, to not more than ten roomers and containing not more than five bedrooms for such roomers.


 


Such permitted accessory use shall be deemed to include permission to hold special events typically held at such historic sites to celebrate national, state or local holidays, life cycle events or religious observances, including, but not limited to, social gatherings and business meetings.


 


For interior use, such will be limited to not more than 75 guests; for exterior use, including the grounds, not more than 150 guests.


 


Parking must be provided onsite or by pre-arrangements for nearby parking lot use.


 


B. “Customary Home Occupations” shall be further amended to include the words: “and Bed and Breakfast, as hereinabove defined” between the words “…a pupil at a time,” and “shall be deemed a “customary home occupation.”


 


C.  After the words “gross land coverage,” the following definition: “Guest”: a transient occupant in a room in a Bed and Breakfast, as hereinabove defined.


 


Section 2.  The Zoning Ordinance is hereby further amended at Sections 5.1 and 5.2 to read as follows:


5.1 Schedule of “Use” Regulations: Residential: Add “Bed and


Breakfast” under “Minor accessory buildings” and add “PA” for this use in the R1-30 District column.


 


5.2 List of “Use” Regulations: Add “Bed and Breakfast” as a Permitted Accessory Use (“PA”) after “Minor accessory buildings”.


 


Section 3. The Zoning Ordinance is hereby further amended at Section 8.3 “Off-Street” Parking and Loading Requirements to add


“Bed and Breakfast” after “Roomers” with a parking requirement under OTHER to read as follows:


“Bed and Breakfast” 2 for one family dwelling plus 8.


 


Section 4. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.

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