Top NY Dems have not voted in recent elections

The state Democratic Party needs to send menacing get-out-the-vote letters to a new group of slackers — its own leaders.

A Post review of Board of Elections records found that Democratic Party brass — including state party Chairman David Paterson and Brooklyn Democratic leader Frank Seddio — didn’t vote in recent elections.

The revelation comes a day after it was disclosed that the state Democratic Party sent threatening letters to a million voters warning it was going to monitor whether they voted on Tuesday.

Party leaders could have used the same warning. Records show Paterson skipped last year’s Democratic runoff election for public advocate between Letitia James and Daniel Squadron.

Paterson, who served as governor from 2008 to 2010, also didn’t vote in the 2005 race for mayor, when Mayor Michael Bloomberg defeated Democrat Fernando Ferrer, official records show.

Soon after he became the Brooklyn Democratic leader, Seddio missed a chance in 2012 to pull the lever for President Obama.

“Frank was managing several campaigns that day,” said Seddio spokesman George Arzt. “When he went to vote, the lines were extremely long and the waiting time was an hour and a half. He had to get back to campaign operations.”

Government watchdogs slammed the Democratic power brokers’ hypocrisy.

“The party leaders need to practice what they preach,” said Citizens Union director Dick Dadey. “It doesn’t send a good message when you’re asking other people to vote and you don’t vote yourself.”

Paterson declined to comment.

Carl HeastiePhoto: Robert Kalfus

Two other borough Democratic Party leaders — Carl Heastie of The Bronx and Keith Wright of Manhattan — also missed votes, according to board records.

But both insisted the records were wrong and said they had cast ballots.

Heastie, who otherwise has an unblemished voting record, was recorded as not voting in the November 2013 mayoral election.

“I voted in the general election,” said Heastie, a Bronx assemblyman.

Wright was recorded as absent in the hotly contested 2008 presidential primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

But Wright said he not only voted in that election, but “I vote in each and every election. I bring my wife and two children with me.”

Denise Browne, who coordinated polling operations in Harlem that day, vouched for Wright, saying she saw him vote.

Rep. Joe Crowley, the Queens Democratic Party chairman, was listed as not voting in the 2009 runoff for comptroller. Crowley declined to comment.

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Annual Village Halloween Parade Steps Off Tonight

It’s Halloween and that means ghosts, goblins and all kinds of other creatures will be making their way to Greenwich Village tonight for the 41st annual Village Halloween Parade.

The parade starts at 7 p.m. and runs along Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street.

Anyone is welcome to march in the parade as long as they are wearing a costume.

The lineup section runs from Canal Street to Spring.

This year’s theme is the Garden of Earthly Delights and the grand marshal is Whoopi Goldberg.

As usual NY1 will bring you the festivities live.

The station’s parade show will be hosted by Pat Kiernan, Jamie Stelter, Roger Clark, and Stephanie Simon.

They will all be dressed as characters from the Broadway show “On the Town.”

NY1′s live coverage begins tonight at 8 p.m. and runs until 9:30 p.m.

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NYPD Shakeup as Chief of Department Steps Down

The New York City Police Department’s highest ranking uniformed officer, a 28-year veteran of the force, announced Friday he is stepping down.

As first reported by NY1, Philip Banks was expected to become first deputy commissioner, the number two spot on paper.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Banks said, “Thanks for your support, the men and women of the #NYPD are truly the Finest, but due to professional reasons I have decided to retire.”

Speaking to reporters outside 1 Police Plaza on Friday, Police Commissioner William Bratton said the resignation came as a surprise.

“Basically after a great contemplation, a discussion with his family and thinking about the position that he opted that he did not feel it was for him,” Bratton said.

The first deputy position is sometimes perceived as having lower visibility by some in the department, though Bratton quickly disputed such claims.

“To be quite frank I could care less what others impressions or anybody talking to you. I’m a police commissioner so I know what that position means to me. It’s the key advisory position to me and one that I need a person whose competence and advice can trust,” Bratton said.

In a statement, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, in part, “We were disappointed to hear of Chief Philip Banks’ personal decision to step down. He has served New York City admirably during his nearly 30 years on the force, and we were enthusiastic about the leadership and energy he would have brought to the position of First Deputy Commissioner.”

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Ex-NYPD chief of patrol dies at 67

Former NYPD Chief of Patrol, Robert Gianelli died of a heart attack in his Long Island home Thursday. He was 67.

