Uncategorized

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Students from St. John’s Prep in Astoria and St. Leo’s Catholic Academy in Corona donated their time and efforts to brighten the Easter holiday for children living in two shelters for homeless families Sunday.

The youngsters prepared 161 brightly decorated Easter baskets filled with candy, small toys, craft and hygiene items and delivered them to the Boulevard Family Residence at the former Pan American Hotel in Elmhurst and the Metro Family Shelter in Woodside as part of a project spearheaded by St. John’s Prep dance director Debra Befumo.

“As a child, I couldn’t wait to receive an Easter basket filled with toys from my parents, but for children living in shelters, such gifts are usually not possible,” Befumo said. “Our project allows these children to forget any struggles they might be facing and enjoy their childhood doing what all kids love to do: play!”

The students who volunteered for the St. John’s Prep Easter Basket Project enjoyed participating.

“Perhaps the kids receiving these baskets will remember this always, and this memory will cause them to reflect upon the real celebration of this Easter holiday,” St. John’s Prep Junior Georgia Patronas said. St. Leo’s first grader Javion Halbert added, “There were a lot of baskets and the kids looked so happy. I liked helping.”

It was the second year in a row Befumo organized the effort.

“Unfortunately, almost every New Yorker sees the visible homeless as they go about their day, but we seek to serve the invisible homeless — those children tucked away in shelters, having had to give up most of their treasured possessions, fighting to keep their classmates from knowing where they live, often being too ashamed to explain to their friends why they suddenly had to change schools,” Befumo said. “It is these invisible homeless children who most need our kindness and generosity.”

The Department of Homeless Services encourages New Yorkers who are interested in volunteering at a homeless shelter or to assist with delivering homeless services, to visit www.nycservice.org/search#s and search by interest using the category Homelessness and Housing.

“As the mayor has said, New Yorkers experiencing homelessness come from literally every community in this city — and we are encouraged by New Yorkers who want to do more to support our homeless neighbors as they get back on their feet, especially during the holiday season,” DHS spokesman Isaac McGinn said. “Whether by volunteering or donating, we welcome communities that want to give back and are committed to working with interested community members to ensure their efforts and energies are most effectively directed to improve quality of life for New Yorkers in need.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

An associate of the Genovese crime family was convicted of racketeering and murder conspiracy for an attempted hit on a Whitestone man, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said.

Salvatore Delligatti, 40, was found guilty in Manhattan federal court last week on all counts of racketeering conspiracy, murder-for-hire conspiracy, participation in an illegal gambling operation, and a firearms offense following a three-week jury trial. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison in August.

Delligatti committed all his crimes in order to increase his standing in the Genovese family, according to Berman.

“Delligatti recruited a group of hitmen to murder an individual,” he said. “But Delligatti’s hitmen were caught red-handed by the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office before they could carry out their hit. Delligatti now stands convicted of this foiled murder plot and other crimes he committed with the Genovese family.”

According to the indictment, from around 2008 through May 2016, Delligatti was an associate of the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra. During this time, Delligatti conspired with others to participate in and conduct the affairs of the Genovese family through a pattern of racketeering that included a murder conspiracy, an extortion conspiracy, and the operation of an illegal sports betting business, prosecutors said.

As part of Delligatti’s participation in the Genovese family, around May 2014 through June 2014 he conspired with Robert DeBello, a “made” soldier, and Ryan Ellis, a Genovese family associate, to murder Whitestone “tough guy” Joseph Bonelli, according to the prosecutors.

Delligatti asked for and received permission from DeBello to murder Bonelli, according to the indictment. Instead of carrying out the murder himself, as he had been authorized to do, Delligatti instead hired a crew of hitmen from the Bronx to ambush and kill Bonelli at his house, prosecutors said.

Delligatti provided the hitmen with a loaded .38 revolver, a getaway car, and offered to pay them thousands of dollars for the murder, prosecutors said. Delligatti’s plot was thwarted as a result of wiretap surveillance by the Nassau police and the Nassau DA’s office, prosecutors said.

The hired hitmen were apprehended in the getaway car a few blocks from Bonelli’s house on June 8, 2014, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said police recovered the loaded revolver, a spray bottle containing bleach and other materials in the car.

