Owen Horace, 22, Chantel Gaylord, 26 and Gina Tillman, 24 were arrested and charged with felony gang assault in the 2nd degree.

The victim reported to Monticello police that he was repeatedly struck by the accused with their fists and also with a bar stool during the incident.

The victim required medical treatment at Catskill Regional Medical Center for his injuries that included a nasal fracture.

The defendants were arraigned before Sullivan County court judge Michael McGuire and remanded to the Sullivan county jail.

Bail for Tillman and Gaylord was set at $5,000.00 cash or $25,000 security bond. Horace was remanded with no bail.

An investigation is continuing and additional arrests are possible.

Owen Horace

Gina Tillman

Chantel Gaylord

The New York State Police in Kingston report the arrest of Tonya L. Valk, age 43 of Saugerties for Grand Larceny in the second degree, 5 counts of Forgery in the second degree and 5 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the first degree, all felonies.

Valk was employed as a comptroller for a business located in the Town of Ulster.  According to reports, during her tenure she stole money from the business and following her recent dismissal from the business, the thefts were discovered.

Valk was arraigned in the Town of Ulster Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $20,000.00 cash bail or $40,000.00 secured bond.

The investigation was conducted in conjunction with the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Columbia County’s District Attorney refused to prosecute 31 year old Gregory Dean for carrying a loaded pistol with nine rounds of ammo instead of the SAFE Act regulated seven rounds.

The charges were dropped in Town of New Lebanon Justice Court and Dean will not be charged under the SAFE Act but still faces the remaining charges from the traffic stop.

Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest for SAFE ACT Violation

“Governor Cuomo gave us a road map, and while this is perhaps a slightly alternative route, we both are trying to reach the same destination.  We both want the voters to have enough information to successfully pass a referendum in support of casino gaming this November,” Bonacic said.

Bonacic said he felt the more information voters had, the more likely it would be that they would vote for a referendum.   He also indicated that he felt many voters on Long Island and the immediate New York City suburbs would be concerned about the potential to have a gaming facility too close to them, with the exceptions of places such as Westchester and Queens, where the facilities have been successful and not created problems that casino opponents typically predict.

“My sense is people in many high density, high traffic areas may want to have day trip access to the type of entertainment venue we are speaking of, but not necessarily want them in their Town.  This approach deflates and potentially stops much of the NIMBY attacks that some might use to oppose the referendum,” Bonacic said.

Bonacic is proposing up to three casinos in the Catskills, mirroring the 2001 legislation that authorized up to three Native American gaming facilities in Ulster and Sullivan Counties.   He is also proposing that the MTA Region (Long Island and the Hudson Valley from Dutchess and Orange Counties South) not be eligible for a casino except in Westchester and Queens Counties.

Bonacic’s proposal is similar to the concept outlined by the Governor two weeks ago in that it:

Creates regions in the State where casinos would and would not be allowed;

Does not allow any casinos downstate for the next five years;

Creates a casino siting board appointed by the Gaming Commission to recommend who should receive a casino license;

Ensures that options exist to site a casino in any area that once had an exclusivity zone but no longer does;

Requires local approval in the case of the first five casinos for the facilities (by County and locality resolution);

Requires that 80% of the State revenue generated by the first five casinos go to education and 20% go to property tax reduction (to be split between the host community (20% of the 20%) and the balance (80% of the 20%) to counties across the State).

Since Governor Cuomo outlined his plan, the Governor has settled compacts with two Native American Tribes or Nations – the Oneida and the Mohawks.   “Let’s be honest here, the Governor drives the bus.  The Legislature is on the bus.  We all need to get to the destination on this issue – casino referendum passage.   I think voters are going to want the type of information this bill calls for.  I am hoping the Governor can use this proposal as he puts his own proposal into bill language.  I am respectfully asking him to consider three casinos in the Catskills to honor the 2001 law that contemplated that number.  He has done an amazing job settling issues relating to the Oneida and Mohawks.  In fact it was stunning – it made the job of siting the casinos much easier”.

