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BSR05182017

12 MAY 12 – MAY 18, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP Woman sentenced for hate crime against Bensonhurst resident Photo courtesy of the NYPD A surveillance image of the suspect. Manhattan-bound service to return to N stations on Sea Beach Line BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] After repairs that started in January, 2016, Manhattan-bound N train service is returning on the Sea Beach Line starting on Monday, May 22. According to the MTA, the Manhattan bound platforms at the Fort Hamilton Parkway, New Utrecht Avenue, 18 Avenue, 20 Avenue, Kings Highway, Avenue U and 86 Street stations — which all had closed during renovations — will reopen for service at 5 a.m. on May 22. The Manhattan-bound platforms at the 8th Avenue and Bay Parkway stations, which had temporary platforms installed during the work, will also reopen. The nine stations will have new accessibility-compliant platforms, brighter lighting, new stairs and new paint. Some platforms will feature new canopies with architectural finishes, new windscreens or new glass fiber-reinforced concrete wall panels. “These stations and right-of-way opened in the 1910s and have been in heavy daily use for more than a century,” said MTA Interim Executive Director Ronnie Hakim in a statement. “It’s a vital Brooklyn corridor that needs to be brought into a state of good repair with new amenities and technology such as an upgraded communications system. When the work is finished at all nine stations and the tracks that connect them, our customers will see brighter, cleaner and safer stations, and experience a smoother, more reliable ride, while our mobility impaired customers will be able to access that part of the Sea Beach line by using new ramps and new elevators.” The station renovations, which costs approximately $395.7 million, also added repairs to canopies and columns, new paint, the rehabilitation of the stations’ historic head house entrances and fare control areas, enhanced safety features, new artwork commissioned by MTA Arts & Design and upgraded communications systems. Renovations to the 8th Avenue station include two ramps for full accessibility compliance, at New Utrecht Avenue, the work includes the installation of four elevators for access from the street level to the platforms. Work will begin on the Coney Island-bound platforms and track infrastructure starting this July. A specific date will be announced later. These service changes will include temporary platforms at the 8th Avenue and Bay Parkway stations that were also used during the Manhattan-bound service changes. Customers may also take the D or F lines to Coney Island. The entire nine-station project is expected to take approximately four years, with full completion expected in late 2018. It’s a vital Brooklyn corridor that needs to be brought into a state of good repair with new amenities and technology such as an upgraded communications system. — Ronnie Hakim BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] A 44-year-old woman was sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half-years in prison following an earlier guilty plea to second-degree grand larceny as a hate crime after admitting to stealing about $140,000 in cash and gold jewelry from a Bensonhurst woman during an elaborate scam, announced Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. According to Gonzalez, Xuekun Su of China, acting with other individuals who have yet to be apprehended, approached the victim, a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant, in April of last year near Bay 22nd Street and 86th Street. Su and the other individuals talked to the victim and claimed to be clairvoyants. They warned the victim that she or a member of her family would die because of a curse unless she gave them a large amount of money and jewelry to be blessed. Su and the other perps told the victim she would receive both the money and jewelry back after they blessed them and removed the evil spirits. The victim ended up giving Su and the other perps the cash and gold jewelry. She placed it into a bag for the “blessing.” Su and others then stole the items in the bag and gave the victim a closed bag, instructing her not to open it for many days or the blessing wouldn’t work. When the woman opened the bag later that night, with the defendants gone, she discovered that it was empty and called the police. The defendant admitted that she had selected the victim based on her age and national origin, making her larceny conviction a hate crime under New York State law. “After targeting vulnerable immigrant women, this defendant stole the victim’s life savings by exploiting the fears and beliefs of the culture they shared,” said Gonzalez in a statement. “Her deplorable conduct more than merits the prison sentence imposed today. I will aggressively prosecute those who seek to profit from our immigrant communities, and we will continue my office’s efforts to educate everybody about common illegal schemes like this Chinese blessing scam, as we do in our monthly Immigration Forums.” Photo courtesy of the Kings County DA’s Office Xuekun Su. Alleged child predator sought by cops BY DANIELLE KOGAN [email protected] Cops say a six-year-old girl and her eight-year-old sister were sexually assaulted within the vicinity of Eighth Avenue and 50th Street on Friday, May 12. According to police, at around 6:45 p.m. the individual — described as a Hispanic man with black hair — touched the six-year-old girl in her groin area and the older sister on her buttocks. The incident occurred in front of a residential building. The suspect is further described as being five feet tall and between 30 and 40 years of age. He was last seen wearing a red waist length coat, blue jeans and black sneakers. He is also said to have a light complexion and a medium build. Cops are now asking the public to help identify the man or call in with information in regards to the incident by calling the 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) The community can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at www.nypdcrimestoppers. com or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then entering TIP577.


BSR05182017
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