Real Estate Ponzi Scheme

Rhode Island Woman’s Fraud Preyed on Friends and Neighbors

Monique Brady\’s house in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Prosecutors said fraud proceeds paid for the home\’s $9,400 per month mortgage, with a total of $342,243 in mortgage payments made during the scheme.

A Rhode Island woman who preyed on the trust of friends, family, and neighbors in a dubious investment scheme—one that gilded her reputation and lifestyle while fleecing her victims of $4.8 million—was sentenced this month to eight years in prison. She was also ordered to pay back her victims.

Monique Brady pleaded guilty last July in federal court to running a fraud scheme prosecutors have described as “reprehensible,” “insidious,” and “depraved.” Brady, 45, of East Greenwich, claimed her property preservation company, MNB, had contracts to rehabilitate New England properties. She said she needed investments of $20,000 to $80,000 to pay subcontractors to perform the work. In return, investors were promised a 50-percent yield once the rehabilitation work was complete.

In the end, investigators determined it was all a $10 million charade. There were no large-scale property rehabs and only a few legitimate low-dollar contracts—almost all the money was used to prop up Brady’s Ponzi scheme and support a lavish lifestyle on the backs of friends who thought they knew her.

“She had lifelong friends who were just totally and completely betrayed by her,” said Pepper Daigler, a special agent in the FBI’s Boston Field Office who worked with Internal Revenue Service special agents on the case.

Brady’s victims—among them, multi-millionaires, firefighters, young, and elderly—represented a cross-section of the tony community 30 minutes south of Providence. Most had a very close connection to Brady. Investigators identified 23 individuals who lost their investments in the scheme, which encouraged investors to roll over purported gains to increase their stakes and potential windfalls. Some lost everything in the scam, which went on for at least four years before Brady was arrested on April 25, 2019, as she prepared to flee the country.

“She had life-long friends who were just totally and completely betrayed by her.”

Pepper Daigler, special agent, FBI Boston

“The burden of this loss is nearly impossible to put into words,” said one victim, identified as J.L., a week before Brady’s February 11 sentencing. “The stress my family has endured is beyond measure. Even my children’s futures are altered forever.”

The scam came to light after the IRS criminal investigators discovered inconsistencies between Brady’s spending and her business. That led to closer forensic analysis and then a deeper dive into financial records that showed repeated deposits of large checks, including some for $50,000 or $60,000. The high-dollar figures are not that unusual in real estate, where flipping houses and extensive remodels can reach into six figures. But the sham fell apart quickly when federal agents began interviewing Brady’s “investors.”

“That’s essentially where the wheels came off for her,” said Special Agent Mark Homsi of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. “We were presenting them with records from these vendors where she did little or no actual work and they are providing us with these promissory notes for $50,000 or $60,000 investments. That was really the turning point—the interviews with these people.”

A 67-year-old victim with a quadriplegic husband and elderly parents with Alzheimer’s and dementia said in a statement to the court that she lost both her life savings and her parents’ savings to Brady’s ploy.

“I cannot articulate the guilt that haunts me for having made such an irresponsible decision that was grounded in emotion instead of common sense,” L.R. said in a victim impact statement. “Monique was fully aware of who I was as a caregiver, and she exploited that knowledge for her own selfish and criminal gain.”

In all, the self-styled preservation expert solicited investments for projects on 171 properties; no work was ever performed on 98 of those. Prosecutors said Brady’s conduct was as bad as they have ever seen in a Rhode Island fraud case. Brady even continued her scheming while incarcerated and awaiting sentencing, according to a February 6 sentencing memorandum. Her misconduct included making more than 200 unauthorized phone calls from prison using other inmates’ personal identification numbers.

Investigators said Brady’s case is a cautionary tale for anyone considering a get-rich-quick scheme. Her victims thought she was their friend and that she was doing them a favor—letting them in on something too good to pass up. But in this case, it was all too good to be true.

IRS Agent Homsi said Brady’s affluent friends were just as taken in as those who could least afford it: “Oftentimes, these are people who are very successful in the business world. And they would say, ‘If it wasn’t Monique, I would have done much more due diligence.’ But they just had that implicit trust in her.”

