Ulrich folds 'em

 

 Queens Chronicle

Eric Ulrich has resigned from his position as city Department of Buildings commissioner, the Mayor’s Office announced this morning. 

The move comes after Ulrich, formerly a three-term Republican councilmember representing District 32, reportedly became a focus of a criminal gambling probe by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. He was tapped by Mayor Adams in May to lead the DOB after serving as a senior advisor for the administration.

“This morning, Eric Ulrich tendered his resignation as DOB commissioner in an effort to, in his words, avoid ‘unnecessary distraction for the Adams administration,’” Fabien Levy, spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office, said in a prepared statement this morning.(Sure Fab, when Mayor Adams throws you under the bus at least he leaves you with some dignity-JQ LLC)

He continued, “We have accepted his resignation, appreciate him taking this step, and wish him well. We have no further knowledge of any investigation and, out of respect for his and his family’s privacy, have nothing further to add.”

In the meantime, First Deputy Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik will serve as acting commissioner and no city services will be impacted, according to the statement. 

Ulrich was reportedly approached near his home in Rockaway Park by investigators with a search warrant on Tuesday, according to The New York Times.

The scope and focus of the investigation are not yet known but outlets have reported that, according to sources, the conduct relates to his time in City Council, not in the DOB, and involve debts racked up during back-room card games.

 

 

The Gambler

 

 

 NY Daily News

Eric Ulrich, Mayor Adams’ Buildings commissioner, was questioned by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office Tuesday as part of an investigation into illegal gambling, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Manhattan DA investigators grilled Ulrich after serving him with a search warrant near his Rockaway Park home, the sources said. The New York Times reported that the investigators also seized Ulrich’s cellphone.

Ulrich did not return a request for comment on his face-off with investigators. Danielle Filson, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, declined to comment.

“Our administration has no knowledge of any type of investigation,” said Fabien Levy, a spokesman for Adams. “If an investigation were to be be conducted, we would expect any member of this administration to cooperate fully.”

Ulrich served as a special adviser to the mayor before he was appointed to his current post in May.

Before news broke of the search warrant targeting Ulrich, Adams was abruptly whisked away from a City Hall press conference by an aide Tuesday morning.

Ulrich, who served as a member of the City Council for 12 years before joining Adams’ administration, has a history of gambling.

Resorts World scapegoats gambler for their busted slot machines

 

NY Post

Hundreds of angry gamblers at Resorts World Casino in Queens have been busting slot machines in fits of frustration — but a regular claims he was falsely accused by security of attacking a one-armed bandit.

Almost 500 people have been arrested for criminal mischief, many for breaking slot machines, since the gambling mecca opened in 2011. But Bronx resident Pren Mrijaj says the casino has gotten into the habit of accusing people of breaking the machines, and then detaining them until they pay up — “larceny by extortion.”

“At least 150 people have been improperly detained by Casino personnel,” Mrijaj alleges in his Bronx Supreme Court lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status.

Bitter bettors bashing slot machines is not unheard of — but seems to be more of an East Coast phenomenon, casino security expert Alan Zajic told The Post, noting the display or “belly” glass on the machines can be vulnerable.

“If a person gets mad, they hit it with their bag or punch it with their fists and break it,” he said.

“I will tell you it tends to happen more often in markets on the Eastern seaboard,” he said, as opposed to Las Vegas.

 The Queens District Attorney’s office confirmed 493 arrests for criminal mischief at Resorts World since its 2011 opening.

 

NYPD officers ran prostitution and gambling ring

From AM NY:

A retired police detective and his wife are accused of running a massive prostitution ring and illicit gambling business with the help of seven active NYPD members and 40 civilians, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said on Thursday.

Ludwig Paz, 51, a retired detective from the NYPD’s Vice unit, allegedly ran the day-to-day operations at seven of eight brothels spread out across Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau County. Using his knowledge of the department’s vice protocols when investigating prostitution cases, Paz set up new policies for accepting clients in order to help root out possible undercover cops, according to Brown’s office, and paid his contacts within the NYPD for information that enabled him to thwart raids.

Among the active NYPD members who are accused of helping Paz and his wife, Arelis Peralta, are Brooklyn South Vice Det. Rene Samaniego, 43; Sgt. Carlos Cruz, 41; Det. Giovanny Rojas-Acosta, 40; Sgt. Cliff Nieves, 37; Sgt. Steven Nieves, 32; Officer Giancarlo Raspanti, 43; and Sgt. Louis Failla, 49.

NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said the officers “tarnished the NYPD shields they wore,” and betrayed the trust of all 8.6 million New Yorkers.

Between August 2016 through September 2018, the prostitution ring — with brothels located on Gates, Foster and Fourth avenues and 42nd Street in Brooklyn; on Liberty and Onderdonk avenues in Queens; and on Front Street in Hempstead — netted over $2 million in revenue, per the district attorney’s office.

Maspeth bar shut down for prostitution, drugs, gambling & counterfeit cigarettes

From NBC:

A Queens bar had its liquor license suspended after authorities allegedly uncovered prostitution, narcotics, illicit gambling and untaxed cigarettes.

The New York State Liquor Authority issued the emergency suspension of Huang Jia Inc in Maspeth Wednesday effective immediately, which prohibits alcohol to be sold or consumed on the premises.

According to the State Liquor Authority, SLA investigators and officers with the New York City Police Department’s Citywide Vice-Enforcement Division executed a search warrant of the bar on April 12. During the search warrant, investigators allegedly discovered 97 packs of counterfeit or untaxed cigarettes, jars and bags filled with the narcotic ketamine, records related to the sale of prostitution and illegal gambling devices.

The NYPD made nine arrests, including the bar’s owner, for criminal possession of a controlled substance. Additionally, a number of hazardous conditions were observed, including overcrowding, blocked exits and non-working emergency lighting, the State Liquor Authority says.

On April 14, the NYPD and SLA conducted a follow up inspection, making six arrests after allegedly discovering patrons with ketamine in three separate karaoke rooms inside the bar and finding patrons consuming alcohol after closing hours.

On April 16, the SLA charged the establishment with 22 violations of the ABC Law, including disorderly premises for permitting prostitution, gambling, trafficking of controlled substances, failure to supervise and for becoming a focal point for police attention.

Between March 15th and April 12th, the NYPD conducted three undercover operations where detectives posing as customers allegedly purchased narcotics, prostitution and gambling — all which formed the basis for the April 12 raid, officials say.

According to the NYPD, there was an alleged a pattern of criminal activity in and around the premises months prior to these incidents.

Resorts World plans to expand

From the Wall Street Journal:

Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens wants to spend an estimated $400 million to add 1,000 video-lottery terminals and build a new hotel and convention complex.

The proposal includes adding a 400-room hotel, a 20,000-square-foot spa and resort, at least 140,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, plus additional room for food, retail and casino expansion.

The plan, which would expand the Resorts World Casino footprint at Aqueduct by an estimated 750,000 square feet, was outlined June 27 to the New York state Franchise Oversight Board by Resorts World Casino President Ryan Eller.

If all goes to plan, Mr. Eller told the board, the complex would open in April 2019.

The additional video-lottery terminals would come on top of the 5,500 electronic gambling machines of varying types already at Resorts World.

A spokesman for Resorts World said the expansion would be built on the west side of the existing casino, a space now covered by a parking lot.

Gambling with school funding?

From Politico:

Tens of millions of dollars in revenue from Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct slated for state education will instead be invested in capital spending to expand the site, according to an agreement in the 2016-17 state budget approved last week.

Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, a Democrat from Mount Vernon, estimated the award to be $40 million a year going to Genting New York LLC., which operates Resorts World.

“That would be money that should be going to education and not to Genting, which is one of the richest companies in the world, a multi-billion dollar corporation,” he told POLITICO New York. “They don’t need to take money from children of New York to build a hotel or for any other reason.”

But state and Resorts World officials insisted that in the end, the investment will result in twice the amount of money being used for the casino's growth.

“Now that we are eligible to participate in the State's capital allowance program, we will be able to embark upon a considerable expansion of our facility, which will be developed in consultation with our local community partners,” Genting senior vice president of public affairs Michael Levoff said in an emailed statement. “This investment will lead to increased visitation, more good-paying local jobs and a significant increase in overall revenue for New York's education fund.”

Big sports gambling bust

From the NY Times:

An illegal gambling ring with more than 2,000 bettors in the United States moved millions of dollars through banks and credit card companies and used an overseas website to place the wagers and keep the accounts, the office of the Queens district attorney, Richard A. Brown, said on Wednesday.

