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‘Cancer Doesn’t Care’ Campaign 104th Precinct Blotter -CONTINUED FROM PG. 11- Hernandez, at Metropolitan Avenue, for assault, by P.O. Scrimenti. June 14: (Beat 4) Lyenco Vazquez-Rodriguez, at 60th Place, for criminal obstruction of breathing, by P.O. Fenton. (Beat 4) Shaheem Rodriguez, at Madison Street, for criminal contempt, by P.O. Toor. (Beat 3) Anthony Garcia, at Wyckoff and Myrtle avenues, for violation of a local law, by P.O. Marinacci. (Beat 12) Hector Campuzano, at Woodhaven Boulevard, for driving while ability impaired, by P.O. Elmazi. (Beat 5) Kevin Glabau, at Myrtle Avenue and 67th Street, for criminal possession of a weapon, by P.O. Keane. June 15: (Beat 12) Mark Hernandez, at 69th Street, for assault, by P.O. Singh. (Beat 12) Escar Castillo, at Madison Street, for assault, by P.O. Bielicka. (Beat 12) Scott Allen, at Cooper Avenue, for assault, by P.O. Campos. (Beat 12) Agnes Verela, at 79th Place, for criminal contempt, by P.O. DeMarco. The 104th Precinct, located at 64- 02 Catalpa Ave. in Ridgewood, can be reached by phone at 1-718-386-3004. To report an emergency or a crime in progress, call 911 immediately. Quality of life matters, such as noise or a blocked driveway, should be reported to 311. Looking To Speed Up Customs -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- Brooklyn Man Busted For Trying To Lure Teen -CONTINUED FROM PG. 17- Say Local Strippers Used Their Talents And Drugs To Steal Clients’ Credit Card Information Follow Us On Twitter @timesnewsweekly 53 • TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 lawns, also which were protested at a meeting last month held by the West Side Tennis Club to field complaints and develop solutions. Such complaints led to Board 6 getting a commitment from the club that all concerts would promptly end at 10 p.m. Hennessey later said, “I would think they’d like to have local input.” Det. Gigi Redzematovic of the 112th Precinct Community Affairs Unit stated she was working with the 112th Precinct’s commander, Capt. Thomas Conforti, to hold a separate meeting to brief other city agencies not invited. Hennessey said “the point is we’re not invited” to the mayor’s meeting. Redzematovic warned residents for traffic operations for the concert night and announced the following road closures: • Burns Street and 69th Avenue in the vicinity of the stadium, will be closed to the public, but residents with identification will be allowed to pass. • Burns Street and 71st- Continental Avenue will serve as the primary exit for concert goers, and Austin Street will be frozen for 15 minutes after the show to “get everyone out,” according to Redzematovic. The concert will start at 7 p.m. Despite assigned seating, they expect lines to start at 4 p.m., a contrast from last year’s 6 a.m. queue. Other news Redzematovic reminded attendees, “don’t give your money away, no matter what,” after several residents explained suspicious calls and texts they have been receiving asking for their age or their name. “If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a scam,” the detective stated. In line with recent scams citywide, Redzematovic reminded everyone that the Police and Fire departments, IRS, banks and Con Edison do not solicit money over the phone; they will do so through mail. The Austin Street festival on June 8 was a success, she added, with minimal issues. Conforti opened the 112th Precinct stationhouse to over 1,000 visitors, serving hotdogs and hamburgs and giving tours. Hennessy said the Department of Transportation (DOT) reported the two most dangerous intersection in the Board 6 area are both in Forest Hills at Metropolitan and 71st avenues and at 71st-Continental Avenue and Queens Boulevard. Also, he noted, the DOT will start major road work in the area come September, and there will be heavy traffic enforcement through the summer to stay in line with the mayor’s Vision Zero program. The Forest Hills Community and Civic Association will not meet in July and August. Their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Continental Post 1424, located at 107-15 Metropolitan Ave. For more information, visit www.fhcivic.org. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- the issue during a recent meeting he held with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), of which Meng is a member. In addition, the congresswoman noted and commended a plan put forward by President Obama that partners with industry to improve the entry process for international travelers. The new partnership, headed by the Secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security, seeks to enhance service levels for international arrivals to airports, including the wait times for passport control and customs processing. Further, Meng lauded Delta Air Lines for purchasing 40 automated passport control kiosks that have significantly improved wait times for U.S. citizens. Delta is working with JFKIAT LLC, operator of JFK Terminal 4, to upgrade the initial 40 and install 14 more in the coming weeks that will process qualified non-US citizens. “International travel is a critical component of the local economy and an engine for economic activity here in New York” added Meng. “And shorter wait times will ensure that our city will continue to capitalize and prosper from it for many years to come.” Customs inspections are conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that is charged with the management, control and protection of America’s borders. Tennis Stadium Concert Woes Top FHCCA improve their health, Basset stated. Within days of quitting smoking, health begins to improve and the body begins to heal. Help, including free medication, is available to all smokers who want to quit. To view the ads on the NYCHealth YouTube page visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3cBb4 Mgf7M&list=UUGNw2snuIMnbooSelbxIzg. Smokers can visit nysmokefree.com or call 311 or 866- NYQUITS for help. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 11- that parents monitor their children’s online activities to protect them from the Internet predators that we know are out there looking for victims.” According to the criminal complaint, an NYPD vice detective was operating in his undercover persona as a 14-year-old girl from Queens on May 27, during which time he was contacted by Abdeledayem, who used the screen name IPACKA94U@aol.com. Following their initial contact, Abdeledayem allegedly began communicating with the undercover officer via text messages. Abdeledayem’s instant messages and texts were allegedly sexually graphic in nature and in one instance he allegedly sent a photo of his genitals. It is alleged that Abdeledayem indicated that he wanted to meet on June 11 for sexual contact. Finally, according to the criminal complaint, the defendant arranged to meet with the alleged 14-year-old girl last night in Queens and was arrested after he met with an undercover officer, who was posing as the 14- year-old girl. Police allegedly recovered a pipe containing cocaine from his person. The investigation was conducted by Det. Paul Byrne of the NYPD Vice Enforcement Major Case Team, under the supervision of Lt. Marcus Morales and Sergeants Sammy Melisi and Gregory Graves, and the overall supervision of Deputy Inspector Anthony Favale, coordinator of Vice Enforcement, and Chief Thomas Purtell, chief of the Organized Crime Control Bureau. Assistant District Attorney Jeanine R. Diehl and Senior Assistant District Attorney Kateri Gasper of the District Attorney’s Special Proceedings Bureau are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Anthony M. Communiello, bureau chief, and Oscar W. Ruiz, deputy bureau chief, and Robert D. Alexander, Computer Crimes Unit chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni. It was noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. defendants were involved in similar criminal activity as early as 2011. The four victims in this case included professionals in medicine, finance and the law. In carrying out the alleged scheme, the female defendants initially met with the victims in upscale bars or restaurants in the New York area, often under the pretense of a “date.” At other times, in a process known to law enforcement as “fishing,” the defendants trolled bars for worthy targets. Working together, the defendants used drugs or a mixture of drugs to intoxicate the victims, including ketamine (a tranquilizer), methylone (commonly sold as molly), and cocaine. In many cases, drugs were secretly administered to the victim without their consent. While under the influence of the drugs, the victims were transported to either Scores New York at 536 West 28th Street on Manhattan’s West Side or to RoadHouse NYC Gentlemen’s Club in Flushing, or in the defendants’ vehicles. Inside the club, the victims were taken to a private room for adult entertainment. The investigation revealed that the defendants then obtained the victims credit cards and identification. Barbash and Keo primarily oversaw the financial part of the scheme. The defendants determined the available credit and discussed amongst themselves how much to charge on the cards. In instances when they were at RoadHouse, the women also conferred with Vitolo for this purpose. The defendants fraudulently charged tens of thousands of dollars to the victims’ credit cards without their knowledge. These unauthorized charges were obtained by swiping the victim’s credit card—sometimes multiple credit cards—and then either forging the victim’s signature or concealing the amount of the charge from the victim and causing him to believe he was signing a bill for significantly less than the actual charge. By these means, the defendants allegedly charged hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases to the victims’ credit cards. Charges on individual credit cards ranged from approximately $5,000 to over $50,000. In some cases, multiple cards belonging to a single victim were charged in one night. One victim had more than $100,000 in fraudulent charges over the course of three nights. Based on the total charged, the clubs paid the women a proportionate amount. At the end of the night, some victims woke up in their beds and had no knowledge of having gone to a club the night before. Investigators believe that a combination of different drugs utilized on the victims sometimes caused memory loss. The victims learned of the extent of the charges to their credit cards only after they checked their statement or received a call from their credit card companies. Each of the four victims attempted to reverse some or all of the charges. In response, the defendants sent threatening text messages telling the victims not to contest the charges. Three of the defendants were arraigned last Tuesday, June 10, in Manhattan Supreme Court before Judge Bonnie Wittner, where bail was set at $10,000 cash for Barbash, $5,000 cash each for Keo and $5,000 cash for Rosen. Brennan thanked SNP’s Special Investigation Bureau, the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad, the NYPD, which initiated this investigation, and the Rockland County Task Force. “This repugnant scheme involved not only the theft of $200,000, but compromised the health, safety and security of victims by covertly giving them harmful substances,” she said. “The defendants were banking on the victims being too afraid to contact the police, but as the indictment and arrests show, they made a serious miscalculation.” DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt added, “This crime ring targeted wealthy men in the New York City area to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars. Case in point, four women and one man preyed on, drugged, endangered and robbed unsuspecting victims while they were under the influence of synthetic drugs used as a date rape drug. Law enforcement will not tolerate those who drug a victim into unconsciousness in order to take advantage of them—man or woman.” “These individuals targeted and isolated victims in order to illegally obtain access to their credit cards and thousands of dollars of credit,” said Police Commissioner William Bratton. “Thanks to the hard work of the investigators and prosecutors in this case, these individuals will no longer be in a position to profit from this type of fraudulent activity.” Hunt commended the victims of these crimes who came forward and praises the men and women of the Tactical Diversion Squad and the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for their dedicated work throughout this investigation. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 18-


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