{"id":296639,"date":"2026-07-15T15:13:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/296639\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:13:50","slug":"i-on-politics-queens-gazette-36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/296639\/","title":{"rendered":"I On Politics – Queens Gazette"},"content":{"rendered":"

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BP HOSTS FREE WEEKEND OF SUMMERSTAGE:<\/p>\n

With the goal of continuing to make Queens an international hub of arts and cul\u00adture at the top of mind, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. will host a two-day series of stellar free concerts and family-friendly events in Flushing Mead\u00adows Corona Park this weekend, headlined by Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group De La Soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re turning Flushing Meadows into Feel Good, Inc. on Friday, July 17 when the legendary De La Soul takes the stage and shows why Queens is the cultural heartbeat of New York City. Along with DJ Rekha\u2019s performance and the rest of Queens Day on July 18, this weekend will be one to re\u00admember all summer long,\u201d said Borough President Richards. \u201cThank you to all our public and private sector partners for their work in making this action-packed week\u00adend possible. I look forward to seeing everyone outside in Flushing Meadows cel\u00adebrating our culture, our diversity and our spirit as a borough.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage production hosted in part\u00adnership with NYC Parks, the free De La Soul performance will take place on Friday, July 17 in front of the Fountain of the Plan\u00adets, just east of the Unisphere. Opening for De La Soul will be Pete Rock, universally renowned as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, as well as comedian, actor and musician Hannibal Buress with a DJ set. The show will begin at 6pm.<\/p>\n

The free \u201cQueens Day\u201d festival will then return to Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, July 18, running from 10am to 8pm. Some of the free activities offered courtesy of Queens Day co-hosts NYC Parks, the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park and others include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n

\u2022Dance performances by the Queens College School of Arts;<\/p>\n

\u2022A skate jam led by the Skatepark Proj\u00adect at the Maloof Skate Park;<\/p>\n

\u2022Canoeing led by NYC Parks\u2019 Urban Park Rangers in Meadow Lake;<\/p>\n

\u2022Rowing lessons led by Row New York in Meadow Lake<\/p>\n

\u2022World\u2019s Fair historical walking tours led by the Alliance;<\/p>\n

\u2022Zumba classes led by the Alliance\u2019s Summer Fitness program;<\/p>\n

\u2022All-ages tennis clinics led by the United States Tennis Association at the Bil\u00adlie Jean King National Tennis Center;<\/p>\n

\u2022Animal education and wildlife conser\u00advation info sessions led by the Queens Zoo;<\/p>\n

\u2022Cancer and chronic disease prevention info sessions led by representatives from NYC Health + Hospitals\/Elmhurst;<\/p>\n

\u2022Arts and crafts for kids led by NYC Parks\u2019 Queens Recreation team.<\/p>\n

Queens Day will culminate with a per\u00adformance by critically acclaimed Queens-based artist DJ Rekha, who will bring their thrilling Basement Bhangra Beyond festi\u00adval \u2014 meshing hip-hop, dancehall, jazz and electronic music \u2014 to Flushing Mead\u00adows Corona Park starting at 6pm.<\/p>\n

Headlining the fourth annual festival will be DJ Rekha themselves, British-In\u00addian singer Jaz Dhami, Indian electronic pop singer Mitika Kanwar and Punjabi-Canadian artist Babbulicious, who recently performed at Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s in\u00adauguration ceremony.<\/p>\n

SUMMER STREETS TO RETURN:<\/p>\n

New York City Department of Trans\u00adportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced that Summer Streets will return to all five boroughs. This year, more than 20 miles of Summer Streets corridors will be open to pedestrians and cyclists from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Manhattan and with adjusted, later hours in the outer boroughs based on local feedback. Summer Streets will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island to help more New Yorkers enjoy these locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer Streets gives back our largest public space, our streets, so that all New Yorkers can walk, run, bike, play, dance, or simply connect with their neighbors,\u201d said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. \u201cThis year, we\u2019re adjusting the hours of Summer Streets in the outer boroughs to help more New Yorkers enjoy these events later in the day. We thank our sister agen\u00adcies, programming partners, elected offi\u00adcials, and advocates for their support behind New York\u2019s biggest block party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 25: Queens Summer Streets will run along Vernon Boulevard, from 44th Drive to 30th Drive. The pro\u00adgram will allow users to enjoy the entire Queens waterfront in Long Island City and Astoria.<\/p>\n

More details on each Summer Streets route can be found on NYC DOT\u2019s web\u00adsite: nyc.gov\/SummerStreets<\/p>\n

FDNY COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTIES IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS:<\/p>\n

