THE FORUM NEWSGROUP | MARCH 22, 2018

VOL. 17 • NUMBER 12 • MARCH 22, 2018

Howard Beach • Ozone Park • South Ozone Park • Woodhaven • Richmond Hill • Broad Channel Forest Hills • Middle Village • Glendale • Maspeth

South & West

Rx-ECUTIONER Under New Trump Opioid Initiative, DOJ will Seek Death Penalty against Certain Pill Peddlers and Dope Dealers

See Story on Page 8 “We will work to strengthen vulnerable families and communities, and we will help to build and grow a stronger, healthier, and drug-free society,” President Donald Trump declared this week.

Official White House Photo Courtesy of Joyce N. Boghosian

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 1

Mayor Heralds $22M Expansion of City Plan to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths

By Michael V. Cusenza The City is set to invest $22 million annually to expand its plan to reduce opioid overdose deaths in the five boroughs, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray announced on Monday.

According to the administration, the new funds secured for HealingNYC will create peer-intervention programs at more hospitals across the city, increase naloxone distribution and training on how to use the lifesaving drug, and connect more New Yorkers struggling with substance misuse to treatment.

With this new investment, de Blasio noted, the City will spend a total of $60 million annually to reduce opioid overdose deaths.

According to the administration, in 2016, more than 1,000 people across the five boroughs died in a drug overdose which involved an opioid, the highest year on record. More New Yorkers died from opioid overdoses in 2016 than from car accidents and homicides combined, City officials said.

So the de Blasio administration started HealingNYC exactly a year ago with $38 million annually to implement the four initial strategies to help reduce opioid overdose deaths by 35 percent over the next five years: prevent

Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

With this new investment, Mayor de Blasio noted, the City will spend a total of $60 million annually to reduce opioid overdose deaths.

opioid overdose deaths; prevent opioid misuse and addiction; connect New Yorkers to effective treatment; and reduce the supply of dangerous opioids.

According to the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, while the 2017 opioid overdose data is still provisional, the agency is seeing a flattening in the overdose death rate compared to 2016. The City predicts that this expanded HealingNYC could

help save as many as 400 lives by 2022.

With the additional $22 million annual investment, the City said it will implement the following six strategies: Expand Emergency Department Peer-Based Interventions: New York City Health + Hospitals will expand its peer advocate program from three to all 11 of its emergency departments by the end of 2018. DOHMH will

complete expansion of the Relay peer intervention program to 15 private hospitals by June 2020, up from the 10 sites currently slated for funding.

Expand Inpatient Hospital Interventions at Health + Hospitals: NYC Health + Hospitals will expand plans for its Consult for Addiction Treatment and Care in Hospitals program from four to six sites, with four to be launched in fall 2018 and the other two by

the end of 2019. CATCH teams will connect inpatients admitted with substance abuse disorder to medically assisted treatment and outpatient care. The six sites will be NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, /Lincoln, /Metropolitan, /Coney Island, /Elmhurst, and / Woodhull.

Launch “Leave Behind” Naloxone Program: FDNY EMS will distribute 5,000 naloxone kits annually at homes they visit in response to an overdose call.

Establish End Overdose Training Institute: DOHMH will launch the End Overdose Training Institute by spring 2018 to teach 25,000 New Yorkers annually, how to administer and distribute naloxone.

Expand HOPE Program: The City will expand the HOPE program which diverts people arrested on low-level drug offenses into treatment rather than the criminal justice system. This new investment, according to the City, will divert an estimated 1,400 people annually from the system and connect them to medicationassisted treatment and other resources.

Expand Crisis Response Services: The City will hire 29 additional staff to expand the capacity of the Health and Engagement Assessment Team, and Rapid Assessment Response Team which help to respond to overdose calls.

Forest Hills HS Placed on Temp ‘Soft Lockdown’ after Two Potential Threats of Violence

By Michael V. Cusenza Forest Hills High School administrators last Thursday placed the building on a temporary soft lockdown following the discovery of two potential threats of violence to the student body.

According to school officials and the City Police Department, a message indicating that a student was considering shooting up the school was found scrawled on a desk on Wednesday, March 14—the same day that students across the country walked out of their classrooms for 17 minutes in memory of the 17 people who were gunned down in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting and to call for action against gun violence.

The following day, Thursday, March 15, a new threatening note A Forest Hills HS student eventually admitted to scribbling the notes on the desk. He was arrested. was discovered on the same desk 2 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

File Photo

in the same classroom.

“The NYPD immediately responded and conducted a thorough investigation, which determined the threat to be unfounded,” said Principal Ben Sherman.

An FHHS student eventually copped to penning the messages.

“Although this incident was determined to be a hoax, I commend the faculty and staff at Forest Hills High School for acting according to the guidelines put forth for a situation such as this, as well as the officers from the 112th Precinct for ensuring that everyone inside the school remained safe,” said State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “I am glad to hear that the person responsible for this hoax is in custody, and pranks such as this bring greater penalties than just a slap on the wrist.”

Three More Guilty Pleas in Feds’ Massive Bonanno Racketeering Investigation

By Michael V. Cusenza The federal government this month nailed three more Bonanno organized crime family pelts to the wall as reputed acting captain Ronnie Giallanzo and soldier Michael Palmaccio pleaded guilty on Monday to racketeering conspiracy, admitting their involvement in multiple acts of loansharking over 10 years. And on March 8, Bonanno soldier Nicholas “Pudgie” Festa also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and admitted to additional acts of loansharking.

A year ago, agents donning the familiar blue-and-maize FBI raid jackets descended on several Howard Beach homes, executing arrest warrants after a 37-count indictment was unsealed charging 10 members and associates of the Bonannos with racketeering conspiracy, including predicate acts of murder conspiracy, attempted murder, extortion, illegal gambling, robbery conspiracy, arson conspiracy, narcotics distribution conspiracy and obstruction of justice conspiracy.

