The taxpayer-funded Bronx health clinic robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars by ex-State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. is hanging by a thread. Soundview has provided low-cost health care to thousands of South Bronx residents for years, but since Espada and his son Pedro G. have been on trial, it's drastically cut services and even stopped paying the malpractice insurance for its physicians. Fortunately Soundview still has enough cash to pay the Espadas' legal fees! But now the state Department of Health has moved in to shut it down, and it may cease operating completely. more ›

As we noted yesterday, the network of Bronx health clinics pillaged by disgraced ex-State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. are struggling to stay afloat. Since Espada was indicted and put on trial for embezzlement, the non-profit has had to turn away more and more patients—the Times reports today that three-quarters of Soundview's patients are being denied health care. The government has been withholding Medicaid funding to Soundview, and to make matters worse, the clinic is reportedly picking up the tab for Espada's legal fees. more ›

The disclosures in the embezzlement trial of disgraced State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. just keeps getting more Pedriculous. In yesterday's testimony, it emerged that the the Bronxchester Senator submitted receipts to the nonprofit Soundview Health Clinic so that he could be reimbursed $697 for a new picket fence outside his Westchester dream home. To be fair, it is a pretty sweet fence—the Daily News has a photo of it. But here are a few other noteworthy items Espada submitted receipts for: more ›

The corruption trial of disgraced former State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. and his son, "Pedro G.," finally kicked off yesterday in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. In her opening remarks, prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny unloaded on the Bronxchester pol, telling the jury Espada stole "more than half a million dollars from a public charity" and used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle which included extravagant meals, spa trips, luxury cars, vacations—including "sixty thousand dollars on sushi and lobster." Espada "even went out and tried to buy a Bentley," Pokorny alleged. more ›

The troubles keep coming for deposed Bronxchester State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.. On top of those embezzling charges he and his son are facing we can now add two more charges of corruption. But remember, to Espada two can be the same as one, so it isn't as bad as it looks. more ›

Police have identified a suspect in the slaying of 26-year-old Bronx nightclub bouncer Terrance Drayton. Suspect Victor Mendez, 21, is wanted by the NYPD in connection with the shooting, which may have been a case of mistaken identity as Drayton was not involved with forcibly tossing four patrons out of Pit Lounge earlier in the evening. According to witnesses, that incident spurred the shooting hours later around 6 a.m. more ›

Police are searching for a Bronx man who went on a sexual assault spree on Thursday, groping six women in a six hour period. According to police, the victims ranged in age from 28 to 51, and the assaults took place in the Baychester and Soundview neighborhoods. more ›

A 29-year-old woman walking with her 2-year-old on Park Avenue between 178th and 179th Streets in the Bronx was shot in the face around 10:30 p.m. last night. Claudia Millan was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital. Her neighbor Michael Escobar told the Daily News he ran outside and pulled little Jamir from his mother's body, "He was down on his knees trying to hold her. She was bleeding out of her head. I tried to stop it. I just couldn't." more ›

Despite how easy it looks on television, identifying a perp in a lineup is not a simple task (seriously, trust us). If you do it wrong, you can really mess up a person's life. Just ask Edmond Gaston, a 46-year-old Haitian cook at the downtown Jekyll & Hyde restaurant and married father of two, who was arrested in November and held in Riker's for eight days for a rape he did not commit. He was finally released when it became clear his Creole accent made it impossible for him to have said the things the perp allegedly said. more ›

Police have arrested 19 alleged drug dealers from two warring Bronx gangs after a year-long probe by the Bronx Narcotics Bureau, and a total of 30 have been hit with federal charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics. The two groups used to all be known as the The Wheeler Boys, but split off in 2008. One cop said, "These two gangs were like a divorced couple that lived next to each other." Sounds bad, but we can't get over their gang name sounding like the long lost rivals to the Baseball Furies. more ›

We already heard allegations that disgraced former Bronxchester Senator Pedro Espada embezzled more than half a million dollars from the Bronx nonprofit health care network he ran for personal use, on items such as a $125,000 Bentley, thousands of sushi dinners, and a lavish birthday party replete with petting zoo and pony rides. But now, prosecutors are trying to determine whether Espada also used part of that money to pay a ghostwriter to help write his memoir...in which he'd deny using that money inappropriately. more ›

Disgraced former State Senator Pedro Espada and his son Pedro G. Espada were released on $750,00 bail today after pleading not guilty to charges of embezzling more than half a million dollars from the Bronx nonprofit health care network they managed. According to a grand jury indictment returned yesterday, Espada used the non-profit Soundview, which the senator founded 30 years ago, to live a life of semi-luxury and finance his political campaigns. The Times reports that Espada allegedly used some of the money to pay for a lavish birthday party at his Mamaroneck home, replete with petting zoo, pony rides and a videographer. And you already knew about the $20,000 in sushi deliveries, but did you know about the Bentley? more ›

Everyone's favorite Bronxchester, soon-to-be former State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., makes the news twice today. Once because he has finally been charged with stealing from his nonprofit (as expected) and twice because his tone-deafness seems to know no bounds. more ›

