Personal loan or illegal gift?

Engel stonewalls News

By Christopher Hagedorn

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 6- The question of whether or not Rep. Eliot Engel accepted an illegal gift from his largest campaign contributor of up to $250,000 to purchase a co-op in Riverdale as his primary residence is shrouded by his refusal to disclose the terms of a personal loan.

 

Several facts are known about the loan:

 

            •           Engel wrongly listed it as a “mortgage” on a financial disclosure statement.

 

            •           He received it from Harry Bajraktari, a contributor.

 

            •           No records or documents, other than his federal financial disclosure statement filed in May, reflect the loan as a financial liability.

 

            •           The New York City record of the purchase of the co-op at 3725 Henry Hudson Parkway shows a transaction in cash.

 

            •           City records show no co-op loan, neither personal nor conventional.

            •           The House Ethics Committee will not confirm or deny whether Engel received approval for the loan from a contributor, though Engel claims he did get approval

            •           Reviews of Engel's finances by an accountant, as reflected by his financial disclosure statement,put in doubt whether he could have received a co-op loan from a financial institution.

            •           Engel has refused to reveal any details of the loan, including interest rate and repayment schedule, according to the Daily News.

 

The House Ethics Committee has strict standards for gifts, to delineate legality. Rules on gifts state representatives “may accept a loan from a person other than a financial institution, provided that the loan is on commercially reasonable terms, including requirements for repayment and a reasonable rate of interest.”

 

Engel's refusal to disclose the repayments schedule and rate of interest for a loan from a major contributor is problematic.

 

Harry Bajraktari is not just a supporter, but also a person with a vested interest in his agenda as an Albanian-American leader, an activist in the Kosovo independence movement.

 

Bajraktari has invested years in cultivating Engel's allegiance to his cause.

Reportedly, an Albanian supporter said, “Remember that it was Eliot Engel, who, during one of his visits to Pristina, stood in the square and told the Kosovo Albanian mob that he wanted to be the first U.S. ambassador to return to an independent Kosova.”

Engel reported on his financial disclosure statement, filed in May 2012 for calendar year 2011 that he had a “mortgage loan” on his primary residence at 3725 Henry Hudson Parkway, a two-bedroom co-op apartment that he bought in February 2011. A spokesman for Engel told the Daily News, “There is no actual mortgage on the property as this is a personal loan.”

City records of the co-op purchase for $280,000 disclosed no indebtedness in the transaction.

Bajraktari's monetary noblesse has rewarded Engel in another way, by granting him a partnership stake in a Bronx building. Engel failed to disclose the partnership for two years. According to the congressman, in 2008, over drinks, Bajraktari asked him if Engel wanted a “piece” of a building he was buying. Engel recited to the Daily News that $20,000 to $30,000 bought 24 percent of a building purchased for $400,000 Verizon Wireless Prepaid - $50 p/month unlimited text and talk!

Pizza Party in the Bronx

CiCi’s Pizza to Open Outside Co-op City

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9– CiCi’s Pizza, home of the custom pizza buffet, celebrates the grand opening of its first Bronx location on July 16. The grand opening will kick off a five-day celebration from July 16 through July 20.  

The first 100 guests each day to purchase an adult buffet at the new location during the celebration will receive a free pizza buffet each month for a year. The 5,313 square-foot restaurant is located at 1776 E. Gun Hill Road in the Bronx at the intersection of I-95 and Gun Hill Road.

CiCi’s endless pizza buffet features more than 28 different pizzas in rotation plus delicious pasta, hot soup, crisp salad and oven-baked desserts. Guests can enjoy CiCi’s everyday value at $6.99 for an adult buffet and $3.99 for the kids buffet.

“The Bronx restaurant opening marks an important milestone for CiCi’s as we continue our ‘Build the Brand’ growth initiative, said CiCi’s Pizza COO Bill Spae. “This restaurant is the first to come to the five boroughs and will serve as a flagship store for continued growth in the area.”

The Ansari Pizza Group, led by veteran CiCi’s franchisees, Tahir and Nabeel Ansari, owns 12 CiCi’s Pizza restaurants in Florida, Tennessee and now New York. The company tapped into experienced CiCi’s operator, Michael Rogers, to run the new Bronx Restaurant.

“New Yorkers know their pizza. Now with CiCi’s coming to town, they’ll have access to the nation’s leading pizza buffet,” said Nabeel Ansari. “Our new restaurant will bring new jobs to the area and offer a family-friendly environment for our neighbors to enjoy great food and endless variety at an outstanding value.”

If guests don’t see their favorite pizza fresh and hot on the buffet, they can just ask and a CiCi’s team member will make it on the spot and bring it directly to the table. All pizzas are also available to go and 15” one-topping carryout pizzas are regularly priced at $5.99.

The restaurant phone number is (718) 671-2575 and its hours of operation for dine-in and carryout are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.  

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Espaillat makes it Official

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Espaillat makes it Official: 100PERCENT By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- State Senator Adriano Espaillat held a press conference to announce that he ...

Espaillat makes it Official

100PERCENT

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- State Senator Adriano Espaillat held a press conference to announce that he will abide by the Board of Elections results of the June 26th Democratic primary results for the 13th Congressional District that have him coming in a close second to Charlie Rangel. 

Espaillat said that the official margin of victory (953) was still greater then he felt could be overcome in court. He said that other organizations will continue the fight about how fair this race was and that he hopes change comes about at the Board of Elections for a better system. As for running for his old state senate seat, Espaillat said that a decision will come about in a few days, but we are sure that he will run for his old state senate seat in September.

Mayor Bloomberg has blasted the Board of Elections as have many others on the new system of voting, with Bloomberg saying, “It is the most corruptible system in the world.”

