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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

New York native Louie Schlifstein, a former police sergeant, reflected on a life of public service as he celebrated his 105th birthday with members of NYPD’s 111th Precinct on Jan. 25.

Born in the Lower East Side in 1913, Schlifstein now lives in Brandywine Living at the Savoy in Little Neck, an assisted living facility, where he continues to have an active life.

Schlifstein’s party was attended by the 111th Precinct’s Lt. Sean Dolphin and community affairs officers.

Schlifstein, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants, remembers selling bagels with his grandmother on a street corner in the Lower East Side, where he was surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins.

Eventually moving to Brooklyn, where he attended school through the ninth grade, Schlifstein learned printing and typesetting.

He married Sylvia Lurrey in 1937, and they had two children: Richard, also known as Zev, and Dorothea.

But he did not stay in the print industry for long, and in 1941 he joined NYPD, serving in Brooklyn for about 20 years.

Upon retirement in the 1960s, Schlifstein and his wife moved to Margate, Fla. His wife died after 55 years of marriage in 1992.

But he stayed active and found a new companion in Lillian, a widow he was with for about 20 years.

Schlifstein drove until age 97 and lived on his own until age 101, when his family in Queens and Long Island decided that he move back to New York to live at Brandywine.

Brandywine staff members said Schlifstein is a character who makes his own rounds, loves jokes and has a hat for every day.

“He loves to tip his hat to the ladies,” said Xiomara Encarnacion, Brandywine’s escapades producer. “He’s amazing.”

Schlifstein is an avid reader, keeping up with the local newspapers to stay up to date on the latest NYPD news.

“He goes to the front desk every day, and even though his vision isn’t that great, he asks to see the headline on all the New York newspapers so he can see what’s going on with the Police Department,” said Rona Siaca, the marketing director at Brandywine.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The owner of the now-defunct Water’s Edge restaurant in Long Island City, who was a campaign donor of Mayor Bill de Blasio, pleaded guilty to federal charges in a bribery attempt involving an unnamed city official, newly unsealed court records show.

Harendra Singh, 59, of Syosset, Long Island, admitted in October that he gave “donations to the elected official in exchange for efforts by that official and other city officials to obtain a lease renewal from the city agency for my restaurant on terms that were favorable to me,” according to a court transcript.

Last March, federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York decided against bringing criminal charges against de Blasio and his associates after an investigation into fund-raising practices.

During his weekly appearance on WNYC’s “Brian Lehrer Show” last Friday, the host asked de Blasio “how can someone be guilty of giving you a bribe and you not be guilty of taking it?”

The mayor was dismissive.

“It’s abundantly clear, and I will say it for everyone — this man did a lot of bad things in a lot of places,” de Blasio said. “I’m someone who never did, never would be involved in such (an) effort. I was thoroughly looked at, and there is a reason there were no charges brought because there was nothing there.

“This guy, to save his own skin, struck a plea deal with the federal prosecutors. That’s what this is, he agreed to certain charges for his own self-preservation. But I’ve been 100 percent consistent — what he said happened did not happen, period.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Kamille “OGMillie” Ejerta from Jamaica and A. King McCarty from Astoria Park were announced as the winners for the Queens Council on The Arts’ ArtHotel Residency program Monday.

The two artists will have the opportunity in mid-February to interact with guests as they produce artwork for the SpringHill Suites LaGuardia in Corona and the Paper Factory in Long Island City, according to the QCA.

Ejerta and McCarty will each receive a $3,000 stipend over the course of three months to work at the Paper Factory, which is located at 37-06 36 St. and LaGuardia at 112-15 Northern Blvd.

During their residency, the artists will have 20 hours of open studio time to engage the public and share their vision while producing artwork, according to QCA spokeswoman Lynn Lobell.

The residency is intended to give artists a safe place to focus and work in the public realm, build an audience, and to be seen working within the Queens community, while in turn giving passerbys a chance to see an artist at work. It is also meant to support working artists as they become displaced due to development and gentrification across the borough.

