Author: Dan Rose

A 47-year-old man from Little Neck has been charged with grand larceny, identity theft and other crimes for allegedly stealing the identities of multiple victims and purchasing or leasing 11 cars between July 2019 and March 2020.

Yong “Jason” Jeon, 47, actively offered his services to non-English-speaking Koreans to help them buy or lease a car. According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, he allegedly used their personal information as if his own, including their names, dates of birth and social security numbers.

Jeon drove off the lot with Kia cars, including Sorentos, Sedonas and Optimas. He collected nearly $60,000 in finder’s fees from the dealership that sold the cars.

According to the charges, in every purchase, Jeon forged the buyers’ signatures on documents.

If convicted of the crimes, Jeon faces between 3.5 to 7 years in prison.

“Using forged documents, fake identification and double-talk, this alleged conman swindled the car dealership out of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Katz said. “The other victims are the seven individuals who had their personal information stolen, and in some instances, their credit ratings ruined.

“Many of the victims didn’t realize they had been conned until they received big bills in the mail for cars they didn’t purchase or lease,” she added.

With the legislative session in Albany starting back up, local elected officials have been assigned new leadership positions.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic was appointed chair of the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection. It is her first appointment as chair of a standing committee. Rozic is serving her fifth term in the Assembly.

The committee is responsible for safeguarding consumer’ rights, including health and safety, personal privacy and regulation of business practices.

“In the weeks ahead, I look forward to engaging consumers, advocates, businesses and government agencies to map out an inclusive agenda responding to our most urgent needs,” Rozic said.

She also serves on the Committees on Ways & Means, Labor, Correction and Corporations, Authorities and Commissions.

Assemblyman Ron Kim, meanwhile, has been appointed as the chair of the Committee on Aging, where he will focus on the elderly and nursing home residents, particularly as COVID continues to affect older New Yorkers.

He says his immediate focus will be making sure the elderly receive their COVID vaccinations as soon as possible.

He will also fight for a new bill of rights for nursing home residents this legislative session.

“During this pandemic, my team and I saw firsthand how dysfunctional our care system is toward our elderly,” he said. “We worked hard to ensure the plight of our seniors, especially those living in nursing homes, was no longer ignored.”

The Shops at SkyView has welcomed two new stores: Starbucks and Adidas.

Starbucks is located on level two next to Haagen-Dazs and Coco Tea, while Adidas, expanded to nearly 10,000 square feet, is on level four.

The new Adidas store has 78 percent more space than its previous space and will offer new collections for runnings, football, training and more.

“These strong retailers complement other businesses at SkyView and contribute to the culture that makes the neighborhood special,” said Rishika Mahtani, regional marketing manager at ShopCore Properties.

The Queens College Foundation has allocated $2.75 million in support of need-based scholarships, the college’s student food pantry and tech internships.

The one-time infusion of funds will help students facing difficult financial circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Retention Incentive Supporting Excellence (RISE) program will provide support to students who are unable to meet the costs of higher education. RISE scholarships will be given out for spring, summer and fall of 2021.

The funding will also be used for the Knights Table Food Pantry, which reduces food insecurity among Queens College and CUNY students.

“This most timely action will allow our dedicated undergraduate students to pursue their higher education, advance toward graduation and fully participate in the economic recovery of our city and state,” said Queens College President Frank Wu. “We are profoundly appreciative.”

“As the pandemic continues, Queens College students are facing many difficulties as they work toward completing their education,” added Student Association President Zaire Couloute. “I know I speak for everyone when I thank the Queens College Foundation for this generous initiative to help students stay in school and to keep many of us from going hungry.”

 

 

City Council candidate Linda Lee has been endorsed by a prominent lawmaker who has represented Fresh Meadows for years.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic is backing Lee’s bid for District 23 in eastern Queens, including neighborhoods like Queens Village, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck, Hollis, Glen Oaks, Fresh Meadows, Douglaston and Bellerose.

“Linda’s decades of volunteerism and experience delivering social services has prepared her for this moment,” Rozic said, “and I’m excited to join her in the work ahead uplifting our neighbors across Queens.”

Lee, an 11-year Oakland Gardens resident and New York native, is a member of Community Board 11, the School Leadership Team (SLT) at her son’s school and is president and CEO of Korean Community Services (KCS) of Metropolitan New York.

She is the mother of two young children and the daughter of immigrant small business owners.

Rozic is the first elected official to endorse Lee’s candidacy.

Other candidates in the race include lawyer Steve Behar, DSA and WFP-endorsed activist Jaslin Kaur and CB2 district manager Debra Markell.

Sandra Ung, a candidate running for City Council, wants the city to do a better job clearing sidewalks and crosswalks of snow days after the snowstorm.

“This isn’t just inconvenient, it creates real dangers and obstacles, especially for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities,” she said. “These are real hazards.

“It’s not good enough to say that it will melt, or to blame the plows,” Ung added. “People are literally stuck at home unable to go out until the city clears crosswalks.”

She noted that part of the problem is enforcement. Property owners are responsible for cleaning their sidewalk, bus stops, pedestrian ramps and fire hydrants. But she also wants city agencies to clear sidewalks in areas without homes or businesses.

“This isn’t a problem of convenience, it’s a problem of accessibility,” Ung said. “We owe New Yorkers better.”

Stop & Shop opened several more pickup locations in Queens where shoppers can place an order ahead of time and an associate will load groceries right into their cars on site.

The stores at 213-15 26th Avenue in Bayside and 31-06 Farrington Street in Flushing are the most recent additions, joining pickup locations in Belle Harbor, Springfield Gardens, Arverne, Glendale and Maspeth.

 

Shoppers can place an order on the website or on the Stop & Shop mobile app. Click on “order online” and select “pickup” at the preferred location.

After choosing a pickup time, shoppers can park in a designated pickup spot and call to let the store know that they have arrived. The associate will then drop off the groceries.

Customers are asked to have their trunk or door open for associates to place directly into the car. Customers are also encouraged to wear masks and limit the number of people in the car where possible.

A $30 minimum is required on all pickup orders, and a $2.95 service fee will be applied at checkout.

Linda Lee, a second-generation Korean-American and leader of a nonprofit organization, has thrown her hat in the ring for City Council in District 23.

On Tuesday, she released a new campaign video announcing her bid for elected office.

Currently represented by Councilman Barry Grodenchik, the eastern Queens district includes the neighborhoods of Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Little Neck, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.

Lee, an 11-year resident of Oakland Gardens, is president and  CEO of Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (KCS). She is also a member of Community Board 11 and the School Leadership Team at her son’s school. She is also a former commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.

If elected, Lee, the mother of two young children and daughter of immigrant small business owners, would be the first Korean-American elected to the City Council, and the first woman to represent the area.

“Eastern Queens has always been overlooked and too often ignored,” she said. “We deserve better.”

Under her leadership, KCS provided programs in the areas of education, senior care, mental health, health care access, economic and workforce development, and immigration services.

In 2014, KCS was named a “Champion of Change” by the White House for its work in the Korean community.

Earlier this year, Grodenchik announced he will not run for re-election. Already, 10 candidates are lining up to be his successor, including lawyer Steve Behar, DSA-endorsed activist Jaslin Kaur and CB2 district manager Debra Markell.