Four seemingly unrelated homicides occurred within hours of each other last night—three within six blocks of each other in Bushwick and one in the Bronx. The first occurred just after midnight in Soundview, where Anna Silva was found stabbed to death. She had reportedly warned her daughter that she might be in trouble, saying that if anything happened to her, her boyfriend Fabian Faulkner would be responsible. Silva's daughter told the Daily News, "He knew my mom wanted to leave him. That's why he killed her." Faulkner called 911 and turned himself in to police, and was charged with murder and possession of a weapon. more ›

Anyone who's ever noticed the stench of corruption wafting from Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada will surely be heartened by these six sublime words, uttered by one law-enforcement official to the Post: "The problems for Espada are expanding." Can we please get that on a T-Shirt, and also used for the chorus of a fist-pumping arena rock ballad, and maybe turned into a major motion picture starring Luis Guzmán? Sources say Espada could be indicted on federal charges within the month, and you can bet he won't go down without a fight. Popcorn, anyone? more ›

WABC 7 reports, "Investigators executed a search warrant at Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr.'s non profit this morning, searching for evidence in several ongoing investigations into the Bronx Democrat. Eyewitness News is told law enforcement officials descended on the Soundview Health Center on White Plains Road at 7 a.m. Investigators from multiple agencies  including the FBI, IRS, and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office -- immediately began bringing out boxes of evidence." Investigators are apparently looking for signs of wire and mail fraud. Yesterday, Cuomo filed a suit against Espada, accusing him of siphoning $14 million from Soundview for himself and his family. We expect an outraged comment from Espada shortly. more ›

Attorney Andrew Cuomo has sued State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx) for "looting" Soundview HealthCare Network, the Bronx non-profit, where Espada is the President and CEO. Cuomo's suit claims "Espada diverted Soundview’s charitable assets and used the money for himself, his family, his friends, and his political operation. In the past five years, Espada has siphoned more than $14 million out of Soundview, including an unconditionally guaranteed severance package worth an estimated $9 million which was put into a contract signed in 2005." more ›

Thieves rammed an ATM machine with a U-Haul van in an attempted robbery early this morning. It's unclear if they were able to grab any cash after they toppled an ATM near the corner of 112th Street and 3rd Avenue—though it appears they left the machine in pretty bad shape, based on this MyFoxNY photo. The thieves then drove off in the rented vehicle, but police were able to stop the van and apprehend one suspect in Soundview in the Bronx. According to police scanner reports, a second suspect, described as wearing all black, "fled on foot towards the Bruckner Expressway." more ›

State Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. has, the Post reports, "advis[ed] staffers at his health-care charity to check with his lawyers before speaking to state investigators probing allegations of financial misconduct -- a move some see as an effort to silence them." One employee at Soundview HealthCare Network, which paid Espada $450,000 one year, says, "It feels like they want to have too much control over what we say." Espada tells the Post, "Employees are entitled to in-house legal counsel... The letter was a formality to remind them." more ›

Besides offering affordable health care for constituents in the Bronx, the non-profit community health care center run by State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. also provides lots of jobs for the community... of people related to Espada. The Post's Isabel Vincent has donned her Hazmat suit to take a closer look at Espada's Soundview HealthCare Network, which stays afloat thanks to millions of taxpayer dollars. What she found may not surprise you. (It even comes with a handy graphic charting the family money tree.) For instance, two employees previously convicted of fraud for using Soundview money to promote Espada's political campaign are back on staff, and the charity still owes some $347,000 in income tax withheld from employees. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been investigating the shady shenanigans, but the Post has already found plenty of questionable conduct, such as Espada paying himself over than $450,000 a year, some $80,000 more than the standard for a charity its size. Then there's Soundview's not-illegal-but-still-sleazy employment of all Espada's sons with near six-figure jobs. Oh, and the charity's board is packed with Espada's friends and relatives, including his grandfather Victor, who's over 90 years old, lives in Puerto Rico, and "votes" via conference call! more ›

A McDonald's in The Bronx had a real McDowell's-like situation on its hand when an employee intervened with a gun-toting mugging going on. But in this Soundview altercation, the action took place outside of the fast food joint when the guard of the Golden Arches spotted a couple attacking a man filling up his tank at a nearby gas station. And luckily for the McDonald's security guard who spotted the altercation and decided to get involved, he didn't have to rely on Prince Akeem's martial arts skills with a mop stick—he opened fire with his own weapon. The guard had a little background with using a firearm to chase down perps—he's a former cop. He was able to shoot one of the muggers in the leg, but the man's girlfriend was able to round up her partner in crime and drive off before the two could be apprehended. An 18-year-old fellow employee of the guard's at the restaurant said, "He shot first and he pistol-whipped [the driver]. His head was bleeding a lot. [Then] the security guard went out shooting. It's crazy. You don't expect this. I mean, I only work at McDonald's." more ›

A teenager who walked into a Papa John's and opened fire was shot by police overnight in the Bronx. The 18-year-old suspect shot three people inside the Soundview restaurant, one of whom police said appeared to be his intended target. An investigation is underway, but there was no indication of the shooting being part of an attempted robbery. Police intervened when they heard the gunfire while patrolling nearby on Westchester Avenue, just off the 6 train. After the shooting, the cops cordoned off two blocks of the avenue. They report finding a semi-automatic weapon at the scene. All four who were shot, the gunman included, are in Jacobi Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The manager of the store told the Times, “It’s not a good neighborhood; it’s a rough neighborhood. But I didn’t think that anything like this would happen in the store.” more ›