An Armory Employee Arrested For Bribery In The Fashion Business

We all have heard stories of politicians accepting bribes for favors. Well, bribery has now entered the fashion industry. It seems that Mark Jacobs International may have been paying bribes to hold their elaborate fashion shows at the armory:

Since 2000, James Jackson, who served as the superintendent of the armory for more than eight years, solicited more than $40,000 in bribes from the company that produced Mr. Jacobs’s shows and the others, officials said. Mr. Jackson is accused of demanding money and gifts, including computers and a Bowflex exercise machine, to hold certain dates for events, to ease the paperwork and in some cases to allow early access to the building, which typically rents for $6,000 a day.

Mr. Jackson, 56, of Queens, a 30-year employee of the Division of Military and Naval Affairs who earned $58,951 as superintendent of the 26th Street Armory until shortly after his arrest in October, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday, officials said. He faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted. He declined to comment through his lawyer, Alan Abramson.

The century-old 26th Street building, also known as the 69th Regiment Armory, has been especially sought by designers because it is one of the few spaces in the city that can hold thousands of people with unobstructed views.

This story will probably have those in the fashion business to push for charges to be filed against Jacobs.

Are You An Impostor?

Social psychologists have studied what they call the impostor phenomenon since at least the 1970s, when a pair of therapists at Georgia State University used the phrase to describe the internal experience of a group of high-achieving women who had a secret sense they were not as capable as others thought. Since then researchers have documented such fears in adults of all ages, as well as adolescents.

Their findings have veered well away from the original conception of impostorism as a reflection of an anxious personality or a cultural stereotype. Feelings of phoniness appear to alter people’s goals in unexpected ways and may also protect them against subconscious self-delusions.

Brooklyn Police Corruption Scandal Cast Shadow On Arrests

If you can't trust the messenger, you can't trust the message. That is exactly what is happening with this ongoing Brooklyn police corruption scandal that will allow criminals to go free:

The Brooklyn district attorney’s office has dismissed charges or vacated convictions in 183 cases because one or more of the four officers had played a significant role in them. In addition, the city’s special prosecutor has thrown out five pending indictments against eight defendants.

The scandal emerged in September when an officer in the squad, Detective Sean Johnstone, was heard on a departmental tape recording saying that he and his partner, Officer Julio Alvarez, had recovered 28 bags of cocaine from a suspect but turned in only 17. The officers were charged in December with misconduct and falsifying records. An investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau led to the arrests in January of two other officers, Sgt. Michael Arenella and Officer Jerry Bowens.

Court papers said they took drugs and cash they had recovered and gave them to an informant in exchange for information. While the officers who were charged are not suspected of making any illegal profit, the corruption investigation has forced prosecutors and defense lawyers to review cases that involved any of the four officers.

Defense attorneys are checking whether clients were wrongly charged or convicted. Steven Banks, the attorney in chief of the Legal Aid Society, said they expected to review several hundred cases. The cases dismissed so far represent 129 misdemeanors and 54 felonies, according to the office of the Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes.

This means that in some cases, convicted dealers are back on the streets with their records wiped clean and sealed. Addicts who were sentenced to treatment instead of jail could now be ineligible for the programs. And charges, whether for possession of small amounts of marijuana or dozens of grams of cocaine, are being dropped.

This will cost the city a lot of money as well as erode people's confidence in the Brooklyn police department.

Federal Probe Into Senator Joseph L. Bruno's Business Dealings Broadens

What do federal investigators hope to find concerning Senator Joseph L. Bruno's business dealings with this company? This investigation has been going on for some time leaving some to speculate that the senator's business dealings are somewhat shady:

For more than a decade, Mr. Bruno earned a salary from Wright Investors' Service, based in Milford, Conn., in addition to his legislative pay of $121,000. His affiliation with the company began shortly before he became majority leader in 1995. Neither the amount of his salary nor the specifics of his job have been disclosed, and such disclosure is not required under state ethics laws.

A number of the pension funds’ trustees also have longstanding political ties to Mr. Bruno, who has been a close ally of labor unions in the Legislature. Some of the trustees even personally lobbied Mr. Bruno about legislative issues, state records and interviews with the officials revealed. Records also show that prominent locals in New York City invested at various times with Wright, including the New York City District Council of Carpenters and Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International union.

Whatever happened to transparency in government? If the feds do not find anything criminally wrong, it sure smells like there could be some type of ethics violation in the mix.

New York Bankrolls Presidential Campaign

If you want to know where the largest presidential campaign contributors reside; well look no further, they are right here in New York:

Through the end of last year, the metropolitan region contributed more than $80 million to presidential aspirants. New York’s singers, actors, literary lights and plutocrats wrote checks across party lines, in some cases covering their bets by running the table of candidates.

These New Yorkers have deep pockets and they don't mind spreading the wealth.

Heavily Armed Officers To Patrol Subways

After the 9/11 attacks, people became more aware of the possibility of more attacks in the United States. As a result of the possibility of future terrorist attacks, the New York City police department will patrol the subways on a daily basis:

Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, and Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced the grants at a news conference on Friday at Grand Central Terminal, where Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly outlined his plans to add a layer of security to the city’s 24-hour transit system.

Mr. Kelly’s plan to heighten security and monitor a subway system that carries nearly five million people a day along 656 miles of tracks reflects the city’s continuing concerns about a possible attack.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, police patrols increased in the subways, particularly at the entrances to the 16 underwater tunnels. As terrorists have hit rail systems around the world, the police in New York have reacted with strategies tailored to thwart similar attacks.

Although no plan is 100% foolproof, this bold new plan will make citizens feel that the City is doing all it can to protect the public.

Immigration Reform: Who Are You Hiring?

Are your employees legal? If you don't know the answer to that question, it may be time you find out:

In the latest move on eastern Long Island to crack down on illegal immigrants, Brian Beedenbender, a freshman Suffolk County legislator proposed a bill on Thursday that would require the estimated 15,000 licensed contractors there to verify their workers’ legal status.

Under Mr. Beedenbender’s proposal, the county’s estimated 15,000 contractors — including electricians, plumbers, home contractors, roofers and asphalt pavers — would be required to verify employees’ legal working status. Violators would face punishment ranging from losing their licenses to being fined or jailed up to four years. Currently, Suffolk County gets 100 to 200 license applications a month and renews about 500. Several public hearings will be held before the proposal is voted on by the County Legislature.

It seems that the legislator is placing a heavy burden on these employers. What do you think?