Ejerta was excited when she learned that she earned one of the two slots for the ArtHotel Residency.

“I’m really shocked because I applied the day before the deadline to be honest,” Ejerta said. “I came the next day for an interview and I learned that there were three other people in the interview process, but they told me I won the residency.”

Ejerta has been an artist professionally for three years.

“I do decorative murals,” said the Jamaica resident.

She also does mirror art, where she paints on finely crafted mirrors.

Ejerta is looking forward to interacting with guests of the hotel who want to see her produce work.

“I really love the idea of people interacting with me while I’m in the process of doing artwork,” said the artist. “I love to share that with the community.”

Ejerta intends on creating an installation of the Queens’ Unisphere located at Flushing Meadows – Corona Park.

“To me the Unisphere illustrates diversity, and Queens is the most diverse borough,” said Ejerta.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Queens Supreme Court judge has found an NYPD detective guilty of making a fake drug arrest involving two counts of perjury, two counts of official misconduct and one count of a written false statement in a criminal complaint.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Detective Kevin Desormeau, 34, of Long Island, had arrested a man who he claimed to have seen selling crack cocaine to two women in Jamaica who were not apprehended and testified on multiple occasions to recovering illegal substances from the man.

But additional evidence was stacked against Desmorneau as surveillance footage was uncovered showing the victim playing pool inside a restaurant during the time the arrest was said to have taken place between 6:40 p.m. and 7 p.m. Aug. 28, 2014, the DA said.

“As a result of his testimony, the victim was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance and held at Rikers Island in lieu of bail,” the Queens DA’s office said. “Following the victim making bail and being released from jail, his attorney presented surveillance video to the district attorney’s office.”

The DA said the surveillance video, taken inside a restaurant and bar on Guy R. Boulevard, showed the victim, who had been arrested by detectives, playing pool at the exact same time the drug transaction was supposedly taking place

“The surveillance video also showed the detective enter the restaurant and bar while the victim was inside playing pool and then escorting him outside,” the office said.

The detective claimed the man was arrested for selling crack cocaine on 108th Avenue and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard and Desmorneau testified twice in 2015, once in January and once in November, against the victim and falsely stated he had witnessed the transaction in a criminal complaint.

According to Brown, the victim’s drug charges were dropped as a result of the investigation by NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau Group 41.

Brown said Desmorneau was covicted in a week-and-a-half-long jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise and faces up to seven years behind bars upon sentencing on March 21.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

After a rise in domestic violence cases in the city in recent years, elected officials and activists hosted a #PutTheNailInIt event to “put the nail in domestic violence” last Friday.

Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest) teamed up with the 103rd Precinct, Safe Horizon, and the Make Me Over Beauty Bar to host the event at the Jamaica Colosseum Mall. The purpose was to raise awareness of domestic violence and how it affects families and communities.

The event, co-sponsored by state Sen. Leroy Comrie (St. Albans) and Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens), responded to a rise in domestic violence crimes in New York City in recent years. In 2016, according to the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence, the NYPD responded to 91,600 intimate-partner-related domestic violence calls, a 22.6 percent increase from the previous year. The city also said that domestic violence has become the leading cause of homelessness in New York, responsible for 30 percent of homeless families with children.

At the event, attendees were encouraged to have their ring fingernail painted purple by the Make Me Over Beauty Bar as part of the #PutTheNailInIt vow to end domestic violence. The 103rd Precinct and members of Safe Horizon, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting victims of violence, provided community members with information about domestic violence and where victims could seek help.

Lancman, chairman of the Council’s Committee on the Justice System, thanked the 103rd Precinct and Safe Horizon for their efforts to eliminate domestic violence in the community.

“Domestic violence is a frightening reality for far too many families in New York City,“ he said. “We are sending a strong message that domestic violence has no place in our community and our city, and that survivors have our complete support.”