A Queens County grand jury indicted 17 people in the case, and all but three are in custody. The arrests were made by law enforcement officials in New York, Nevada and California, where most of the bookmakers and accountants for the ring were based, the office said. The head of the operation was identified as Cyrus Irani, 37, of Santa Clarita, Calif.

Mr. Brown said the ring had collected $32 million in illegal bets on football, basketball, baseball, hockey and other sports. He said Internet gambling was “a multibillion-dollar, worldwide industry.”

“Internet gambling has been compared by some to the crack cocaine epidemic of the late ’80s and early ’90s,” Mr. Brown said in a statement. “It is highly addictive.”

Thief robs casino patron

From the Daily News:

One gambler's luck vanished when a crook snatched a wad of cash from his hand and disappeared at the Resorts World Casino in Queens, police said on Tuesday.

The 54-year-old victim was sitting at an electronic table game when the suspect slinked up behind him, grabbed about $2,000 in cash and took off running from the casino floor on July 2 around 11:30 p.m., authorities said.

Security cameras caught the thief hurdling down staircases as he made his getaway.

Police described the suspect as a light skinned man, 20- to 25-years-old with a thin build.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Love the quality of the image captured by the casino's security cameras!

What Resorts World must resort to

From Crains:

The jackpot at Resorts World Casino is a little leaner these days—though not for gamblers.

The 36-month-old racino at Aqueduct Raceway in Queens has enjoyed a run of record-breaking revenue and double-digit annual growth. But during the past year, its growth has slowed, just as its owner, Malaysia-based Genting Americas, is hoping to be approved by the state for a $1.5 billion luxury resort and casino in Tuxedo.

Resorts World's revenue this fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2015, will increase by "high single digits," compared with a 14% growth rate in the previous fiscal year, said Christian Goode, senior vice president of development for Genting Americas. Last fiscal year, it generated $792 million in revenue, of which $618.2 million went to paying fees and to Albany in the form of gambling taxes.

"Double-digit growth is simply not sustainable, but whether we get [a casino upstate], our efforts are full steam ahead in Queens," he added. "There is more we can do there."

Resorts World has not been as successful tapping into the robust tourism industry in the Big Apple as it would have liked. The vast majority of its customers are locals from Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. To attract more visitors, Mr. Goode is considering developing a hotel near John F. Kennedy International Airport—one that would offer better amenities than the existing budget airport properties—and help the casino capture international travelers, who would be shuttled directly to Aqueduct.

Resorts World is raking in the dough

From WPIX:

There is no Roman facade. There are no Venetian gondolas. Nor do they have a volcano out front.

Yet, inside of an architecturally simple structure in Queens is the most explosive casino in all of North America, Resorts World Casino.

“From a slot operation standpoint it’s phenomenal. This is the highest grossing slot operation in really the entire world, not just North America,” said Ed Farrell, president of the casino operation.

Six months after opening in the fall of 2011, with very little fanfare, Resorts World Casino became the most productive slot operation in the nation. Its strategy was simple. To target the culturally diverse neighborhoods around it according to Farrell. “It really caters a lot to the locals. Most of our business is from Queens and Long Island, and Brooklyn and close to here, but being so close to JFK we also do get a little bit of business from those people that are coming in from out of town.”

Cuomo now hates Genting

From Capital New York:

Two years ago, Andrew Cuomo made the Malaysian gambling conglomerate’s agenda his own, putting his full rhetorical and political might behind its ambitious plans for a $4 billion convention-center complex there—a complex the company also hoped would come complete with a full-scale casino. Now, the political darling has become an outcast, with its ambitions of being in on the ground floor of New York’s coming casino boom in doubt.

“Andrew hates them with a passion,” said one knowledgeable source, referring to Genting. “I think that he felt that they didn’t negotiate in good faith.”

The two parties are “on the outs,” said another.

Cuomo declined to comment for this story.

Genting spokesman Stefan Friedman, without getting into specifics, said, “Genting’s relationship with the state is strong, and the people of New York are the beneficiaries of that relationship.”

But you don’t have to be a Cuomo insider to read the tea leaves.

In early January, Cuomo made the convention center idea the centerpiece of his State of the State economic development strategy, relying on what some sources described as an unbinding memorandum of understanding between the state and the gambling company. In that same speech, he said he would seek to legalize casino gambling in New York State.