Prosecutors added that from April 2014 through May 2014, Delligatti and others in the Genovese family, including DeBello and Ellis, took part in a conspiracy to use threats of violence and economic harm to extort the owners and promoters of a night club located on the rooftop of a hotel in Queens.

From about 2013 through 2015, Delligatti, DeBello and Ellis were involved in a large-scale bookmaking and sports betting operation that took bets from gamblers in Manhattan and Queens, while making use of an offshore wire room, according to prosecutors.

During the gambling operation, Delligatti and Ellis brought envelopes filled with cash to DeBello. Delligatti’s co-defendants, DeBello and Ellis, previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy offenses for their roles in the murder conspiracy, the extortion conspiracy, and the illegal gambling operation, prosecutors said.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Merle Exit

TimesLedger Newspapers

The uniquely-named “[title of show]” has begun its run at Long Island City’s Secret Theatre.

Directed by Scott Guntrie, “[title of show]” first debuted at the 2004 New York Musical Theatre Festival prior to its Off-Broadway run and continues its run at Secret Theatre — located at 44-02 23rd St. — through April 14.

The plot centers on two gay men, Jeff Bowen (Jason Moody) and Hunter Bell (Jeffrey Scott Stevens), who decide to write a musical to submit to an annual festival to help boost their struggling acting careers. They have just three weeks to get the job done.

The musical gets its name based on a submission form that reads, “[title of show],” which the creators chose to use as the title. The show is a humorous spoof on what needs to be done to execute their dreams.

As the show progresses — without an intermission — the writers decide that they are going to use the dialogue that comes up between the four main characters as the dialogue in the play. The dialogue proved to be witty and comedic, especially with one subplot: the casting of the show.

Since they are continuing with the festival, from Off-Broadway to the Great White Way, they are also attempting to get in touch with people who might be interested in being in the Broadway version, both major stars — in their dreams — as well as unknown actors.

The acting and singing talent of the cast was enjoyable to watch. They were excellent, though a little more enunciation would have further enhanced the show, as it was sometimes difficult to understand some of the dialogue and lyrics.

The show started with a fast pace and continued that way through most of the performance, but the end of the play dragged on just a bit.

Will “[title of show]” succeed on Broadway? As the cast sings, “I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than 100 people’s ninth favorite thing. Those nine people will tell nine people. Then we’ll have 18 people lovin’ the show! Then 18 people will grow into 525,600 people all lovin’ our show!”

You can catch performances of “[title of show]” at the Secret Theatre until April 14, with show times offered every day at 7:30 p.m. except Monday, April 9, and Tuesday, April 10. There will be an additional matinee show on Sunday, April 8, at 3 p.m.

For get tickets, call the box office at (718) 392-0722 and visit the Secret Theatre’s website for more information.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A northeast Queens business leader officially announced his candidacy against Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) at a Republican dinner event in Queens Village in mid-March.

David Bressler, a regional manager for Bimbo Bakeries and president of the Bay Club, spoke out against irresponsible government spending and wasteful bureaucracy at the Queens Village Republican Club’s March 18 Lincoln Dinner.

“At the Bay Club and in my profession, you need to establish a budget and at year’s end, you must balance that budget. You need to implement and have oversight of all expenditures, whether they are operating expenses or capital projects. It should be the same when managing our local state and federal governments,” Bressler said. “Unfortunately, many politicians do not adhere to these principles.”

Bressler said irresponsible spending from politicians has led to large deficits and he praised the tax plan passed by the federal government, claiming it has resulted in wage increases and bonuses from several companies due to the corporate tax deduction.

He slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio, who proposed charging for garbage pickup in front of private homes to incentivize residents to recycle, and came out against the property taxes on homeowners in northeast Queens.

“We need to replace those politicians and the way they go about managing the government,” Bressler continued. “I’m sure there are candidates with good financial background, such as myself, who would discover millions of dollars of government waste… I’m in it to make Edward Braunstein a private citizen.”

But despite the words in his speech, Bressler said he is interested in running a civil and respectful campaign against Braunstein, who he claims to have no animosity toward other than disagreements over how government should be run.