The Bronx born cop joined New York’s Finest is 1968 and quickly climbed the ranks ending his career in 2010 with over 40 years of service.

His daughter Sarah said her father “Always put God first, family second, and the NYPD third.”

Gianelli was first promoted to Sergeant in November 1974. Ten years later he became a Captain. The father of four later served as the executive officer of the Detective Bureau before being promoted to Chief of Patrol in 2007.

He worked on some of the city’s biggest cases including the Zodiac Killer and TWA Flight 800, his daughter Sarah Gianelli,36, explained.

“He loved the Post. He would buy me an egg sandwich and a copy of the New York Times and would say, ‘When you’re done reading that rag and want to read a real newspaper, you read the Post.” She recalled.

“He read the Post every morning,” she said.

He is survived by his wife Patricia of 41 years, and their four adult children, Sarah, Emily, Jacob and Robert Gianelli.

Funeral services will be held at M.A. Connell in Huntington Station, Monday and Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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$2 million deal reached in 101-degree jail cell death of veteran

NEW YORK — The city on Friday reached a $ 2.25 million settlement with the mother of a mentally ill, homeless former U.S. Marine who died earlier this year in a 101-degree jail cell, the comptroller said.

Jerome Murdough, 56, died in a mental observation unit on Rikers Island jail. Officials said he wasn’t checked on for at least four hours. He was found slumped at the foot of his bed with a pool of vomit and blood on the floor on Feb. 15 with an internal body temperature of 103 degrees.

His mother, Alma, filed initial papers to sue the city for $ 25 million over her son’s death.

“Following a thorough review of the claim and facts of this case, my office has reached a settlement with the estate of Jerome Murdough,” City Comptroller Scott Stringer said. “A mother lost a son, the city lost a citizen. It is my hope that this settlement provides some small measure of closure for the family of Mr. Murdough. The expedited resolution of this case is in the best interest of all parties.”

The Associated Press was first to report on suspicions of Murdough’s death. He died a week after he was sent to Rikers on a misdemeanor trespassing arrest after being unable to pay $ 2,500 bail. An official, speaking to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t permitted to discuss the case, said at the time Murdough “basically baked to death.”

He had suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to his family, and was on psychotropic drugs that experts say make people on them more sensitive to heat.

The medical examiner ruled the death was caused by hyperthermia due to environmental exposure to heat. His medication also played a role. The death was ruled accidental.

Murdough’s death and the death of another mentally ill inmate who died after sexually mutilating himself while locked alone for seven days in a Rikers cell last fall have prompted calls for jail reform. City Council hearings were convened to examine violent conditions at the jail complex and treatment of mentally ill inmates.

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NY1 Exclusive: NYPD Chief of Department Stepping Down

The NYPD’s Chief of Department, Philip Banks, will be resigning his position, sources tell NY1.

A 28-year veteran of the department, Banks was expected to become first deputy commissioner, the number two spot on paper.

The position is sometimes perceived as having lower visibility.

Details surrounding the decision have not been released.

NY1 will continue to follow this developing story.

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Police Catch Man Suspected in Manhattan Sex Assault

Police have arrested the man wanted for a sexual assault near Columbia University earlier this week.

Police say Allen Taylor, 27, is charged with attempted rape, burglary and sexual abuse.

Investigators say he followed a woman into her apartment building on West 113th Street just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Once inside the vestibule, police say he fondled the victim then tried to remove her bra before running away.

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Times Square character to sue city for $2M over ‘false arrest’

A costumed Times Square panhandler who twice tussled with cops while posing with tourists for tips plans to sue the city and the NYPD for $ 2 million, claiming false arrest.

José Escalona-Martinez was dressed as Spider-Man on June 6 when he landed in jail for “aggressive begging.”

But the 41-year-old Harlem resident says that if anyone was doing any hassling, it was the tourists.

He had just finished a shift in Times Square and was headed to a gym when a family of four pulled him aside, Manhattan Supreme Court papers say.

“I did not ask for a tip of any kind,” Escalona-Martinez recounts.

“After I posed for the photos, the couple then offered me payment, told me the amount they would pay, and, as I was making change for them, an NYPD officer approached and stated, ‘Give her the money back or I will arrest you.’ ”

After protesting that he never demanded payment, another cop said, “Take him in, he talks too much,” Escalona-Martinez claims.

He was acquitted after a bench trial in October.

