Man Sentenced to 75 Years in Muggings of Elderly Women

A Queens man convicted of robbery, burglary and assault in the 2007 mugging of three women, including one who was 101 years old at the time – has been sentenced to 75 years in prison, or about one year for every dollar he stole from the three victims.

Jack Rhodes, 47, whose last known address was 1525 Ericksson Street in East Elmhurst, was convicted in October of first-degree burglary, first-and-second-degree robbery – all as hate crimes – and first-degree burglary, first-and-second-degree robbery and second-degree assault following a four-week jury trial. Last week, he was sentenced to 75 years in prison by Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory L. Lasak.

“The defendants disturbingly cowardly attacks on elderly and defenseless women – two of whom needed the aid of a walker to get around – has rightfully cost him his future,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “He will now spend the rest of his life behind bars, never again having freedom to breathe fresh air or the opportunity to prey on society’s most frail and vulnerable citizens.”

According to trial testimony, Rhodes accosted 51-year-old Angela Khan as she entered her 182nd Street residence in Jamaica through the basement garage on the evening of Dec. 30, 2006. Rhodes punched and kicked Khan while robbing her of cash and other personal property, causing her to suffer a fractured nose, black eyes and lacerations to her face which required six stitches. The attack was caught on surveillance tape.

Shortly before noon on March 2, 2007, the superintendent of a Devonshire Road building in Jamaica confronted Rhodes, who was trespassing in the basement, and ordered him to leave. The super watched as Rhodes left the property with a red, pink and black bike.

Less than an hour later, Rose Morat – who was 101 years old at the time and uses a walker – was caught on surveillance video exiting the elevator on the main floor of her Highland Avenue building. Rhodes approached her in the vestibule and offered to open the front door for her. Rhodes then repeatedly punched Morat on the left side of her face while demanding money from her. The defendant then grabbed her pocketbook, which contained $33 and her house keys, before knocking her to the ground and fleeing on a bike. Morat sustained a fractured cheekbone, bruises and facial swelling in that attack.

About a half-hour later, 85-year-old Solange Elizee, who also uses a walker, was getting on the elevator of her 170th Street building at the lobby level when she saw Rhodes already on the elevator. Elizee exited the elevator alone one floor below her apartment and waited for the next elevator. As she exited on her floor and entered her apartment, Rhodes blocked the door from closing and forced his way inside.

Once inside the apartment, Rhodes repeatedly punched Elizee in the face, knocking her to the floor. The defendant then removed two yellow metal rings from her hand and took her pocket book, which contained $32. Once again, Rhodes fled from the scene on a bicycle, and Elizee was taken to a local hospital for treatment for lacerations to her lip, abrasions and bruising to her forearm, face and buttocks.

Senators Help Reunite Family for Funeral

Following the tragic death of Queens resident Roopnarine Gopaul, 42, and his five-year-old son Christopher Gopaul, earlier this month in a jet ski accident, state Senator Joe Addabbo along with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand helped expedite the visa process allowing close relatives abroad to arrive in New York in time for the funeral. Two sisters of Roopnarine Gopaul reunited with their Queens family hours before the somber ceremony.

State Senator Addabbo said, “In addressing this unfortunate family issue, I was grateful to successfully work with Sen. Gillibrand’s office to assist our constituents through their difficult time.”

“During these difficult moments, it's important for families to gather with their loved ones,” Senator Gillibrand said. “I am relieved that Lilouttie and Bhagmattie Gopaul are able to join their family and friends here at home as they grieve from the loss of their brother and nephew. Our deepest condolences go out to the Gopaul family. They are in our prayers.”

Lilouttie Gopaul, one of the two sisters traveling from Guyana to New York, said, “The entire family thanks Senator Gillibrand and State Senator Addabbo. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve visited my family and it means so much that I will be present for the funeral of my brother and nephew. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for making the impossible possible.”

Shortly after the accident, Mr. Gopaul’s sisters unsuccessfully tried to secure an interview with the U.S. Embassy in Guyana to return for the funeral but were met with bureaucratic red tape that would prevent them from arriving on time. Without an expedited interview, the sisters would have missed the ceremony. But thanks to Sandra Singh of Richmond Hill, another of Mr. Gopaul’s sisters who reached out for Senator Joe Addabbo, the family was able to attend.

Mr. Gopaul, who immigrated to the United States two decades ago, worked as a truckdriver and was an active member of his community.