The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) will hold a series of block party community events at firehouses and EMS stations in all five boroughs through\u00adout the summer. In Queens, the event will be on Saturday, July 18: Engine 286\/Lad\u00adder 135 \u2013 66-44 Myrtle Avenue, Ridge\u00adwood. The summer block parties are made possible by the generous support of the FDNY Foundation. At each event, FDNY members will hold interactive demonstra\u00adtions, offer free fire and life safety educa\u00adtion, and conduct tours of FDNY apparatus. The neighborhood events include games, presentations, food, and educational out\u00adreach programs. The events also offer a chance to explore rewarding careers at the FDNY. All children who attend can meet the FDNY Fire and Life Safety Mascots, Hot Dog and Siren.<\/p>\n

MENG AND MEEKS CALL ON CON ED TO COMPENSATE RESI\u00adDENTS:<\/p>\n

U.S. Reps Grace Meng (D-Queens) and Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) today called on the head of Con Edison to compensate Queens residents who lost power last week during the heatwave that hit New York City. In a letter to Chief Executive Officer Timothy Cawley, the lawmakers urged the utility to consider issuing bill credits to those affected by prolonged outages and power shutoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur impacted constituents deserve to be reimbursed for the hardships they en\u00addured from the outages and shutoffs that occurred through no fault of their own,\u201d said Meng and Meeks. \u201cWe understand the extreme heat and heavy demand for power caused equipment issues. But those who suffered with no power during the heat\u00adwave have already been struggling with high electricity rates and other skyrocket\u00ading costs as families work to make ends meet. We hope Con Edison will do the right thing and quickly provide needed bill cred\u00adits to people in our districts.\u201d<\/p>\n

LEE ON CITIZENS NYC:<\/p>\n

Council Member Linda Lee reminds her constituents that CitizensNYC has an\u00adnounced that applications are now open for its 2026 Spring Grant Cycle, with $2 mil\u00adlion in funding available to support com\u00admunity organizations and small businesses across all five boroughs. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to as many as 500 recipients through the Community Leaders Grant for small nonprofits, public schools, and volunteer-led organizations, as well as the Neighborhood Business Grant for small businesses making a positive impact in their communities. Applications are open now through July 27, 2026. For more in\u00adformation on eligibility and how to apply, please visit CitizensNYC\u2019s website www.citizensnyc.org\/<\/p>\n

KRISHNAN ON THE CITY BUDGET:<\/p>\n

Council Member Shekar Krishnan on the City Budget: \u201cThis month, we voted to pass our City\u2019s Budget. I\u2019m proud to share that the budget includes a record $23.3 mil\u00adlion in capital funding for our district, and millions more for organizations that help our neighbors every day. We secured fund\u00ading for the first community pool in Elmhurst, invested in Newtown High School\u2019s brand-new athletic field, and sup\u00adported Elmhurst Hospital in building an outdoor therapeutic space for their inpatient psychiatric unit. We put money into reno\u00advating school auditoriums and creating sen\u00adsory classrooms in Jackson Heights and upgrading the student and teacher bath\u00adrooms in Woodside. Appointments to the eye doctor are costly and hard to get with\u00adout health insurance, so we are upgrading the ophthalmology equipment at H+H Gotham Health Roosevelt. These invest\u00adments support our families and neighbors, building up the most diverse district in the world with better schools, hospitals, and public spaces \u2026 Budgets are reflections of our city\u2019s priorities, and I\u2019m proud that this budget says that here in NYC, we care about working families.\u201d<\/p>\n

ADDABBO ON AQUEDUCT:<\/p>\n

Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. on Aque\u00adduct: \u201cOnce in a lifetime opportunity? Maybe. An opportunity to address many is\u00adsues? Definitely. The Aqueduct Racetrack property is more than a large plot of land; it is the site of a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the City\u2019s, Queens\u2019 and local communities\u2019 future. As the state ex\u00adplores what should be developed at the 100-acre property, I believe we need to cre\u00adate not only housing, but also create sus\u00adtainable jobs, an educational site, possibly retail stores, and green space. Aqueduct is at a critical crossroads. It sits on the doorstep of transit, close to vibrant com\u00admunities and most visible from key corri\u00addors. It is also located in a flood-prone area which demands smart, multi-layer protec\u00adtion.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo some individuals, converting the entire site into a sprawling housing com\u00adplex would be ideal, but when we think practically it would be foolish given the ter\u00adrible strain it would put on the city\u2019s al\u00adready overburdened infrastructure system and surrounding residential community. We need a stable, long-term value-creating, job-inducing balanced plan to make a pos\u00aditive impact for generations. A multi-use Aqueduct site could contain small busi\u00adnesses, healthcare buildings, educational institutions, and cultural venues in addition to housing. This mixture would bring in tax revenue, employment for the local commu\u00adnity, and year-round activity which a hous\u00ading only plan cannot provide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe neighborhoods of Ozone Park and South Ozone Park have one- to three-fam\u00adily homes, small streets and a feeling of to\u00adgetherness. A plan that maintains that community spirit, while providing vital amenities, will seem like a natural addition to the area, not an uncharacteristic perma\u00adnent eyesore. Critically important to any development plans at the Aqueduct site is local resident input. Current community residents will have to live with the daily impact of whatever is ultimately built to re\u00adplace the racetrack. I urge my neighbors who live in the vicinity of Aqueduct to speak out to your elected officials before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there is a need for new housing development, but it can\u2019t ignore everything else. Let\u2019s take this unique opportunity to work towards a commonsense plan for the Aqueduct property that includes genera\u00adtional benefits such as new schools, sus\u00adtainable jobs, retail stores, parks and more for everyone to enjoy for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