Giallanzo, 47, the nephew of Bonanno capo Vinny Asaro, was a high-value target of the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office. According to charging papers, Giallanzo conducted a lucrative loansharking operation in which he provided money to, among others, Festa and Palmaccio to extend ex-

Photo Courtesy of DOJ

In this October 2006 surveillance photo, Ronnie Giallanzo and Nick Festa meet with an unidentified Colombo captain and associate.

tortionate loans to, and collect from, numerous individuals. Even while incarcerated for several years, Giallanzo kept watch over his illicit loansharking book, directing his associates to commit acts of violence to ensure that the customers paid the exorbitant weekly interest rate. At one point, Giallanzo was collecting roughly $10,000 a week—in interest alone—and had lent more than $3 million in extortionate loans to customers, according to the feds.

At his guilty plea, Giallanzo admitted to participating in the affairs of the Bonanno family by extending and collecting extortionate loans to five different victims, and agreed to forfeit $1.25 million. As part of his agreement with the government, Giallanzo is also required to sell the Howard Beach mansion he constructed with loansharking proceeds while he was on supervised release stemming from his prior federal conviction.

According to esteemed La Cosa Nostra expert Jerry Capeci, authorities have been preoccupied with confiscating Giallanzo’s 86th Street home. “’The feds are obsessed with that house Ronnie built; they want him to sell it,’” an attorney with knowledge of the case told Capeci.

“The lawyer was referring to the gangster’s pride and joy, the gorgeous two-story $1.5 million home with brown brick turrets and terraces that he created out of a modest one-story ranch house he bought in 2015,” Capeci wrote in an October 2017 column on his Gang Land News site.

Palmaccio and Festa admitted to participating in the affairs of the Bonanno family by extending and collecting extortionate loans to five victims and two victims, respectively, and each agreed to forfeit $500,000.

Seven codefendants have pleaded guilty in the case. When sentenced, Giallanzo, Palmaccio, and Festa each face a statutory maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment.

“Through their acts of violence, Giallanzo, Palmaccio, and Festa reaped substantial illicit profits at the expense of their loansharking victims,” said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue. “With today’s guilty pleas, these defendants are being held responsible for their destructive role in perpetuating organized crime’s presence in the community.”

Borough Schools Shine in Ferry Vessel-Naming Contest

By Michael V. Cusenza Four of the 10 monikers that won this year’s NYC Ferry vesselnaming competition were submitted by borough schools.

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen and City Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) on Thursday visited one of those victorious schools: PS 148 in East Elmhurst, which submitted “Spring Mallard” in the City’s second boatnaming contest. “’Spring Mallard’ is such a creative name for a vessel which will be known to millions of people who take the ferry each day,” Dromm said as he congratulated the boisterous bunch of secondgraders that developed the seafaring sobriquet.

The other winners from the World’s Borough: PS 197 (Far Rockaway), “The Ocean Queen Rockstar”; PS 330 (Corona), “Rainbow Cruise”; and PS 112 (Long Island City), “Starlight.”

Glen fell in love with her favorite at first sight.

“The kids who came up with the

Photo Courtesy of EDC

A second-grade class at PS 148 in East Elmhurst submitted “Spring Mallard” as the name for a 2018 NYC Ferry vessel.

name ‘Ocean Queen Rockstar’ are why I love this town so much,” the deputy mayor said. “Every one of these NYC Ferry boat names have swagger and panache – and these students and their schools should be incredibly proud.”

In 2017, the first vessel-naming contest produced handles for 13 NYC Ferry boats: Lunchbox, Urban Journey, Waves of Wonder, Friendship Express, Connector, Flyer, Opportunity, Happy Hauler, Great Eagle, Owls Head, McShiny,

Munsee, and Sunset Crossing.

“An innovative ferry system deserves the kind of innovative boat names that could only come from our most creative New Yorkers,” said City Economic Development Corporation President James

Patchett. “Years from now, these second-graders will be proud of seeing the ferryboats they named floating around the iconic New York City Harbor.”

In other nautical news, EDC announced on Tuesday that NYC Ferry has already begun hiring for the 2018 summer season. Ferry operator Hornblower is looking to fill more than 75 positions, including captains, deckhands, customer service agents, ticketing, and operations.

In less than a year of service, NYC Ferry has already employed more than 250 people, according to EDC. Due to unanticipated success, Hornblower has indicated that it expects to increase total NYC Ferry jobs to more than 325 by this summer.

Gotham’s newest mass transportation system launched last May—and has been wildly popular ever since. NYC Ferry served nearly three million passengers on more than 37,000 trips across four routes, including 545,000 on the Rockaway Route alone, according to final ridership numbers for the inaugural 2017 season.

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 3

Students Demonstrations Call Attention to Inaction on Gun-Safety Legislation

By Michael V. Cusenza Last Wednesday, at precisely 10 a.m., students from Parkland, Fla., to College Point, Queens, organized and walked out of their classrooms and buildings for 17 minutes to honor the 17 people gunned down in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month and to call attention to the plague of gunbased violence in the U.S. and the absence of common sense federal firearm-safety legislation.

“This is a very important issue right now,” said State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (DHoward Beach), “and these students deserve to have their voices heard.”

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) met with thousands of students who de-

scended on Capitol Hill to demand passage of tougher gun-safety laws.

“Today we say enough is enough to gun violence and I am proud to stand in solidarity with America’s students in the fight to prevent additional gun tragedies,” the congresswoman said. “I salute the advocacy and passion of these young men and women and I applaud each and every one of them for taking a stand and making their voices heard. No student should fear going to school and all communities deserve to feel safe. We must keep up the fight to prevent future gun violence and I will continue to do all I can to help make that happen.”

Photos Courtesy of Benjamin Kanter/ Mayoral Photography Unit; Kevin P. Coughlin/ Office of the Governor; and Rep. Meng’s Office

Borough Pol Looks to Create ‘Make Our Schools Safer Commission’

By Michael V. Cusenza

A borough elected official last Thursday introduced legislation in Albany that will establish a commission to examine how to make schools in New York safer in the age of the active shooter.