His lawsuit does not mention that Escalona-Martinez was busted again in September for getting into a fight with two pedestrians.

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Source: Brooklyn DA Loretta Lynch Being Considered For U.S. Attorney General

Could the head federal prosecutor in Brooklyn be headed to Washington to be part of President Barack Obama’s cabinet?

A source familiar with the process tells NY1 that Loretta Lynch is being considered as a nominee to be the nation’s next Attorney General.

The 55-year-old has served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York since 2010.

If selected she would become the first black woman to lead the U.S. Justice Department.

Eric Holder is stepping down as soon as his successor is confirmed.

He’s been the Attorney General since Obama took office.

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Top Brooklyn DA investigator busted for shoplifting

A top investigator in the Brooklyn DA’s office — who is also the half-sister of the man who died while running from a white mob during the Howard Beach race riots — was busted for shoplifting from a Nassau County Walmart this week, police said Thursday.

Det. Brenda Sandiford Crockwell, 33, used the self-checkout aisle at the Green Acres Mall store in Valley Stream Tuesday, but only scanned half her items before heading to the parking lot, a source said.

“The video is damaging,” the source said. “There’s no way she did it by accident.”

Crockwell and two other relatives were all given jobs by then-Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes after Michael Griffith, 23, who is black, was fatally chased into traffic by four white teenagers in the Howard Beach section of Queens in 1986.

Griffith’s brother, Chris, was fired earlier this year by incoming DA Ken Thompson; Griffith’s mother, Jean Griffith Sandiford, continues to work in the DA’s community affairs office.

‘This is an example of how politically corrupt the office was under Hynes,” the source said of the Griffith relative hirings. “They were all terrible at their jobs,” the source added.

Crockwell, who was hired in 2004, and makes $ 72,000 a year, was charged with a single count of petit larceny, and must show up at First District Court in Hempstead on Nov. 20, according to a spokeswoman for Nassau police.

She has been suspended without pay pending the case’s outcome, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn DA’s office said.

A spokesman for Hynes declined to comment.

Additional reporting by Laura Italiano

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Top Brooklyn DA investigator busted for shoplifting

A top investigator in the Brooklyn DA’s office — who is also the half-sister of the man who died while running from a white mob during the Howard Beach race riots — was busted for shoplifting from a Nassau County Walmart this week, police said Thursday.

Det. Brenda Sandiford Crockwell, 33, used the self-checkout aisle at the Green Acres Mall store in Valley Stream Tuesday, but only scanned half her items before heading to the parking lot, a source said.

“The video is damaging,” the source said. “There’s no way she did it by accident.”

Crockwell and two other relatives were all given jobs by then-Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes after Michael Griffith, 23, who is black, was fatally chased into traffic by four white teenagers in the Howard Beach section of Queens in 1986.

Griffith’s brother, Chris, was fired earlier this year by incoming DA Ken Thompson; Griffith’s mother, Jean Griffith Sandiford, continues to work in the DA’s community affairs office.

‘This is an example of how politically corrupt the office was under Hynes,” the source said of the Griffith relative hirings. “They were all terrible at their jobs,” the source added.

Crockwell, who was hired in 2004, and makes $ 72,000 a year, was charged with a single count of petit larceny, and must show up at First District Court in Hempstead on Nov. 20, according to a spokeswoman for Nassau police.

She has been suspended without pay pending the case’s outcome, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn DA’s office said.

A spokesman for Hynes declined to comment.

Additional reporting by Laura Italiano

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Schneiderman, Cahill Spar Repeatedly in Attorney General Debate

Gun control and political favoritism were among the topics that elicited pointed exchanges as New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman faced off against Republican challenger John Cahill in an often-contentious debate Thursday night at Hibert College outside Buffalo.

The hour-long debate was carried live on NY1 News, NY1 Noticias, and Time Warner Cable News stations across the state.

Cahill, a former top aide to Governor George Pataki and previously the state’s environmental commissioner, accused Schneiderman of failing to effect positive change following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. He noted Schneiderman’s support of the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act that resulted from the shootings, and said that the law had been a burden on law enforcement and gun owners.

“I believe the rights of all New Yorkers should be respected, and that includes lawful gun owners,” Cahill said.

In response, Schneiderman described how he had worked with gun show operators to close loopholes in the law that allowed criminals easier access to firearms.

