Next court date for Councilman Scott set in January
The ongoing saga of criminal charges against Peekskill Councilman Rob Scott will continue into the New Year.
At a court hearing in White Plains City Court on Dec. 19, Scott’s attorney requested and received another adjournment of his case to Jan. 23, 2025, according to a spokesperson for the County District Attorney.
Scott was arrested in April and charged with a class E felony for filing designating petitions containing forged signatures for a seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators in the June 2023 Democratic primary election. He faces a minimum of probation up to a maximum of one and a third to four years in state prison.
Scott was issued a desk appearance ticket for an April 30 arraignment in White Plains City Court and has received numerous adjournments to new court hearing dates since then.
In April, Scott told the Herald “I have been in communication and in full cooperation with the DA’s office since the beginning of this complainant and hope the matter can be put behind us shortly so that I, as an elected official, can get back to what’s most important, which is being in service of our community. I ask for patience as we sort through the matter.”
– By Jim Roberts
City provides no information on repairs to Depew Park playground
Christmas came early to the users of the diggers at Depew Park playground. The two diggers, located in the sandpit of the Depew Park playground, were repaired recently, presumably by Department of Public Works parks maintenance staff. Each digger received a new bolt, stabilizing the seat on one and the digging hinge on the other. The diggers had been broken since the summer, if not longer.
The city did not respond to the Herald’s multiple requests (two emails and two voicemails) for information on when the repairs took place, the department’s process to assess and maintain playground equipment, and how the public may inform the department if a city playground needs maintenance or repairs.
The Department of Public Works may be reached via phone at 914-734-4130. However Director Chris Gross may not be reached at all as his voicemail box is full.
– By Sinduja Srinivasan
Ribbon-cutting for ADA-accessible Hillcrest playground
A ribbon-cutting was held at the brand new ADA-accessible Hillcrest Elementary School playground on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in honor of State Sen. Pete Harckham’s donation.
Harckham secured $200,000 in Senate grant funding to create a safe, inclusive space for young students to play and grow.
Just one day prior, Dr. David Mauricio, who was at the ribbon cutting, thanked Harckham at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting.
“We had to close off parts of it,” Mauricio said of the former playground. “We couldn’t find the proper equipment for it to make it usable for our students…. It is accessible to those in a wheelchair and those who are physically challenged.”
– By Eric Harvey
County considers four Peekskill projects for federal grants
The Westchester County Department of Planning’s CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) working group has started its review of the 99 applications received this past fall. After the review is complete, recommendations will be made to the County Executive in February 2025 and will be released for public comments in March 2025.
The city of Peekskill submitted four proposals for consideration according to Peekskill’s Director of Planning Carol Samol:
- Replacement of the Elevator Electrical Control Panel (Neighborhood Center).
- Downtown Intersection/Pedestrian Signal Improvements (for example, North Division St. & Main St; Nelson Ave. & Main St.; North Division & Park St.; and South Division St. & Brown St.).
- Riverfront Green Restroom Improvements
- Soccer Mini-Pitch in Depew Park
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.
Rotary Club donation brings greenhouse alive at Oakside
The Rotary Club of Peekskill and Peekskill Educational Foundation (PEF) gave a $6,000 check to support Oakside Elementary School in bringing a greenhouse to the school.
At the Dec. 17 Board of Education meeting, Rotary Club President Tony Washington said that because the PEF is a not-for-profit they are only allowed to donate to another 501 (c) (3).
As a result the Peekskill Educational Foundation agreed to transfer the money to the district.
“It occurred to me that Rotary has donated to pretty much every school in the district except Oakside,” Washington said. “And so I wanted to do something for Oakside. [The principal] told me the story of the greenhouse and said that it had been falling into despair. But they had gotten the windows on and everything was great. Except it was empty.”
The donation will help to fill the greenhouse with dirt for children to dig, and plant material. A few weeks ago the Rotary Club also donated money to support the Peekskill High School’s building of a music studio.
– By Eric Harvey
’15 Days of Light’ celebrated Dec. 29 at downtown Gazebo
The Black and Jewish communities in Peekskill will present the third annual “15 Days of Light” gathering sponsored by the First Hebrew Congregation and the Peekskill NAACP.
The celebration will be held at the Gazebo at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29. Come together as a community to celebrate each respective tradition. All are welcome. Gather to light the respective lights of holidays and dispel the darkness of racism and antisemitism.
“Peekskill NAACP is a full partner in this effort and I credit President Priscilla Augustin with being a stalwart supporter of what has now become a tradition in Peekskill,” said Chuck Newman of Charles Newman Co.
Minimum wage increasing to $16.50 in Westchester
New Yorkers earning minimum wage will earn an additional 50 cents per hour starting on Jan. 1, 2025. New York’s minimum wage will increase to $16.50-per-hour in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, and $15.50-per-hour for the rest of the state.
This adjustment is part of New York’s multiyear agreement between Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to index the minimum wage to inflation.