Board of Elections Republican Commissioner J.C. Polanco has fired back saying, “Senator Espaillat's team should apologize not only to the commissioners, but to the hard working employees of the Board of Elections.”

Polanco was also angered at Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez for his story that Deputy Chief Clerk for the Manhattan Board of Elections (and the person supervising the count in the Manhattan portion of the congressional district) Timothy Gay had met with key Rangel supporters and district leaders three days before the election. When asked Gay said that he attended on his own time, and attended the meeting at the request of the Manhattan Democratic County Leader Keith Wright to provide his district leaders with lists of Democratic poll workers and to discuss general election matters in general. Gonzalez goes on about other problems that happened including the lists of poll workers district leaders loyal to Espaillat being virtually ignored, and much less Spanish translators at voter sign in tables.

Staying on the September primary, 87th A.D. candidate Luis Sepulveda will be having a fundraiser on Saturday July 21st hosted by Mr. David Rodriguez starting at 7 PM till midnight at 175 Walnut Avenue. For more information and to RSVP you can call 917-560-6137, or e-mail ctr719@aol.com.

Petitions are being handed in as you read this for State Assembly and State Senate, as are “General Objections” to some of those petitions. Specifications to those objections will be due in a few days later and the Board of Elections will hear from both sides and decide just who will get to be on the September primary ballot. 

We spoke to Mr. Mike Nieves currently working on the Charlie Rangel campaign and at the Bronx Board of Elections for the count of the affidavit and absentee ballots who told us that his next job will be to knock off the challenger to Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera, that being Rivera's current 78th State Committeeman and Chairman of the Committee of 100 Democrats Mr. Richardo “Ricky” Martinez. Mr. Martinez is running this year as Assemblyman Rivera has redistricted his son Councilman Joel Rivera into the 78th A.D. We have been told that Rivera's idea is to pass down the assembly seat like a monarchy when his son Joel is term limited out of a job in 2013.

Don't forget to check my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com for the latest breaking news on the petitioning for the September primary, and any other items that may occur after our deadline or that we didn't have space for in this column.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bloody Holiday Week

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bloody Holiday Week: Club Violence Leaves One Dead, Eight Wounded (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- Two incident...

Bloody Holiday Week

Club Violence Leaves One Dead, Eight Wounded

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- Two incidents around area bars have left one man dead and eight others wounded. Three others were killed and at least four others were wounded in at least five other violent incidents reported across the borough.

On July 6, police were called to the Whispers Inn, located at 1246 E. Gun Hill Road in the Laconia section. The victim, Dwight Lewis, 27, of the Claremont section was shot dead at just before closing time after getting into an argument with a fellow patron.

The mortally wounded Lewis was rushed to Jacobi Hospital where he expired from his injuries.

An unidentified man inside the club, stated, "The man unfortunately died. The police are looking at the surveillance video now."

Moments later a pair of detectives would exit the watering hole, one carrying a laptop computer, apparently with the video of the incident.

A second unidentified man wearing a Metropolitan Transit Authority uniform was seen locking up the club, he fumed, "Don't take my picture, I'm not the owner. I'm just a worker," before getting into a vehicle and speeding away.

The following morning at just after 4 a.m., cops were called to a the topless bar, "Club Eleven," located at 1152 Randall Avenue in the Hunts Point section. A brawl in the street left two men shot and six individuals slashed. All of the victims are expected to survive.

The carnage was not limited to local watering-holes as a 19-year -old man was shot in the leg in front of 1662 Vyce Avenue in Claremont Village, at 2:30 p.m., on July 5.

Later that same night a young mother allegedly killed her two young children before attempting to commit suicide-- but failed, inside her Parkchester home.

At just before 4:30 a.m., on July 6, one man was shot in the leg and a second suffered a graze wound outside of 270 E. Burnside Avenue. Both victims were reported to be in stable condition.

Ten minutes after the Burnside shooting, a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death inside his home at 578 E. 141 Street. Police would question and later arrest his girlfriend.

At just after 2 a.m. on July 8, another individual was reported shot at White Plains Road and E. 225 Street. That victim was also expected to recover.

The NYPD has registered 802 shootings in the first six-months of 2012, up nearly 11 percent over the previous year, but the murder rate is still down for the first half of the year with just 194 killings.

Murder Mom Charged with Gassing Kids

Mom Charged in Death's of Two Children

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- A Parkchester mother has been arrested and charged with  the deaths of her two young children after a failed suicide attempt.

Fire officials were called for an odor of gas coming from a ninth-floor apartment at 1500 Noble Avenue, at just before midnight on July 5. Officials would have to break down the door to gain access to the apartment.

Officials would discover the two children, later identified by police as Trevor Noel, Jr., 5, and his 4-month-old sister Lillian, who were "unresponsive," and both were declared dead at the scene.

Paramedics removed the children's mother Lisette Bamenga, 29, an elementary school teacher with the Department of Education. Bamenga was also overcome by the fumes and also had minor slash wounds to both her wrists.

Bamenga was rushed to Jacobi Hospital where she is currently listed in stable condition.

Investigators reported a suicide note was found at the scene and plastic was found taped across the apartment's windows. Unconfirmed reports also stated that the young woman forced the children to drink windshield wiper fluid.

Bamenga's boyfriend and the children's father, a rookie police officer with the NYPD, would return home from his patrol duties to the active crime scene. Trevor Noel was spotted driving away from the grisly scene the next day.

The following Saturday Bamenga was charged with two counts of first- degree murder in the death's of her children.

A neighbor to the family who declined to be identified, stated, "I never knew those people so I don't know anything about them." The woman added, "When I opened the door for the firemen my home filled up with gas... and they actually told us to close the door."