Father and Son Die in Water Tragedy

A father and son who shared their mutual love for the water died over the weekend after the wave runner they wer aboard crashed into a dock in a Lawrence waterway.

Roopnarine Gopaul died at the scene on Saturday around 5:15 pm, his son Christopher passed away at the hospital early Sunday morning.

Gopaul was described by family members as a devoted father and not one to be careless. He came to New York 20 years ago from Guyana and settled with family members in Richmond Hill until 9 years ago.

The father of two lived with his wife Renuca, daughter Kayla and son Christopher in their home in South Jamaica.

Michelle Singh, a niece, said it was her family that Gopaul lived with when he first came to the states. “He was always careful.,especially about driving things. He didn’t even have so much as one ticket.”

Police say the accident happened after Gopaul apparently lost control of the watercraft. They are still investigating the accident but criminal charges do not seem likely.

Gopaul was the eldest son in a close-knit family of seven children and was remembered as a family member who “would always be there.”

According to state law operators of personal watercraft are required to hold a boating safety certificate, obtained after passing an eight-hour boating safety course. It’s also required that operators slow to no more than 5 mph if they are within 100 feet of a dock.

It is not yet known how fast he was going or whether Gopaul had a certificate. They have impounded the craft for a safety test.

Family members would not release information about services because of privacy concerns.

Kew Gardens Man is $54 Million Lottery Winner

After weeks of speculation, the lucky winner of the $133 million Mega Millions came forward on Tuesday to claim his prize.

Despite initial reports that the person who bought the $2 ticket on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica was a woman, the city’s newest millionaire is 49-year old Aubrey Boyce, a Kew Gardens resident who immediately quit his job of eight years with the MTA, where he earned about $53,000 annually collecting cash from token booths and MetroCard machines.

“I couldn’t believe I was the winner,” he said at a press conference at Grand Central Terminal. “I kept checking my numbers to make sure… I will probably go on a dream vacation somewhere warm. Maybe the islands.”

By taking the jackpot in a lump sum, Boyce walks home with $54,648,351. “I used to play the lottery so I could win big - big enough to retire, have enough to live on. Now, I really don’t know what I’ll do beyond just taking care of my family,” he said.

Boyce said he typically spends $12 a week on lottery tickets, but laid out just $2 on the morning of July 7 for two sets of Quick Pick numbers from that evening’s Mega Millions drawing. “I went to a different store the next day to check the winning numbers,” he said. “I saw my numbers and got a little nervous. I went online to double check and there they were again… My wife and I haven’t reallyslept since.” By picking the numbers 25, 27, 35, 38, 39 and 28 for the Mega Ball, Boyce was the only person to strike the winning combination.

He described himself as the “quiet, laid back type” and said his neighbors shouldn’t expect to see him driving around his Kew Gardens neighborhood, where he lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his wife, in a fancy car. “I’m a laid-back guy, so you know, something not too flashy,” he said.

As a reward for selling the winning ticket, the owner of Shiv Convenience received a $10,000 bonus.

Former Model Charged in String of Armed Robberies

By Conor Greene

Four men, including a 20-year-old former underwear model who made news last year when his 37-year-old girlfriend was fired from her teaching job due to the relationship, have been charged in 15 armed robberies over the past month.
Joshua Walter, whose relationship with a Howard Beach teacher made headlines last year, was charged in the crime spree along with Lamont Adams, 33, of Far Rockaway, Willie Winston, 30, of Astoria and James Young, 29, of Brooklyn. Each was charged with robbery and criminal possession of a firearm in connection with robberies, which stretched from Greenpoint thorough central Queens.

The string of robberies began on June 14 at a fruit and vegetable market on 45th Avenue in Astoria and continued through July 12, when the group held up a Dunkin’ Donuts on Horace Harding Expressway. In between, the group is charged with hitting 7-11 stores, including locations on Northern Boulevard, Metropolitan Avenue and Queens Boulevard, convenience stores such as Super Deli on Woodhaven Boulevard and bodegas in areas including Rego Park, Forest Hills and Jamaica.

The spree, which netted between $800 and $1,000 during each heist for a total of $12,000 to $15,000, came to an end at about 1:30 a.m. on July 16, when police with the Queens North auto larceny task force spotted a red Chevy Astro van matching the getaway vehicle’s description on 30th Avenue in Astoria.

After they were taken into custody, the suspects were placed in lineups and admitted their roles. Nobody was seriously injured in the robberies, during which the men displayed handguns while emptying the cash register and stealing cigarettes and lottery tickets. One suspect was captured on camera wearing a red USC sweatshirt during every heist, and police say Walter struck a customer with a .380 handgun during the final holdup.

