R’wood Brothel Operator Pays For Sex Trafficking The perpetrator got into three residences within the precinct’s confines in the last month––the first Thursday, Apr. 24––and continued the spree Friday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 6. Each break-in occurred in the evening, between 8:50 and 11:30 p.m.F or all three burglaries, the suspect forced his way into several residential apartments, stealing items while no one was home. Officers at the 102 Precinct are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the suspect believed to be responsible for all three break-ins. The first incident occurred in the vicinity of Jamaica Avenue and 123rd Street, where the suspect entered and removed two watches, a necklace and earrings from inside of an apartment. The next was near Jamaica Junction and between Marcy Avenue and Chambers Street. Shuttle buses will replace J train service between Marcy Avenue and Broadway Junction. M shuttle service will also be replaced by shuttle buses, which will operate to and from Marcy Avenue. For alternate service to and from Manhattan, transfer to the A or C train at Broadway Junction or the L train at Broadway Junction or Myrtle- Wyckoff Avenues. The shuttle buses will stop at all affected stations as follows: J train shuttle bus • Broadway Junction—on Fulton Street at Van Sinderen Avenue; • Chauncey Street—on Rockaway Avenue at Broadway (to Marcy Avenue) or on Bushwick Avenue at Chauncey Street (to Broadway Junction); • Halsey Street—on Bushwick Avenue at Halsey Street; • Gates Avenue—on Bushwick Avenue at Gates Avenue; • Kosciuszko Street—on Bushwick Avenue at Stockholm Street (to Marcy Avenue) or at Kosciuszko Street (to Broadway Junction); • Myrtle Avenue-Broadway—on Bushwick Avenue at Myrtle Avenue (to Marcy Avenue or Broadway Junction), at Stanwix Street (to Marcy Avenue only) or at Jefferson Street (to Broadway Junction or a Metropolitan TIMES, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014 • 20 TRANSIT NEWS and Updates Metropolitan Transportation Authority Service Changes For Memorial Weekend All MTA New York City Transit subways and buses—and all MTA Bus Company bus routes—will operate on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day Monday, May 26. Riders are advised to plan their trips accordingly and allow for additional travel time. Additionally, the Long Island Rail Road will operate extra eastbound trains out of Penn Station tomorrow afternoon, Friday, May 23, for those seeking to get a headstart on the holiday weekend. For additional details, visit www.mta.info/lirr. * * * The information in this column is current as of Wednesday, May 21. Last minute changes to service and operating schedules may be made at any time after publication. Check www.mta.info for schedule changes. Weekend Work Shuts J & M Train Service J train service between Marcy Avenue and Broadway Junction—and the entire weekend M train shuttle— will be suspended for scheduled construction this holiday weekend, from 3:30 a.m. Saturday, May 24, until 10 p.m. Monday, May 26. During this period, J trains will run in two sections—between Jamaica Center and Broadway -SEE TRANSIT ON PG. 57- TRAFFIC NEWS and Updates New York City Department Of Transportation Street Cleaning Suspensions Alternate-side parking rules and meter regulations will be suspended citywide on Memorial Day Monday, May 26. Drive safely and remember to enjoy all festivities responsibly. Additionally, street cleaning regulations will be suspended next Thursday, May 29, for the Christian Solemnity of the Ascension. Meter regulations, however, will remain in effect that day. * * * Because of ongoing construction work at several locations throughout Queens and Brooklyn, the city DOT has announced numerous street closures in local neighborhoods for the upcoming week. The announced diversions are current as of Wednesday, May 21, and weather permitting. The DOT may shut down other roads should the need for emergency repairs arise. Streets and highways that are affected by closures during this week include the following: Street Resurfacing Around Woodhaven Weather permitting, DOT crews will conduct street milling along 98th Street between Atlantic Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in Woodhaven on Thursday and Friday, May 22-23. Drivers are advised not to park on the street during posted work hours and to use alternate routes. Lane Closures On Van Wyck Expwy. One of three lanes in each direction of the Van Wyck Expressway between Jewel Avenue and Union Turnpike may be closed on Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. due to construction work related to the Kew Gardens rehabilitation project. Additionally, up to two lanes in either direction of the expressway in the same section may be closed on overnights from 1 to 5 a.m. Kew Gdns. Project Affects Union Tpke. Long-term construction related to the state Department of Transportation’s Kew Gardens Interchange project will require the right lane of Union Turnpike eastbound to be closed at all times between 128th and 134th streets. All existing traffic lanes will remain open and are shifted to the left. Lane Closures On Grand Central Pkwy. One lane of the Grand Central Parkway in each direction will be closed between 82nd and 111th streets on weekdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on weekdays. -SEE TRAFFIC ON PG. 55- Smuggled And Exploited Women From Mexico Perp Sought For R.H. Burglary Pattern Pilfered Property From Jamaica Ave. Apartments by Noah Zuss Officers at the 102nd Precinct are dealing with a rash of burglaries that appear to be part of a pattern, according to officials, with the most recent break-ins occurring earlier this month. -SEE BURGLAR ON PG. 56- and upstate cathouses. “Flores-Mendez viciously robbed the victims in this case of their freedom, their eligibility and their fundamental human rights,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara. “Although the victims of the defendant’s crimes will never be made whole, his prosecution and today’s sentence hopefully signal to them and everyone else that such atrocities cannot be tolerated in our society and will be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law.” by Robert Pozarycki The former operator of brothels in Ridgewood and upstate New York is spending the rest of his life behind bars for smuggling Mexican women into the U.S. and forcing them into prostitution, prosecutors stated last Wednesday, May 14. -SEE SEX SALES ON PG. 57- Isaias Flores-Mendez, 42, of Queens was ordered by Manhattan U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest to a life sentence in prison and to forfeit $1.7 million in illegal proceeds. Additionally, the judge mandated that he pay $84,000 in restitution to one of the victims. Federal law enforcement sources said Flores-Mendez led a longrunning sex trafficking operation that brought a number of young women from Mexico to New York. Through a combination of coercion, force and threats of violence, the women were forced to sell themselves for sex at the brothels he owned, one of which was located on Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood. Federal agents collared him and other suspects in April 2013 during raids at the Seneca Avenue brothel Images of the suspect and the hat he wore. Historic Celebration Of F.H. Firehouse Fire Department officials joined local elected officials and community activists at the headquarters of Engine Co. 305 and Ladder Co. 151 on Sunday, May 18, to celebrate the landmarking of the 90-year-old Forest Hills firehouse. City Council Member Karen Koslowitz, the Central Queens Historical Association and the FDNY sponsored the celebration, which included the presentation of plaques and citations to members of the fire companies. Shown during the presentation are (from left to right) State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Koslowitz, Deputy Chief James A. DiDomenico and Firefighters Richard Skellington and Carl Italiano. (photo: Chris Bishop)
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