Assemblyman Brian Barnwell (D-Maspeth) indicated that the purpose of the Make Our Schools Safer Commission is to study the various technologies that could be implemented to help prevent/reduce such situations. Some of the technologies include, but are not limited to, bulletproof glass and doors, auto-locking technologies, lockdown systems, and barricades.

According to the legislation, the commission will be composed of 10 members: two members appointed by the governor; two members appointed by the speaker of the Assembly; two members appointed by the minority leader of the Assembly; two members ap- “If Congress will not act, the states must,” Assemblyman Barnwell said.

4 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

Photo Courtesy of Assemblyman Barnwell’s Office

pointed by the temporary president of the State Senate; and two members appointed by the minority leader of the Senate. The commission would be chaired by a person chosen by a majority vote at the panel’s first meeting. The vicechairperson would be appointed by the chairperson.

Barnwell also acknowledged that the commission must look into the feasibility and cost of implementing safety programs in Empire State schools.

“Enough is enough. Our children are under attack,” the assemblyman added. “This commonsense legislation will bring together pertinent individuals to study the effectiveness of different technologies that could be implemented in schools to eliminate and/or reduce casualties in a school shooter or bomber event. We cannot wait any longer for change. We must protect our children. If Congress will not act, the states must.”

DOE Breakdowns Could Harm Homeless Students: Stringer

By Forum Staff “Massive” City Department of Education breakdowns could jeopardize the safety and welfare of the more than 33,000 homeless students enrolled in public schools in the five boroughs, according to an audit recently released by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

According to NYC’s fiscal watchdog, among what he called the “systemic” failures, DOE fundamentally violates its own rules requiring outreach and follow-up efforts when homeless students are consistently absent from school without advance notice or late.

Stringer’s audit found: • Where evidence of outreach efforts exists, DOE’s methods are woefully inadequate because DOE does not require that the outreach efforts involve actual interaction with parents; • Instead, as the audit shows, the DOE considers automated calling systems — “robo-calls,” — as well as mailed “promotion-indoubt” letters that do not consistently mention attendance issues, as “outreach efforts” for students with excessive unexcused absences, in lieu of actual contact with a child’s parent or guardian; • For three students in the audit sample, with absences ranging from 17 to 51 days, the only evidence of any kind of outreach was a form letter that was dropped in the mail; • A sample of 73 students spanned 96 different schools, and the Comptroller’s Office reviewed attendance plans, which under the Chancellor’s Regulations, are required to be developed by each school. Yet, the audit discovered that 90 out of 96 schools did not identify strategies for boosting attendance among students with chronic absences and

did not delineate a process to update contact information for the students and their families; and • DOE’s records of homeless students were so disorganized that the list it provided to the Comptroller of students residing in shelter during the 2015-2016 School Year was incorrect. Further analysis revealed that 15 of the 73 students randomly selected as a sample did not reside in shelter during that period.

The report also indicated, according to Stringer, that DOE has not demonstrated that its Family Assistants are making contact with the families whose children are chronically absent and late, specifically: • DOE had no evidence that its Family Assistants conducted outreach for 1,357 – or 89 percent – of the 1,518 absences DOE recorded for the audit’s sample of 54 students who resided in shelters during the 2015-2016 School Year and were in need of intervention by a Family Assistant.

• For 29 of the 54 students in the audit sample with chronic attendance issues (54 percent), DOE Family Assistants made no outreach.

• The widespread Family Assistant outreach failures the audit uncovered are likely due, in large part, to insufficient staffing, Stringer noted. Specifically, during the 20152016 School Year, DOE employed only 110 Family Assistants to oversee 32,243 schoolaged children residing in shelters—an average of 293 children per single Family Assistant.

In response to what he characterized as “alarming findings,” Stringer made no less than a dozen recommendations, including: • DOE should enhance its procedures to

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ensure that school officials immediately make required outreach and intervention efforts when students are absent—and that those efforts are documented—in accordance with the Chancellor’s Regulations.

• DOE should ensure that its employees charged with oversight responsibilities for student attendance are familiar with their responsibilities.

“These are heartbreaking government failures, because they affect young , vulnerable children,” Comptroller Stringer said.

• DOE should conduct a study to determine the appropriateness of its current caseloads for Family Assistants and whether its staffing levels are sufficient to enable them to effectively fulfill their job responsibilities.

According to the Comptroller’s Office, DOE “stated that it agreed with four of the 11 recommendations directed to the agency and partially agreed with another four.” However, the agency “expressly disagreed with a number of the audit findings. We address these areas of disagreement in detail in the body of this report. After carefully reviewing DOE’s arguments, we find no basis to alter any of the audit’s findings,” the Comptroller’s Office added.

“These are heartbreaking government failures, because they affect young, vulnerable children. Schools are like second homes to so many families across the five boroughs, but for homeless children, the classroom is sometimes their only source of stability. The DOE is failing these kids,” Stringer said. “But instead of admitting obvious breakdowns in supporting a challenging population of students, the bureaucracy believes in defending the indefensible, and claiming it’s getting the job done, contrary to all the evidence. It has to change – lives are at stake. We, as a City, are defined by how we support our most vulnerable. We need to be a school system that gives all children a chance to achieve their dreams. What we’ve shown in this audit is that the bureaucracy is letting kids down.

The numbers here are deeply alarming, but behind each one of them is a vulnerable Photo Courtesy of the City Comptroller’s Office child who needs help from adults. Our kids deserve better.”

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 5

EDITORIAL PAROLE MODEL On May 21, 1971, Herman Bell forfeited his natural right to freedom.

On that fateful day, Bell and two fellow cowards lured City Police Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones to their deaths. As the cops were returning to their squad car in Harlem, the three proud Black Liberation Army soldiers pumped bullet after bullet into their backs.