Walter, a former Hugo Boss model, gained some unwanted attention last year when his girlfriend, Gina Salamino, 37, was fired from her city teaching job due to the couple’s relationship, which began when he was 17.

Two Area Hospitals Shut Doors

ST. JOHN’S AND MARY IMMACULATE CLOSE DUE TO BANKRUPTCY

By Conor Greene

With no last minute state bailout, the fear of many local residents and health care workers has come to fruition with the closings of two area hospitals this week.

St. John’s Hospital in Elmhurst and Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica stopped admitting patients late on Saturday night and officially closed on Monday. The two hospitals, operated by bankrupt health care system Caritas, had stopped accepting patients at their emergency rooms earlier this month.

The ominous message, “Please don’t die on your way to another hospital,” was scrawled on a piece of plywood covering the entrance to the emergency room at St. John’s. A note on the main door told visitors who unwittingly arrived there to call 911 for medical help.

Myrna Bailey, who served as hospital administrator at St. John’s and Catherine Wilkinson, who rose to the ranks of administrative director during her 40 years at St. John’s, took one of their final walks through the empty corridors over the weekend.

“Silence is good in some situations, but not in this situation,” Wilkinson told NY1. “I’ve been listening to this silence for about a week now, so I’m kind of getting immune to it, if one can become immune to it, but initially it was very, very frightening.”

“Silence is golden, but not here,” added Bailey.

While the hospital’s parent company, Caritas, has struggled financially since purchasing the two facilities in late 2006, word of their imminent closure came earlier this year. Despite a number of rallies at the hospitals and pleas from residents, workers and elected officials, the state declined to provide additional funding to keep the facilities operating.

Instead, the state announced last month that it is providing $18 million to seven area hospitals to help them deal with the influx of new patients the closures are expected to generate. The money is to be used by the local facilities to expand their emergency rooms and add more beds. Combined, St. John’s and Mary Immaculate had about 450 beds and served nearly 200,000 patients annually.

City Comptroller William Thompson criticized the state for failing to bail out the two hospitals so they could continue operating until a plan is put into place to deal with fallout from the closings. “Despite numerous calls from the various stakeholders to prevent or delay the hospitals closures, the state has failed to keep [the] hospitals open,” he said in a statement. “Without putting a plan in place, the state has left many unanswered questions about how Queens residents will be able to get their health care needs met.”

According to Thompson, the fire department, which oversees Emergency Medical Services, “also has not addressed how the closures will impact the health and safety of area residents including transition plans for 911 emergency medical response and treatment services.”

Workers at other hospitals are now bracing for a rise in the number of patients showing up at their doors. For example, Jamaica Hospital’s emergency room had averaged about 350 patients per day. Now, with the emergency rooms at St. John’s and Mary Immaculate shut for the past few weeks, the number of daily patients at Jamaica is approaching 400, according to a report in the Daily News.

Now, about 2,500 healthcare workers are facing the grim prospects of entering the job market during at the worst possible time. “I want to chain myself to the chair,” a teary-eyed Laura Beidell told the New York Post. “Not only do we work here, but we’ve all brought our families here. We’ve had parents who died here. This place is very special to us.”

Queens Gun Buyback Nets Record Haul

The recent gun buyback program held by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and the NYPD collected a record 919 weapons at sites throughout south Queens and the Rockaway Peninsula.

“Our one-day gun buyback effort has proven to be a huge success – far exceeding our expectations – by taking more than 900 weapons out of circulation,” said Brown. “I think it is fair to say that the citizens of Queens County are safer today as a result.”

The buyback program was held last weekend at six churches in Jamaica, Laurelton, Saint Albans and Far Rockaway. Individuals in possession of illegal or unwanted guns were allowed to anonymously trade them in for a $200 bank card, while functional BB guns and air pistols were exchanged for $20bank cards. The cards can be used as a debit card or to withdraw money at any ATM.

“Six churches in St. Albans, Jamaica and the Rockaways helped us collect 919 guns – the most ever collected since we began our buyback program,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said the total number of guns collected citywide through buyback programs has reached 3,500. “That’s 3,500 guns that won’t end up on our streets in the hands of criminals, won’t be involved in tragic household accidents or crimes, and won’t ever be pointed at police officers or civilians.”

