Man killed on Amtrak a kiddie-porn ex-con
THE DEPARTMENT of Cultural Affairs has allocated $40 million to more than 900 local arts and cultural organizations — with special attention to the mayor’s CreateNYC plan that seeks to boost diversity in the arts.
The disbursement, to be announced Thursday, includes $6.45 million earmarked for the cultural plan de Blasio unveiled in July that links funding to the diversity of employees and board members at arts organizations.
In addition, 260 groups operating in mostly low-income neighborhoods will split $1.45 million.
The Harlem Chamber Players; Museum of Tibetan Art; Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture without Borders, and the Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts are among this year’s recipients. THE THIRD PERSON killed in the Amtrak derailment outside Seattle was a convicted sex offender, authorities said Wednesday.
Benjamin Gran, 40, died with Jim Hamre and Zack Willhoite after the speeding Amtrak Cascades train they were riding in plunged off an overpass around 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Scores of people were injured in the high-speed derailment, which occurred during the train’s inaugural run between Seattle and Portland, Ore.
Gran, of Auburn, Wash., died of multiple traumatic injuries, according to authorities.
He was released from federal prison in 2015 after serving two years in prison for possessing a trove of child porn, the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle confirmed. BROOKLYN FEDERAL prosecutors said Wednesday there’s “overwhelming evidence” to show a Manhattan lawyer mixed up with Martin Shkreli was complicit in the Pharma Bro’s swindles.
Evan Greebel, 44, is charged with fraud conspiracy for allegedly helping Shkreli move money from his pharmaceutical company to his hedge fund — so he could pay off the investors he scammed.
During closing arguments in Brooklyn Federal Court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alixandra Smith told jurors that Greebel was Shkreli’s illegal eagle; he helped Shkreli engineer the deals papering over the misappropriation of Retrophin money.
Greedy Greebel crossed the line for “the oldest reason in the book. For money,” Smith said.
The collusion and enabling was shown in evidence like emails “that they thought would never see the light of day,” Smith explained.
Over the course of the two month trial, jurors heard exchanges including one from December 2011, where Shkreli said Greebel was “a negative nancy-d--k and I always think the sun is shining.”
Greebel responded that he was Shkreli’s “handy umbrella to make sure any rain does not hit you.”
The defense has argued Greebel was doing legitimate legal work but his client kept him in the dark.
“He’s doing the right thing, but everything is ominous,” Josh Dubin told jurors, noting that conversations can be read in different ways.
Shkreli, 34, was convicted on two fraud counts related to his hedge funds. He is appealing and awaiting sentence.