Piagentini was shot nearly two-dozen times, with the final round coming from the hero’s own department-issue service revolver as he begged for his life.

Bell was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He has been eligible for parole seven times. He has been denied early release seven times.

Until March 14, 2018.

The eighth attempt seemed to be the charm for the cold-blooded cop killer.

Bell, 70, was granted parole by a State panel whose members should find themselves on the unemployment line and have their heads examined. Both immediately.

Bell could be a free man as early as April 17. I cannot believe that I just typed out that statement.

Though it is of little solace at this point, The Forum is glad that we’re not alone in our belief that Bell should never be allowed to inhale even a breath of free air.

“The Parole Board has failed in their duty to protect the citizens of this state,” said longtime NYC Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch. “There are no words to express our anger and disgust that they have granted release to a cold-blooded cop-killer who successfully gamed the system in two states to win his freedom. Herman Bell, a domestic terrorist and member of the Black Liberation Army, is responsible for the death of three fine law enforcement officers: Police Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones in NYC and Sgt. John Young

in San Francisco. His release on parole is a painful affront to the families of every police officer who has sacrificed his or her life in the line of duty. Today, it is accepted that, absent a constitutionally viable death penalty, the appropriate sentence for anyone who intentionally murders a NYC police officer is life without parole.

Herman Bell, who committed the most barbarous and heinous crimes in killing three police officers and who showed absolutely no compassion to Joe Piagentini, who pleaded for his life saying he had two small daughters, should have never been granted parole. We are disgusted, offended and extremely angry with this parole board’s decision.”

You can’t kill cops. Period. If you do, you should be stripped of your freedom for the rest of your natural days on earth.

The Parole Board’s decision to free Herman Bell has to go down as one of the most heinous miscarriages of justice in the history of our beloved state.

Because on May 21, 1971, Herman Bell consciously gave up his right to freedom. There should be no mitigating factors or loopholes that he could take advantage of in order to one day find himself living among the civilized.

Some animals don’t deserve to be let out of their cages.

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The Pharmacist’s Corner

106 Cop of the Month Nabs Suspected Shooter

Presented by Frank Pantina, R.Ph

The Opioid Crisis Pharmacists and Physicians Have to Help The opioid crisis in America has reached epidemic proportions, and this past October, it was declared a national public health emergency.

Since 1999, the death toll from opioid use has more than quadrupled, and today, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 115 Americans die each day as the result of opioid use.

While the government and law enforcement sets the wheels in motion to institute harsher penalties for drug traffickers and reduce the actual amounts of drugs in their possession to impose sentencing, the onus of the problem on the local level falls logically on the health care community.

Opioid use for pain management has increased substantially in recent decades, and along with that increase, so has the rate of opioid misuse and overdose deaths.

The medical community can make a very obvious contribution to aiding in this crisis by focusing on the evaluation of necessity for the prescribing of these harsh pain killers. The plan introduced by President Trump to address the crisis not only includes seeking the death penalty for drug dealers, but it also calls for the reduction of all opioid prescriptions by one-thrid of it's current rate.

Careful medication selection and monitoring

The 106th Precinct Community Council last Wednesday honored Police Officer Peter Giganti as February’s Cop of the Month for the apprehension and arrest of a shooting suspect.

Congratulations!

Photo Courtesy of NYPD

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Until next week...

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THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 7

Trump Touts Ambitious ‘Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand’

By Michael V. Cusenza President Donald Trump this week detailed his new plan to, as he put it, confront the driving forces behind America’s opioid crisis.

The Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand, according to the White House, will address factors fueling the epidemic, including over-prescription, illicit drug supplies, and insufficient access to evidence-based treatment, primary prevention, and recovery support services.

Trump’s initiative, which he outlined on Monday in New Hampshire, is built on three pillars: reduce demand and over-prescription; cut off the supply of illicit drugs; help those struggling with addiction.

Reduce Demand and Over-Prescription Launch a nationwide evidencebased campaign to raise public awareness about the dangers of prescription and illicit opioid use, as well as other drug use.

Support research and development efforts for innovative technologies and additional therapies designed to prevent addiction and decrease the use of opioids in pain management, including supporting research and development for a vaccine to prevent opioid addiction and non-addictive pain management options.

Reduce the over-prescription of opioids which has the potential to lead Americans down a path to addiction or facilitate diversion to illicit use.

Implement a safer prescribing plan to achieve the following objectives: cut nationwide opioid pre-

scription fills by one-third within three years; ensure that 75 percent of opioid prescriptions reimbursed by federal healthcare programs are issued using best practices within three years, and 95 percent within five years; ensure that at least half of all federally-employed healthcare providers adopt best practices for opioid prescribing within two years, with all of them doing so within five years; and leverage federal funding opportunities related to opioids to ensure that States transition to a nationally interoperable Prescription Drug Monitoring Program network.

Cut off the Supply of Illicit Drugs Secure land borders, ports of entry, and water ways against illegal smuggling.

Require advance electronic data for 90 percent of all international mail shipments (with goods) and consignment shipments within three years, in order for the Department of Homeland Security to flag high-risk shipments.

Identify and inspect high-risk

shipments leveraging advanced screening technologies and by using drug-detecting canines.

Test and identify suspicious substances in high-risk international packages to quickly detect and remove known and emerging illicit drugs before they can cause harm.

Engage with China and expand cooperation with Mexico to reduce supplies of heroin, other illicit opioids, and precursor chemicals.

Advance the Department of Justice Prescription Interdiction and Litigation Task Force to fight the prescription opioid crisis. According to the president, the PIL Task Force will: expand the DOJ Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit’s efforts to prosecute corrupt or criminally

negligent doctors, pharmacies, and distributors; aggressively deploy appropriate criminal and civil actions to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for any unlawful practices.

Shut down illicit opioid sales conducted online and seize any related assets by scaling up internet enforcement efforts under DOJ’s new Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement team.

