Volume 65, No. 85 Tuesday, AUGUST 13, 2019 50¢ House candidate QUEENS alleges sexual harassment by TODAY LI powerbroker — August 13, 2019 — By David Brand Queens Daily Eagle THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS OF CHILD A former sex crimes prosecutor chal- sex abuse will be able to sue their abusers and lenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi the organizations or institutions that abetted announced Monday that he is filing a sexu- the abuse — no matter when it occurred — al harassment complaint against Suozzi ally when a one-year lookback window opens Gerard Terry, a disgraced Nassau County across the state Wednesday. powerbroker. Michael Weinstock, a former assistant dis- trict attorney in Brooklyn and a 9/11 firefight- THE WINDOW, A KEY COMPONENT er, held a press conference outside Nassau of the Child Victims Act, waives New York’s County Supreme Court Monday to discuss statutes of limitations that have prevented the complaint, which he said he filed with the victims from seeking justice in the years state Attorney General’s Office. Weinstock since the abuse occurred. The lookback is running for New York’s 3rd Congressional window applies only to civil cases. Read Attorney Michael Weinstock is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi in District, which includes about 60,000 resi- more on page 16. New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens and much of dents of Northeast Queens. Nassau County. Weinstock said he was sexually harassed by former Nassau County Democratic powerbroker Gerard Terry. Photo courtesy of Weinstock Continued on page 2 LAYLEEN POLANCO, A TRANS- gender woman who died on Rikers Island, would still be alive had she not been put in solitary confinement, a federal lawsuit filed Monday charges. Polanco, 27, lived with 18K NYCHA tenants faced heat and epilepsy and schizophrenia — and suffered from injuries to her head and face that went untreated, according to the complaint, filed on behalf of her mother, Aracelis Polanco, in hot water outages in Queens last year Brooklyn Federal court. See more on page 7. By Victoria Merlino Queens Daily Eagle ARTIST CHEMIN HSIAO HAS ADDED More than 18,000 Queens NYCHA res- even more color to vibrant Flushing, with a idents faced unplanned heat and hot water outages during last year’s “heat season,” wall mural highlighting the neighborhood’s according to data reported by the agency. culture and distinctive landmarks, including The outages reflect a citywide trend that has the No. 7 train and Flushing High School. left tens of thousands of public housing ten- Read more on page 10. ants without functioning heat in the coldest months of the year, a period when landlords are required to provide heating under city GOV. ANDREW CUOMO SIGNED NEW law. legislation revamping workplace sexual The tenant data, obtained by The Legal harassment laws on Monday, a move that Aid Society through a Freedom of Infor- lawmakers hope will empower more victims mation Law request, reveals that NYCHA to speak up in the age of #MeToo. residents in Queens faced 196 planned and unplanned outages between Oct. 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019 — a period referred to as a heat “TODAY MARKS THE DAY THAT season by the city’s Housing Preservation workers in [New York] proudly claim and Development agency. In addition to the their space without fear,” said Queens 18,020 Queens NYCHA tenants who faced Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, who unplanned outages, another 15,156 residents sponsored the legislation. “Every single experienced planned outages, according to person has the right to a workplace free of the data. sexual harassment and violence.” Up to 339,000 NYCHA residents were af- fected by heat and hot water outages during the previous heat season, according to the A Corona man accused of data. Roughly 400,000 people currently re- stabbing his wife to death inside of a Jackson Hundreds of tenants in the Queensbridge Houses experienced heat and hot water side in NYCHA housing, the city reports, Heights nail salon on Friday was charged outages between Oct. 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019, according to data obtained by The though the number is likely much higher be- with murder for the brazen killing. Legal Aid Society. Newly appointed NYCHA Commissioner Gregory Russ is tasked with cause people share space in units where they ensuring tenants don’t lose heat and hot water as the next heat season approaches. Continued on page 2 AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File; Photo via the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Continued on page 7 SAVE THE DATE 10.03.19 Tickets/Information: Michael Nussbaum (718) 422-7409 ‧ [email protected] PRESENTS Guardians of Justice guardians-of-justice.eventbrite.com House candidate alleges sexual harassment by LI powerbroker QUEENS