Dubai Debt Issues Push Stocks Down
Family Gets Early Christmas Gift From Ellen DeGeneres
Photos of D Train Murder Depict Bloody Panic
Mayor: Sex Trafficking Victims, Please Speak Up
Stuy Pyro Leaves Notes In Hieroglyphics
Concluding an 18-month police operation named "Operation Dumbbell," police arrested two dozen people in a steroid peddling ring that operated out of two Queens gyms. Among the arrested was a female professional boxer who fought under the nickname "Checkmate." 25-year-old Cindy Serrano is awaiting arraignment along with her husband Jordan Maldonado, who is a manager and trainer at the Envy Us Gym. That gym and the Powerhouse Gym allegedly made thousands of dollars a week selling steroids and other drugs like cocaine, Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Ecstasy. Both businesses were padlocked under court order. Maldonado was featured in a Showtime documentary about bouncers seven years ago, according to the New York Post. In the program, Maldonado said he relished the violence of his job and hoped and prayed for someone to do something while he was working that would give him license to beat them.
The raids on Thursday included the upscale residence of one of the suppliers, where cops found a $240,000 Bentley and $86,000 motorcycle on display, as well as gallons of liquid steroids. The suspect at that address attempted to flee out of a upper floor window while in his underwear but was caught by police. Undercover cops bought drugs dozens of times at the two gyms during the investigation. No other professional boxers are suspected of purchasing and using steroids.
(Photo of Cindy Serrano from womenboxing.com)
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
The OWNERS of Powerhouse Gym in Bayside are INNOCENT and had nothing to do with this, nor any knowledge of this. They are loved members of their community. The crooked employee, and members, who were arrested for their legal activities should be punished. Now that they are all sitting in jail, the community should be able to have thier gym back, the garbage is out. If anyone wants to know the truth, come talk to the OWNERS of the gym this Monday, September 10th, in front of Powerhouse. We also have a petition with many signatures already from people in the community who want their gym back.
I personally know the owners any many of the people that work out at Powerhouse and it is clear that they had nothing to do with any of the drug activity that may have taken place. It is a shame that the gym's good name has been tainted by this. The Gym should re-open as soon as possible.
i agree with the other posters. The owners are innocent...why would they want to put in jeopardy their business, which has been operating there for a long time?? The acts of a few scumbags shouldnt be an excuse for the cops to shut down this gym. I hope it re-opens as soon as possible!
somebody pllllease let me know when they are going to open back up ... I'm seriously itching to get back in there.
Hopefully, as long as the landlord cooperates, the gym could reopen as soon as October 2nd. The landlord is now trying to decide if he wants to evict the owners, although the DA and Judge made his son(his lawyer) fully aware that the owners had absolutely no role in the illegal activities. Lets keep our fingers crossed that he will see how much the community wants their gym back. If they never reopen again, the fate is now in the hands of their landlord.
how do you sign this petition? I am so ready to have Powerhouse reopened.
THE QUEENS DA, RICHARD BROWN, SHOULD IMMEDIATELY REOPEN THE BAYSIDE POWERHOUSE BGYM. CLOSING THE GYM IS ADVERSELY AFFECTING THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF THOUSANDS OF BAYSIDE RESIDENTS!!!
It is admirable that the DA and police commissioner are looking after the health and well being of the citizens of Queens, by trying to stop the illegal use and sales of performance drugs and addictive drugs.
BUT CLOSING THE GYM IS NOT THE ANSWER. Sorry to use a cliché, but that is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
My cardiologist is adamant, that I regularly exercise and this is the only gym that is convenient to where I live and reasonable in cost. I have been a member for 3 years and have never witnessed any drug sales.
There are some things I hate about the gym but the benefits of the gym far outweigh the negatives.
I must admit I hate the techno music (in my opinion it is awful). No matter what anyone thinks of Matt Moody (the accused gym manager), at least he occasionally played some rock from the sixties and seventies. He had such a nice rapport with all the members young and old. He was not my personal friend; in fact I did not know his last name until it just showed up in the papers. Nevertheless, I think I know a thing or two about character. I'm sure it was not his intent to hurt the owners, coworkers or members of the gym. If he did what he is accused of it is up to the DA and his attorney to work out what will be his punishment. If it sounds like I am excusing his behavior that is far from the truth. In fact, I'm pissed he is the reason the gym is closed. Nevertheless, he does not seem to be a danger to society in the sense that he does not seem the type to break into your house, rob, rape, murder or do the types of crime that creates fear in the neighborhood. If he is guilty, he is basically guilty of greed and stupidity.
This is what I did find lacking in the gym: 1. It could be much cleaner. There is too much dust all over the place, especially in the basement exercise room. They once had an excellent cleaning staff, but perhaps their services were too costly. 2. Although the equipment, especially cardiovascular, is expected to break down with heavy use, the manager and owners should have been more diligent in detecting when it was starting to break down and getting it fixed more quickly. That being said, the owners provided great equipment.
These are my only criticisms. They are constructive and I hope the owners address them when the gym is reopened.
THE GYM SHOULD BE REOPENED IMMEDIATELY!
The gym should be reopened. I am a relatively new member of Powerhouse-since April and I agree with the post commenting on the cleanliness and equipment maintenance, however, that is not the issue right now. This is a matter of the owners not being allowed to operate their business and serve the community because of stupidity on the part of a few people. If it is true, as the note states on the door and the bloggers above have stated that the owners are 100% innocent, they should be permitted to reopen the gym immediately.
I am interested in signing a petition to have the gym reopened immediately. It's like a ghost town on Francis Lewis without the gym opened. Those responsible and guilty of the alleged acts should be the ones punished not the hundreds of innocent members.
I'm not sure Queens District Attorney Brown, and Police Commissioner Kelly have their priorities straight on this one.
If they did, and really looked into what was going at Powerhouse Gym, they would see that almost all members of the gym, were clueless that anything like this was going on.
I called the Queens DA press office at 718-286-6315 to voice my protest. The Queens DA's office in spite of their clear involvement (read their press release #168-2007 at www.queensda.org) now say they have nothing to do with this. They say the NYPD closed them down pursuant to the Nuisance Abatement Law.
The Queens DA press office (phone 718-286-6315) says we should call the NYPD/DCPI line at 646-610-6700 to voice our protest.
I did call and they said to register a complaint by emailing them at DCPI@NYPD.ORG.
MEMBERS WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THEY ASKED FOR EMAILS LET US BESIEGE THEM WITH OUR PROTESTS!!!!
this story has been picked up nationaly. the nyc police have spent 18 months in man power and money in order to show results. i heard PHG was ruled shut by the highest of courts in the state. they probably werent invloved in the sales of gear but the police seem to think the owners knew enough about their workers and members because they shut down the place! comish kelly labeled PHG a public nuciance. I would be shocked to see PHG reopen. all of these guys will be made an example of including PHG. why would any court reverse the decision of commissoner kelly, the queens DA and all the work of the undercovers by reopening PHG? they would be made to look the fools if that happened.
I have called the gym several times this past week to see if any information has been given regarding the reopening and there was no message on the machine until today 9/15 saying that the gym would reopen on Saturday. I am assuming that this is Saturday 9/22. I just wanted to share that and express how happy I am that the gym will be able to serve the hundreds of legit members that just want a decent place to work out.
Hi everyone. The Judge and DA have agreed to let the gym reopen as of October 2nd. However, the LANDLORD and his family do not want to let them . He wants to evict the gym and its owners. This will have a bad effect on Francis Lewis Blvd. business, some of which the landlord also owns the buildings too. Dennis and James feel HORRIBLE about this, and really do not want to let all of their loyal and supportive members down. As I type this now, they are looking at a new location, not far from where the gym is located now. They will move the whole business if the landlord forces them out. They will also welcome all exisiting members and add on any time lost to their membership. Please have faith in Dennis and James. They really want to help everyone innocent win in this situation, and give the members their gym back. Its in the landlord's hands now. But the owners of the business, Dennis and James are doing ALL they can to make it right. Thank you everyone for your continued support.
what are people thinking regarding powerhouse's manager and trainers, along with all the members/friends who basically destroyed the gym. innocent or not.
RE: Above question..NOT! Its all in black and white, the inventory of what they sold and WHEN, exact dates.. etc..in the report they gave the owners, Dennis and James when the DA shut down the gym. -Mel
Most of these bloggers making accusations against the owners of Powerhouse Gym are 100% wrong. You OBVIOUSLY do not know these two men. There was no "percentage" for the owners to look the other way. The narc was even at a barbeque one of the owners had at his home this summer. The narc was there with one of the members he "befriended". Obviously, if the owners were involved in any way, shape or form, they would have been arrested. We didn't know who the narc was at that time, but we realized it after all this happened. There is nothing against him doing his job, and the owners are glad the scumbags are out of their lives forever and will sit in jail and think about how they messed up so many peoples lives by their selfish actions. Believe me, I am in VERY close realtion to one of the owners and I know the truth in this situation. The owners lives have been turned upside down, as well as those of their members and HONEST employees. The owners got nothing from this but a NIGHTMARE to try to make right. They feel horrible for their members and communtiy. Do you think that it made one of the owners HAPPY to drive past the gym on a MONDAY afternoon and see it empty? NO, his face fell and he said look how sad it is, look at what a ghost town the boulevard is on a Monday?He CARES about his members. Many of them have known him and have been going to PHG for the TEN years it has been open. Some are like FAMILY to the owners. I'm tired or people pointing the finger at them. They are trying their best to open this or ANOTHER gym nearby, as soon as POSSIBLE for their members. Someone else asked why Oct.2nd. Oct. 2nd was the date approved by the judge and the DA to lift the restraining order and let the gym open. The only thing holding them back now is the LANDLORD's decision, which currently is not to sign a simple agreement and give it back to the DA. The City of NY is not happy with his decision, since they have agreed the owners are innocent. As far as membership money, as someone else had asked, let's see if the guys will be able to convince the landlord to open, if not another option is to wait for their new location to open, and your membership will be honored there along with time lost and a free month as well. If neither of these options work for you, I suggest finding the landlord and sue either him or the CITY of NY for your $ since they are the ones that are preventing the gym from being open in the first place. Or how about sue Matthew Moody and the other losers arrested? Again, everyone who IS being supportive and patient, THANK YOU. I will continue to check these sites and update on the progress.-Mel
Its obvious that the Landlord is using this as an excuse to try and opt out of the lease. He probably believes he can get more rent from someone else for the 10,000 square feet. Hopefully James and Dennis have a good lawyer and can sue to landlord for punitive damages if in fact he does evict them....as long as they were proven innocent...they should have the right to reopen their gym....their has to be a gray area in their lease...
i am very appreciative for this forum and for all the information that has been provided on it . I have been a loyal member for about 5 years and i dont want to have to join another gym but i dont know how long i can wait. if anyone is in contact with dennis or james , it would be alot more reassuring if maybe they can leave a recording at the gym number when u call besides "we will reopen on Saturday" just so we know they are workin on getting the original location open or looking to relocate. But please keep the information coming, every little bit helps
i'm not too sure but i think the reason why they havent changed the recording is because theyre not allowed to re-enter the premises until Oct. 2nd.
Its obvious that they will be allowed to open. The only thing that can hold them back is the landlord....we need the name and phone # for the landlord and we all have to bombard him with phone calls.....
Well ... I'm perfectly fine with the gym's location, but if they are really planning on moving they should move to that spot where blockbuster used to be on 192nd and northern ... just a suggestion (because I live there...)
i want this landlords name and phone number
it is the landlord. The court ruled oct.2nd as the reopening date.He won't sign the paper. The owners dennis and james looked at eh location on Northern, its no longer vacant. There is another location very nearby with a parking lot, they are trying to get the rent lowerd. that landlord ( a differnt one) is asking TOO high. I wish I could give out the current lanlords name and # but I dont think it would be smart legally. -a friend of PHG
I'm tired of reading and getting NEGATIVE messages regarding the owners of PHG, who I know are 100% innocent in this , and so does the court. I will not be updating nor posting anything else re this anymore..just tired of negative people who dont have a clue as to the owners their lives anything about them..
The one thing I will add is the landlord of PHG is also the landlord of Juice For Life next to the gym...
Everyone that is supportive of PHG and its INNOCENT owners, keep your fingers crossed.
XOXO
when is the gym opening
If Dennis and James had nothing to do with this, and the culprits have been arrested, what grounds does the landlord have to keep the gym closed?
I am losing my patience at this point!
IT'S THE 2ND! WUTS GOIN ON???!!
They keep saying they are going to reopen on certain days, but they never do. Now I heard that they are opening back up on Saturday ... who knows. But this situation is getting a little ridiculous now. It seems like they will never reopen.
It is now October 2nd. What is the verdict? Will the gym reopen? If so, when?
If not within the next couple of days, it is time to write the NY attorney general to get us refunds.
HELLOOO EVERYONE! I'M THE ONE OF THE OWNERS' WIFE FROM POWERHOUSE GYM. WE GOT THE KEYS BACK IN COURT TODAY, 10/2, AS GRANTED TO US BY THE DA AND JUDGE ON OUR FIRST COURT DATE. WE WERE IN THE GYM CLEANING IMMEDIATELY. NOONE HAS BEEN IN THE BUILDING FOR THE PAST MONTH SO IT IS QUITE DUSTY AND IN NEED OF A GOOD CLEANING BEFORE THE MEMBERS CAN COME BACK IN...SOO.. WE WILL BE REOPENING...ABSOLUTELY...ON OCTOBER 6TH, THIS SATURDAY, AT 7AM PROMPTLY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE. WE ALSO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, SUPPORT AND PATRONAGE.
HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEK, AND SEE YOU ON SATURDAY! :)
I know, as a member, this has been a frustrating experience. But it can't compare to the nightmare the owners have been through.
I am happy for Dennis, James and their families, this ordeal will soon be over.
I hope you tell our yoga teacher, Laurie,
she can resume her yoga classes at the gym. We miss going to the gym and we miss Laurie.
yo