Strengthen criminal penalties for dealing and trafficking in fentanyl and other opioids: DOJ will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers, where appropriate under current law; Trump also calls on Congress to pass legislation that reduces the threshold amount of drugs needed to invoke mandatory minimum sentences for drug traffickers who knowingly distribute certain illicit opioids that are lethal in trace amounts.

Help Those Struggling with Addiction Work to ensure first responders are supplied with naloxone, a lifesaving medication used to reverse over-

doses.

Leverage federal funding opportunities to State and local jurisdictions to incentivize and improve nationwide overdose tracking systems that will help resources to be rapidly deployed to hard-hit areas.

Expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment in every State, particularly medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.

Seek legislative changes to the law prohibiting Medicaid from reimbursing residential treatment at certain facilities with more than 16 beds; in the meantime, continue approving State Medicaid demonstration projects that waive these barriers to inpatient treatment.

Provide on-demand, evidencebased addiction treatment to service members, veterans and their families eligible for healthcare through the Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs.

Leverage opportunities in the criminal justice system to identify and treat offenders struggling with addiction.

Trump is no stranger to substance abuse and addiction. He has invoked the name of his older brother Fred and Fred’s struggles with alcohol, which eventually claimed his life, when discussing the United States’ drug crisis. With that in mind, Trump on Monday also unveiled CrisisNextDoor.gov, a Web portal where anyone can share their own stories about the dangers of opioid addiction.

“I learned because of Fred. I learned. And that’s what I think is so important,” Trump said. “It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction.”

File Photos

Jackson Heights Woman Convicted of 108 Counts of Animal Cruelty

By Forum Staff Elizabeth Grant, a 50-year-old Jackson Heights resident, has been convicted of 108-counts of animal cruelty and other charges for failing to provide adequate care for the 67 cats and dogs she had collected and brought to her home.

According to DA Brown’s office, the pets all had extreme health problems - from malnutrition to severe infections– and one dog had to be euthanized.

The animals lived in deplorable conditions - where the floors and furnishings were covered in feces, fur and urine. Rescue workers who retrieved the pets, had to wear respirators and protective clothing.

Justice Stephanie Zaro found the defendant guilty of failure to provide proper suste8 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17

of a crime. No one was home at the time, but through a open door they observed inhumane conditions and returned with members of the ASPCA. This time Grant’s mother answered the door and excessive amounts of feces and fur were seen throughout the living area and the stench of urine was overpowering. There was also trash strewn amid the clutter. The animals living inside had patches of fur missing, crusted eyes and one cat appeared to not be able to walk. A court-authorized search warrant was executed that same day and members Photo Courtesy of Google of the ASPCA rescued 55 cats, 12 dogs and House of Horrors: Investigators counted 67 dogs and cats inside the 82nd Street home. two turtles. District Attorney Brown said that nance and failure to provide proper food and ing animals.

“As a result of the defendant’s neglect, 12 anidrink to impounded animals.

Police discovered the horrific scene when mals had to be euthanized but more than 50 In April Grant will be sentenced and faces they went to Grant’s home to take a report have since been adopted and placed in good up to two years in prison and a ban from own- from her mother, who had been the victim homes.”

• THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

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718-619-4955 THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 9

State Board Grants Cold-Blooded Cop Killer Parole

By Michael V. Cusenza Herman Bell, one of three radicals who admitted to gunning down two City cops near a Harlem housing project in May 1971, has been granted parole by the State Parole Board.

Police Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones were lured to their demise, ambushed and shot multiple times in the back. Bell, Anthony Bottom, and Albert Washington, proud members of the Black Liberation Army, were convicted, and each received 25-to-life prison sentences.

Prior to last week’s ruling, Bell tried for early release seven times, and was denied each occasion. He is set to be freed on April 17.

The board, and by extension Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were roundly ripped by law enforcement and elected officials.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) said that Cuomo “and his handpicked Parole Board should be ashamed they let convicted cop-killer Herman Bell out of prison. Each and every day, our brave men and women in blue walk with a target on their back, risking their lives to protect our city. The decision to release Herman Bell is not only an insult to New York’s Finest—it sets a despicable and dangerous precedent.”

Diane Piagentini, Joseph’s widow, said that her family is “angered and sickened that this horrible person, who was devoid of any human compassion or empathy when he continued to shoot my already wounded husband, Joseph, while he plead-

Councilman Ulrich said the decision to set Bell free “sets a despicable and dangerous precedent.”

ed for his life for the sake of his family, will now be free to walk out of prison. My family and I believe that the members of parole board who made this horrible decision have not only betrayed the trust of all the line of duty police families, but have also failed in their duty to protect the citizens of this state. They should be fired and should never be allowed to sit in judgment again.

The message being sent devalues the life of my brave husband who was taken from his two daughters and for whom there is no parole. How can we ask our police officers

to risk their lives to protect society when society fails to appropriately punish their animalistic killers?”

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) this week called for the approval of legislation he introduced in January 2017 that ensures that those who kill law enforcement officials spend their lives in prison with no possibility of parole.

“While those who take the lives of police officers are supposed to be sentenced to life without parole in New York’s prison system, a loophole in the law makes it pos-

File Photo

sible that these cold-blooded killers could wind up back on the streets in as little as 20 years,” Addabbo, an attorney, noted. “When Bell was convicted, for example, it was on a charge of murder in the first degree, which carries a minimum penalty of 20 to 25 years in prison. Under my bill, this loophole in State law would be closed, and the specific crime of murdering a police officer would carry life in prison without parole as the one and only mandatory sentence.”

Addabbo’s proposed measure is currently in the Senate Codes Committee.

Flushing-Based Counterfeit Credit Card Ring Dismantled

By Forum Staff Three Flushing residents have been charged with running a counterfeit credit card operation, in which they allegedly forged charge cards and made tens of thousands of dollars in purchases of designer fragrances, makeup, skin care products and more. Law enforcement also allegedly recovered drugs, handguns and ammunition in the same home where a two-year-old resided.