Continued from page 1 Weinstock, who is gay, said Terry, the for- mer chair of the Hempstead Democratic Party and head of Nassau County Board of Elections, TODAY pressured him and other young men for sex in exchange for jobs and preferential treatment. — August 13, 2019 — He said many people in Terry’s orbit knew of the alleged sexual coercion but did not do any- thing to stop it. Terry was a powerful county Prosecutors say William Rivas, leader until he was convicted in 2018 of tax 39, forced his way inside Tu S’tilo Salon and evasion and tax fraud. Spa on 37th Avenue and 93rd Street just before “Despite being married and having kids my 7 p.m., knocked his estranged wife, Carmen age, he was offering me my dream job — but Santiago, 35, down and stabbed her multiple only if I agreed to have sex with him,” Wein- times in the torso with a knife. The entire stock said in prepared remarks. “This was the incident was caught on surveillance video first of many, extremely creepy and upsetting and shows employees dashing away as Rivas encounters I had with the Chairman.” allegedly carries out the violent attack. The “No young person should have to choose be- incident ended with Rivas lying on top of his tween their career and sex with a sexual preda- wife’s body, sobbing. tor,” Weinstock added. He said he was “blackballed” by the Nas- sau County Democratic Party after he refused The American Bar Association Terry’s advances. The party did not respond to request for comment as of press time. House of Delegates today approved a resolution Weinstock said he was inspired by several creating the ABA Best Practice Guidelines for women who have come forward with allega- Online Legal Document Providers and urges tions of sexual harassment and abuse by pow- online legal document providers to adhere to erful men. Men who are victims of sex crimes these guidelines. face a particular stigma, he said. “I was passionate about putting sex crimi- nals in prison when I was a prosecutor and I The resolution was proposed to can’t sit on my hands and pretend it didnt hap- the ABA by the New York State Bar pen,” he told the Eagle, adding that, as a pros- Association and the New York County Lawyers ecutor in Brooklyn’s special victim’s unit, he Association, following months of discussion handled many cases involving sex crimes. Weinstock is a former special victims’ unit prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s among a workgroup led by Ronald Minkoff “Most involved women, some involved Office. Photo courtesy of Weinstock and immediate past NYSBA president Michael men,” he said. “Lots of women testified. But Miller. The workgroup included 30 people zero men did. It was heartbreaking.” motivate him to challenge Suozzi. New Yorkers so they’ll look up to our elected representing 23 different ABA entities, bar Weinstock accused Suozzi of helping Terry “I was thunderstruck when Congressman officials,” he said. groups, industry members, consumer groups, after his conviction for failing to pay federal Suozzi decided to pull strings and get his Suozzi’s office did not respond to requests academics and others. taxes for more than a decade. Suozzi wrote a friend released from jail,” Weinstock told the for comment. letter to the judge recommending leniency Eagle in May. Terry’s attorney Stephen Scaring did not ahead of Terry’s sentencing in 2018. “I want to be a new voice and a fresh voice immediately respond to a request for com- Weinstock said that letter of support helped and I want to work hard and earn the respect of ment. Terry could not be reached for comment. Queens County Criminal Court Calendar — August 13 — Get 'The Best of the Nest' delivered to your inbox every week: ‘BROTHEL COP’ He is one of seven cops charged in con- pears in AP6 for a conference. RETURNS TO COURT nection with the brothel scheme. Wood allegedly met the “girl” online and QueensEagle.com/Subscribe Giancarlo Raspanti is charged with sec- JUSTICE HOLLIE PRESIDES tried to set up meetings to have sex with ond-degree official misconduct for allegedly her, even though he knew she was underage, Follow us on Twitter feeding information to a former NYPD Vice ••• prosecutors said. squad detective who prosecutors and police JAMAICA MAN ALLEGEDLY “For many the internet is a great learning @queenseagle say ran a multi-million-dollar prostitution ring. SOLICITED SEX FROM TEEN tool with access to a plethora of valuable Raspanti appears in K20 for a conference. Jamaica resident Richard Wood is charged information,” said Acting Queens DA John Like us on Facebook Prosecutors say Raspanti is provided with attempted use of a child in a sexual per- Ryan. “But for some, unfortunately, it is a ex-detective Ludwig Paz with confidential formance for allegedly attempting to lure a place to troll for children to satisfy their de- facebook.com/queenseagle police information in exchange for discount- teenage girl for sex.