“Putting money back in your pockets has been the focus of my first three budgets, and that includes increasing minimum wage for the lowest earners across the state,” Gov. Hochul said. “With rising costs of living, this increase will help to lighten the burdens of inflation for New Yorkers while providing businesses with the time needed to adjust.”
The minimum wage is scheduled to increase by another $0.50 in 2026 and then increase annually starting in 2027 at a rate determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region, a regional measure of inflation. An “off-ramp” is available in the event of certain economic or budget conditions.
Employers can find additional information, including an interactive Minimum Wage Lookup Tool, by visiting the Minimum Wage website.
Minimum wage earners who do not see the increase reflected in their paychecks can file a wage complaint on the New York State Department of Labor’s website or by calling 833-910-4378. For more information about NYSDOL’s efforts to combat wage theft, visit the Department’s landing page.
Winter parking map posted on city website
Peekskill has posted a map showing the winter parking rules on all streets in the city. The map delineates streets with alternate side parking, single-side parking, and no parking rules.
The Peekskill City Winter Parking Ordinance is in effect through April 1. Parking is prohibited on city streets from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. except in designated areas where signs are posted for Winter Alternate Side of the Street Parking. If signs are posted, follow the instructions that are listed on the sign.
Vehicles in violation of this ordinance may be issued a parking ticket with fines starting at $100. Fines will increase to $200 if a state of emergency is declared. Vehicles may also be towed at the owner’s expense if a vehicle interferes with snowplowing and snow removal operations.
The winter parking map is available here.
Cortlandt Manor taxman cheats IRS out of $145 million
A Cortlandt Manor resident dubbed “The Magician” was the mastermind of a massive tax fraud scheme involving $145 million in fraudulent federal income tax returns.
A federal judge can now generate some more magic and make Rafael Alvarez’s freedom disappear.
Alvarez, a/k/a “the Magician,” pled guilty last week to a two-count superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and steal government funds and one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent U.S. individual income tax return.
The charges involve his orchestration of a decade-long, $145 million tax fraud scheme to file tens of thousands of federal individual income tax returns that included false information designed to fraudulently reduce the individuals’ tax burden.
As part of the guilty plea, Alvarez agreed to pay the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) $145 million in restitution and forfeit over $11.84 million in fraudulent proceeds he received from his criminal conduct.
“Rafael Alvarez became known as ‘the Magician’ by his customers for his supposed ability to make their tax burden disappear,” said Edward Y. Kim, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. “But, as today’s guilty plea shows, there was no magic to what Alvarez was doing – he was committing a serious federal crime by falsifying tens of thousands of tax returns.”
Alvarez owned ATAX New York, LLC, also doing business as ATAX New York-Marble Hill, ATAX Marble Hill, ATAX Marble Hill NY, and ATAX Corporation (together, “ATAX”), a high-volume tax preparation company located in the Bronx.
Alvarez, 61, faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced by Judge J. Paul Oetken on April 11, 2025.
Hen Hud board asked to clarify policy on class size
New Hendrick Hudson School Superintendent Michael Tromblee and his administrative staff are continuing to review district policies and procedures. At the Dec. 17 board meeting a proposal to retire a policy on class size was explained.
While a board policy on class size does exist, the negotiated teachers union contract actually determines the policy. In order to acknowledge that, Tromblee wants the board to retire their policy. The board policy dates back to 1990 while the contract terms were established in 2012.
No changes to class sizes are anticipated, but if the classes become larger by three students than the contract goals, the current board policy directs there to be a study while the contract delineates a suggested amount of time that an aide is available per day, based on the over the limit amount. The teachers union contract comes up for renegotiation next year.
The goals for class size are: Kindergarten – 22, Grade 1 – 20, Grade 2 – 22, Grade 3 – 22 and Grade 4-6 – 26.
– By Jim Roberts
New York Community Trust-Westchester awards grants
The New York Community Trust-Westchester awarded more than $1.3 million in new grants to 25 nonprofits working to meet Westchester County’s pressing needs, from addressing food insecurity to increasing access to culturally sensitive mental health care and building the capacity of home-based child care providers.
With these latest grants, The Trust’s Westchester office has made more than $3.3 million in grants this year to support nonprofits working to create a healthier and more equitable county.
A $200,000 grant to the Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York will allow the organization to buy food in bulk to help 11 Westchester feeding programs serve meals to people in need over the next two years. Trust funding also will help the Diocese partner with farmers in the Hudson Valley to provide nutritious meals that reflect the cultural dishes of the communities served.
Some of the other grants include: Historic Hudson Valley: $27,000 to teach fourth and fifth graders the history of slavery; Worker Justice Center of New York: $100,000 to provide legal counseling and representation for low-wage workers who are victims of workplace abuse; Open Arms for Refugees: $40,000 to support refugee resettlement in Ossining.
Also: Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester: $70,000 to expand a program that builds resiliency, responsibility, and self-advocacy skills for young people ages 8 to 18; Westchester Youth Alliance: $50,000 to continue expansion of a youth leadership and service program; Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: $50,000 to support five fellows; Riverkeeper: $95,000 to coordinate a countywide campaign for sewer consolidation.