Meanwhile, the investments were paying for Brady’s extravagances, including a $9,400 monthly mortgage; trips to the tropics, Europe, multiple Super Bowls; a luxury shoe collection; and elective plastic surgery that she paid for in cash.

It wasn’t until the scheme fell apart that its breadth became apparent. Evidently, Brady encouraged secrecy among her investors—another common ploy of scam artists and Ponzi schemes. She eschewed talking business in social settings, said FBI Special Agent Daigler. Potential investors might have seen that as a sign of class, while others might see a potential red flag.

“I guess if somebody tells you to keep a secret, always be weary of why you have to keep it a secret,” Daigler said.

“Oftentimes, these are people who are very successful in the business world. But they just had that implicit trust in her.”

Mark Homsi, special agent, IRS Criminal Investigation

Resources

Rhode Island Businesswoman Sentenced in $10M Ponzi Scheme That Defrauded 23 Individuals

Shenandoah Adams Sr., Arrested For Mortgage Fraud/Defrauding The Orange Library

NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man was arrested today by federal agents on charges of mortgage fraud and scheming to defraud the Orange Public Library, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Shenandoah Adams Sr., a/k/a “Shane Adams Sr.,” 54, of New Providence, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with six counts of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements in connection with a mortgage loan. He is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.

According to the indictment:

Adams was a principal of Adams Property Management and Investment Group Limited Liability Company (Adams Property Management), which purchased property on Hilton Street in East Orange, New Jersey, in 2014. The following year, Adams arranged for a close associate (Individual 1) to obtain a $153,562 loan from a mortgage lender to purchase the Hilton Street property from Adams Property Management. Adams knew that Individual 1 did not have the money to pay the balance of the purchase price of $225,000. At the closing on March 25, 2015, Adams directed Individual 1 to issue a fraudulent check in the amount of $90,280.47 (the balance of the purchase price) to give the false impression that Individual 1 had paid the closing balance. Adams reassured Individual 1 that Adams would not negotiate the check. Adams signed a settlement statement, falsely certifying that Individual 1 paid the closing balance and that the settlement statement was a true and accurate statement of all receipts and disbursements made in connection with the sale of the Hilton Street property, when Adams knew that Individual 1’s check was fraudulent. Adams used Individual 1’s loan proceeds to pay off Adams Property Management’s $100,000 mortgage loan to purchase the Hilton Street Property and to obtain a $26,335.30 check for Adams Property Management.

Although Adams reassured Individual 1 that Adams would fund Individual 1’s mortgage payments, by May 2016 Individual 1’s mortgage payments on the Hilton Street property were substantially in arrears. Adams arranged for Individual 1 to sell the property to another associate for a price of $255,000. The closing on that sale commenced on May 31, 2016; the total amount to pay off Individual 1’s mortgage was $210,565.34. On June 1, 2016, Adams and Individual 1 had a telephone conversation with an out-of-state representative of the mortgage servicer for Individual 1’s lender, during which Adams made false and fraudulent statements to induce the lender to reduce the payoff amount. The lender agreed to reduce Individual 1’s payoff amount to $190,000. At Adams’s direction, Individual 1 cashed the check for the amount of the reduction, $20,665.34, and delivered the cash proceeds to Adams.

Adams also was a principal of VH Electrical and Plumbing Limited Liability Company (VH). On March 11, 2015, Adams, on behalf of VH, entered into a contract with the Orange Public Library to replace the library’s HVAC/Chiller unit for a price of $49,000. The project was funded by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant to the library and Orange.

Before getting the contract with the library, Adams sent the library’s executive director, Timur Davis, two fake quotes purportedly from two vendors to give the false impression that VH would replace the library’s chiller for less than those other vendors. After VH had been hired, Adams sent Davis records to give the false impression that Adams was taking steps to order a replacement chiller. Adams received $40,000 from the library, but did not replace the chiller. Davis pleaded guilty on Feb.13, 2020 to making false statements to HUD in connection with the project.

The charges of wire fraud carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. The charges of making false statements in connection with a mortgage application carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum potential fine of $1 million.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; special agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J Imbert and Cari Fais of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defense counsel: TBD

State Launches Clean Up of Illegal Dumping Area Along Assunpink Creek

TRENTON – Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe today joined Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, other city officials and volunteers to launch a community project to remove materials from a large illegal dumping site in Trenton as part of the DEP’s statewide

environmental justice efforts.