Braunstein ran unopposed in 2016 in both the primary and general election and has been largely unchallenged since his election in 2011.

Bressler was born and raised in Whitestone and attended Bayside High School, before settling down in Bay Terrace in 1994.

He manages the Bay Club, which is a gated community of 1,037 units housing 2,400 residents, as well as different amenities for over a decade and has been with Bimbo Bakeries, a Mexican vendor which supplies well-known brands, for up to 18 years.

Bressler’s announcement to run precedes the creation of a campaign and submission of petitions to the Board of Elections.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Free Wi-Fi service is now available in Gantry Plaza State Park, the 12-acre oasis along the East River waterfront in the Hunters Point section of Long Island City, the state Parks Department announced last Friday.

The expansion of the program builds on a free public Wi-Fi system already installed at Jones Beach, Robert Moses and East River state parks.

“New York’s remarkable state park system welcomes tens of millions each year, and more and more families are looking to explore the outdoors and make the most of precious leisure time by having access to popular convinces,” state Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said. “Working with our partners, we are pleased to expand this valuable service at these treasured parks and destinations for the upcoming season, building on our commitment to improving the overall visitor experience.”

Users can access the service called “Oh, Ranger!” Wi-Fi by selecting the network on their devices and accepting terms and conditions. The service, including its equipment, installation, programming, and maintenance, is made possible through the support of Toyota.

“We’re grateful for this opportunity and hope that it will enhance the experience of visiting these New York public parks,” Toyota North America Vice President Steven Curtis said. In addition to providing free connectivity for visitors, the Toyota-supported public Wi-Fi is a digital information portal that can help educate visitors, identify park visitation patterns, generate awareness of upcoming programs and events, serve as an operations management tool, and promote volunteerism.

“We’re thrilled that Toyota’s ongoing commitment allows us to bring free internet to millions of visitors to New York state parks, as well as other iconic outdoor destinations all across America,” American Park Network Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Mark Saferstein said. “They’ve set a great example of how corporations can serve the public good. We look forward to collaborating with Toyota to encourage everyone to get outdoors.”

The leadership of the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, which works to preserve and enhance the neighborhood’s parks, green spaces and waterfront, was pleased with the program’s expansion into Gantry Plaza State Park.

“It’s a great addition to the park,” HPPC President Rob Basch said. “Our Long Island City community has many people who work from home and effective Wi-Fi provides the opportunity for these people to use the park as the best office in the world.”

Today, the park is a popular destination due to its spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline along the four piers that jut out into the East River, as well as its manicured gardens and open spaces. The restored gantries, which were used to load and unload rail car floats and barges, serve as a reminder of the neighborhood’s post-industrial past

The vice president of the Conservancy, Mark Christie, flashed back to the early 1990s when he joined the late Bill Bylewski, the founder and longtime president of the Friends of Gantry, and began cleaning the waterfront and making it more accessible to the people of Hunters Point.

“It was all abandoned warehouses both north and south of the gantries and everything was neglected,” Christie said. “And now the park is coming up on its 20th anniversary in May. It makes me very proud that our park is high on the list with the state Parks Department with Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, the other crown jewels in the system.”

The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy is planning a 20th anniversary celebration at Gantry on May 5, which is I Love My Park Day, in which thousands of volunteers help beautify park spaces across the state.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Maria Becce

TimesLedger Newspapers

For the last three days, and as I write this letter to the editor, it sounds like a ballistic missile is screaming above the homes of the Broadway-Flushing Historic District. I am sure it is much worse in downtown Flushing.

The FAA must help the LGA Committee develop alternative flight patterns that disburse noise, make planes fly higher, and advance the FAA’s CLEEN Program (Continuous Lower Energy Emissions and Noise) in the long term. The FAA must help TRACON (New York Terminal Radio Approach Control) coordinate flight patterns between JFK and LGA. Except for dire emergencies, air traffic controllers must consider every alternative before using any anti-noise mitigation flight pattern such as TNNIS or anything that resembles it.

