Crash victim fi ghts for life USTA Tennis Center
College Point man critically injured in Jamaica owes over $311K in rent
BY JENNA BAGCAL
With hundreds of
thousands of fans flocking
to Flushing to watch the U.S.
Open the next two weeks, City
Comptroller Scott Stringer
revealed that the U.S. Tennis
Association (USTA) owes the
city over $311,000 in rent for
the Billie Jean King National
Tennis Center at Flushing
Meadows Corona Park.
According to an audit
Stringer’s office conducted,
the USTA National
Tennis Center Inc. (NTC)
underreported at least $31
million in gross revenues
from 2014 to 2017. The NTC did
not submit regular annual
certified financial statements
to the city, Stringer’s
audit found.
Additionally, the audit
stated that the financial
statements from USTA
reported $8 million more
in U.S. Open and Tennis
Center program revenue,
which was more than the
gross revenues NTC reported
from 2015 to 2017. This means
that NTC could owe the city
up to $82,310 in addition
percentage rent.
“An organization as
revenue rich as the USTA
should not be fudging its
finances and should not be
nickel-and-diming New York
City,” said Stringer at an
Aug. 22 press conference at
the Billie Jean King National
Tennis Center.
In a financial breakdown,
Stringer said that the
organization underreported
over $11.5 million in in-kind
benefits, sponsorship deals
and broadcasting rights,
translating to at least $115,000
in additional rent. His office
found that the USTA also
deducted over $10 million in
operating expenses — $100,000
in rent to the city. USTA also
underreported $4 million in
sponsorships and omitted $5
million in ticket fees.
In December 1993, the
organization signed a 99-year
lease with the city through
the Parks Department. The
terms of the lease said that
NTC must pay $400,000 in
rent plus one percent of its
net gross revenues over
$20 million.
According to Stringer’s
office, the NTC contested
parts of the audit, saying
that, “Following a thorough
review of the Draft Audit’s
conclusions, the USTA NTC
has concluded, based on the
legal interpretation of the
Lease and the consistent
application of GAAP
accounting standards, that
it should report $14,329,660
as additional Gross Revenues
and pay $143,297 in additional
rent for the 2014-2017 period.”
The organization
disputed $167,905 of the
$311,202 in percentage rent
and accused the city of
misinterpreting the terms of
the lease.
Stringer said that the
lease is not in the city’s best
interest due to stipulations
preventing Parks from
properly monitoring and
enforcing NTC compliance.
Furthermore, the lease does
not allow Stringer’s office to
independently audit NTC’s
compliance, according to
the comptroller.
QNS reached out to the
USTA for further comment
and is awaiting a response.
Joseph Huse, 50, of College Point, remains in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicle in
Jamaica. Photo via GoFundMe
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
A College Point man who
was the victim of a hit-and-run
incident in Jamaica earlier this
month remains hospitalized in
critical condition.
Suffering multiple injuries,
Joseph Huse, 50, has been on a
ventilator where he is partially
breathing on his own. Huse
is fighting for his life in the
hospital after he was crossing
the street in the crosswalk
on 160th and Liberty Avenue
on Aug. 14 at around 8 p.m.
when he was struck by a car
speeding at 37 mph.
The driver didn’t stop and
continued driving with Huse
on the car until he fell onto the
ground. According to reports,
the unidentified driver fled
the scene and Huse was taken
to Jamaica Hospital.
Huse, who is currently
in a coma, suffered multiple
fractures to his body including
his pelvis, femur, tibia, ankle
and his skull.
“Of all of his injuries, due
to the impact of Joseph going
through the windshield and
then falling off of the car and
hitting the ground where
he landed on his head, the
doctor’s are informing us that
he has severe brain damage or
what’s referred to as ‘Diffuse
Axonal Injury,’” Joseph’s
cousin, Donna Huse, wrote
on a GoFundMe page to help
raise funds to pay for medical
or funeral expenses.
The family is looking to
reach their goal of $10,000; so
far, they have received a total
of $300 from donors.
The amount of trauma
Huse suffered to his brain
has damaged the frontal lobe,
which is part of the brain that
controls important cognitive
skills such as emotional
expression, problem solving,
language, judgement and
sexual behaviors.
Now, the Huse family must
make a difficult decision: Have
the hospital do a tracheotomy
and insert a feeding tube into
Huse’s stomach to give him
time to improve and hopefully
regain consciousness, or
place him in a hospice and
remove the machines hoping
he continues to breathe on his
own and regain consciousness.
In the worst case, they would
allow him to have a peaceful
death on his own and let
nature take its course.
Huse, a father of a 15-yearold,
will need 24-hour care
following the accident. If he
survives, he will have a long
road to recovery.
“I would please ask if with
every donation, you can say
a prayer for a miracle for
Joseph!” Huse said. “Joseph
did not deserve this! He has a
good heart and a gentle soul.
He is a fighter by nature and
has always beat the odds!
The Huse family appreciates
your love and support during
this tragedy.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Outside view of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Photo credit: USTA
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