This is the first phase in the cleanup of the Amtico Square site and results from concerns residents raised at an environmental justice listening session held by Commissioner McCabe and the city last fall.

“This cleanup is a direct, tangible response to concerns I heard from residents during an environmental justice listening session and is a great example of putting into practice environmental justice principles to improve quality of life for disproportionately burdened communities,” Commissioner McCabe said. “The City of Trenton and Mayor Gusciora have been constructive and dedicated partners in this effort, from the listening session to the eventual conversion of this site to public use. As is our goal with all environmental justice projects, we will continue to revitalize our communities and protect public health to make New Jersey stronger and fairer. I am grateful for the strong partnerships and community support for their collaboration to transform this eyesore and public safety hazard into a community asset.”

“Programs like these showcase the continued partnership between Trenton and state government,” said Mayor Gusciora. “We’d also like to thank our partners at the New Jersey DEP and United by Blue for coordinating and funding this site cleanup. We have many stakeholders working to create a 100-plus acre park at the Assunpink Greenway, and we’re very excited about our future plans for these formerly vacant brownfield sites.”

Commissioner McCabe and Mayor Gusciora were joined in launching the cleanup of Amtico Square by volunteers with the East Trenton Collaborative and Isles Inc. community groups, members of Trenton City Council, the city’s public works department, the Bridgestone Corp. and United by Blue, a socially conscious organization that works to protect the environment and has helped coordinate similar cleanups in the region.

This initial phase is focusing on removing materials dumped illegally on the property in recent years, including debris from housing demolitions, tires, and large household items such as furniture, mattresses and appliances. The property also has numerous piles of bricks and concrete, most resulting from the demolition of a large building at the site. These piles will be addressed as part of future long-term cleanup.

The city is providing heavy equipment and workers. United by Blue has agreed to pay for the hauling and disposal of household items collected at the site. Bridgestone Corp. has also agreed to take tires to be recycled.

United by Blue is committed to protecting the health of waterways through trash and debris removal projects, including an effort last year to protect the Delaware River through a cleanup of trash and large debris on

Burlington Island

, part of the DEP-coordinated South Jersey Scrub. The group provides safety precautions to volunteers participating in these cleanups.

“We have developed an expertise for organizing logistically challenging cleanups such as the Amtico Square cleanup,” said United by Blues’ High Yields Cleanup Coordinator Megan Platt. “A project like this brings together private and public entities to meet a collective goal of cleaning our water and the surrounding environment. In this case, we\’re intercepting debris before it has the chance of making it into Assunpink Creek – a tributary of the Delaware River.”

“Isles has been a long-term partner in the East Trenton Collaborative. During that time, we’ve worked with other organizations and residents to clean-up and improve public space by building gardens, beautifying parks and vacant lots, and planting street trees,” said Jim Simon, Deputy Director of Community Planning for Isles Inc. “We are also committed to making this East Trenton Collaborative neighborhood and other neighborhoods safer by addressing home health hazards and helping turn blighted properties like Amtico Square into community assets by engaging residents in a brownfields planning process.”

The Amtico Square site sits across from the home Gwendolyn Grier has lived in for more than 50 years. She is concerned about the impact dumping there has had on quality of life and health of her neighborhood.

“We’re hoping to get something for the kids, because right now it’s just an eyesore,” she said.

Other key partners are the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the Trenton Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, which are working to gather evidence throughout the process to inform investigations that may lead to prosecution of those responsible for the illegal dumping. Those responsible may face civil and/or criminal charges as well as significant fines.

Located along Assunpink Creek in East Trenton, the Amtico Square site is a 3.5-acre vacant area that once was the site of various rubber factories and other industries. It was most recently used for warehousing.

The building that occupied much of the site was demolished in 2013. The concrete foundation of the building today covers much of the site. Sampling of the ground below the foundation shows slightly elevated levels of contaminants, including metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The city purchased the site as part of the Assunpink Greenway Brownfield Development Area project that envisions turning brownfield sites such as Amtico Square site into active and passive recreation parkland and a greenway trail along the Assunpink Creek, extending from the Hamilton border to downtown Trenton.

