WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC thecity THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: Ex-Cop with Ties to Eric Adams at Center of Alleged Campaign Finance Scam

 

View this email in your browser If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, The text messages said, “[Eric Adams] doesn’t want to do anything if he doesn’t get 25 Gs.” “Use a straw man.” “We all can eat.”  Six people were indicted Friday in Manhattan for allegedly bundling illegal donations to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign. District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the defendants — Dwayne Montgomery, Shamsuddin Riza, Millicent Redick, Ronald Peek, Yahya Mushtaq, Shahid Mushtaq, and the company Ecosafety Consultants Inc. — teamed up to boost public matching funds to Adams by donating thousands of dollars in other people’s names. Montgomery is a retired NYPD inspector, a former commanding officer of the 28th Precinct in Harlem. He is also a former colleague of Adams, “whom he knew socially and worked on criminal justice issues with,” according to campaign spokesperson Evan Thies. In the 32-page, 37-count indictment Bragg called the enterprise “a deliberate scheme to game the system in a blatant attempt to gain power.”  Adams is not named as a defendant. Read more here. In other news: Metro-North Workers Edging Closer to a Strike  On Friday, workers from two Transport Workers Union locals voted to authorize a strike against the MTA railroad that serves commuters in the city’s northern suburbs and parts of Connecticut. It’s the latest development in a long-standing dispute between several unions representing Metro-North workers and the MTA, though the path to a potential walkout is a long one. —Claudia Irizarry Aponte Some other items of note: A judge has sided with retired city employees who protested Mayor Eric Adams’ controversial plan to switch their healthcare. Last week, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the city from moving 250,000 retirees to a privatized healthcare plan in September. Frank also wrote that the retirees were likely to prevail on the merits of their case. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark wants to make it easier for her prosecutors to break into locked or encrypted phones confiscated from people after they’re arrested. The borough’s top law enforcement official intends to purchase more licenses from digital forensics company Cellebrite, according to an “intent to award” notice in the City Record. The company offers products to “unlock devices with ease” and “extract more data” to “get the most out of your investigations,” according to its website.  App-based delivery workers will have to wait for raises, a judge has ruled, after multiple companies including Uber and GrubHub sued the city to stop mandatory wage increases from taking effect this week. The new law would have required the companies to pay NYC’s estimated 60,000 app-based delivery workers at least $17.96 an hour starting July 12 — making it the first major U.S. city to do so. Now it's not clear when, or if, the new pay rate will take effect. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday's Weather Rating: 3/10. Starting the week off the same way we left off last week — warm, humid and unsettled. Showers and storms are possible through the early afternoon with highs in the low 80s and uncomfortable humidity yet again. The vibes are really struggling. Things To Do We’re trying something new. Watch this section for fun, family-friendly things to do around the city.  Monday, July 10: Paramount+ Movie Nights at Bryant Park continue with a screening of “Roman Holiday” at 8 p.m. Get there anytime after 5 p.m. to set up your picnic blanket or check out the food and drink vendors. Free. Wednesday, July 12 and Thursday, July 13: Manhattanhenge is back. Brave the tourists and find a spot on the borough’s east-west grid to catch the view — 14th, 34th, 42nd, 57th and 79th Streets are rumored to be the most photogenic. Saturday, July 15: The Queens Night Market continues, with more than 100 food and art vendors celebrating the diversity of the borough. It runs from 5 p.m. to midnight, every Saturday through the summer, at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Plates are $5-6. THE KICKER: An independent bookstore in Chinatown is being flooded with love and donations after a July 4 fire. Yu & Me is known as NYC’s first female-owned Asian American bookstore and has been a community hub since opening in December 2021 Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Monday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc Sponsor message THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2023 THE CITY, All rights reserved.