8 The Queens Courier • may 15, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com “WEIRD LONERS” Photo courtesy of 2014 Fox Broadcasting Co./Michael Becker/FOX A new Fox show called “Weird Loners” will use Queens as its backdrop. The single-camera comedy, scheduled for 2015, focuses on “four single 30-something underdogs who are unexpectedly thrust into one another’s lives and form an unlikely bond in a Queens townhouse.” The show, which is still early in production, places the home in Ridgewood. From writer Michael J. Weithorn (“The King of Queens”) and director Jake Kasdan (“New Girl”), the show stars Becki Newton (“Ugly Betty”), Zachary Knighton (“Happy Endings”), Nate Torrence (“Hello Ladies”) and newcomer Meera Khumbhani. FORMER PARKWAY HOSPITAL WILL BE CONVERTED TO CONDOS BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] @liamlaguerre After being shuttered for six years, the site of the former Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills will be converted to a residential building. Jasper Venture Group, a real estate investment firm, announced on May 7 that it plans to demolish the former hospital at 70-35 113th St. and construct a bigger building than the 70,000-squarefoot property. Including a parking lot, the site is more than 107,000 square feet. The company did not release how many units the new building will have or when it is set to be complete, but said the new residential space will “breathe new life into the idle site.” “The additional housing this project will provide when complete will be a relief to those seeking a more spacious option to the compact Former Parkway Hospital, which has been vacant for six years, will become a residential building. living New York City provides,” the company said in a release. “The former Parkway Hospital will be luxurious, offering its residents a view of the lakes and their own slice of serenity.” Parkway Hospital overlooks Grand Central Parkway and rests just outside of both Willow Lake and Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Photo courtesy Jasper Venture Group Corona Park. The state closed the hospital in 2008 and it has been vacant since. The hospital filed for bankruptcy in 2005. Former Parkway CEO Robert Aquino was sentenced to four months in jail in May of 2012 after he pleaded guilty to bribing former state Senator Carl Kruger to try to keep the medical facility open. Supermarket chain cheated employees: government BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ A Glendale-based chain of 17 neighborhood supermarkets, all owned by Andres Ferreira, has been cheating employees out of wages, according to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The company agreed to pay $372,172 in back pay and “liquidated damages” to 18 workers, many of whom didn’t even receive a wage and survived on tips. The supermarkets are NSA Supermarket, NSA Golden Mango and Met Food. They span the New York City area, and the employees who are being compensated worked in the Brooklyn and Queens branches. The investigation was performed by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. The investigation revealed that the 18 workers were either being paid less than minimum wage or nothing at all, leaving them only tips they received when bagging groceries. They also found that the supermarkets did not keep accurate records of the workers’ hours. “Supermarkets that underpay their employees also undercut those employers who elect to obey the law and pay lawfully required wages,” said Maria L. Rosado, director of the Wage and Hour Division in New York City. “This settlement applies to all 17 stores. We welcome this employer’s commitment to enterprise wide compliance and encourage other employers to follow suit in ensuring that they comply with federal wage laws at all locations.” The Glendale firm also agreed to put posters up in their stores that will inform workers, in Spanish and English, of their rights. They will also pay $7,480 in civil penalties. Ferreira did not immediately return call for comment. Four charged with stealing $12.4M meant for special needs preschoolers BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected]/@CristabelleT Four men are accused of not providing the services they promised to preschoolers with special needs after they allegedly stole more than $12 million in government funds meant to help the students. Those charged are all affiliated with the Island Child Development Center (ICDC), a private nonprofit located in Far Rockaway, which mainly offers services to preschool children in the Orthodox Jewish communities of Far Rockaway, and Williamsburg and Borough Park, Brooklyn, according to officials. The assistant director of ICDC, Rabbi Samuel Hiller, 56, of Far Rockaway; former ICDC executive director Ira Kurman, 52, of Hewlett, N.Y.; Roy Hoffmann, 50, of Woodmere, N.Y., who was hired by ICDC to serve as its independent auditor as required by the state; and Daniel Laniado, 41, of Brooklyn, who was a self-described “investor” in ICDC, are accused of stealing $12.472 million of approximately $27 million in state funds between 2005 and 2012, District Attorney Richard Brown said. The thefts were uncovered after the state comptroller’s office notified ICDC of a routine audit to be performed in July 2012. When auditors arrived, Kurman had left his position and allegedly took off with his books and records. The men diverted the money for their own personal use, their relatives, to their own business endeavors and to local members of their religious communities, according to officials. Hiller allegedly diverted around $8 million to several religious schools and camps not affiliated with ICDC. In addition to criminal charges, the district attorney’s office is seeking the forfeiture of more than $11.472 million in illegally obtained proceeds from those charged. Approximately $1 million has been repaid by two of the schools and camps to which Hiller diverted money and is reflected in that figure, Brown said. The four were arraigned on May 13 on a 42-count indictment in which they are variously charged with grand larceny, offering a false instrument for filing, identity theft and falsifying business records. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison. Peter King to address airport group U.S. Rep. Peter King will address JFK’s business community on issues ranging from passenger and cargo safety to small businesses in the airport community. King is well-versed in airport operations. He has previously spoken on trade and security issues with the board of directors of the JFK Airport Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association. The event is being organized and hosted by the board of directors of the John F. Kennedy International Airport Chamber of Commerce, and it will be held at the JFK Hilton on Wednesday, May 28, at 8 a.m.
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