District Attorney Brown said, “The de-

fendants in this case are accused of operating a sophisticated credit card manufacturing mill with embossing machines, card writers and hundreds of blank credit cards.

Police also allegedly recovered receipts from numerous purchases made at highend department stores.”

The defendants are identified as Jinwei Chen, 34, Deng Deng Li, 27 and Yue Yuan, 27.

They were arraigned and charged with second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of stolen property,

second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of forgery devices, criminal possession of a firearm and endangering the welfare of a child.

Search warrants on the defendants homes netted a loaded .380 caliber Smith and Wesson firearm, a loaded 9mm Taurus Millennium G2 handgun, ammunition, two credit card embossers, two credit card reader/writer machines, two credit card stampers, over 400 forged credit cards, 85

fake driver’s licenses and 750 blank credit cards. A box containing the drug ketamine was also confiscated.

Police also found receipts from shopping sprees, more than $22,000 in cash, and $100,000 of unopened packages of Lancome, Clinique, Shiseido, Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford, Chanel, Gucci and Cartier makeup, fragrances and skin care items.

In addition there were Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones, Canada Goose winter coats and cell phones.

Auburndale Man Charged with Manipulating ATM to Dispense Cash without Card

By Forum Staff A 33-year-old Queens man has been arrested for “jackpotting” an ATM –getting it to dispense cash without a card¬¬– and charged with grand larceny.

Eric Salazar Montano, of Hollis Court in Auburndale, stole nearly $250,000 from two hacked machines, while posing as a technician. Montano hit machines in Elm10 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17

hurst and Kew Gardens, forcing the machines to dispense cash as if the user had literally hit a slot machine jackpot.

The defendant is accused of using his computer skills to hack into ATM software and steal the cash that came out of the machines.

Montano and another suspect, who is as of yet no been arrested were observed on various video surveillence cameras at the • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

locations where they were wering phoney uniforms and taking money from the machines dispnsed without the use of a bank card.

The defendant was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Toko Serita on a complaint charging him with seconddegree grand larceny, first-degree computer tampering, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and computer

trespass.

Judge Serita set bail at $30,000 bond or $15,000 cash and ordered the defendant to return to court on March 27, 2018.

If convicted Montano faces up to 15 years in prison.

Law enforcement agents executed a court-authorized search warrant on Montano’s residence recovered a forged credit/ debit card and more than $42,000 in cash.

Gotti Grandson Gets Five Years for Torching Car at Behest of Bonanno Capo address of the owner of the other vehicle, Asaro directed an associate of the Bonanno family to set fire to that vehicle. That associate then recruited Gotti and co-defendant Matthew “Fat Matt” Rullan to help him carry out the arson.

Gotti and Rullan drove in Gotti’s Jaguar sedan to a service station in the pre-dawn hours of April 4, 2012, where they filled a container with gasoline and proceeded to the residence of the owner of the other vehicle. The Bonanno associate doused the vehicle with gasoline, and Rullan ignited it. A City Police officer in an unmarked car observed the crime in progress and pursued the Jaguar on a highspeed chase through borough streets until he terminated the pursuit for safety reasons due to Gotti’s reckless driving.

Additionally, Gotti copped to robbing the Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan Association on 69th Street in Maspeth along with two cohorts.

By Michael V. Cusenza John J. Gotti, namesake grandson of the Teflon Don, recently was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to torching a car at the behest of Bonanno capo Vinny Asaro and participating in the robbery of a borough bank.

The Hon. Allyne Ross seemed to be swayed by the prosecution’s January sentencing memorandum in which the government submitted that a “range of 60-71 months’ imprisonment should be imposed in this case, half of which should run consecutive to the defendant’s current State sentences.”

Gotti, 24, is already locked up. He was taken into federal custody just weeks after he was sentenced to eight years in prison for admitting to selling massive amounts of prescription painkillers in Howard Beach and Ozone Park.

According to the federal charges, in early April 2012, Asaro, 83, was traveling in a car on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach when he became enraged at another motorist who had cut him off at a traffic light. Asaro chased the other vehicle at a high rate of speed. Later, after obtaining the home

Photo Courtesy of DOJ

The remains of the vehicle that Gotti admitted to setting ablaze.

Reputed Members of Rockaway Street Gang Indicted on Charges of Conspiring to Kill Rivals

By Forum Staff Members of the Wildmeda Crips Gang have been indicted by a Queens grand jury for conspiracy to shoot rival gang members and been charged for crimes related to those shootings back in 2015 and 2016.

DA Brown noted these defendants turned the streets into “violent war zones” and said that neighborhood families had been placed in grave danger on their streets.

Authorities say the gang members plotted for months about getting guns and cars together for hits and in online conversations boasted about getting busy with shooting their targets.

A total of nine defendants were indicted – ranging in age from 20 to 29. They operated around Ocean Bay Housing Development and Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway.

The gang members asserted control with guns, beat-

ings and intimidation. The Crips targeted members of the 70Gs, SOS, Edgemere Bloods, Flammers and any other gang that ventured into what they considered their territory.

The investigation utilized numerous investigative tools, including reviewing phone conversations of incarcerated subjects and postings on social media pages of gang members where they not only discussed plans for the shootings but boasted about them.

Brooklyn Man Convicted of Raping Teen Stepdaughters for 10 Years

By Forum Staff It only took 30 minutes of deliberation for a Queens jury to find 43-year-old Lorenzo “Ren” Arline, guilty on multiple counts of raping his stepdaughters, beginning when they were 12 and 14 years old.

For the ten years that followed, Arline continued raping the girls and fathered eight children with them.

District Attorney Brown called the actions “a horrible case of sexual abuse” noting that the father figure should have been caring for and protecting these girls instead of using years of physical violence and heinous threats to control them for more than a decade.

