Juan Anon investigates and exonerates himself

  

Queens Chronicle

 

Assemblymember Juan Ardila (D-Maspeth) hired legal counsel to conduct an independent review of the accusations of sexual assault made against him, and it has found him not guilty, two sources familiar with the situation told the Chronicle. The same sources said Ardila plans to announce the findings next week.

Ardila had not previously made public the review, which was conducted within a matter of weeks as Albany was and still is in the midst of budget negotiations for the upcoming fiscal year. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When one of the two women accusing the lawmaker learned of the review — for which she told the Chronicle she was not contacted — she on Thursday opted to press charges and cooperate with a criminal investigation into the allegations by the NYPD’s special victims unit and the Office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, as the New York Post reported Thursday night. Bragg’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Office of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark is also involved with the case, a source familiar with the investigation told the Chronicle. Asked for confirmation on the DA’s role in the case, a spokesperson for the office said, “We are unable to comment on a possible investigation right now, but will provide information at a later time if we can.”

Assemblymember Catalina Cruz (D-Corona), a close ally of Ardila’s, had previously called for an independent review into her colleague’s alleged actions. 

Asked about her role in the review, Cruz wrote in a message to the Chronicle, “I have no comment except to say that I can confirm that I have never and don’t practice that area of the law and I’m not involved with any type of investigation on this matter.”

Less than three weeks ago, Ardila was accused of sexually assaulting the women, two Fordham University students, at an October 2015 party in Manhattan with other Fordham students and alumni, as the Chronicle first reported. He had graduated from the school the previous spring. His first accuser said she came forward after learning he had been elected to the state Assembly in November.

Neither woman had reported her experience to the police in 2015 — which one of them previously told the Chronicle was out of a lack faith in the legal system and initially, a lack of tangible evidence — nor had either taken any legal action up until now. 

Asked about her change of heart, the victim, who is pressing charges, said in a statement to the Chronicle, “Juan Ardila’s disregard for the calls from elected officials and my call for resignation is a clear sign that he is unfit for public office. 

“I hope for a fair and swift investigation and justice will be served. Juan Ardila must be held accountable for the pain inflicted to his victims including those who may have not publicly come forward yet.”

Assembly member Cruz demands suppression of Council member Holden's Facebook rebuttal

NY Daily News

City Councilman Bob Holden has filed an ethics complaint against Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz over an expletive-laden tirade she allegedly phoned into his office after a City Council hearing two weeks ago.

The battle royale between the two Queens pols began during a Council committee hearing focused on health care in which Cruz criticized private hospitals by saying they “allegedly” save lives.

 “These corporations that we call hospitals have chosen to make money out of health care, have chosen to make money out of allegedly saving lives,” Cruz said at the time. “And yes, they’re saving the lives, but I say ‘allegedly’ because when you get a $200,000 bill that you have to pay, or when you have to choose between a world-renowned doctor at one hospital versus a decent doctor at another one, you’re playing with your health care. You’re playing with your life.”

Holden and David Rich, an executive director at the Greater New York Hospital Association, both pushed back on Cruz’s remarks during the hearing, which was held over Zoom, but the difference of opinion then escalated on social media and during a phone call Cruz made to Holden’s office after the hearing.

According to Holden’s chief of staff, Daniel Kurzyna, the assemblywoman called to chew his boss out over a Facebook post he made about the hearing, but since Holden wasn’t available, Kurzyna fielded the call.

“He better take it [the Facebook post] down in five minutes, or it’s a f---ing war,” Cruz said, according to a memo from Kurzyna obtained by the Daily News. “If he wants f---ing war, I’ll give him war.”

Immediately after the call, Kurzyna said he drafted the memo to Holden while the exchange was still fresh in his head.

In it, he wrote that he “attempted to interject” to tell her that “her tone and use of expletives was unnecessary,” but that she told him to “be quiet; it’s my time to speak.”

“She then continued on the tirade, saying that she would put you ‘on blast’ and that she ‘can make it about race… about it being a woman,’” he continued. “The assembly member insinuated she would use her race and gender as a way to blackmail you and pressure you to take down the social media post.”

de Blasio's mobile Covid testing sites reported missing

 

Queens Eagle

The city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation said it would set up sorely needed mobile COVID testing sites this week in Jackson Heights and Corona. Residents there are still waiting.

Despite four-hour lines at COVID testing sites across Queens, HHC did not set up the testing locations as scheduled. A site that was supposed to administer tests Monday through Friday at Travers Park in Jackson Heights never opened due to inclement and severely cold weather, an HHC spokesperson said. HHC said the location will open Friday. 

To make matters worse, the testing site location is listed incorrectly on the HHC website, which says Travers Park is in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn.

The Eagle learned about the missing test site when a reader reached out to say they had tried to visit three times. Another sent a photo of the place where the test site was supposed to be Thursday.

State Sen. Jessica Ramos was on her way to get a COVID test at Elmhurst Hospital when contacted to see if she knew about the missing site. Minutes later, she said she contacted city officials and learned that the Travers Park testing site was closed “due to weather” despite the sunny skies Thursday.

Another mobile testing site in Corona has also yet to open, said Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, who reached out to officials after the Eagle contacted her about the Jackson Heights location. She blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio and city agencies for failing to inform local leaders and communities about the closed test sites.

“The failure to inform the local elected officials and community that these sites would be closed during cold weather is yet one more example of Mayor de Blasio’s complete incompetence,” Cruz said. 

“It is incredibly frustrating to hear him announce seemingly great initiatives meant to save lives, that once again fail to deliver,” she said. “These are matters of life and death for my community.”

The 7-day COVID test positivity rate in Corona’s zip code 11368 reached nearly 6 percent Monday, according to the most recent Health Department data. Jackson Heights’ zip code 11372, where Travers Park is located, reached 2.82 percent. Both neighborhoods were among the hardest hit communities in New York City during the pandemic’s peak.

Paladino, Sullivan, Barnwell, Cruz win primaries

These numbers come from NY1:

STATE ASSEMBLY - QUEENS (D) DISTRICT 30
• Precincts Reported: 82/82

Brian 5,214
Barnwell
64.2%

Melissa 2,902
Sklarz
35.8%


STATE ASSEMBLY - QUEENS (D) DISTRICT 39
• Precincts Reported: 56/56

Catalina 3,736
Cruz
53.5%

Ari 3,016
Espinal
43.2%

Yonel 225
Sosa
3.2%


STATE SENATE - QUEENS (R) DISTRICT 11

• Precincts Reported: 224/224
Vickie 1,640
Paladino
57.3%

Simon 1,220
Minching
42.7%

STATE SENATE - QUEENS (R) DISTRICT 15
• Precincts Reported: 223/224

Thomas 3,188
Sullivan
67.9%

Slawomir 1,508
Platta
32.1%