DA staffer admits rob of $440G
A RETIRED doctor walking his dog with his wife Sunday near Times Square said he was pelted with anti-gay slurs by a man aggressively soliciting cash while wearing a “Homeless Issue” T-shirt.
Max Weisfeld, 70, told the Daily News he couldn’t get past the man on the sidewalk on Broadway at W. 48th St. and said that to him.
The panhandler then erupted in rage and began yelling and jabbing his finger at the much-shorter doctor.
“Are you a cop? Are you a cop?” he ranted, according to cell phone video taken by Weisfeld’s wife. “You’re a f----t! How about that? You’re a f----t! What the f--- is wrong with you, bro?”
Weisfeld said he plans to file a police report about the incident. He said he has called 911 in the past over similar threatening encounters with others wearing the shirts, but the police have not taken action.
“Rather than initiating a complaint or a summons, they just ask me to move along and not agitate them, and everything just returns to the way it was,” he said. “The police don’t seem to be responsive to the situation.”
The “Homeless Issue” Tshirts have become more commonplace in Times Square in recent years, but two of the men who solicit cash while wearing the shirts said Weisfeld’s claims are overblown.
Timothy Green (photo inset), 42, of the South Bronx, who’s been homeless for about seven months, said he only makes about $20 a day. He pointed to a few dollars, mainly coins, in his collection box.
“I’m a homeless individual,” he said. “I ask for money for myself.”
Jose Garcia, 40, of Manhattan, who’s been homeless for about two years, said the “Homeless Issue” T-shirts make the begging more effective.
“It looks more organized,” he said. “People are not gonna be scared of you, you’re not all dirty.”
“We all know each other, and we try to maintain the peace,” he added.
Garcia admitted there are some folks who are giving them a bad name, but “I don’t mess with people.”
Sgt. Jessica McRorie, a police spokeswoman, said people have called 311 to complain about the begging.
“No criminal activity or violations have been observed, but we are continuing to monitor the condition and work to address community concerns,” she said. “We are trying to reach out to this individual (Weisfeld) so a report can be taken.”
Seventeen Times Square denizens have given statements to the Times Square Alliance making similar complaints about the aggressiveness of some of the “Homeless Issue” beggars.
In a meeting Monday, Alliance President Tim Tompkins called on government to take action against the begging.
“These people are still threatening people, and we’re sick of it,” Tompkins said.
Shelly Nortz of the Coalition for the Homeless said there’s nothing wrong with asking for money on the street, or giving it.
“If they’re not claiming that it’s a tax-deductible contribution, it’s just the same as any other person on the street asking for money,” she said. A HIGH-LIVING ex-staffer at the Staten Island district attorney’s office is paying the price for flashing the company plastic.
William Nelson, a former procurement officer, pleaded guilty Monday in Brooklyn Federal Court to theft of government funds.
Federal prosecutors Nelson siphoned off $440,000 through two office American Express cards. Nelson paid for goods like jewelry, clothing, toys, sports memorabilia and a burgeoning knife collection.
Nelson (inset), 44, misused office money for a 10-year stretch, from 2006 to 2016, and hid itemized credit card statements, prosecutors said.
On Monday, Nelson told Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak, “I had access to the office’s credit cards and used them for personal purchases, expenses.”
Prosecutors estimate Nelson could face approximately two years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in August.
Nelson and his lawyer to comment. said declined