The Murphy Administraton has made addressing environmental justice a priority, launching legal actions against those responsible for pollution in these communities, making environmental justice considerations a priority in the state’s air quality and clean energy initiatives, and helping communities clean up contaminated sites and improve water quality.

In 2018, Governor Murphy signed

Executive Order 23

recognizing that the state’s low-income communities and communities of color have been exposed to disproportionately high and unacceptable levels of air, water and soil pollution, with the ongoing potential for health impacts. The order emphasizes that all communities should receive fair and equitable treatment in decision-making that affects their environment, communities, homes and health.

Achieving these environmental justice objectives is also one of the DEP’s key priority areas, through work that focuses on empowering communities to take action, protects public health and the environment in overburdened communities, and strengthens partnerships among communities, regulated entities and government.

The DEP is coordinating the Amtico Square cleanup through its Compliance and Enforcement Program and the Community Collaborative Initiative, which assigns DEP experts to work closely with urban communities to develop solutions to long-standing environmental problems.

As part of the first phase of cleanup, a fence will be erected around the site and security cameras set up to deter future dumping. The DEP will be coordinating additional environmental investigations of the site to assist the city in future restoration efforts as it moves forward with its greenway vision.

For a drone video of the site, click

here

For more information on the work the DEP is doing to address environmental justice, visit

www.nj.gov/dep/ej/

For more information on the Community Collaborative Initiative, including an explanatory video, visit

www.nj.gov/dep/cci/

Four Top Strategies for Achieving Excellent Events in Philadelphia

By:

Alison Rooney

There are many essential elements to the art of managing successful events in a large city like Philadelphia. What do the local experts think you should make your focus? Here we draw upon recent reflections of t

Three of the city’s top event management leaders, shared during a recent Executive in Residence panel at the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM).

From infrastructure and risk management to partnerships and staying true to the mission of each panelist’s organization—these experts offered insight on how to leverage your resources to make the most of each event.

Recent Executives in Residence were:

Michael DelBene

, president and CEO of Welcome America, Inc.

Jazelle Jones

, deputy managing director of the City of Philadelphia Office of Special Events

Kelvin Moore

, general manager of the Pennsylvania Convention Center

WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR EVENT LEADERSHIP, ACCORDING TO PHILADELPHIA’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST?

1. KEEP ALL SEGMENTS OF YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND

Craft a marketing strategy that reaches all of your target audiences. Since last January, DelBene has run the nonprofit organization Welcome America, Inc., which produces dozens of entertaining and educational events over the week of July 4—and lots of these are free. “Many of our attendees are Philadelphians with families and limited disposable income,” he says. “Your audience may not even have internet access, let alone cell phones, so save room in the budget for traditional outreach.” Welcome America, for example, prints 250,000 brochures annually.

2. TRAIN AND PLAN FOR THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO

With large-scale events, risk management is key, so planning is everything. Continually learn and re-assess, and create detailed action and incident plans as well as a crowd management plan. To ensure that visitors will be safe and are inconvenienced as little as possible, surround yourself with subject matter experts like Jones has. A 14-year City leader and veteran administrator, she oversees more than 1,500 events annually. Her team learns from the best practices of organizations like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its resources: a comprehensive publication that outlines specific strategies, a Toolkit on Community Lifelines, and a podcast on dozens of topics. At every stage, get your team together and ask, “What did we learn today that we can apply tomorrow?”

3. BUILD AND LEVERAGE PARTNERSHIPS TO SCALE UP YOUR EVENT

Success for event hosting in a large-scale market looks like this: “Philadelphia went from 600 events a year in the wake of the 2007–09 recession to hosting 1,600 over the past decade,” says Jones. She knows first-hand, not only from 2015 when Philadelphia hosted the DNC but also the NFL Draft in 2017. “We leveraged partnerships with these national organizations,” she says, “and it has contributed to the fact that people who used to go to New York City now see Philadelphia as an even more desirable destination.”

4. DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR MISSION AMIDST ECONOMIC INCENTIVES

Moore draws upon 27 years of industry experience at seven convention centers nationally and plans more than 200 events a year in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Still, he never loses sight of his primary objectives: “First and foremost is a seamless and inspiring visitor experience,” he says. “Nonprofits like ours certainly deliver events that have an economic impact on their city, but our main job is ensuring that our attendees have a fantastic time.” How? Improve daily working procedures with client-focused strategies as a means to realign sales and services. And this is a day-in, day-out responsibility.

Harrisburg Businessman Sentenced To Prison For Defrauding College Faculty Union

HARRISBURG Pa– The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that the former owner/operator of a Harrisburg based dental and vision claims processing business, Michael Timothy Buchanan, age 69, currently a resident of Fishers, Indiana, was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release on February 26, 2020, by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, for defrauding a trust fund established by the

Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) out of $1,493,629.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Buchanan pleaded guilty in May 2019 to a criminal information charging him with one count of health care fraud. Buchanan executed a scheme to defraud the Pennsylvania Faculty Health and Welfare Fund (The Fund) between 2007 and 2017 by his submission of false, inflated invoices for the services his company, Actuaries, Consultants and Administrators, Inc. (ACA), provided The Fund in connection with the processing of dental and vision claims submitted by members of the APSCUF Union.

The Fund paid ACA $5.20 for each vision claim it processed and $8.10 for each dental claim it processed. Buchanan routinely and artificially inflated the number of claims it allegedly processed for The Fund between 2007 and 2017 that resulted in a $1,493,629 overpayment to ACA.

“Citizens have a right to expect that the hard-earned dollars they contribute towards ever increasing health care costs will be protected by the stewards of those funds,” said U.S. Attorney Freed. “When such funds are misappropriated via fraud, we in federal law enforcement will step in to hold the fraudsters accountable. We are pleased that Judge Rambo’s sentence recognized the serious nature of the defendant’s conduct, and that he has been ordered to pay back what he stole.”

“For a decade, Buchanan orchestrated the overbilling of the faculty union,” said Tara A. McMahon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.” “His company deliberately and repeatedly submitted one false claim after the next, resulting in the theft of nearly $1.5 million. With this sentence, he’ll begin to answer for such brazen fraud.”

“In an effort to personally enrich himself, Michael Buchanan stole more than $500,000 from union members’ health benefits through his scheme of submitting inflated invoices to the union trust fund,” said Derek Pickle, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the financial integrity of labor organizations,”

Judge Rambo ordered Buchanan to pay $1,493,629 in restitution to the Fund, to forfeit his interest in $1,493,629 in U.S. currency, and six Fidelity Brokerage Services retirement accounts. Judge Rambo also ordered Buchanan to commence service of his sentence on April 20, 2020.

The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel prosecuted the case.

A message from South Jersey Political Chairs

Dear U.S. House Candidate:

As leaders of the Democratic Party, we respectfully request that you sign the following campaign pledge

o disavow support in any form from the corrupt Callaway organization in Atlantic City.

Craig Callaway has a long and shameful history of interfering in honest and fair elections. As Atlantic City Council President, he disgraced his office by taking thousands in cash bribes leading to a federal conviction and a 40-month prison sentence.

Then, one of Callaway’s political allies, former Camden City Councilman Ali Sloan-El, was

convicted of taking tens of thousands in cash in brown bags from an undercover FBI agent

in the same pay-to-play redevelopment scheme that rocked South Jersey.

Ali Sloan-El has since made new allies. Just last year he partnered with Susan Altman, who runs a Trenton dark money group that fights against disclosing secret donors. They, along with Kate Delany and other fake Democrats, tried infiltrating the Democratic primaries in South Jersey with Trump Republicans, convicted felons, deadbeats, and petition forgers. The County Prosecutor’s Office even investigated the petition forgeries, leading to disqualifications for some of Altman’s candidates.

Why would Altman recruit Republicans in a primary election against Democrats? Simple: because she was a lifelong Republican. This means Altman didn’t participate in primaries to support Al Gore for President, Jim McGreevey for Governor, Frank Lautenberg for U.S. Senate, Jon Corzine for U.S. Senate or for Governor, Cory Booker for U.S. Senate, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for President, not including numerous other federal, state, county, and local Democrats seeking elective office. She didn’t even bother voting against Chris Christie for Governor. And even worse, she just bragged about showing support for Cory Booker’s primary opponent.