Under Senator Bonacic’s legislation:

The first casino would be located in any of the following counties:  Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, or Ulster;

The second casino would be located in any of the following counties:  Broome, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins, Chemung, Schuyler, or  Wayne;

The third casino would be in Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, or Washington;

The fourth casino would be in the Catskills (Delaware, Greene,Sullivan, or Ulster Counties);

The fifth casino would be in the Catskills or in Western New York (the Counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming and the portions of the Counties of Chemung, Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne and  Yates West of New York State Route 14);

The sixth and seventh casinos would be in either Queens or Westchester Counties or in an area which previously was part of an “exclusivity zone” but which “exclusivity zone” was no longer in effect.

Casinos would be excluded on Long Island but both Nassau and Suffolk OTBs would be authorized under Bonacic’s legislation to operate one VLT parlor in each County.   In addition, a portion of the revenue from any casino in Queens County, up to $75 million per year, for five years, would be used for economic development purposes in and around Belmont racetrack.

“My view is Long Island is a key part of the State’s economy and a large portion of the State’s population.    Belmont is a major attraction.  I want to continue to successfully grow Belmont and create economic development around it in a manner which is locally determined,” Senator Bonacic said.

Bonacic’s legislation also asks the State Gaming Commission to report back on the feasibility of expanding VLTs to other resort areas which do not receive casino licenses.

In addition, Bonacic proposes to modify the existing casino gaming commission by making the terms nine years and paying the Members of the Commission as full time State employees.  “A nine year term would give the Commissioners actual independence, something I think which would help them make better decisions, removing most, if not all accusations of politics,” Bonacic said.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “With the additional charges filed against Marquis Jacobs today, we continue the painstaking process of developing evidence against these marauding groups of alleged gang members and holding them to account. This defendant’s alleged catalogue of crimes typifies the gang warfare that is all too familiar and that we are bound and determined to extinguish.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos stated, “Today’s charges, combined with the earlier narcotics and firearms charges against Jacobs, demonstrate yet again how drugs and gun violence go hand-in-hand. The FBI is committed to working with our partners to rid our neighborhoods of the twin plagues of guns and drugs.”

City of Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner stated, “This indictment is another example of how federal and local partnerships can reduce violence in our neighborhoods. These ongoing investigations have significantly reduced crime and illegal gang activity in our city, and they send a message that there is a heavy price to pay for such illegal actions. On behalf of the mayor and the people of the city of Yonkers, we would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI New York Office, and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety for their support, cooperation, and collaboration in this case.”

The indictment claims that on July 28, 2011 shot and killed Patricio, a rival gang member, in Yonkers, New York. On November 28, 2011, Jacobs robbed a narcotics dealer (victim-1) in the vicinity of Cliff Street in Yonkers, New York. During that robbery, Jacobs brandished and discharged a firearm, shooting victim-1 in the stomach. Jacobs also distributed crack cocaine, conspired with others to commit robberies of narcotics dealers, and carried firearms during his narcotics distribution activities.

Jacobs was initially arrested by the FBI and the Yonkers Police Department on December 2, 2011, and charged by complaint with distributing crack cocaine. On March 27, 2012, Jacobs was charged in a seven-count superseding indictment, along with Donald McIntosh, Maurice Anderson, and Manny Dossantos, with conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, firearms offenses, and conspiring and agreeing to commit robberies of known narcotics dealers, as well as attempted robbery. McIntosh, Anderson, and Dossantos have all pled guilty.

If convicted of the most serious charge, Jacobs could face Life in Prison.

Harding was being sought by the Scranton Police Department for a homicide that occurred on May 5, 2013. It is alleged that Harding shot at his victim, striking him twice. On May 10, an arrest warrant was issued by Magisterial District Judge Alyce Hailstone Farrell, charging Harding with the following offenses:

Murder of the First Degree
Aggravated Assault
Simple Assault
Murder of the Third Degree
Firearms not to be Carried without a License
Possession of Prohibited Firearm

At the request of the Scranton Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania began investigating the whereabouts of Harding. Information was developed by U.S. Marshals and task force personnel indicating that Harding may have fled to the Syracuse, New York area.

U.S. Marshals based in Scranton, as well as task force personnel, traveled to Syracuse yesterday to investigate all potential leads. During the evening hours, U.S. Marshals spotted the fugitive walking outside a residential building. Harding fled as USMS and task force personnel closed in. A chase ensued, and the fugitive ran into a nearby apartment building in the 2000 block of East Lafayette Street.