Given the still-preliminary nature of the negotiations with Cuomo, executives at Genting were taken aback to find their proposal center-stage at the State of the State. But by publicly committing himself to a still half-baked idea, Cuomo had given them leverage to negotiate, and they used it.

In the ensuing weeks, details about the Genting-Cuomo negotiations leaked out, and despite Cuomo’s protestations, those negotiations clearly linked the full-scale casino to the convention center. Not only did Genting want a lower tax rate for its gambling operations, but it also wanted regional exclusivity for its full-scale casino. Goode, the Genting lobbyist, even went on the record arguing: “The state has provided exclusivity to other projects. It’s a logical path. We don’t want to cannibalize our own market.’’

And then, somehow, everything fell apart.

The house always wins

From the NY Post:

A gambler who spent his day playing the slot machines at the Resorts World Casino in Queens leaped head-first to his death from a balcony inside the Aqueduct casino Friday, cops and police sources said.

“He was not in the hole,” a police source said, adding that the man had actually made money at the slots. “Actually, he was up.”

The source said the man, identified only as a 38-year-old Asian, jumped at about 5:50 p.m. from the second-floor balcony, approximately 30 feet above the lobby floor.

New state law proposed to keep young adults from gambling

From the Times Ledger:

After bills to raise the gambling age to 21 stalled in state Legislature committees last year, Ozone Park lawmakers hope the measures’ odds will shake out better this session.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and state Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Beach) introduced bills in January that would prohibit anyone under 21 from gambling in New York, noting concerns about the Resorts World racino in South Ozone Park.

Addabbo said that in the last session the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee was preoccupied with the recently passed referendum to authorize up to seven full-scale casinos in New York. He said now that there will be more casinos to regulate, he wants to convince colleagues that gambling poses a danger for 18- to-20-year-olds currently allowed in racetrack casinos, often called racinos.

“I am optimistic that we can pass it. It has no real price tag. It doesn’t cost the state any money. There’s no real fiscal impact,” Addabbo said. “The bottom line is, why not?”

Goldfeder’s bill has attracted three co-sponsors — Assemblymen Tom Abinanti (D-Greenburgh), Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) and Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) — and moved to the Committee on Racing and Wagering. Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) has signed on as a co-sponsor of Addabbo’s bill, which is in the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee.

Because altering the gambling age would require an amendment to the state constitution, it would require both the Assembly and State to twice approve the legislation and then voters’ approval via a ballot referendum.

Goldfeder said he was concerned by the prevalence of younger gamblers at Resorts World, which he said can make it difficult for the racino to prevent underage drinking.

Addabbo said Resorts World has had issues with underage gamblers and its proximity to John Adams High School is distressing.

Both lawmakers emphasized that other major gambling establishments like Atlantic City are not open to those under 21.

“The gambling addition, once it is an addition, knows no boundaries, certainly not age,” Addabbo said. “There’s a big difference between 18 and 21 in terms of maturity.”

Did he say "addition" or "addiction?" I'm hoping the latter.

Yes, there is a difference in terms of maturity. So why do we allow 18-20 year olds join the military and potentially get themselves killed? Why do we have kids as young as 15 being charged as adults? But they can't make the decision to drink, smoke or gamble? Hmmm...

NYPD cracking down on gaming at cafes

From the Daily News:

Cops want to fold illegal “sweepstakes cafes” that offer patrons cash prizes as they play online games.

Officers have been ordered to notify the NYPD’s Organized Crime Control Bureau when they find such cafes, which have been popping up in Brooklyn and Queens.

Detectives visit the joint to see if it’s breaking the law — but the line is blurry.

At such cafes, customers pay to play Internet games — and winners get additional game time or long-distance telephone minutes.

That appears to legal.

But as they play, gamblers are automatically entered into online sweepstakes that randomly pay cash, officials said.

And that appears to be illegal.

The sweepstakes cafes are a “new illegal gambling trend similar to Joker Poker (machines) or electronic slots,” according to an NYPD memo from Oct. 18.

“Many locations are . . . promising cash prizes for playing games,” the memo continues. “(Cops) should remain vigilant of illegal Internet gambling.”

The city has already taken other steps to rein in these reputed dens of iniquity.

In May, the City Council passed a bill to allow the Department of Consumer Affairs to yank the license of any cafes caught giving out cash prizes.

What else is on the ballot?