According to NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, the city has collected an additional 5,000 guns over the past seven years through its program of offering $100, no questions asked, to individuals who return guns to any precinct stationhouse in the city.

“Our partnership with the city’s clergy and their congregations has worked miracles,” said Kelly. “That’s 5,000 guns [collected at stationhouses] over seven years. But over the course of just six Saturdays, we have recovered over 3,000 guns by having them turned in at houses of worship and by doubling the reward to $200 with matching contributions from our district attorneys. It is a life saving program.”

Added Brown: “The Queens gun buyback initiative is another example of the partnership that exists in this city between police, prosecutor and the communities that we serve to improve the quality of life of our residents and to lower the level of violence in the city."

Editorial: Gun Buyback is a Good First Step

Kudos to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly for finally holding a gun buyback program in Queens, after holding one in every other borough last year. While it took some prodding by Councilman James Sanders, we are very pleased to see that funds for this worthy program were set aside.

The program is especially needed in south and east Queens, where homicides increased by a staggering rate last year. Within the areas covered by Borough Patrol Queens South, which includes precincts in Richmond Hill, Jamaica and Ozone Park, homicides jumped from 43 in 2007 to 71 last year.

Fortunately, the gun buyback program, held last Saturday at six churches throughout the area, proved successful and will hopefully lead to others in the future. A total of 919 working guns were collected, including 254 revolvers, 137 semi-automatic pistols and seven assault rifles. That marks a record for a single-day buyback in the city, eclipsing the 700-plus total reached last October in Manhattan.

Individuals were invited to bring working, illegal weapons to one of the churches in exchange for a $200 Chase bank debit card, no questions asked.

With lives constantly being lost in association with illegal guns – and our federal gun control laws severely lacking –the city’s monetary investment in this program is a priceless investment. In this case, the 919 weapons cost the NYPD and the district attorney’s office a total of $158,880.

Officials including Councilman Sanders (D-Laurelton) are hopeful that future buybacks will be even more successful, especially as the weather improves and word spreads that individuals really can drop the weapons off without fear. Until our federal government gets serious about keeping illegal guns from flowing onto our streets, this is one of the best tools authorities have to help rid the city of illegal firearms. We hope that District Attorney Brown builds on this momentum and hosts another event later this year.

State Provides Funding to Area Hospitals; Refuses to Bail Out St. John's and Mary Immaculate

By Conor Greene

After refusing to bailout bankrupt St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals, the state Department of Health announced on Wednesday that it is providing money to other area facilities to help deal with a spike in patients.

St. John’s in Elmhurst and Mary Immaculate in Jamaica stopped admitting patients on Saturday, including to their emergency rooms, as they prepare to close completely in the coming weeks. The move comes a week after parent company Caritas Health Care filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and submitted a closure plan to the state.

Last Friday, residents, community leaders and hospital staff gathered outside St. John’s in a last-ditch effort to convince Governor David Paterson to step in and save the hospitals.

However, their demands fell on deaf ears, and the hospitals began restricting admissions at midnight – leading to concerns that other area facilities will become overburdened by the increased demand for their services.

On Wednesday, state Health Commissioner Richard Daines announced $18 million in grants being provided to local hospitals “to ensure that residents of Queens continue to have access to essential health care services.” The money will also provide job placement services to the nearly 3,000 health care workers who lost their jobs when St. John’s and Mary Immaculate closed.

“These grants will help other health care facilities in the area expand their capacity to absorb the patients previously handled by these two Caritas hospitals and assist workers in finding new employment,” said Daines in a statement.

The grants include $14.5 million to expand capacity at eight facilities serving the Queens community and the extension of a state Department of Health contract with 1199 SIEU for the Displaced Workers Program. That will make up to $3 million available for job counseling, placement and retraining for displaced workers.

According to the press release, the state DOH has given “contingent approval for the closure plan” submitted by Caritas. “Despite over $55 million in state loans to Caritas, the hospital system was unable to develop a viable plan for continued operation,” the release notes.

In addition to the $3 million contract extension to 1199 SIEU for job counseling, placement and retraining, the following grants have been awarded:

•Health and Hospitals Corporation of New York City will receive
$3.6 million to expand patient capacity and emergency room services at its Elmhurst and Queens Hospital Centers;

•Medisys will receive $4.5 million for its Jamaica and Flushing sites;

•North Shore LIJ will receive $3.5 million for its Forest Hills and Franklin facilities;

•Wyckoff Medical Center near Ridgewood will receive $2.7 million;

•The Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center will receive $650,000 to maintain primary and preventative services at the St. Dominic’s Health Care Center.