Cannabis industry harmed by state, federal tax rules
New York state’s young cannabis industry faces many challenges and growers are hoping that a simple change in tax regulations can offer some relief.
Both growers and retailers can’t deduct business expenses from their federal tax returns, unlike all other businesses. Federal rules require them to pay taxes on gross income rather than paying an adjusted figure as non-cannabis businesses do due to the Controlled Substances Act. Retailers pay a 13 percent tax.
Now cannabis processors and cultivators want Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that would change their state tax payments to an annual bill instead of quarterly. They are now required to pay a 9 percent quarterly cannabis excise tax based on wholesale prices.
The state tax payments are now due 20 days after each quarter ends, while the retailers who buy their product have 30 days to pay an invoice. The timing often leaves wholesalers, processors and cultivators fronting the money to the state before being paid themselves and at risk of accumulating late fees, according to a story in the Albany Times-Union.
“Everyone’s struggling,” Mack Hueber, the CFO of Beak and Skiff, told the paper. “Paying someone before you actually receive the payment from a retailer is just causing excess burden that could be fixed with just changing the timing of payments.”
Westchester DA touts success in prosecuting gun crimes
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah claimed significant outcomes for gun crimes prosecuted by her office in 2024, and positive results from the implementation of her county-wide gun safety agenda since taking office in 2021.
In 2024, the office prosecuted more than 185 defendants for felony gun charges and approximately 320 illegal firearms were seized in the county.
“Thanks to our strong partnerships with law enforcement, we have responded with large-scale search warrants and aggressive investigations that have led to the seizure of hundreds of illegal firearms, and the removal of dangerous individuals from our communities,” Rocah said.
Some of the gun-related homicides, shootings and gun-possession cases for which the office secured convictions in 2024 include:
People v. Netaly Pena-Camilo, Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz, Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz – The three defendants were sentenced in March to a combined 31 years in state prison for selling more than 30 ghost guns that they trafficked from Washington, D.C. to Yonkers in 2022. This prosecution was a result of a multi-agency investigation that shut down an “Iron Pipeline” of illegal firearms flowing into New York State.
People v. Jonathan Planas – After eluding police for nearly a year following the 2020 fatal shooting of Alvaro Vigueras Medina on Lawrence Street in Yonkers, the defendant was sentenced in February to 22 years in state prison. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 to manslaughter in the first degree.
People v. Phillip Ferrell – Following a four-week trial, a jury on Nov. 22 found the defendant guilty of manslaughter in the first degree for the March 2023 death of 14-year-old Zaire Fernandez in Mount Vernon by providing a 9mm pistol to his 21-year-old stepson, Tyrese Coghiel, to carry out the shooting. Coghiel was also convicted for acting in concert in the fatal shooting. Both defendants await sentencing.
Peekskill Police activity Dec. 8 to Dec. 14
For the week from Dec. 8 to Dec. 14 the Peekskill Police Department responded to over 650 calls for service. Some of those incidents were as follows.
On Dec. 8 a medical aid DOA at 10:25 a.m. at Ringgold Street and at 10:34 a.m. a medical aid DOA at Hillcrest Lane.
On Dec. 8 there was a dispute on South Street 6:40 p.m.; 10:25 p.m. shots fired on Main Street; 10:53 p.m. larceny on Washington Street; 10:56 p.m. suspicious activity on North Water Street
On Dec. 9 at 8:06 a.m. a motor vehicle accident with property damage on Route 9 in Peekskill; warrant calls at 9:11 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. on Nelson Avenue.
On Dec. 9 at 11:51 a.m. an intoxicated person on Bank Street; a person down at 1:05 p.m. on Central Avenue and at 3:50 p.m. on Nelson Avenue and again on Central Avenue at 5:51 p.m.; a larceny on Nelson Avenue at 4:24 p.m.
On Dec. 10 6:47 a.m. a motor vehicle accident on Hudson Avenue and another at 10:27 a.m. on the Bear Mountain Parkway; warrant calls at 12:18 p.m. and 12:19 p.m. on Nelson Avenue.
On Dec. 11 at 8:22 a.m. a background investigation at Nelson Avenue; a reported identity theft on Harrison Avenue at 10:59 a.m.; at 3:11 p.m. a motor vehicle accident with property damage on Carhart Avenue; an intoxicated person on Main Street at 8:43 p.m.
On Dec. 12 domestic calls at 8:26 a.m. on Highland Avenue and at 9:10 a.m. on Paulding Street; a missing person at Chateau Rive at 12:24 p.m.; a motor vehicle accident with a person leaving the scene on South James Street at 3:43 p.m.
On Dec. 12 calls for person down at 8:02 p.m. on Bank Street and 8:06 p.m. on Main Street and at 11:41 p.m. a domestic on Crompond Road.
On Dec. 13 at 2:48 p.m. an unwanted party on Park Street and a larceny at 3:50 p.m. on South Division Street.
You can read the entire activity report for Dec. 8 to Dec. 14 here.