The story gets much worse for Craig Callaway. He was convicted in state court for blackmail and sentenced to three more years in prison in a repulsive scheme of arranging for a prostitute to provide sexual favors to his Council rival, an elderly widower, and videotaping the encounter in a rented motel room. He used the video footage to try to force his rival to resign from public office, but the plot backfired when his victim took the threat to law enforcement. It made national news.

Callaway’s syndicate of allies have even more documented instances of immoral, illegal, and reckless behavior that is unbecoming of our Party — from knife fights, assaults, harassment, threats, and stalking to outright voter fraud — strong-arming voters in poor communities of color to allow Callaway cartel soldiers to vote by mail on their behalf.

Unfortunately, this is not just behavior from many years ago. In 2017, Callaway staged his post-prison political comeback by masterminding the mayoral election of Frank Gilliam, an official who brought shame and disgrace to our region once again by stealing over $87,000 from a kid’s basketball program. That’s yet another Callaway associate led away in handcuffs, further contributing to the embarrassing legacy of Atlantic City mayors.

Like Craig Callaway, Altman wants to interfere with our primary selection process the same way they did last year.

We call on all candidates to disavow partnering with career criminals and fake Democrats like Susan Altman and Kate Delany in this primary.

Allowing the Callaway Crime Cartel and their Trenton dark money allies to determine the man or woman to run against traitor Jeff Van Drew cannot be an option.

Their conduct does not belong in our party and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Sign this pledge affirming that you will not accept direct or in-kind donations, organizational support, endorsements, or provide payments to them or their affiliated entities.

Please post this signed pledge on your social media sites.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Wyatt Earp – Ocean

Brendan Sciarra – Cape May

Steve Caltabiano – Salem

Steve Errickson – Cumberland

James Beach – Camden

Fred Madden – Gloucester

Joseph Andl – Burlington

Campaign Pledge

I, the undersigned candidate for Congress in New Jersey\’s 2nd Congressional District, sign this pledge affirming that I will not accept direct or in-kind donations, organizational support, endorsements from, or provide payments to, Craig Callaway or his affiliated entities.

Red Bank’s 11th Annual Wedding Walk Returns

Free wedding planning event features top professionals, venues and latest trends to help you plan all of your nuptial needs

RED BANK, NJ – The Red Bank Wedding Walk is back again and will take place on Sunday, March 22, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to engaged couples with and without a set wedding date. Kicking off a new decade, the Red Bank Wedding Walk will provide brides and grooms the opportunity to interact with more than 40 local wedding businesses and professionals providing the latest trends, styles and ideas to make their special day an unforgettable event!

Attendees are asked to register in advance by visiting

www.RedBankWeddingWalk.com

, where they can also browse the participating businesses and map out an itinerary in advance to make the most of the day!

Brides and grooms will begin the event at 10 a.m. by checking in at the Oyster Point Hotel, a beautiful waterfront venue located at 146 Bodman Place. At check-in, guests will be given a map, passport and tote while enjoying a complimentary continental breakfast. Passports should be stamped at each participating business in order to be entered to win door prizes and incredible grand prizes! Eligible passports must have at least 14 locations stamped by each business during the Wedding Walk.

From there, each entourage will set off on a self-guided tour to explore potential rehearsal dinner locations, award-winning wedding venues, photography and videography professionals, entertainment and transportation experts, hair and makeup salons, and, of course, dress boutiques offering options for the bride and bridal party – and much, much more! Around 3 p.m., attendees should begin to make their way back to the Molly Pitcher Inn’s breathtaking promenade for an exciting reception featuring music, savory treats, libations, prizes and a champagne toast.

During the closing reception, winners of the fabulous grand prizes, as well as a wide array of fun door prizes, will be drawn. Prizes include an all-inclusive honeymoon trip courtesy of Liberty Travel, a romantic getaway package at the Molly Pitcher/Oyster Point, a DJ entertainment package from Hurricane Productions, and many more wonderful offerings from Red Bank businesses.