From the 2013 NYC Voter Guide:

On November 5^th, you will be voting YES or NO on six ballot proposals to amend the New York State Constitution. These six proposals are covered in depth below, starting with the official text of the ballot question and a description of the effect it will have if passed. To help you decide, the CFB has provided reasons to vote yes or no based on media coverage and other public commentary. The CFB also reached out to the public, requesting organizations and individuals to submit "pro" or "con" statements explaining why they support or oppose each proposal. (These statements are provided as supplied by the authors.)

The information below does not necessarily reflect all the reasons to support or oppose each proposal.

Proposal 1 | Authorizing Casino Gaming

Proposal 2 | Additional Civil Service Credit for Veterans with Disabilities Certified Post-Appointment

Proposal 3 | Exclusion of Indebtedness Contracted for Sewage Facilities

Proposal 4 | Settling Disputed Title in the Forest Preserve

Proposal 5 | In Relation to a Land Exchange in the State Forest Preserve with NYCO Minerals, Inc.

Proposal 6 | Increasing Age until which Certain State Judges Can Serve

Cool sign on former First German Sport Club is gone

The First German Sport Club of Brooklyn is next door to yesterday's renovation project.  It's been on the market for a long time.  You can read some of its history here.  It closed when a mafia gambling ring operating out of it got busted.
Yesterday, I noticed that the lettering on the sign was gone, and a "coming soon" sign is now on top of it advertising World Financial Center.  I'm hoping they're moving from Himrod Street, but I'm not holding my breath.  Someone really should fix that siding!

Busted running the numbers

From the Daily News:

Investigators have busted several members of a Queens family for allegedly operating a $1 million-a-year gambling ring.

Saul Montalvo, 44, his sister Veronica Montalvo, 40, and his son, Daniel Montalvo, 26, were indicted on Thursday following a six-month investigation by the NYPD and the Queens District Attorney's Office.

DA Richard Brown said the clan ran "a family operated gambling ring" that took in over $3000 in bets a day from Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau County.

The trio and three others "ran an old-fashioned numbers racket complete with betting parlors, wire rooms and runners and collectors," Brown said.

Their operation was uncovered by narcotics cops who came upon the family's converted wire room in East New York during a drug investigation.

You think someone might have a gambling problem?

From CBS New York:

A Brooklyn woman was arrested this past weekend and charged with leaving her children – the youngest just 9 months old — and her middle school-age brother in the car while she went off to gamble.

Ruth Liberal, 29, was arrested Sunday and was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, authorities told CBS 2.

She allegedly left her three children – a 9-month-old daughter and two sons ages 4 and 9 – in the car along with her own 13-year-old brother while she gambled at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, authorities said.

The Queens District Attorney’s Office said Liberal was still awaiting arraignment Monday evening.

Big mob bust (with Viagra!)

From the NY Post:

Manhattan prosecutors today announced a big blow against the Bonanno crime family: the indictment on enterprise corruption charges of seven crew members, including jailed Donnie Brasco-era gangster and alleged underboss Nicholas "Nicky" Santora.

Two leaders of Teamsters Local 917, which handles liquor store and parking lot employees, were additionally indicted for allegedly helping the Bonannos gain loansharking and book-making footholds among members.

They are the local's president, Nicholas Bernhard, and shop steward Scott O'Neill, of Howard Beach.

Investigators had pulled an illegal, loaded gun from under the pillow of Bernhard's Congers, NY, bed when search warrants were executed on the suspects in February, a source told The Post.

Additional illegal firearms had been seized at that time from Bernhard's home and from that of alleged soldier Anthony "Skinny" Santoro, including a Tech-9 pulled from a stash of guns in Santoro's Staten Island house.

"Many mistakenly believe that the mob has disappeared entirely except when you watch HBO," Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, Jr., told reporters.

"Whatever name it's called, the Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, the Mob, this indictment demonstrates that organized crime is still operating in New York City and still has its hooks in the labor movement," Vance said in announcing the fruits of a two-year joint investigation by his office and the NYPD Organized Crime Control Bureau and Organized Crime Investigation Unit.

The top enterprise corruption charge against the nine men includes pattern acts involving the traditional mob mainstays: loansharking, offshore gambling, extortion, union corruption and weapons possession.

But in a nod to more modern tastes, the gangsters allegedly also dabbled in the distribution of Viagra, Cialis and the suburban party drug Oxycodone.

The Sunset Diner in Greenpoint and the Jackson Hole Diner in Queens were favorite meeting spots, a source said.