Cahill also asked Schneiderman to pledge that he would never run for higher office, saying that the attorney general’s office should not be a political stepping stone. Schneiderman didn’t respond directly, but similarly asked Cahill to disclose recent clients from his private practice to ensure there would be no potential conflict of interest with energy companies and other clients that as attorney general he would have to regulate.

When Cahill pressed him forcefully on the issue, Schneiderman responded, “I am the top law enforcement officer in the state, and I would appreciate a little respect.”

Schneiderman at one point worked to tie Cahill to the conservative tentpoles of the Republican platform, including opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

“Yes I am Catholic, but I will uphold the laws of the state,” Cahill said. “I will uphold New Yorkers’ rights to reproductive healthcare and same-sex marriage.”

“It’s not enough to sit back and wait,” Schneiderman replied. “This is the time to defend women’s rights.”

Heading into the campaign, Schneiderman was thought to be the most vulnerable of the three Democratic incumbent statewide officials seeking re-election. But he has maintained a big lead in polls throughout the fall.

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Massive drill bit nearly skewers packed subway car

That was a “bit” too close for comfort!

A giant drill bit nearly skewered an F train packed with passengers when an MTA contractor missed its mark while digging a well, officials said on Thursday.

The train, which was loaded with around 800 passengers, had just pulled out of the 21st Street-Queensbridge station in Long Island City around 11:45 a.m. Thursday when the drill came spiraling through the top of the tunnel and narrowly missed penetrating the top of one of the train cars.

The operator heard a thundering noise on the roof and stopped the subway with the emergency brakes — and then discovered the drill extending from the roof of the tunnel to the floor, which struck down just inches from the side of the train, officials said.

The bit, which measures 10 inches in diameter, shattered the glass of several of the train’s windows and gouged its steel frame, the MTA said.

Officials blamed contracting company Griffin Dewatering New England Inc. for the nearly tragic blunder, adding that the crew was working from above ground to extend an underground well as part of the East Side Access project.

The project is supposed to connect Long Island Rail Road with Grand Central Terminal.

“Somebody made a mistake; maybe a surveyor or a field engineer,” said a source. “They drilled into the street but didn’t realize they were right over the F train tunnel. They weren’t supposed to be in that spot.”

The passengers were forced to walk through a rescue train that pulled up behind the halted train which made it only 700 feet from the 21st Street station, and gave them passage back to the platform.

Northbound F train service was halted for hours as the MTA investigated the bizarre mishap before being fully restored Thursday evening.

Workers from Griffin Dewatering installed a steel plate to fill in the misplaced hole.

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Bronx Students Accused of Rape in School Auditorium

Authorities are investigating reports of rape inside a Bronx school building earlier this month.

Police say it happened at 1000 Teller Avenue in Concourse Village, a building that houses CJHS 145, MS 325 and MS 328.

Investigators say two teenaged boys – ages 13 and 14 – are accused of sexually assaulting two girls – ages 12 and 13 – inside the facilities auditorium.

The girls were taken to Lincoln Medical Center for evaluation.

The boys are facing charges of rape and committing criminal sex acts.

Police say the assault happened on October 16, but this was the first some say they have heard about it.

“Nothing was sent home for my son, or no knowledge. We were just upstairs with the teachers and nothing was told to us. And this is ridiculous,” said one parent.

“Nowadays nothing is really shocking but that is shocking to hear, of a bunch of kids doing that,” said another parent.

“Matter of fact my heart is beating. Wow. I can’t believe it,” noted a third parent.

In a statement, Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said she was disturbed by the news, adding, in part, “As a mother and grandmother, I treat every student as my own and every school must be a safe haven. The NYPD is addressing this matter, and we have provided additional guidance counselors and support to the school.”

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5-year-old who tested negative for Ebola released from hospital

The 5-year-old boy who was treated for a respiratory illness at Bellevue Hospital after testing negative for Ebola was released from the hospital Thursday.

The boy no longer needs to be hospitalized but will be actively monitored along with his mother and a sibling, according to the city Health Department and Health and Hospitals Corp. The family had returned from Guinea within the last 21 days.

Meanwhile, the city is monitoring 117 people for signs of Ebola after most of them arrived since Oct.11 from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the West African countries ravaged by the deadly disease, according to the mayor’s office.

Active monitoring means the state or a local public health authority establishes regular communication with the individuals, rather than relying on them to self-monitor and report symptoms.

“It ensures that health officials can respond rapidly in case a person who is at risk becomes ill, so they can be isolated and evaluated before they become contagious,” city spokesman Marti Adams said in a statement.

