Bronx News Roundup, June 22

Fire Department officials have launched an internal probe after an image of President Obama, painted on a toolbox inside a Tremont firehouse, was defaced with the words "Hustler" and "Allah Akbar."

More details on the murder of Mohamed Jalloh, the 18-year-old Bronx resident who was stabbed to death in Washington Heights on Sunday.

A Riverdale man was shot dead execution-style outside a hotel in Yonkers early Monday morning.

Richard Izquierdo Arroyo, the nephew of Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo, and grandson of Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, will be sentenced this Friday. "Little Ricky" pled guilty in March to embezzling $115,000 from a nonprofit group. Despite this, Assemblywoman Arroyo had no qualms keeping him on as her chief-of-staff.

The upcoming trial of Councilman Larry Seabrook may be further delayed after his lawyer, Murray Richman (aka "Don't Worry Murray) told a judge that he - Richman - may have a conflict of interest with one of the witnesses. Seabrook, who has a nickname of his own, faces money laundering, extortion and fraud charges. Some of the charges are tied to the so-called "slush-fund scandal" which has already bought down Richard Izquierdo Arroyo (see above) and former Manhattan councilman Miguel Martinez, among others.

A federal judge will decide later this week whether or not to bail the four men accused of trying to blow up two synagogues in Riverdale last year.

Last Friday, housing adovcates rallied outside State Sen. Jeff Klein's home in Pelham Parkway, to protest his refusal to support a vacancy decontrol bill.

Not for the first time, parks advocates are accusing the city of giving Bronx residents a bum deal with regards to the new parks and playgrounds slated to replace the parkland the Yankee Stadium swallowed up. 

Jewish Home Lifecare recently cut the ribbon on its latest residence for low-income seniors. The 71-unit building is located at 2552 Webb Ave.

Four Bronx youths are suing the city, and demanding $1 million apiece, after being arresting last month for having a water-balloon fight on Walton Avenue.

A community group in Mott Haven wants to reseed Bronx Kill with oysters and mussels, in an effort to clean up the polluted waterway which separates the Bronx from Randalls Island.

At several outdoor locations in the Bronx, pianos have appeared for residents young and old to bang away on.  The pianos are part of a citywide art project called “Play Me, I’m Yours.”

The Jersey Shore's Nicole Polizzi, better known as Snooki, could be Bronx-bound.

Bronx News Roundup, May 4

Adolfo Carrion, the former Bronx BP who moved to Washington last year to take a job as Obama's urban czar, is returning to New York to work as a regional director for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The move, which is considered a step down, has some observers scratching their heads.

Last year, jurors on felony cases in the Bronx found defendants guilty 43 percent of the time. In the rest of the city, this figure is above 70 percent.  There are a number of theories as to why this might be. 

Police have released photos of a suspect wanted in connection with the shooting of a man in Mott Haven.

A Bronx woman won the Long Island Marathon on Sunday. Lilia Britez, a 28-year-old who grew up in Paraguay, has only been running seriously for two years.

NY1 recently toured the water filtration plant that's being built in Van Cortlandt Park.  Alex Kratz of the Norwood News went on a similar tour last month. 

A Q & A with State Senator Eric Schneiderman, who's hoping to become New York's next attorney general.

Councilman Jimmy Vacca sat down with Streetsblog recently for a conversation about public transport and safer streets. (Vacca is the new chair of the council's transportation committee.)

Westchester Square merchants says traffic agents are taking up precious parking spots in the neighborhood.

A Bronx firehouse celebrated its 100th anniversary on Monday. 

Convicted thief Richard Izquierdo Arroyo, the grandson and chief-of-staff of Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, has been mocking an adversary on Facebook for being disabled.  Arroyo (the grandson, not the assemblywomen) recently pled guilty to stealing $200,000 from a non-profit.  His sentencing is scheduled for June. 

Arroyo kin admits embezzlement

The head of a Bronx non-profit has admitted that he embezzled $115,000 intended to help low-income tenants and funneled some of the money to Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, his grandmother, and Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo, his aunt.

Richard Izquierdo Arroyo, pleaded guilty in federal court on March 12, and faces a 10-year prison sentence.

Arroyo, who was indicted in June for stealing from SBCC Management Corp., a housing agency he headed, spent $20,000 of the embezzled funds to pay for a trip to Puerto Rico for the assemblywoman and councilwoman, to pay the salaries of interns in their legislative offices and their political club, to make contributions to their campaigns and to buy new flooring for the assemblywoman’s office, according to the indictment.

Read all about it in the Mott Haven Herald.