Lancman called for a Courts and Legal Services Committee hearing last September to examine the effectiveness of the city’s Integrated Domestic Violence Courts. As the new chairman of the Committee on the Justice System, Lancman said he is planning additional hearings and oversight to ensure that victims of domestic violence have sufficient protections and legal resources.

Khadija Faison, the 10rd Precinct sergeant of community affairs, said the #PutTheNailInIt event was a fun, educational day for the community. Sgt. Faison said that the 103rd is passionate about putting an end to domestic violence and that the precinct’s presence at the event gave the community an opportunity to interact with the precinct’s units, along with other agencies that specialize in domestic violence outreach.

Assemblywoman Hyndman thanked all who had nails painted purple in solidarity with victims of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence is a prevalent issue in our community, and many are still afraid to seek help,” she said. “By demonstrating our support and engaging the community, we allow survivors to feel safe and protected. No woman, man, or child should have to live in fear of the person they love.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

In an effort to nudge people to go to court, New Yorkers will now receive text-message reminders about summonses.

Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city’s text-reminder program for people who receive summonses. The program, launched by the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the Office of Court Administration and NYPD, has proved successful during test runs in encouraging individuals to appear when they have upcoming court dates.

According to the city, the text reminders have been shown to cut failure-to-appear rates by 26 percent, and when paired with a redesigned summons form, the text reminders decreased rates of failure to appear in court by 36 percent. De Blasio said these reminders have the potential to prevent thousands of warrants each year.

“Little reminders can make a big difference,” he said. “These text messages will help people avoid a missed court appearance — and a warrant that could eventually lead to spending a night in jail. We’ve found that these gentle nudges help New Yorkers remember when and where their court appearance is and reduce failure-to-appear rates, and that progress is a great step toward a fairer justice system.”

In 2016 there were 267,763 criminal summonses issued in New York City, but nearly 4 of 10 people who received them failed to appear in court, the mayor’s office said. Among the possible reasons were that people forgot by the time the date came around months later, they did not realize the importance of attending, or they did not make time to do. Whenever someone fails to appear in court, a warrant may be issued for his or her arrest, which can lead to harsher punishment and stretch the resources of the justice system.

In 2014, the city partnered with ideas42, a nonprofit behavioral design lab, to redesign the summons form so that people are more likely to return to court. The new form more prominently displayed the time, date, and location of court appearances as well as consequences for not showing up.

A study of the revised form by the University of Chicago Crime Lab determined that the changes helped decreased the failure-to-appear rate by 13 percent.

The new form also invited recipients to include their phone numbers so they can receive text-message reminders. During 16 months from March 2016 to June 2017, people who provided their phone numbers were randomly selected to receive text messages that encouraged appearing in court. Some messages emphasized that there would be consequences for failure to appear, some encouraged planning in advance for the appearance, and some underscored that failing to appear would be out of step with the norms of their peers.

According to the mayor, these text-message reminders cut failure-to-appear rates by 26 percent, in addition to the 13 percent improvement through the new summons form.

The Office of Court Administration is now sending text reminders to all summons recipients who gave a cellphone number on the summons, which is expected to prevent issuance of thousands of warrants annually.

Council Member Rory I. Lancman (D-Hillcrest), who is also the chairman of the Committee on the Justice System, said improving court attendance of summons recipients will go a long way toward curtailing unnecessary arrest warrants and expensive incarceration.

“As it stands today, New York City’s exorbitant failure-to-appear rate clogs our justice system and wastes valuable taxpayer resources,” he said. “I commend the city for focusing on the failure-to-appear problem and taking action to ensure summons recipients have all the necessary information at their fingertips.”

The mayor said this is just one of the many initiatives the city has taken to prevent minor offenses from snowballing into arrests and detention, which can ruin a person’s job or housing opportunities. The Criminal Justice Reform Act substituted civil tickets for criminal summonses for low-level offenses by more than 90 percent. Summons enforcement has also significantly decreased. According to de Blasio, the number of criminal summonses dropped 50 percent from 2013 to 2017.