The decision to provide the grant money comes as City Comptroller William Thompson, Councilman Tony Avella, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and other elected officials have called upon the state to provide Caritas with the funding needed to keep the two hospitals open.

“The closing of Mary Immaculate and St. John’s Hospitals would not only have a detrimental affect on the 2,500 hospital employees by Caritas Health Care, but also on the entire Borough of Queens, which relies heavily on their medical services,” said Avella. “The best solution at this point would be for HHC [Health and Hospitals Corp] to take over the administration of these two hospitals. It would improve management operations and, I believe, make it easier for the State and City to allocate funding to keep the hospitals open.”

Combined, the hospitals have about 450 beds and serve nearly 200,000 patients each year. Mary Immaculate is a level-one trauma center and houses a cancer institute and 115-bed nursing home. St. John’s is a certified stroke and heart failure center and has the borough’s only hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit.

“People will die if the Health Department closes these hospitals,” said Therese Wittner, a registered nurse and representative for the state Nurses Association at Mary Immaculate. “It is also unthinkable that 115 elderly people will be put out of the Fitzpatrick nursing home where they have lived for up to 15 years and developed close family times… The surrounding hospitals are overflowing and will not be able to handle the volume of patients. We are already seeing the consequences.”

According to the DOH, the closure date for St. John’s and Mary Immaculate is February 28.

DA and NYPD to Host Gun Buyback Program

$200 Offered in Exchange for Illegal Firearms

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly will join six local church pastors on Saturday for a gun buyback program, which aims to take illegal guns off the streets by offering a $200 cash return for each eligible weapon surrendered.

Guns must be dropped off at one of six locations in the Rockaways and South Queens between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. All transactions will be anonymous with no questions asked, and individuals will receive a $200 bank card in exchange for illegal handguns, rifles and shotguns.

Functional BB guns and air pistols can be exchanged for a $20 bank card. All guns must be functional, and no guns will be accepted from active or retired law enforcement officials. The bank cards can be used as a debit card or to withdraw money from an ATM.

There is no limit to the number of guns individuals can surrender, but payment will only be issued for up to three weapons. Plainclothes police officials, QDA Detective Investigators and members of the NYPD Queens District Attorney Squad will be at the churches to accept the firearms.

Participants are encouraged to use paper or plastic bags or shoe boxes to transport the guns to the church. If transported by vehicle, weapons must be kept in the trunk.

The program is centered on neighborhoods in the Rockaways and South Queens, where homicides increased from 43 to 71 last year.

“The ultimate goal of this law enforcement initiative is to get as many guns as possible off the streets of Queens County in order to reduce firearm violence and bring about safer neighborhoods for all residents,” said Brown. “The support of the community is critical to the success of this program and emblematic of the level of cooperation needed by law enforcement to ensure the safety of everyone.”

Participating mainland churches are: Praise Tabernacle, 108-11 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica; Evangel Temple, 227-10 Merrick Boulevard in Laurelton; Majority Baptist Church, 115-21 Farmers Boulevard in Jamaica; and Presbyterian Baptist Church, 190-01 119th Avenue in Saint Albans.

Two Hospitals Begin Limited Admissions

St. John's, Mary Immaculate Set to Close Within Weeks

By Conor Greene

Two local hospitals will no longer accept patients starting Saturday as they prepare to close in the coming weeks.

Caritas Health Care, the parent company of St. John’s Queens Hospital in Elmhurst and Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, filed last week for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and submitted a closure plan to the state Department of Health. That decision means, barring a last minute state bailout, the two hospitals will likely close by February 28.

The process of shutting down its operations began soon after the board voted to file for bankruptcy. Beginning this week, Mary Immaculate was no longer accepting psychiatric patients, while St. John’s was no longer accepting pediatric patients. Starting midnight Friday, both hospitals will no longer accept any patients, including at their emergency rooms.

According to a source who received the FDNY operational order sent to EMS units, two ambulances will be stationed at each hospital ER beginning Friday night. Patients who arrive for treatment unaware of the closings will instead be taken to nearby hospitals.

The board’s decision came after several weeks of emergency meetings between local officials and hospital executives, who worked to secure a last minute deal to keep the struggling facilities open. The two hospitals are losing a total of about $5 million each month and have received $50 million in state grants and loans in the past two years – including $6 million in January.

“Our round-the-clock efforts with elected officials and with the New York State Department of Health over the past week have proven futile,” said Caritas CEO John Kastanis in a memo sent to employees. “No adequate source of funding has been identified and no long-term plan for the continued operation of the hospitals has been forthcoming.

“Since there has been no official or unofficial news from Albany this week regarding a possible solution to our crisis, the Board was, much to its dismay, left with no recourse,” continued Kastanis. “Time has essentially run out.”

Closing the hospitals would cost 2,500 healthcare professionals their jobs and force Queens residents to go elsewhere for medical treatment. Combined, the hospitals have about 450 beds and serve 200,000 individuals annually, including 100,000 patients in the two emergency rooms.

Several rallies were held in front of both hospitals and at City Hall in the past few weeks, and employees headed to Albany on Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to convince the state to bail out St. John’s and Mary Immaculate. “Tomorrow is really to have the politicians see face to face the people who are going to be affected, to see the people who are providing for the registered voters and the community that we provide health care to” said registered nurse Carlos Quiles outside St. John’s on Tuesday.

Residents, employees and patients said that it is unacceptable for the state to refuse to take action to save the hospitals. “I can’t understand how they can close a hospital in such a heavily populated neighborhood such as this,” said Dave Herbert, whose father was rushed to St. John’s on Monday night. “I don’t know the politics behind this, but somebody needs to do something right away… If this place wasn’t open, where would we go? Elmhurst is already packed… It’s insane.”

Ken Akins, who brings his mother to St. John’s every week for wound care, thinks the impact on the patients is being ignored. “My mother is frightened. She doesn’t know if the hospital closes where she is going to go,” said Akins. “She has bonded very well with the people who give quality care here. It’s always the elderly, the disenfranchised that gets hit the hardest.”

Akins, who said he worked at Mary Immaculate for 30 years, blamed the hospital’s financial struggles on mismanagement. “It would be a shame before God if Governor Paterson allows them to close… It has nothing to do with the quality of care and support the staff gives their patients. If we lose, we’re losing something that can’t be replaced.”

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall called news of Caritas’ decision “distressing” in a statement. “We worked very hard to try and prevent the closures of both these hospitals. I have been in touch with Governor Paterson’s office on almost a daily basis to try and find a solution.”

Marshall, who first informed the public of the hospitals’ dire financial status at her State of the Borough address last month, said she is demanding to see the closure plan Caritas filed with the state. “I want to see how capacity will be built at other hospitals. I want to see that every resident of Queens continues to get the healthcare that they are entitled to receive,” she said.

In addition to the 400 beds that will be lost by the closures, Mary Immaculate features a 115-bed nursing home, a cancer center and is a level-one trauma center. St. John’s is a certified stroke and heart failure center and has the only hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit in Queens. These losses come just months after another local facility, Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills, closed, eliminating another 250 beds.

Over the past month, a group of local officials led by Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) have held meetings in hopes of finding a way to keep the hospitals open. At one point, officials at North-Shore Long Island Jewish Health System were exploring a plan to acquire the two hospitals and replace them with a state-of-the-art facility in central Queens. However, that would have required funding from the state.

In the end, Caritas determined that the negotiations, which reportedly also involved another health system, proved “futile.” Caritas, which also runs Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, purchased St. John’s and Mary Immaculate for $41.5 million in 2006 from St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers, which had filed for bankruptcy protection the prior year.

Physician Admits to Role in Insurance Scam

Second Doctor Charged from Jamaica Clinic

A Middle Village physician has pleaded guilty to falsely charging insurance companies for costly medical tests never actually provided to motor vehicle accident victims.

Alexander Israeli, 57, of 61-59 Dry Harbor Road admitted on Monday to his role in the scheme, which took place at L&B Medical at 153-25 Hillside Avenue in Jamaica. He pled guilty to fourth-degree insurance fraud and is expected to receive a three-year conditional discharge when he is sentenced on February 25.

According to the charges, Israeli submitted seven insurance claims for costly nerve conduction studies and needle electromyopgraphs between January and December 2000 even though the procedures were never performed. The claims were submitted under the state’s no-fault law, which allows a person injured in a motor vehicle accident to receive up to $50,000 coverage for medical expenses incurred as a result. Most health providers are reimbursed directly by the insurance carriers for services provided.

As a result of the fraudulent claims submitted by Israeli, insurance companies paid out more than $21,000 to his employer, L&B Medical. Since he pleaded guilty to a felony, the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct will commence action to revoke his license to practice medicine here. Among the insurance companies victimized by the scheme were GMAC, Kemper Auto and Home Insurance, Allstate and Geico.

“No-fault fraud and abuse is a billion dollar a year business in New York fueled by unethical health care professionals,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message to those who are attempting to use the system for their own personal gain that law enforcement’s fight against insurance fraud is ongoing and those who cheat will be sought out and brought to justice.”

According to Brown, these types of cases are costing the average New York driver $300to $400 a year in higher insurance premiums “and are a major reason why New York’s automobile insurance coverage costs an average of nearly $2,000 per driver, the second highest in the nation.”

Israeli was the second physician charged, as a colleague, Dr. Yakov Raufov, was charged in May 2007 with grand larceny insurance fraud and falsifying business records. Dr. Raufov, 43, of Long Island, is scheduled to stand trial in March and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. Israeli’s plea agreement came on the day his trial was scheduled to begin.

Two Area Hospitals in Danger of Closing

St. John’s, Mary Immaculate on Verge of Bankruptcy

By Conor Greene

Residents and elected officials are anxiously awaiting word on the future of two Queens hospitals that might be forced to close if their parent company declares bankruptcy.

The executive board of Caritas Health Care, which owns both St. John’s Hospital in Elmhurst and Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, was set to meet on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the future of the struggling facilities, which each lose about $5 million annually. It is possible that Caritas will vote to declare bankruptcy at that meeting, according to people involved in the discussions.

While both hospitals have struggled financially for several years, news of their impending closure came during Queens Borough President Helen Marshall’s annual State of the Borough Address two weeks ago. “I am extremely concerned today about the stability of St. John’s Queens and Mary Immaculate hospitals,” she told a stunned audience. “I am working with the state to sustain health care in these communities.”

Both hospitals are operated by Caritas Health Care, a corporation created by Brooklyn Queens Health Centers of New York when it purchased both facilities from St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers for $40 million in 2006. Brooklyn Queens Health Centers of New York also owns Wyckoff Hospital and created Caritas to continue running the two Catholic hospitals.

News of St. John’s and Mary Immaculate’s potential closure comes just months after another local facility, Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills, was shut based on a recommendation by the state’s Berger Commission. The closures would fly in the face of findings made in a 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers study of the future of healthcare in Queens, according to Dan Andrews, spokesman for Marshall.

In response to the news about Caritas, Marshall held an emergency meeting last Friday with other elected officials and community board representatives. “Indications were that the outlook is rather bleak for the two hospitals to remain financially viable,” said Andrews. “At the meeting, both the state health commissioner and Caritas officially agreed that the future of both hospitals is bleak.”

A major concern for Marshall and other officials is “how in the world other local hospitals would absorb the patient load that would be generated, with both doing about 50,000 visits each to the emergency room on an annual basis,” said Andrews. In addition, the closings would result in the loss of about 3,000 jobs, “the majority of which are held by Queens residents,” he added.

The two hospitals have a total of about 400 beds and combined are losing about $5 million each month.

Marshall has reached out to Governor David Paterson for assistance and expects to meet with him soon to discuss health care issues. “She will be asking him to delay any closures and will see if the state has formulated a closure plan, which it is required to do,” he said. “The great concern obviously is for the health care needs of the two communities, and the fact that Mary Immaculate has a trauma center, which is one of only a few in the entire borough.”

However, given the state’s looming $15 billion budget gap, it is not clear now much financial assistance the state can provide to maintain the hospital’s operations. According to a source at St. John’s Hospital, staff there has already been instructed to put together a closure plan, which seemingly would pave the way for the hospital’s closure.

One possible outcome to the problem is a takeover of both facilities by North Shore-Long Island Jewish Hospital, which would close both buildings and construct a new state-of-the art facility in central Queens. In November, LIJ entered into an agreement allowing it to negotiate exclusively with Caritas, according to spokesman Terry Lynam.

“We’ve been in discussions with them as well as with the state, toured the facilities, done our due diligence with regards to their books, and what we have proposed is actually building a new facility for the people of central Queens,” he said Wednesday. “The current sites are antiquated and the feeling is you could deliver much better quality care in a much more efficient manner with a new facility.”

However, Lynam noted that the plans face the possibility of being derailed by the current economic crisis surrounding the state and city. “The obvious issue is money,” he said. “Like all hospitals, particularly in this environment, we don’t have that capital, the hundreds of millions needed to build a 400-bed facility.”

The hospital would need “significant state funding” to complete the project, but “given the state’s financial situation, that’s kind of where it’s hung up right now,” said Lynam.

If that plan ever came to fruition, LIJ would likely cease operations at Forest Hills Hospital, which it also operates. He couldn’t say whether the new facility would be built at one of the sites currently used by St. John’s and Mary Immaculate, or elsewhere in central Queens.

State Releases Annual List of "Persistently Dangerous" Schools

PS9 in Maspeth Included, Jamaica High Removed

By Conor Greene

Sixteen city schools, including one in Maspeth, have been named “persistently dangerous” in an annual reported released by the state.

A total of 19 schools around the state - down from 27 last year - have been identified in the report, which is required under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Within the city, 15 schools reported a large enough decrease in violent incidents to warrant being removed from the list, including Jamaica High School.

The state uses a formula involving the number of violent incidents and a school’s enrollment to determine which should be considered “persistently dangerous.” Schools that have approximately six violent incidents per 100 students are included. Violent incidents include homicide, sexual offenses, robbery, assault, arson, and possession of a weapon. Students are given the option of transferring out of dangerous schools provided there is room at an alternate venue.

The state’s list is based on reports provided by the schools, leading to some concern that administrators underreport the number of incidents to avoid being placed labeled as dangerous. In contract, the city designates what it calls “impact schools” using date gathered from police reports.

There were no Queens schools added to the list this year, while Jamaica High School was removed after reporting a decrease in crime. In Maspeth, PS 9 Walter Reed School is on the list for the second consecutive year.

“School leaders have responded and as their schools become safer for children they come off the list,” said state education commissioner Richard Mills. He said the department will conduct audits of safety reports submitted by schools and vowed, “If we find underreporting, the list will get longer. Children must have safe schools.”

All schools designated as “persistently dangerous” are required to provide school choice to students if transfer options are available. Each school also receives financial support and technical assistance from the state to improve safety.

According to information provided by the state education department, there were three reported sexual offenses at PS 9 during the 2006-07 school year, the latest for which statistics are available. In addition, there was one assault resulting in serious injury, one assault with a weapon, 20 assaults without weapons and 14 minor altercations involving weapons. The school’s enrollment that year was 430 students.

Like the majority of city schools included in the list, PS 9 is part of the city’s District 75, which serves 23,000 students with moderate to severe special needs challenges in 350 schools citywide.

For details about the report, check nysed.gov.

Detective Sentenced in Child Prostitution Case

An NYPD detective who pled guilty last month to attempted kidnapping of a teenage runaway he was accused of pimping out has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. A woman who claims to be his wife was also given the same sentence for her role in the alleged prostitution ring.

Wayne Taylor, 35, who was a 14-year member of the NYPD, and Zelika Brown, who helped run the sex ring, were sentenced on Monday in Queens Criminal Court, announced District Attorney Richard Brown. They were also given five years probation and must register as sex offenders.

The pair pled guilty to the lesser charge of attempted kidnapping last month, at which time Taylor was forced to resign from the NYPD. They were initially charged with kidnapping, promoting prostitution, assault and endangering the welfare of a child and had faced up to 25 years in prison when they reached the plea agreement.

“These sentences offer a measure of justice to the young victim in this case, a troubled 13-year-old who ran away from home and unfortunately came into contact with the defendant,” said District Attorney Brown. “Instead of acting as a police officer – as Taylor was at the time – he admittedly took advantage of the child, and, along with his co-defendant, forced her into prostitution.”

According to the charges, the girl ran away from her Brooklyn home earlier this year and met a woman named “Drama” who offered to get her into the business of dancing for money at parties. She was then allegedly sold to Taylor and Brown, who live in Jamaica, for $500.

Taylor told the girl to tell people she was 19-years-old if asked, and to charge $40 for oral sex and $80 for sexual intercourse. The defendants brought her to several parties around the city in January, including at the Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson hotels near JFK Airport, and made her perform sex acts with approximately 20 men, who paid the defendants.

At one point, Taylor slammed the victim’s head into the ground because she did not earn enough money, according to the DA. Taylor told her there was an alarm on the Vaswani Avenue home she was kept in and warned her not to try to escape. He also allegedly threatened to make her walk the streets to earn extra money if she was not able to pay off the $500 they paid for her.

The district attorney’s office noted that the plea agreement will spare the victim the trauma of a trial. “These sentences will keep the victim from having to testify in public about her hellish ordeal and will punish the defendants for their actions,” said Brown.