Supreme Court Justice Kenneth C. Holder presided over the trial of the Brooklyn resident whose sentencing is set for April 10. Arline was convicted Photo Courtesy of Flickr/Patch Collector on all six counts of first-degree rape and one count of second-degree rape, and faces 50 years in prison, The investigation was conducted by the NYPD Queens Borough Special Victims Squad and DA Brown’s Detective Bureau. the equivalent of a lifetime behind bars.

The abuse began in 2005. He was 31 and living with the girls in Far Rockaway. He forced them¬– then 11 and 14-years-old– to sleep naked in bed with him.

It was in March 2005, when Arline firced forced himself on the 14-year-old girl and had sex with her.

He struck her, threatening to shove a coat hanger into her vagina. She left the home on one occasion without permission and he dragged her by her feet with her face scraping against the cement pavement.

She was beaten and then violently raped by the defendant. Over the years, the teen became pregnant and was forced to have five children by her stepfather.

Arline then began raping the younger victim when she was just 12-years-old. He threatened her with physical harm as well, and eventually bore three of his children.

The case came to light when he hit the older girl so hard in the face that he broke her tooth.

She went to an official at her child’s school, and told them about the years of abuse.

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 11

Jamaica Students win Meng App Contest

By Forum Staff Jashua Veerasammy and Arun Budhoo, juniors at Thomas Edison High School in Jamaica, have been selected as the winners of U.S. Rep. Grace Meng’s (D-Flushing) Congressional app contest, the congresswoman announced on Thursday.

Veerasammy and Budhoo, who are both 16 years of age, won for their app entitled “VIVID” which seeks to help people become motivated and confident in fitness and health. They believe that with obesity rates at the highest in the United States, people need motivation to exercise, and their app motivates users to go to the gym.

The competition consisted of entries from students at Queens middle schools and high schools and is part of the “Congressional App Challenge,” a nationwide contest held by the House of Representatives in which students compete by creating and exhibiting an app for mobile, tablet or computer devices.

Veerasammy and Budhoo – along with winners from app contests in Congressional districts throughout the country – will now be invited to showcase their apps to members of Congress and members of the tech community at #HouseOfCode, a special reception scheduled to take place on Capitol Hill next month. Their app is also eligible to be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol and on the House of Representatives’ official website: house.gov.

Photo Courtesy of Rep. Meng’s Office

Rep. Meng congratulates Arun Budhoo (l) and Jashua Veerasammy for winning the congresswoman’s Congressional app contest.

“I am proud to congratulate Jashua and Arun for winning my App Challenge,” Meng said. “I am extremely impressed at how these teens used their creativity and scientific minds to create and develop this impressive piece of work. Their efforts il-

lustrate the outstanding tech skills that exist among Queens students and I salute their passion for technology and writing code. I look forward to welcoming them to Washington next month, and I applaud the talents of all the students who entered my

competition.”

A total of 15 students from schools throughout Queens entered Meng’s contest. In addition to motivating people to go to the gym, apps included games, assisting those with autism and helping women locate shelters. All of the students who entered will receive a certificate of Congressional recognition, Meng noted.

Nationally, more than 4,100 students participated in the App Challenge and more than 1,270 student-created apps were submitted.

“We are deeply honored to have been chosen as the winners of Congresswoman Meng’s competition,” Veerasammy and Budhoo added. “We first entered the contest for fun, then got serious about creating an app that could make a difference in people’s lives. We brainstormed ideas for many hours, put our creativity to the test, and came-up with an app to help people be fit and healthy. We’re thankful that our hard work paid off and we are grateful to have had the inspiration of our shop teacher Kathleen Kuntz, and others from a competing team at our school. We’re extremely excited to showcase our work on Capitol Hill next month and we thank Congresswoman Meng for taking part in the Congressional App Challenge.”

The winners of Meng’s competition were selected by a panel of local judges who work within the academic, software and entrepreneurial fields.

Army Engineers Issue Expedited Rockaway & Jamaica Bay Study Timeline

By Forum Staff A “greatly” expedited timeline on the Rockaway & Jamaica Bay Reformulation Study has been secured, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the draft report will now be issued in August, followed by a final report in November, allowing for construction in the Rockaways to start as early as next year on the Atlantic side and Jamaica Bay neighborhoods.

“The residents of the Rockaways and Southern Brooklyn need better protections ASAP, and they are justifiably scared and tired of waiting. This agreement with the Army Corps, forged by Photo Courtesy of Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office Mayor de Blasio and I, will take Mayor de Blasio and Sen. Schumer certainly were all-smiles this week after the great Rockaway & Jamaica Bay Reformulatuion Study the flood protection projects from news. the back burner to the front,” can greatly accelerate the actual far too long, the Rockaways have Following Superstorm SanSchumer said. “In addition to the building of vital protections like a been waiting for a solution. As a dy, Schumer secured full federal hundreds of millions [of dollars] sea wall on the bay side, jetties and strong supporter of this project, funding for the resiliency projwe secured by reprogramming groins and more to protect every I commend the Army Corps for ect to better protect the whole hundreds of millions in vital conresident of the Rockaways from heeding our call and moving full Rockaway Peninsula from storms struction funds for this project, future storms and flooding. For steam ahead on this vital project.” and floods. Last month, de Blasio this agreement will mean that we 12 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

met with Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, commander of the USACE in Washington, D.C., and secured a commitment to expedite construction, while Schumer allocated an additional $730 million to ensure the Corps had the funds available to deliver coastal resilience projects in the region, including the Rockaway Reformulation as well as projects on Staten Island and Long Island.

The analysis will ultimately determine the solution for longterm erosion control and coastal protection projects along the Atlantic Coast, between East Rockaway Inlet, Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay, Schumer noted.

“New York City’s shoreline is our first line of defense against climate change. We are grateful that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to accelerate its work to protect our coastal neighborhoods,” de Blasio added.

“By working with communities and local leaders, we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to build a more sustainable, more resilient, and more equitable city.”