The list includes Bellevue Hospital workers caring for Dr. Craig Spencer, New York City’s first and only confirmed case of Ebola. He remains in serious but stable condition.

Craig, who treated patients in Guinea, tested positive positive last week after returning to his home in Harlem.

Also being monitored are the workers who took Spencer to the hospital, the lab workers who handled his blood, and his fiancée and two friends.

All of those on the list have shown any symptoms, the city said. They are being monitored “out of an abundance of caution,” Adams said in the statement.

“The number of people being monitored is subject to change on a daily basis as more travelers from the countries affected by Ebola arrive in the city, as travelers leave the city and as the 21-day incubation period ends for people already being monitored,” he said.

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Man accused of 1986 murder walks free after judge’s ruling

A man brought to ​face cold-case ​justice by the determined daughter of an Inwood restaurateur​ shot to death in 1986 was released on Thursday with all charges dropped.

Justo Santos, a 44-year-old Miami janitor, walked free after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Robert Stolz ruled that prosecutors ​here ​failed to build a case against the former fugitive in a timely manner.

“I reached a conclusion that the law compelled me to dismiss the indictment,” Stolz said.

Santos was arrested last year after victim Jose Martinez’s daughter, Joselyn hunted down the defendant through online records.

Back in 1986, Santos ​was ​quickly named a suspect by cops but he fled for the Dominican Republic before he could be arrested.

Joselyn Martinez said she was braced for Thursday’s stunning ruling.

Joselyn MartinezPhoto: Steven Hirsch

“A murderer was just let out today after 26 years of waiting for justice and all the hard work and what we’ve gone through a murderer was just let go today,” she said. “I’m not surprised I prepared myself for the worst.”

She added: “This diminishes the pain that we’ve gone through and how he’s killed a human being.”

During a hearing weighing the charges against Santos, he ​said his life had been ruined by Joselyn’s incredible determination.

Santos’ three sons and wife greeted him when he was released from custody. His family has been living in a homeless shelter since his arrest.

“I’m glad the decision was made in my favor and I just want to be with my family,” he said.

“Of course. nobody wants to kill anybody but it was self-defense.”

Santos continued to claim he’s now the victim.

He was arrested for Martinez’s killing in the Dominican Republic in 1988, under laws there that allow for a Dominican to be tried for killing a fellow countryman, even on foreign soil.

Santos was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the Dominican Republic and did a year behind bars there, before eventually moving to Miami.

“I’ve lost everything,” Santos whined. “I’ve been in prison for 17 months and as you know I was already tried and convicted in the Dominican Republic.”

Manhattan DA Cy Vance said his office will consider an appeal. He thanked Joselyn Martinez for her valiant efforts to seek justice for her dad.

“We have supported the victim’s daughter in her personal quest for justice, because we believe cold cases should not be forgotten cases,” Vance said.

“I would like to thank Ms. Martinez for her perseverance and her dedication to finding her father’s killer. While we respect the decision of the court today, we will closely review it and consider our appellate options.”

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New York Archdiocese to Consolidate Multiple Parishes

The Archdiocese of New York is preparing to close and merge a number of its parishes.

In an article in Catholic New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan says the Archdiocese is making plans to consolidate 14 percent of its 368 parishes.

That means about 50 parishes will be affected.

Dolan says there are too many parishes in neighborhoods where there are fewer Catholics.

In the article, he writes, “Families do it, our schools have done it, corporations do it — now our parishes must do it: We merge in the areas where the population has shrunk, and build and expand in areas where the Catholic numbers are bustling.”

Dolan also points out that by merging parishes, more resources can be directed towards services including schools, charities, and outreach programs.

The Archdiocese has not yet released the names of the parishes that will be merged.

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Officer Injured in Hatchet Attack Discharged from Hospital

The police officer injured during a hatchet attack last week was discharged from the hospital Wednesday.

Officer Kenneth Healey left Jamaica Hospital to the cheers of his fellow officers.

He will continue his recovery at a rehab facility.

Healey was injured last Thursday when police say Zale Thompson used a hatchet to attack a group of rookie cops on Jamaica Avenue.

Thompson was shot and killed by police on scene.

“Officer Healey was very grievously wounded but his treatment has continued successfully. It will be a long road back with challenges, but I spoke to his father both at the hospital and then a couple of days ago. Officer Healey is doing well—tremendous spirit, tremendous

The mayor says the second police officer injured by Thompson and an injured bystander are doing well.