Any flight pattern that concentrates this level of noise and causes this much destruction must be abolished. It is just wrong to cause this much hardship to our health, property, and the environment. The LGA Committee and NYCAR will keep fighting towards a positive and equitable outcome. The FAA’s overall mandate is one of safety and their record is exemplary, but the FAA will never achieve a successful modernization of the air traffic system at the expense and sacrifice of people living on the ground.

The LGA Committee and NYCAR (New York Community Aviation Roundtable) want to work with the FAA and Port Authority to develop these noise mitigation flight patterns and foster better coordination with TRACON. The traveling public deserves no less, and our lives and homes depend on it. We simply cannot live with this level of excessive airplane noise that never existed before 2012.

Maria Becce

Broadway-Flushing

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

The fight for a fair 2020 census has led to a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from demanding citizenship information.

On Tuesday morning, New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed the lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan. Schneiderman was joined by 17 attorneys general, six cities and the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors. The coalition argued that a question on citizenship would depress turnout in states with large immigrant populations, threatening states’ fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College and leading to the potential loss of billions in critical federal funds for education, infrastructure and Medicaid.

The census controversy began Dec. 12, when the U.S. Department of Justice requested that the Census Bureau demand citizenship information in the 2020 census form sent to every household in the United States even though the census is supposed to count all persons, citizens and non-citizens alike. The DOJ argued that the collection of citizenship information was necessary to ensure proper enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

But according to Schneiderman and 18 other states in a letter sent to the Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in February, the demand would have the opposite effect by driving down participation in immigrant communities. The potential undercount would deprive immigrant communities of fair representation when legislative seats are apportioned and district lines are drawn, the letter said.

Queens is the nation’s most ethnically diverse county, where nearly half of the residents are foreign-born.

Schneiderman said he is proud to lead this coalition in the fight for a full and fair census. He said that for decades, both parties have respected the constitutional requirement with respect and now the Trump administration is recklessly breaking with that tradition.

“One of the federal government’s most solemn obligations is a fair and accurate count of all people in the country, citizen and non-citizen alike,” he said. “With immigrant communities already living in fear, demanding citizenship status would drive them into the shadows, leading to a major undercount that threatens billions in federal funding for New York and our fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College.

Schneiderman’s lawsuit was brought under the Enumeration Clause of the U.S. Constitution, arguing that by asking for citizenship information, the Trump administration will impede an “actual enumeration” required by the Constitution. It was also brought under the Administrative Procedure Act, which allows courts to set aside unlawful or arbitrary and capricious agency decisions.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) said the citizen question on the Census 2020 is just another attack on immigrant communities coming from Trump.

“No one should be using the census as a political tool, especially when the goal of the questionnaire is to get a real count of the population,” he said. “These un-American, racist tactics will hurt us because it will provide a bad, inaccurate count, since many immigrants, out of fear, won’t participate.”

Schneiderman pointed out that the Census Bureau’s own research shows that the decision to demand citizenship information will “inevitably jeopardize the overall accuracy of the population count” by significantly deterring participation in immigrant communities, because of concerns about how the federal government will use citizenship information. Schneiderman and other lawmakers said these concerns have only been amplified by President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and pattern of actions that target immigrant communities.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been vocal against Trump’s anti-immigrant stance, said he is joining the lawsuit to stop the president from politicizing the census.

“A fair and accurate 2020 count is constitutionally mandated to ensure political power and resources remain with the people — where they belong,” he said. “President Trump’s decision puts our amazing city of immigrants in jeopardy and threatens federal funding for infrastructure, health care and public safety in New York.”

The Census Bureau rejected the addition of a citizenship question in 1980, saying “questions as to citizenship are particularly sensitive in minority communities and would inevitably trigger hostility, resentment, and refusal to cooperate.”

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

A former city cop was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison in Brooklyn federal court late last month for his role in two schemes to extort small business owners in the Albanian community in Astoria.

Besnik Llakatura, 38, was an officer at the 120th Precinct on Staten Island when he forced two small business owners to pay bribes in exchange for protection between May and November 2013, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District. Llakatura pleaded guilty March 27.