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THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 13

Legal Notices

AMIANTOS LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/14/2012. Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of DREAMHIVE LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State

of NY (SSNY) on 12/18/17. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: REGISTERED AGENTS INC. , 90 STATE STREET, SUITE 700, OFFICE 40, ALBANY, NY 12207.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

CLEAN STAMP, LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 12/18/17.

Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: UNITED STATE CORPORATION AGENTS, INC. , 7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202, BROOKLYN, NY 11228. General Purposes.

6 Roosevelt Pl, LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 11/30/17. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Xing Tao Zheng, 251-14 Van Zandt Ave, Little Neck, NY 11362. General Purposes.

LOST FOODS NEW YORK,LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 10/11/17. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Lost Foods New York,LLC, 49-15 Skillman Avenue, #3c, Woodside, NY 11377. General Purposes.

CLIFTON #1 NOTE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/04/17. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: ELLEN CHARLES BOIS, 29-43 143RD STREET, FLUSHING, NY 11354. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

DATADASH SOLUTIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/06/18. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: MICHAEL CARNEY, 4146 70TH STREET, 3FL., WOODSIDE, NY 11377. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company NAME: 7227 66 STREET LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/16/2018.

Office of Location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 72-27 66 th Street Ridgewood, New York 11385. Purpose: any lawful activity.

JANE PARKER BAKED GOODS LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 1/31/18. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:THE LLC, 3811 DITMARS BLVD., SUITE 120B, ASTORIA, NY 11105. General Purposes.

Rk Williams Jr LLC. Filed 11/8/17.

Office: Queens Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: General.

Notice of formation of ZFA MANAGEMENT LLC Articles of Organization Filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 01/23/2018. Office located in Queens. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY Shell mail copy of any process served against the LLC 13692 ROOSEVELT AVE FLUSHING NY 11354. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

ANY AVENUE, LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 12/11/17. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:United States Corporation Agents, Inc.,7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. General Purposes.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of MENUON, LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/17. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent for service of process. SSNY shall mail process to: 7014 13 Ave. #202, Bklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

BARE NY LASER AESTHETICS, LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 02/01/18. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:Bare NY Laser Aesthetics, LLC, 253-15 80th Avenue #211, Queens, NY 11004. General Purposes.

G & A GROUP LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/01/18. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 79-10 35th Avenue, #4C, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of CITY FUNDING & DEVELOPMENT, LLC. Articles of Org. filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/1/2017. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: THE LLC 8810 136TH STREET, UNIT #2, RICHMOND HILL, NY 11418. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of TOCAPAMA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/22/18. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 1087 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the civil court, Queens county, on the 18 day of JANUARY 2018, bearing Index Number NC-000815-18/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY, 11435, grants me the right to assume the name of VIOLET JIMENEZ. The city and state of my address is 51-25 Van Kleeck Street, Apt #3L, Elmhurst, NY 11373-4207. The date of my birth is February 28, 2014; place of my birth is Queens, NY; my pres-

14 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

Notice of Qualification of Thirty-Ninth Street Strategies, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. Of State of NY (SSNY) on September 21, 2017. Office location: Queens County.

LLC formed in Connecticut (CT) on June 30, 2017. Princ. Office of LLC: 98-01 67th Avenue, Rego Park, NY 11374. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Marc Silverman, 98-01 67th Avenue, Rego Park, NY 11374. Name and address of each general partner are available from SSNY. CT address of LLC: 1579 Straits Turnpike, Middlebury, CT 06762. Arts of Org filed with CT Secy of State: June 30, 2017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

BRAZEN NYC, LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 1/16/18. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC.,7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202. BROOKLYN, NY 11228. General Purposes.

Notice of formation of THERAPY WORKS O.T.A PLLC. Articles of Org. filled with the Secretary Of State of New York (SSNY) on 1/26/2018. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the PLLC 147-18 116th Ave. Jamaica, NY 11436. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of CITY FUNDING & DEVELOPMENT, LLC. Articles of Org. filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/1/2017. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: THE LLC 8810 136TH STREET, UNIT #2, RICHMOND HILL, NY 11418. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the civil court, Queens county, on the 1 day of MARCH 2018, bearing Index Number NC-000176-18/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY, 11435, grants me the right to assume the name of WOODS FELIZIANO. The city and state of my address is 174 BEACH 96TH STREET, Far Rockaway, NY 11693. The date of my birth is February 3, 1990; place of my birth is Syosset, Town of Oyster Bay, NY; my present name is JOSHUA JOHN FELICIANO AKA JOSHUA J. FELICIANO Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the civil court, Queens county, on the 2 day of FEBRUARY 2018, bearing Index Number NC-001172-18/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY, 11435, grants me the right to assume the name of SUNITIE ANJANIE SOBHAI. The city and state of my address is 110-10 JAMAICA AVENUE, Richmond Hill, NY 11418.

The date of my birth is January 14, 2005; place of my birth is Queens, NY; my present name is ANJANIE SOBHAI (infant) Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the civil court, Queens county, on the 8 day of FEBRUARY 2018, bearing Index Number NC-001279-17/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY, 11435, grants me the right to assume the name of (first) JAYSON (middle)KING (last) CALDERON. The city and state of my address is 1530 HASSOCK STREET, APT 3C, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. The date of my birth is JULY 21, 2017; place of my birth is QUEENS, NY; my present name is JULIAN KING HUNTER CALDERON(infant): grants me the right to assume the name of (first) JAYCE (middle) KARTER (last) CALDERON (infant). The city and state of my address is 1530 HASSOCK STREET, APT 3C, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. The date of my birth is JULY 21, 2017; place of my birth is QUEENS, NY; my present name is JULIUS KARTER HUNTER CALDERON (infant)

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THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 17 • Number 12 MARCH 22, 2018 | 15

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TUTTOROSSO TOMATOES

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16 MARCH 22, 2018 • Number 12 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

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