MAMDANI ANNOUNCES FREE CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS FOR HS STUDENTS AND OTHERS:<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commis\u00adsioner Yume Kitasei today announced that civil service exams are now free for New York City high school students and first-time test takers.<\/p>\n

Each year, DCAS administers an aver\u00adage of 175 civil service exams to more than 110,000 candidates for careers ranging from scientist and forester to bridge opera\u00adtor, caseworker, blacksmith and physical therapist. With 80% of City jobs requiring candidates to pass a civil service exam, the new fee waivers will open the door to pub\u00adlic service for hundreds of thousands of stu\u00addents and millions of New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo serve New York is the privilege of a lifetime,\u201d said Mayor Mamdani. \u201cThe people best equipped to build a city that works for everyone are the students in our classrooms, the people who walk our streets and the New Yorkers who call our city home. By making civil service exams free for high schoolers and first-time test takers, we\u2019re opening the doors to millions more New Yorkers to serve the city they love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want all New Yorkers to have ac\u00adcess to great careers in public service. By offering new fee waivers and sharing exam information in multiple languages, we are making it easier for more New Yorkers to get a job with the City of New York,\u201d said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. \u201cOur mission is to remove barriers that may pre\u00advent qualified candidates from pursuing a job with the City in order to strengthen our workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

BP RICHARDS VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKE DONATION DRIVE:<\/p>\n

In the wake of last month\u2019s massive twin earthquakes that devastated northern Venezuela and killed thousands of resi\u00addents, Queens Borough President Dono\u00advan Richards Jr. announced today that his office has launched a donation drive to support Venezuelan families impacted by the tremors. \u201cThe visuals of collapsed buildings and entire neighborhoods re\u00adduced to rubble across wide swaths of Venezuela are shocking and heartbreaking. We know members of our proud Venezue\u00adlan community here in Queens, many of whom have had loved ones impacted by these earthquakes, are hurting too,\u201d said Borough President Richards. \u201cNow, it\u2019s time for Queens to do what it does best and uplift those in their time of need. If you are able, I encourage you to donate whatever supplies you can spare so we can support our South American neighbors following this devastating disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, Borough President Richards\u2019 office will accept critically-needed donations of canned nonperishable food, diapers, medical supplies, unexpired over-the-counter medication, feminine hy\u00adgiene products, flashlights and tents, which will be transported and distributed to those in need in the weeks and months to come.<\/p>\n

Donations will be accepted now through Friday, July 31 at Queens Bor\u00adough Hall, located at 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens. Items can be dropped off in a box located on the first floor of Borough Hall next to the security desk in the lobby, which is just inside the building\u2019s main entrance on Queens Boulevard. The lobby is open 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n

Queens Borough Hall can be easily reached on public transportation via the Q10, Q37, Q45, Q46, Q48, Q60 or Q80 bus lines or by taking the E or F subway lines to the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike sta\u00adtion.<\/p>\n

Organizations co-sponsoring Borough President Richards\u2019 relief drive include Aid for Life, Iglesia Einsof Aprendiendo De Jes\u00fas, Lions Club International, New York City Clergy, the NYPD Hispanic Society and the Puerto Rican Bar Association.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon of June 24, a pair of massive earthquakes struck northern and central Venezuela within one minute of each other \u2014 the first measuring a 7.2 on the Richter scale and the second being a 7.5-magnitude quake. Venezuela\u2019s largest earthquakes in more than 100 years, the twin tremors inflicted catastrophic damage and caused hundreds of buildings to col\u00adlapse, including in the capital of Caracas. As of this week, at least 3,300 people have been killed, while thousands more remain missing and tens of thousands of people have been left homeless.<\/p>\n