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Former LICH, Now NYU Langone Emergency Department to Open Friday

At long last, the walk-in emergency department at the former Long Island College Hospital is scheduled to offer full emergency services starting on Friday.

NYU Langone signed a lease earlier this month to operate at the site which will be now called “NYU Langone-Cobble Hill.”

It will be open 24-hours a day, seven days a week and staffed by more than 100 employees.

NYU Langone says it will be prepared to take care of patients, but will have ambulances on site if they need to be transferred to other hospitals for further services.

NYU plans to construct a new permanent medical facility by late 2017 or early 2018 that will employ 70 doctors and a total staff of 400.

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Cuomo, de Blasio hold events touting Sandy recovery efforts

This hurricane isn’t big enough for both of them.

Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio held separate press conferences Wednesday on Staten Island to promote Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

Cuomo touted the state’s $ 570 million investment in resiliency projects in the borough in front of legislators and residents as a backhoe ripped the roof off of one empty home.

That event began at 11 a.m.

An hour later and four miles away, de Blasio announced progress in the city’s Build it Back housing reconstruction program

.

“What he is rightfully talking about today is the great effort the state made in terms of the buyout program,” the mayor said of the governor.

“That’s a different thing than what the city does. We’re talking Build it Back and the resiliency efforts that we’re coordinating . . . the cooperation levels are very, very strong.”

A de Blasio spokesman said City Hall told state officials about the mayor’s event earlier this week.

But when a reporter asked Cuomo if he spoke with the mayor about coordinating events, the governor said, “I did not.”

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New Yorkers Gather to Commemorate Hurricane Sandy

New Yorkers mark the anniversary the same way many survived the storm—by coming together. Vigils were held all across the city. NY1′s Michael Herzenberg filed the following report from Red Hook.

Families and floats march down once flooded streets in Red Hook.

“The storm ruined this place for a period of time,” one man says.

The revelers say there’s reason to celebrate the spirit of a tight knit community, though.

“I’m here today because Redhook came back stronger and better,” says another resident.

“A lot of people know each other and we stick together so that’s why we’re here,” the man says.

A ceremony on the lower east side honored the struggle many residents had.

Few expected Sandy to impact the area but building basements flooded, knocking out utility services and elevators for hundreds of apartments on upper floors.

It took some buildings weeks to recover.

“We still have a long way to go, but its just good to be here and celebrate and commemorate,” says resident Nereida Cancel.

Gerritsen beach was one of the hardest hit areas of the city.

A mother and long time resident brings her boy back just for a visit.

“I want to see no more hurricanes,” says Matthew Cherichetti.

The Cherichetti’s still don’t live in the shell that was their home.

“The whole thing is just insane and there’s no end in sight,” Tami Cherichetti says.

They were mired in build it backs initial confusion and inefficiency.

Now they have chose a private contractor for the city’s assistance program only allowed because of the recent overhaul of Build It Back.

They say the process remains complicated and they’re appealing the settlement award while husband and wife still live separately.

“My kids are miserable. I can’t live with my husband. I’m done. How much more miserable could you be?” Tami Cherichetti says.

“My heart breaks for these people,” says Jamison Wells of the nonprofit Gerritsen Beach Cares.

Gerritsen Beach Cares estimates 100 of the 1,850 families here are still not in their homes.

“It’s going slowly, but I have to say they are doing a wonderful job fixing what was wrong with the program,” Wells says.

Build It Back says it has made settlement offers to the nearly half of the 14,000 active applicants. It plans to issue settlement checks to all of those eligible by the end of next year.

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NYPD cop hacked by ax attack leaves hospital to cheers

The rookie cop who was hacked in the head by a hatchet-swinging terrorist left a Queens hospital Wednesday as hundreds of fellow officers cheered him on.

Wrapped in bandages, Kenneth Healey, 25, of Oceanside, LI, smiled and waved at Jamaica Hospital before climbing into an ambulance bound for a rehab center.

“It’s a miracle. The kid has a strong personality that will help him fight through the pain,” said Pat Lynch, president of the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

“He’s talking, he’s eating and he’s coming along,” he said.

Healey was moved to North Shore Hospital in Manhasset, where he faces weeks of physical therapy but is expected to recover, said Healey’s uncle, Patrick Shea, 48, a former NYPD detective.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” Shea said. “We didn’t know if he was going to survive in the beginning.”

