New York News in Brief, July 1

Anti-Gun Ad Features Terrorist Footage

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of more than 600 mayors across the United States, released an ad yesterday which features a terrorist giving advice on how to exploit the “gun show loophole.” The loophole allows anyone who claims to be a casual seller of firearms to obtain weapons at gun shows. The ad aired on CNN yesterday, prior to an interview with Mayor Bloomberg. In the ad, American-born terrorist Azzam al-Amriki offers the following words of advice to “lone-wolf” terrorists on U.S. territory: “America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check, and most likely, without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?” Mayor Bloomberg is a vocal supporter of stronger gun laws. He was one of the founding members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “Criminals already know how to take advantage of gaps in our gun laws, and now al-Qaeda knows, too. Americans, including NRA members, overwhelmingly support stronger laws to keep guns away from terrorists and other dangerous people,“ said Bloomberg. Weak gun laws aren’t just a crime problem, they’re a national security threat—and this ad should be a wake-up call to Congress,” he added.

Millionaires Indicted For Medicaid Fraud

A married couple who owns 10 buildings and claims $4.1 million in assets was indicted for Medicaid fraud by the Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes on Wednesday. The couple claimed income between $0 and $250 on Medicaid applications and received $43,702 in Medicaid benefits from Jan. 1, 2006 to May 1, 2011. “These defendants clearly have the means to buy their own health insurance, but greed led them to falsify their income and steal from a program designed to help the poor get needed health care. My office will seek maximum jail time and full restitution in this case,” said Hynes. The couple owned eight properties in Brooklyn and two in Staten Island with total rental income of more than $20,000 monthly.

Battery Park City Developer Banned

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced on Wednesday a full judgment against Yair Levy, a Battery Park City developer. The order bans Levy permanently from selling apartments in New York City, imposes a $7.4 million restitution payment to the Rector Street Condominium, and an additional $300,000 in civil penalties. Levy defrauded the condominium’s reserve fund and abandoned the building with no heat or hot water in the winter of 2008. “The state of New York has no tolerance for the kind of fraud perpetrated by Yair Levy,” said Schneiderman in a press release. “With today’s judgment, Yair Levy is out of business, and tenants and homebuyers in New York are more secure without this predator in the marketplace.”