JAMES URGES STRENGTHENED RULES TO STOP ROBOCALLS:<\/p>\n

New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a bipartisan coalition of 48 other attorneys general in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt new measures to combat il\u00adlegal robocalls. In March 2026, FCC re\u00adleased new proposals to strengthen existing regulations to crack down on the growing scourge of illegal robocalls. These calls de\u00adliver pre-recorded or artificial voice mes\u00adsages attempting to scam consumers, often by impersonating government agencies or financial companies. These scams cost Americans hundreds of millions of dollars every year, including $789 million in 2024. In a letter to FCC, Attorney General James and the coalition express their support for the agency\u2019s new measures and offer addi\u00adtional recommendations to close loopholes and more effectively stop illegal robocalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers are getting flooded with predatory robocalls day after day, putting their finances and personal information at risk,\u201d said Attorney General James. \u201cMy office is committed to tackling the epi\u00addemic of robocalls to prevent scammers from taking advantage of working families. I am proud to join this bipartisan coalition providing the federal government with rec\u00adommendations to help crack down on ille\u00adgal robocalls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rampant robocalls are a source of costly scams and fraud that affect tens of thousands of people every year. The Fed\u00aderal Trade Commission (FTC) released data showing that consumers reported los\u00ading over $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, in\u00adcluding through fraudulent calls and texts. YouMail, a mobile service designed to pro\u00adtect users from unwanted calls, reported that in April 2026 alone, consumers in the U.S. received 4.2 billion robocalls, or roughly 1,600 calls per second.<\/p>\n

NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY ON PAY RAISES:<\/p>\n

New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar issued the follow\u00ading statement on New York City Council and New York State Legislature pay raise plans: \u201cDemocrat-run New York is failing on every front and by every key metric. You don\u2019t hand a bigger paycheck to the people running your city and state into the ground. Only New Yorkers can stop these Tammany-style pay raises from being ma\u00adchined through. The New York State Con\u00adservative Party urges New Yorkers to make some noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

MAMDANI LAUNCHES PIT CREW:<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Chief Technology Officer and Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI) Commis\u00adsioner Lisa Gelobter today announced the launch of \u201cPublic Interest Technology (PIT) Crew,\u201d a new initiative that will de\u00adploy teams of technologists alongside City agencies to tackle public problems with in-house digital solutions. The first PIT Crew will team up with the Department of Con\u00adsumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to build an online portal that allows New Yorkers to easily file complaints against companies that trap customers in hard-to- cancel, costly subscriptions. The tool will support the Mamdani administration\u2019s im\u00adplementation of the nation\u2019s first \u201cClick to Cancel\u201d protections.<\/p>\n

OTI will deploy a total of five PIT Crews: the first to support Click to Cancel, three more to advance Mayor Mamdani\u2019s agenda of affordability and public excel\u00adlence and an additional team developed with support from The Rockefeller Foun\u00addation to the Mayor\u2019s Fund to Advance New York City. The Rockefeller Founda\u00adtion has supported efforts to help govern\u00adments harness the latest technologies to improve processes and systems for under\u00adserved communities across the United States.<\/p>\n

*** CRIME BLOTTER ***<\/p>\n

QUEENS RESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY FOR FATAL SHOOTING:<\/p>\n

Faces 24 Years in Prison at Sentencing<\/p>\n

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Joseph Gilbert Stevens has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for fatally shooting Richard Carter outside a Jamaica church while a funeral was taking place inside in April.<\/p>\n

District Attorney Katz said: \u201cA sorrow\u00adful day turned even more tragic when this defendant made the cruel decision to shoot a mourner outside a funeral. He has pleaded guilty and will now be sentenced to a lengthy term in prison for his actions. Our thoughts are with Richard Carter\u2019s loved ones as they continue to mourn his loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stevens, 34, of Jamaica, pleaded guilty on Thursday, July 2 to manslaughter in the first degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant set sentencing for Au\u00adgust 14 when Stevens is expected to face 24 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.<\/p>\n

DA Katz said that, according to the charges, on April 10, 2026, at approxi\u00admately 2:12 p.m., Stevens arrived on a Citi Bike at the Shekinah Youth Chapel, which is located at the intersection of Merrick Boulevard and Sayres Avenue in Jamaica and is part of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral. He went inside to the funeral, approached the casket and then left. At ap\u00adproximately 2:17 p.m., Stevens ran toward 49-year-old Richard Carter of Valley Stream, who was walking toward the chapel on Sayres Avenue, and shot him four times. Carter was immediately trans\u00adported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. Stevens fled the scene. He was appre\u00adhended on April 11.<\/p>\n