Healthcare Expert Edward Eichhorn Lectures on the Ills of Medicare-for-all

at Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business

Hoboken, NJ, February 28, 2020 –

Echoing the sentiments of Democratic candidates Biden, Bloomberg, Klobuchar and Buttigieg from their debate podiums in South Carolina earlier this week, healthcare expert and author, Edward Eichhorn, spoke of the ills of Medicare-for-all as a guest lecturer yesterday at the School of Business on the campus of the Stevens Institute of Technology in

Hoboken, NJ.

Said Eichhorn: “It is time for us to embrace a practical universal healthcare plan for America that maintains choice and reduces cost. The Eichhorn & Hutchinson plan does that. Medicare-for-all does not.”

The Healing American Healthcare Coalition endorses what it refers to as a well-conceived universal healthcare plan co-authored by Mr. Eichhorn and Dr. Michael Hutchinson. According to the Coalition, if the United States were to adopt this approach, employers would be required to provide healthcare plans, but could choose between being self-insured, buying private insurance, or selecting a competitive public option.

By fostering competition in the private insurance market with a cost-effective public option, the Eichhorn-Hutchinson plan is expected to reduce employer healthcare costs by as much as 30%.

The Coalition believes that implementing the Eichhorn-Hutchinson universal healthcare plan would not lead to an increase in government funding, and it is likely that federal and state costs for Medicaid would actually decline. In total, it’s estimated that the Eichhorn-Hutchinson plan could save up to

one trillion dollars

per year.

Key Outcomes Under the Eichhorn-Hutchinson Plan

All employers provide health insurance

Public option funded by tax on employers who choose this option for their employees

Substantially

lower

than current health care costs incurred by employers

Public option will create price competition

Preserves a role for private insurers

Healthcare costs can be reduced to 12 percent of GDP over ten years (from the current 19%)

Medical billing will be simplified

Medical-related bankruptcies in the U.S. will decrease by 50 percent

Drug prices will be negotiated on a national level

Life expectancy in the U.S. will improve

Insurance premiums will decrease by as much as 30 percent

Up to one trillion dollars in cost reduction annually

For more information about the Eichhorn-Hutchinson plan visit

HealingAmericanHealthcare.org

About Healing American Healthcare Coalition

The Healing American Healthcare Coalition is an independent organization dedicated to providing its members with timely and insightful information and reports concerning universal healthcare proposals and programs. The Coalition is not a political action committee, nor is it affiliated with any political party. The Coalition’s mission is to be a trusted objective source regarding the current discussions on potential healthcare initiatives that could have an impact on the health and well-being of Americans today and in the future.

Public Support for Program to Cut Pollution/Modernize Transportation in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States

“It’s a Big Hit!”: More Than 9 Out of 10 Back Transportation & Climate Initiative

WASHINGTON, DC – February 28, 2019 – The message from residents of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to lawmakers couldn’t be clearer: The proposed Transportation & Climate Initiative cap-and-invest program to modernize transportation in the region is a winner.

A strong 91 percent of public comments from 12 states and the District of Columbia support the Transportation & Climate Initiative’s policy, according to a review by the Our Transportation Future (OTF) coalition of the 8,308 public comments filed

in the public portal

since mid-December.

An improved regional transportation system would mean more electric cars and trucks and charging infrastructure, reliable mass transit, walkable and bikeable communities, less congestion and pollution, and increased investments in projects that connect everyone, including those in underserved and rural areas.

Speaking on behalf of OTF, Jordan Stutt, carbon program director, Acadia Center said: “For elected officials who have been waiting on the close of the comment period to gauge public sentiment, the outcome could not be clearer: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Americans want to fix our dirty and broken transportation system. No amount of oil industry-funded propaganda will change the fact that there is overwhelming public support for the important goals of the Transportation & Climate Initiative. It’s a big hit.”

OTF reviewed the comments submitted through an online portal between December 17, 2019 (when the states released a

draft memorandum of understanding

) and 9 a.m. ET today (which had previously been announced as the target deadline date for comment submissions). The 12 states are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

A sampling of comments from the public includes:

“…People in northern New England would be willing to utilize affordable public transportation if it was an option. Connecting the mid-Atlantic would also increase people\’s ability to travel and spend money in other states, which would ultimately boost the economy. Lastly, it would allow people with medical conditions, disabilities or other impairments to access more services in a greater area because there would be accessible and affordable public transportation. Please consider funding this project and allowing residents in even some of the most rural areas to be able to access public transportation …”

Alexandra Sturtevant, Portland, ME

“We need to focus on reducing pollution from transportation for climate sake, as well as to ensure our communities are livable. Maryland should formally join the plan to reduce emissions and should take important actions to ensure the protection of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Any transportation policy should prioritize clean investments and should assist those areas that don\’t have access to clean investments. I appreciate the bipartisan creation of this policy and stress the need for regions to move forward, especially at a time when our federal government seems to be reversing course.”

Ed Trever, Silver Spring, MD

“As a member of the Republican party, I strongly support the Transportation and Climate Initiative. I have grandchildren, and I want them to live long, happy lives, where they don\’t have to worry about the status of our planet. I want them to have clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. Even though this program may raise gas prices, I think what we have to gain from doing so is more important than a few extra dollars spent. I think this is a relatively conservative approach to climate change, and is a market-based solution, which I appreciate as a conservative. I think that New York should join TCI, and that other states should consider joining as well.”

Paulette Arena, Rochester, NY

“I strongly support the TCI and hope that it is implemented. Not only will it help to address emissions from the transportation sector (the largest source of emissions in Massachusetts and across the region), but it will also raise funds that are desperately [sic] needed to upgrade public transportation as well as to transition to being powered by 100% clean renewable energy…”

Logan Malik, Great Barrington, MA

“TCI is a once in a generation opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and re-invest funds to much needed transit improvements, including safe and reliable public transportation, electric vehicle infrastructure, and ‘Complete Streets’ for bikers and pedestrians. Unreliable transit is taking time residents should be spending at work or with their families. Those without choices have to drive and the resulting traffic congestion is further damaging our environment, public health, and quality of life. Please choose the most aggressive greenhouse gas emissions cap. Please make sure the [sic] TCI policy has equity and investment in overburdened and under-served communities as a first and foremost priority.”

– Sara Holmes, Chester, CT

Members of the public were asked to weigh in with their support or opposition to the draft policy via a comment portal organized by the

Georgetown Climate Center by February 28th

Our Transportation Future

is a coalition of 74 local, regional, and national organizations committed to modernizing transportation across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. OTF is focused on improving our transportation system — the ways we move people and goods in the region – to spur economic growth, make us healthier and safer, clean up the environment, and improve our quality of life.

COVID-19 a Reminder of the Challenge of Emerging Infectious Diseases

This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like.

NIAID-RML

What

The emergence and rapid increase in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus, pose complex challenges to the global public health, research and medical communities, write federal scientists from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Their commentary appears in

The New England Journal of Medicine.

NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Special Projects H. Clifford Lane, M.D., and CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D., shared their observations in the context of a recently published

report

on the early transmission dynamics of COVID-19. The report provided detailed clinical and epidemiological information about the first 425 cases to arise in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

In response to the outbreak, the United States and other countries instituted temporary travel restrictions, which may have slowed the spread of COVID-19 somewhat, the authors note. However, given the apparent efficiency of virus transmission, everyone should be prepared for COVID-19 to gain a foothold throughout the world, including in the United States, they add. If the disease begins to spread in U.S. communities, containment may no longer be a realistic goal and response efforts likely will need to transition to various mitigation strategies, which could include isolating ill people at home, closing schools and encouraging telework, the officials write.

Drs. Fauci, Lane and Redfield point to the many research efforts now underway to address COVID-19. These include numerous vaccine candidates proceeding toward early-stage clinical trials as well as clinical trials already underway to test candidate therapeutics, including an

NIAID-sponsored trial of the experimental

antiviral drug remdesivir that began enrolling participants on February 21, 2020.

“The COVID-19 outbreak is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenge of emerging and re-emerging infectious pathogens and the need for constant surveillance, prompt diagnosis and robust research to understand the basic biology of new organisms and our susceptibilities to them, as well as to develop effective countermeasures,” the authors conclude.

Article

AS Fauci

et al.

COVID-19: Navigating the uncharted.

The New England Journal of Medicine.

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2002387 (2020).

Q Li

et al.

Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia

The New England Journal of Medicine.

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001316 (2020).