The mayor’s office has also worked with four district attorneys to dismiss 644,000 outstanding warrants for minor offenses like drinking alcohol in public or entering a park after hours.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Angelica Acevedo

TimesLedger Newspapers

What does forward Kayla Charles hope to accomplish during her time with the St. John’s University Red Storm?

“I want to have my face on the wall, Like Chris Mullin,” she said.

The Far Rockaway native and her teammates have had a successful season, with a 12-10 overall record.

“We have enough talent where we can go far and win a championship,” Charles said. “I feel like everybody has their own thing that they bring to the table that makes them special, so it’s really cool to have all of that around you all the time.”

Before joining St. John’s, Charles played for a year at William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City, averaging 13.5 points and 10.4 rebounds. St. John’s coach Joe Tartamella seemed positive before the season that Charles’s height and technique would benefit the team.

“Kayla has incredible length and athleticism and reminds me so much of Amber Thompson when she was in high school,” he said in a St. John’s news release. “She will provide us with versatility all over the floor on both ends and has an incredible ability to rebound the ball.”

Unlike two of her four siblings, who landed scholarships to play for South Carolina and Virginia, Charles knew she wanted to stay close to home after high school.

“My mom was never able to come to any of my high school games because of work and her hours, so her major thing was that she always wanted to watch me play college ball,” she said.

In addition to staying in Queens for her family, she chose St. John’s for its criminal justice program. She envisions becoming an FBI detective. Growing up, she said, she wanted to be a police officer, but her mother pointed toward the FBI for the money and relative security. “It’s a little less dangerous than being a cop,” Charles said.

Asked if she has any hobbies outside basketball and classes, Charles put it simply: “No.”

“I’ll say I want to get away from basketball,” she said, “but the moment I have free time I’m just like: ‘I’m bored, I want to go the gym and play basketball.’”

Perhaps what fuels this passion is her family of athletes. According to St. John’s athletics, before switching to basketball, Charles even played volleyball for her first three years of high school in Far Rockaway.

Her brother, she said, ultimately sparked her interest in basketball.

“I definitely had the mind-set of being the next Serena Williams, so my brother got stuck with me one day, and it was just basketball from there,” she said.

As a female basketball player, Charles is no stranger to the pressures and biases most female athletes face. Women’s basketball tends to be overlooked in the world of sports, but Charles doesn’t let that faze her.

“I figure people rather watch guys dunk on each other, rather than watching girls run up and down and just lay up,” she said. “I mean, it’s understandable, but at the same time, if you look at the stats, girls are really better than the guys.”

Regardless, Charles continues to have big plans for her basketball career. She suggests other aspiring female basketball athletes do the same.

“It’s going to be tough,” she said, “but if you’re dedicated, you should stick with it.”

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) issued a warning to New York consumers Monday about a new scam recently uncovered by the Federal Trade Commission in which imposters are tricking people into sharing their Social Security numbers over the phone and through a website. Callers claiming to be representatives of the Social Security Administration are contacting consumers, claiming a computer glitch requires them to ask for their Social Security numbers.

The Social Security Administration does not contact people directly to confirm that information.

“These fraudsters are our to steal identities and wreak havoc on the lives of New Yorkers,” Gianaris said. “I urge everyone to follow common sense advice and never divulge a Social Security number or other personal information to strangers over the phone or Internet.”

Additionally, fake websites have been created to target people seeking new copies of their Social Security cards. New cards are only available by submitting paper documents to the Social Security Administration.

“These scams often target vulnerable New Yorkers, including seniors and new Americans,” Gianaris said. “Everyone should be vigilant about protecting their identities.”

Gianaris urges consumers who receive these calls to contact the Social Security Administration directly at 1(800) 772-1213 with any questions. Gianaris has taken steps to protect consumers from scams and fraud, voting for legislation which would treat financial exploitation of the elderly as larceny and another measure increasing the criminal penalty for identity theft.

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

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Source: Times Ledger