Denis Nikolla and Redinel Dervishaj, Llakatura’s co-conspirators in the organized crime gang, were sentenced to 18 and 57 years in prison, respectively, federal prosecutors said. The three conspired to extort more than $24,000 from an Astoria seafood restaurant owner, with Dervishaj telling the victim he had to pay $4,000 a month because he had opened in “our neighborhood,” according to court filings.

When he failed to make the payments, Nikolla and Dervishaj threatened him on a public street and chased him at gunpoint. The victim, a friend of Llakatura, sought help from him not knowing he was involved in the scheme. Llakatura discouraged the victim from going to the police, court papers said.

The gang also attempted to extort $1,000 a week from the owner of two social clubs, who refused and stopped visiting his clubs out of fear for his safety. Llakatura and his co-defendants threatened, punched and pulled a gun on the victim’s head, leaving him with injuries to his face, federal authorities said. The victim fled to a foreign country to avoid the defendants threats, and later sold his clubs.

“Besnik Llakatura took an oath to serve and protect the citizens of New York City as an officer with the NYPD, while simultaneously pledging his allegiance to a violent organized crime group bent on shaking down local Queens business owners within the Albanian community,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said. “He quickly discovered what happens to those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and after his guilty plea, was stripped of his shield of honor.”

Llakaturra was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eric Vitaliano to 14 years and three months in prison for his convictions on two counts of Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy and one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

“In flagrant violation of his sworn duty to serve and protect the community, former Police Officer Llakatura, along with his criminal partners, used fear, intimidation and threats of violence to demand payment from hardworking citizens who dared to open businesses on their so-called ‘turf’ of Astoria, Queens,” U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said. “Today’s sentence drives home the message that no one is above the law and a police officer who commits crimes against the community he serves will be held fully accountable.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Ronald B. Hellman

TimesLedger Newspapers

Once upon a time, Nassau County was part of Queens — until 1898, when Greater New York City was formed. It has lots of theater companies, and many Queens residents, actors and theatergoers venture east across the city border — no passport required — to see what these groups are up to.

One of the more notable troupes is the Ivy Lane Players, which is about to present two plays making their Long Island debuts, “I Was Here” and “Courted: Love on Trial.” The productions, being performed under the joint title “Uncertain Fate,” will run for six performances April 13-22.

Ivy Lane has been around since 1963 and, according to its mission statement, offers works that might otherwise never see the light of day on the Island, while seeking to have their audiences “challenged, shaken up and, at times, annoyed, pestered and bothered by what happens on stage.” Which, I might add, is what good theater should be all about.

They’ve produced 80 shows to date — about three each year. Ivy Lane works out of its home at its patron, the Levittown Public Library (1 Bluegrass Lane), presided over by Henry Brewer as president, and his wife Tara Labell as treasurer. Unlike much of the competition, the group charges no admission — that’s right, free tickets available at the library reference desk — relying on contributions and the kindness of strangers, unlike the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which lets New York City patrons pay what they want.

Brewer often directs, but this current production is guided by Cailin Kless, the daughter of two local theater actors, and a native of Douglaston now living in Queens Village. Kless made her stage debut in 1993 as an angel in the Christmas pageant at the Zion Episcopal Church and has had a number of more earthbound roles since. She is currently studying directing at The Barrow Group.

Several actors who will soon strut their stuff in Levittown can claim connections with Queens. Christopher Blieka, originally from Flushing, is a graduate student at Queens College; Alexander Larkin spent some time in Queens Village and makes his third appearance with Ivy Lane; Jennifer Pappas, a librarian by trade, is from Floral Park; Louis Scavo was born and lived on Eldert Lane in Cypress Hills, and makes his living as a paralegal; Joseph Sherer, a fellow member of the legal profession, resided in Rego Park and Whitestone; and Mara Lee Silverman is a former resident of Astoria and College Point.

All of this is made possible for these actors and the other cast members by the most important person in any production, the playwright. He’s Eric L. Grayson, out of Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay, and the word is that his two plays for Ivy Lane are all about love.

So plan on making a trip to our neighbor to the east and enjoy what Ivy Lane has to offer. For more information, call 516-731-5728, or visit www.ivylaneplayers.com.

Contact Ron Hellman at rbhofc@gmail.com.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger