Gothamist

Madoff Belongings Go On Auction

Jen Chung — 2009-11-14T13:00:37-05:00

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Today, Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers are helping the U.S. Marshals sell of items belonging to Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff and his wife Ruth. You can see the various lots here—there's couple's jewelry, clothing knickknacks, and whatever else the Marshals found in their three homes. In other words, it's slightly more high-end than the average yard sale.

The NY Times described the scene at yesterday's preview:

A crowded corner held Rolex and other high-end watches and diamond-encrusted pieces that might dazzle the eye, but there’s nothing like a room full of United States marshals with dark blue jackets and badges to kill the mystique of precious jewels. The rest of the display looked like samplings from your typical high-end Westchester estate sale: the inevitable framed Henri Cartier Bresson poster, the crocodile purse, the bland dishware from the beach house, some primitive art that the purchasers probably described to their friends as “funky” when they bought it years ago.

It's hoped the auction will raise at least $500,000 for Madoff's victims.

Standard Hotel Rape Suspect Claims He Is Falsely Accused

Ben Muessig — 2009-11-14T11:54:19-05:00

The Australian businessman suspected of attempting to rape a maid at the Standard Hotel claims the charges against him are made up. A lawyer representing 42-year-old Matthew Moorhouse denied allegations that his client forced himself upon a hotel staffer last Saturday as she tidied up his $400-per-night room. "There was no assaultive conduct — nothing that can be construed in that fashion," his lawyer, Joseph DeMatteo, told The Post. The suspect served four nights in jail before being released yesterday on $20,000 bail. According to the criminal complaint, Moorhouse asked the victim "Where are you from? How long have you been here?" before pushing her onto a bed, groping her, and shouting "Touch me!" Another hotel worker heard the victim's screams, and the woman was able to escape from the room and alert hotel security.

Reality TV Means Real Problems For Gang-Targeted Actor

Ben Muessig — 2009-11-14T10:52:17-05:00

A Brooklyn actor is suing Spike TV for labeling him as a drug dealer — not an actor playing one on TV — in its reality show "DEA." Iban Hernandez, 32, says he had to move his family to a safe place after receiving threats from Newark gang members who saw an episode of the drug enforcement-themed program in which he is depicted as a real-life gang informant, not a thespian playing a role in a reenactment.

To make matters worse, Hernandez claims the channel reneged on its promise to blur his face in the program, according to the Post. "These gang members are upset. Hernandez's family was terrified. Every time they are out, they are looking over their shoulder," said Hernandez's attorney Craig Borgen, who is also targeting Spike TV's parent company Viacom. "The parent company is perpetrating a fraud. People are expecting to see reality TV, but this specific episode was staged."

Pregnant Woman And Two Men Shot In Clinton Hill Drive-By

Ben Muessig — 2009-11-14T10:22:09-05:00

A gunman in a white Cadillac Escalade opened fire on a Clinton Hill bodega last night, striking a pregnant woman and two men who were standing inside. The perp began shooting at the DeKalb Gourmet Deli near the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Kent Avenue at around 7 pm, hitting a 15-year-old boy in the arm and torso, a 20-year-old man in the leg, and a pregnant 24-year-old in the upper thigh.

The bodega's cashier told the Times that the pregnant victim appeared to be the most seriously injured. “It all happened in a second; it was just like one, two, and then everyone ran to the back,” said the employee, who in the aftermath of the shooting wrapped a towel around the woman's wound. “I was just scared about the lady. She kept on opening and closing her eyes. I said, ‘Just keep your eyes open.’"

The Daily News notes that police have made no arrests, and it remains unclear who the gunman was intending to target in the drive-by. Though all of the victims are in stable condition, the Post reports that the pregnant victim is in a tough spot. According to the tabloid, without surgery, the woman might lose her leg — but if she goes under anesthesia, she could lose her baby.

FIT Students Busted For Drug Dealing Get Probation

Jen Chung — 2009-11-14T09:55:50-05:00

The two Fashion Institute of Technology students who were busted last December for coke dealing (to undercover cops, no less) were given probation for their felony cocaine possession raps. However, Mackenzie Dippenworth was unhappy with being branded a felon, saying, "It's the ugliest, most disgusting word in the entire language," adding, "I look in here, and I don't see a felon. I don't. I see a girl who made a mistake."

Judge Roger Hayes pointed out that she and friend/co-defendant Christina Scafa could be "prisoners" instead—oh, snap! Hayes also said, "Is this a life-affecting event? Yes. But does this mean your life is washed away? Far from it."

Dippenworth and Scafa were accused of buying drugs at Chelsea nightclubs and then selling them at the dorms. However, their lawyers claimed they were being set up and there were also questions of sloppy police work. Scafa's lawyer said yesterday, "My client right now is relieved to be closing this chapter of her life."

Geraldo Tells Kerik That He's "Screwed"

Jen Chung — 2009-11-14T09:45:03-05:00

Geraldo Rivera—what a pal! The journalist was spotted by the Daily News visiting Bernard Kerik at the soon-to-be-sentenced former police commissioner's Franklin Lakes, NJ home. Rivera said, "Considering he's been hung out to dry by the justice system, I think he's doing remarkably well... He's a man of great integrity and courage and he'll get through it." He added, "I can tell you what I said. I said he was screwed." It's unclear if Rudy Giuliani has been to Kerik's home to see his (one-time?) BFF.

Mixed Reaction To 9/11 Plotters' New York City Trial

Jen Chung — 2009-11-14T09:13:03-05:00

Photographs of, at left, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and at right, (top row left) Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, (top row right) Waleed bin Attash, (bottom row left) Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi and (bottom row right) Ramzi Binalshibh from the AP

After U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that five of the plotters behind the September 11 attacks—including mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed—would be tried in federal court in lower Manhattan, the reaction has ranged from the outraged and upset to the relieved. Retired deputy fire chief Jim Riches, whose firefighter son while responding to the World Trade Center's fires, told the NY Times, "Let them come to New York. Let them get on trial. Let’s do it the right way, for all the world to see what they’re like. Let’s go. It’s been too long. Let’s get some justice."

However, Judea Pearl, father of kidnapped and brutally murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, had a different reaction; he told the Post that he was "sick to the stomach" about the decision, "I don't want to hear every morning in the papers what KSM did. Danny was killed once. Now he will be killed 10 times a day. Leave him alone... The 21st century saw three shocks. The first was 9/11. The second was the killing of my son. And the third was the shock today."

Lawmakers were also split: Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island) said, “We should not be increasing the danger of another terrorist strike against Americans at home and abroad," but Rep. Jerrold Nadler (R-NYC) emphasized, "New York is not afraid of terrorists. Any suggestion that our prosecutors and our law enforcement personnel are not up to the task of safely holding and successfully prosecuting terrorists on American soil is insulting and untrue."

Whenever the trial does begin, there will be a lot of security downtown: The Daily News reports:

"Rooftop snipers, armored vehicles and lock-down zones around the Pearl Street courthouse are part of the plan to insure safety during the trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his cohorts. Security will include 24-hour fixed canine posts and a counterassault team car - an unmarked bulletproof SUV in the area.

The NYPD's heavily armed Hercules teams will lock down and sweep the area before suspects are moved from the federal lockup to the courtroom via a not-so-secret underground tunnel."

And Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "It's highly appropriate that those accused in the deaths of nearly 3,000 human beings in New York City be tried here, and the NYPD is prepared for the security required."

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Last Night's Action: Here Come The Islanders!

Peter Trinkle — 2009-11-14T00:28:33-05:00

Islanders 4 Carolina 3 (OT): They blew a 3-0 lead, but they managed to come back and win the game in OT. Kyle Okposo had the game-winner and John Tavares had his first two-goal game. Don’t look now, but the Islanders are 6-3-2 over their last 11.
Golden State 121 Knicks 107: It’s pretty simple, if you don’t play defense you won’t win in the NBA. Golden State shot 58% from the field and the Knicks dropped to 1-9.
Orlando 88 Nets 72: And as bad as the Knicks are, they still have one more win than the Nets. That’s right, our local basketball teams are a combined 1-18. When does the baseball season start again?

People Wait For Tomorrow's UWS Apple Store Opening

Jen Chung — 2009-11-13T22:56:42-05:00

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Yes, even this slightly blustery and drizzly weather, there are Apple loyalists patiently waiting for tomorrow's opening of the Upper West Side Apple Store. Sure, it's the fourth one in the city and, no, there isn't a new product. Just before 10 p.m., there were about six people waiting, with about 10 people asking them why they were waiting and other passers-by snickering.

The store opens tomorrow at 10 a.m. (regular store hours will be 9 a.m.—9 p.m.).

Developer Wants You... In NJ

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-13T18:03:49-05:00

Another attempt to get New Yorkers across the Hudson! One company is claiming there's a "Mass Exodus to New Jersey Underway" in their new web ad. Headlines on their fake newspaper warn of tax increases in NYC, saying, "Your governor is trying to tell you something: Leave." But where should you go? A Jersey City residential and commercial development, of course — located on the same plot of land that, in the early 1980s, New York City officials described as a "toxic waste dump." [via CityRoom]

Google Maps Where To Get Swine, Seasonal Flu Vaccines

Jen Chung — 2009-11-13T17:50:34-05:00

Earlier this week Google Maps launched a flu shot finder at http://www.google.com/flushot. Google said it has "been working with HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health agencies to gather information on flu vaccine locations across the country, particularly for the H1N1 flu vaccine (both the nasal-spray vaccine and the shot)."

We gave it a try—you type in your zip code and it shows locations where there are H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines. But if you want to go slightly outside of your radius, you'll need to type in another zip code. And Google adds, "Of course you should still call flu vaccine providers ahead of time to find out more about availability and eligibility for the two vaccines." Also: The map does not include this weekend's free swine flu vaccine clinics for people in priority groups across the five borough.

Jeter Slums It For Movie, Lands On Post Cover

Jen Chung — 2009-11-13T17:38:10-05:00

It was only last week that Yankees captain Derek Jeter was on the top of the world at the ticker tape parade celebrating the team's 27th—and his fifth—World Series win. But today the Post has him on its cover, looking pretty raggedy. Why?

It turns out that Jeter was simply filming a bit part in the upcoming Will Ferrell-Mark Wahlberg movie, The Other Guys, at Nathan's in Coney Island. According to the Post, "In the comedy, Ferrell and notorious Red Sox fan Mark Wahlberg play cops who spend their careers as desk jockeys. The two are permanently benched after Wahlberg's character wrongly shoots Jeter in the leg after seeing him walking around with a bat, sources said. The scene shot at Nathan's takes place years later, when a down-on-his-luck Jeter -- wearing a filthy hobo's jacket and sporting stringy gray hair -- encounters the crime-fighting duo." (Here's another photo.) In sort of actual Jeter news, he is waiting for his contract extension and can add a Silver Slugger award to his Golden Glove award.

And it was a slow news day—the cover of rival tabloid the Daily News is Cindy Crawford, who was victim of a pretty sick extortion attempt (a former nanny's ex stole a photograph that the nanny took of Crawford's young daughter bound and gagged—allegedly from playing cops and robbers—and demanded $100,000).

Report: Con Ed Screw-Up Basically Led To Woman's Death

Jen Chung — 2009-11-13T17:20:05-05:00

Earlier this year, a Queens home in the Floral Park section exploded, killing wife and mother of three Ghanwatti Boodram. Now the Daily News reports, "Con Edison workers stumbled and bumbled for more than an hour instead of evacuating a Queens house before it blew up in April, a new state report says."

Neighbors had called Con Ed about a gas leak; the report claims that the "dispatcher took 22 minutes to find a mechanic - who then spent 45 minutes testing dangerous gas levels without telling people to leave their homes in Floral Park... The unnamed mechanic was preparing to knock on the door of 80-50 260th St. when it exploded, killing Ghanwatti Boodram." A lawyer representing Boodram's husband, who is suing Con Ed, said, "They probably didn't dispatch the right people."

Con Ed says it has changed its procedure for investigating gas leaks. And City Councilman Eric Gioia gave some advice, "If you had called the Fire Department instead of Con Ed, you would have gotten a completely different response." So maybe call both.

Balloon Boy Parents Are Coming to New York

John Del Signore — 2009-11-13T17:00:04-05:00

Ah, fresh meat! After pleading guilty to staging their ridiculous hoax involving their 6-year-old son Falcon and a runaway helium balloon, fame-hunters Richard and Mayumi Heene were granted permission by a Colorado judge to visit New York City. The purpose of their trip? An unspecified "employment opportunity." See? Exploiting your children and deceiving an entire nation pays!

Digital Billboard Wreaks Havoc on Canal

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-13T16:45:53-05:00

You think that salacious Calvin Klein billboard is distracting... how about this new, menacing digital billboard at the corner of Canal and Hudson? NYC the Blog has video of it in action, and declares it to be a "potential mental health hazard" for those living near by (let's not forget what that glowing Kenny Rogers Roasters sign did to Kramer). Then there's the whole problem of temporarily blinding those operating motor vehicles in a pedestrian-heavy city.

The site notes that Celebrity Vision "is the company marketing these. Their website states they only focus their advertising efforts on high traffic areas; specifically major tunnels and bridges."