U.S. Marshals and task force officers, assisted by local law enforcement officers who arrived on the scene, established a perimeter around the building. The Syracuse Police Department’s SWAT Team was activated and began to clear the building to locate Harding. Late last night, U.S. Marshals Service personnel arrested Harding without incident at the East Lafayette Street building.

Harding, 18-years of age, was turned over to the Syracuse Police Department for processing. Harding will be arraigned today on the Scranton charges and on the matter of his extradition to Lackawanna County.

United States Marshal Martin J. Pane stated, “It is law enforcement’s top priority to arrest violent offenders, especially those who have no regard for human life. I am very proud of the work the Fugitive Task Force members did to bring Harding to justice.”

“On behalf of the Scranton Police Department, we appreciate the tireless and diligent efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend this violent fugitive”, said Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano.

U.S. Marshals were assisted by personnel from the following agencies who are full-time participants in the USMS Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania: the Scranton Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, and the Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Office. A vast amount of assistance and support was provided by the Syracuse Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service personnel from the Northern District of New York.

“We have our points of disagreement, but I concur with the report?s finding that communities across New York are dealing with increased fiscal stress.?

Our problems are caused by unfunded mandates imposed on the city by the State of New York, skyrocketing health care and pension costs, coupled with reductions in state aid, on top of the recession, that has been made worse by New York?s anti-business climate. Despite promises of reform, New York still has the second highest state and local tax burden in the nation and the worst business climate.

This untenable situation has made life difficult for all New York municipal officials. These dire economic conditions and the exodus of homeowners and taxpayers from New York also make it extraordinarily difficult to precisely predict revenues, or to precisely predict what the city will be required to spend to satisfy the mandates imposed upon it by the State of New York.

The City of Poughkeepsie has reduced its long-term debt from $77 million to $53 million at the end of 2011. It transferred $10 million of short-term debt to long-term in 2012 to facilitate development of the waterfront, which we fervently hope will lead to increased job opportunities, new housing and retail development, and increased tax revenue.

Our short term debt in 2009 was $25 million. It is now $9 million.

Certainly, we face enormous challenges. The City has over 300 abandoned or vacant properties. The assessment values have dropped by over $573 million or 24.5% from 2008, a direct result of the recession and the sluggish response of the State to deal with it.

We do the best we can estimating revenue. It is not easy because it is hard to predict the number of homeowners and taxpayers who will abandon New York in any one given year because of the difficulty in finding opportunity here. Some who choose to leave abandon their homes and properties, depriving the city of revenue needed to serve a high percentage of people living below the poverty line.

The City of Poughkeepsie was already facing financial challenges before the start of the “great recession”. It had no fund balance going into the 2008 budget year. The debt was climbing and peaked in 2009. The country?s economic conditions compounded the City?s challenges with dramatic revenue losses in property taxes, sales taxes, and mortgage taxes. The expenditures were highlighted with increased benefits primarily from rising health insurance costs, Workers? Compensations costs, and retirement costs.

We hope the State of New York and those who serve in Albany will take some of the corrective actions needed to put its house in order, including the reform of a badly broken Workers? Compensation system, the unfunded mandates that are breaking the backs of cities, counties, and towns, including skyrocketing pension, health care, and Medicaid costs. We would also suggest that the State of New York reduce the onerous state and local tax burden, and improve the business climate in New York. Such corrective actions in Albany would go a long way toward alleviating the conditions that have caused fiscal stress in all New York?s cities, counties, and towns.

We look forward to working with the NY State Comptroller in rectifying the other issues raised in his report.”

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “Ayman Rabadi is a serial offender who has a track record of impersonating law enforcement officials for the purpose of preying on susceptible victims and stealing their money in exchange for empty promises. He will now be held to account for his crimes.”

According to the complaint and information and statements made at today’s plea proceeding in White Plains federal court:

From November 2010 until his arrest on April 18, 2013, Rabadi impersonated an FBI agent and, in doing so, obtained at least $180,000 and other things of value from individuals he promised that he could provide various forms of federal assistance. Rabadi was arrested shortly after he accepted $10,000 in cash from an undercover agent of the FBI who was posing as the niece of one of his victims. The money was purportedly a down payment toward the $300,000 Rabadi requested in exchange for obtaining the release of the victim’s relatives from jail. He was arrested immediately after leaving the Yonkers restaurant where the payment was made, and he was in possession of the $10,000.