FIVE INDICTED FOR IDENTITY THEFT AND MORTGAGE FRAUD:<\/p>\n

Defendants Charged in 26-count Indict\u00adment for Stealing more than $688,000 by Using Fake Drivers\u2019 Licenses and Social Security Cards with Homeowners\u2019 Per\u00adsonal Information<\/p>\n

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that five defendants were in\u00addicted by a grand jury and variously charged with mortgage fraud, identity theft, forgery and other crimes for falsifying doc\u00aduments to obtain a \u201ccash-out\u201d mortgage of more than $688,000 on a Flushing home that they did not own. The scheme was al\u00adlegedly orchestrated by a Queens real es\u00adtate broker with two of the defendants pretending to be the actual homeowners at the closing. Three corporations were also named in the indictment, and a Jane Doe defendant, whose identity is not yet known.<\/p>\n

District Attorney Katz said: \u201cAs al\u00adleged, the defendants stole the identities of husband-and-wife homeowners, imperson\u00adated them at a closing and used fraudulent drivers\u2019 licenses and Social Security cards to take out a mortgage on the victims\u2019 home. The scheme saddled the victims with a mortgage they did not authorize and al\u00adlegedly cost a Queens lender more than $688,000. The defendants have been in\u00addicted on numerous charges for these al\u00adleged acts of mortgage fraud and identity theft and face possible prison time if con\u00advicted. I thank my Housing, Worker and Consumer Protection Bureau for their painstaking investigation into this case as we get justice for the homeowners and the mortgage lender that were harmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tony Wanyiu Cheng, 56, of Bayside; Chun Kong Lau, 46, of Staten Island; Jane Doe; and Gui Li, 45, of Flushing, were in\u00addicted on charges of residential mortgage fraud in the second degree, five counts of falsifying business records in the first de\u00adgree, six counts of identity theft in the first degree, one count of forgery in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and one count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. The defen\u00addants, along with Qiang Li, 59, of Flushing, were also charged with grand larceny in the second degree.<\/p>\n

Cheng, Lau and Qiang Li were charged with two counts of money laundering in the second degree, two counts of money laun\u00addering in the fourth degree and one count of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree. Lau and Qiang Li were also charged with one count of forgery in the second degree, one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and two counts of identity theft in the first degree. Three corporations associated with Cheng, CB Direct Store Inc., YW Capital LLC and MTR Develop\u00adment Co. LLC, were charged with two counts of money laundering in the second degree.<\/p>\n

Cheng, Lau, Qiang Li and the corpora\u00adtions were arraigned yesterday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Leigh Cheng who ordered the defendants to re\u00adturn to court July 29. The defendants face up to 15 years in prison, if convicted. Gui Li and Jane Doe remain at large. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call Detective Erin Currie of the Queens District Attorney\u2019s Office Squad at 929-364-6660.<\/p>\n

District Attorney Katz said that, accord\u00ading to the charges and investigation, in No\u00advember 2024, Gui Li and an unidentified woman allegedly impersonated a husband and wife who legitimately owned a Flush\u00ading property during a closing for a cash-out mortgage. Tony Wanyiu Cheng, a real es\u00adtate broker who allegedly oversaw the scheme, and Chun Kong Lau were both al\u00adlegedly also present during the closing. Gui Li and the unidentified woman presented the title closer with fraudulent Pennsylva\u00adnia drivers\u2019 licenses and Social Security cards with the victims\u2019 personal informa\u00adtion. Cheng was given two checks made out to the male homeowner.<\/p>\n

One day later Lau and Qiang Li, who both allegedly impersonated the male homeowner by using a fake Maryland driv\u00aders\u2019 license with the victims\u2019 date of birth, opened a joint bank account in person at the South Flushing TD Bank. The mort\u00adgage checks totaling $688,403 were de\u00adposited into the bank account. After the mortgage check was deposited, some of the money was transferred by check into the three business bank accounts held by de\u00adfendant Cheng. Some of the funds were then transferred electronically into Cheng\u2019s personal bank account. Cheng\u2019s personal and business accounts received more than $269,000 of the funds. The rest of the money was transferred into other bank ac\u00adcounts owned by people with unknown re\u00adlationships to the defendants. Once all the money was transferred out, the defendants closed the TD Bank account in January 2025.<\/p>\n

The legitimate homeowner reported the mortgage fraud to the Queens District At\u00adtorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

\u2014With contributions by Augusta Luger<\/p>\n

This column was originated by John A. Toscano.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 BP HOSTS FREE WEEKEND OF SUMMERSTAGE: With the goal of continuing to make Queens an international hub…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-296639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}