Rabadi has an extensive criminal history that includes a 2008 conviction in the state of New Jersey for the felony of theft by deception. In that case, he created the false impression that there were criminal charges pending against a victim, that Rabadi was connected to law enforcement, and he could thwart the charges for $75,000.

Rabadi, 52, of Yonkers, New York, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. He will face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $380,000 when he is sentenced by Judge Karas on September 10, 2013.

By creating a tax-free zone for businesses that decide to locate on or near SUNY campuses and community colleges, this innovative public-private partnership will improve New York State’s business tax climate.

The partnership between SUNY Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and private companies has spurred job growth in the Capital Region. We’re hopeful that Governor Cuomo’s plan will yield similar results in other Upstate communities.

The announcement is another step in the right direction for the Upstate economy. However, state leaders must enact additional tax relief and regulatory reforms for all businesses across the state. Attracting new employers and jobs is an important goal but we must also provide relief businesses and jobs that have been here for generations.

Brian Sampson
Executive Director
Unshackle Upstate.

“Communities across New York are dealing with increased fiscal stress and Poughkeepsie is no different,” said DiNapoli. “But unrealistic budgeting has severely deteriorated Poughkeepsie’s financial condition. City officials have continued to overestimate revenue and under-budget for known expenditures. Ultimately, this may reduce the city’s ability to provide services to its residents and place a growing burden on property taxpayers. Officials must develop a long-term plan to get the city back on track.”

In 2010 and 2011, auditors found city officials over-estimated revenues by $3.2 million and under-budgeted appropriations by $4.7 million. This includes over-estimating payments in lieu of taxes ($381,000), rental payments ($305,000) and interest earnings ($426,000); as well as over-expending budget line items for health insurance ($944,000), accumulated sick pay and vacation pay ($750,000), and workers compensation ($415,000).

By failing to base their budgets on actual revenues and each prior year’s actual expenditures, city officials depleted the city’s general fund balance by $8 million in 2010 and 2011, and by a total of nearly $13 million from 2007 to 2011.

Audit findings also included:

Debt as a percentage of revenue (12.9 percent) is currently ranked 11th highest among cities in New York state;
The city’s total debt of $69.7 million represents $2,129 of debt per capita;
Long-term debt payments cost the city approximately $8.5 million annually; and
Poughkeepsie receives $129.77 of state revenue sharing aid per capita, compared to $146.80 for the median city in New York.

The report identifies a number of demographic challenges that have also contributed to Poughkeepsie’s poor fiscal position. The city’s poverty rate is 22.6 percent, far above the median city rate of 13.7 percent in New York. The unemployment rate of 8.2 percent is also higher than the statewide rate of 7.9 percent. Poughkeepsie must also cope with a relatively low home ownership rate. Currently, only 37.3 percent of the city’s housing units are owner-occupied (compared to the median of 49.5 percent statewide) and 11.3 percent of the housing units are vacant (versus the median of 9.2 percent statewide).

DiNapoli recommended the city develop a comprehensive plan to reduce the city’s outstanding long-term debt and take immediate steps to reduce the deficit in the general fund.

Additional recommendations for the city council include:

Require the mayor to prepare realistic budgets based on actual results;
Authorize all interfund loans prior to transfers occurring and ensure all interfund loans are repaid by the end of each fiscal year;
Require the mayor and city commissioner of finance to prepare periodic reports that would help assess the city’s fiscal condition;
Adopt financial policies pertaining to fund balance and interfund transfers; and
Require the city commissioner of finance to provide timely audited financial statements.

The response from city officials is included in the final audit report. The city council is required to prepare a plan of action that addresses DiNapoli’s recommendations within 90 days.

DiNapoli recently finalized an early warning monitoring system that will identify local governments facing significant fiscal stress and present a realistic picture of their financial condition and identify the economic and budgetary challenges they face. This system will make available an objective analysis to assist taxpayers in understanding and participating in local financial decision-making.

You can download/view a copy of the report here