Now, the uncle said, “I’m sure he’s going to make a full recovery. That’s his goal, to go back to work.”

Healey and three other cops were attacked by Muslim extremist Zale Thompson, 32, on Oct.23.

After the madman chopped the back of Healey’s head with a hatchet, he was shot dead. Of the wounded cops, Healey’s injuries were the most serious.

On Wednesday, a police bagpipe band played as Healey stepped out of his wheelchair and into an ambulance on his own.

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Failed politician Noah Gotbaum trashed UWS townhouse: suit

Noah Gotbaum, a failed politician and stepson of former Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, trashed an Upper West Side townhouse he was renting with his fiancée, leaving the $ 23,000-a-month pad looking like a frat house after a kegger, a new lawsuit claims.

Noah Gotbaum and Lindsay Marx rented the 5,000-square-foot home at 330 W. 87th St. from July 2012 to June 2014, landlord Sharon Chinn says in her suit.

Her lawyer, Gary Wachtel, said Gotbaum, who also moved his kids and dog into the pad, broke the lease by using it as a campaign headquarters.

The Democrat lost a bid for City Council to Helen Rosenthal in 2013.

After failing to pay the last month’s rent and late charges, Chinn was shocked to find over $ 140,000 in damage, according to her Manhattan Supreme Court suit.

Court papers detail the alleged destruction: a broken gas barbecue, stained mattresses, damaged wood cabinet doors, cracked tiles, a bent washer door, missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, scuffed wood flooring, dented Sheetrock and more.

She’s suing to cover the costs of repairs plus $ 20,000 in legal fees.

Gotbaum, 55, called the allegations “outrageous.”

“Talk about frivolous,” he fumed in an interview with The Post.

“The house was left in better condition then when she gave it to us,” he said, adding that he paid “every penny” of rent.

The Yale University MBA was pulled over for driving with a suspended license in 2013 while he was running for City Council.

His first wife, Carol Gotbaum, died in a tragic incident in 2007 after she was put in a holding cell at a Phoenix airport.

Carol, an alcoholic, was on her way to a rehab clinic. The family’s lawyer charged airport police with causing her death by cutting off her breathing with the shackles.

Gotbaum had said her death is what spurred him on to seek public office.

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Federal Buildings to See Added Security Presence

Federal buildings around the country including here in the city will be seeing extra security in the wake of last week’s attack on Canada’s Parliament building.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson calls the extra measures a precautionary step.

He says they will vary by location and the effort will be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis.

The increased patrols come as terror groups ramp up their calls for attacks on U.S. law enforcement and government officials.

Johnson is also calling on police around the country to be on the lookout for small-scale attacks.

The beefed up security comes a week after a gunman killed a soldier at Canada’s National War Memorial before storming the Parliament building.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called the shooting a terrorist attack.

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Woman in Hoffman raid puts drugs, boyfriend behind her

​She’s making a clean break.

A ​young ​Parsons School ​of Design ​student ​has quit drugs and dumped ​her ​bad​-​boy boyfriend ​– ​who was arrested ​with her ​in a raid involving Philip Seymour Hoffman’s accused heroin dealer​, ​The Post has learned.​​

The romance of hipsters Juliana Luchkiw and Max Rosenblum, both 23, didn’t survive their legal woes and the media maelstrom, sour​​ces said.

Luchkiw appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday where Justice Edward McLaughlin reduced the charge against her from cocaine possession to disorderedly conduct and sentenced her to time served as part of a plea deal.

The pretty brunette, sporting a stylish black wig, completed a required drug treatment program and has been excelling in school, said her lawyer Stephen Turano.

Juliana Luchkiw and now ex-boyfriend Max Rosenblum, right, are seen in Manhattan Criminal Court following their arrest on drug charges in February.Photo: Steven Hirsch

“She’s doing quite well,” Turano told the court. “She’s pursuing two degrees. a bachelors of fine arts and bachelors in design at Parsons and the New School. She intends to go to graduate school.”

In an effort to clean up her life, the daughter of a successful New Jersey lawyer and a doctor ditched her troubled boyfriend. Rosenblum is distraught over the breakup, sources said.

The former lovebirds were busted when cops raided their apartment last February as part of a sweep of the Mott Street building of Hoffman’s suspected drug dealer Robert Vineberg — after the beloved actor’s fatal heroin overdose.

No evidence ever emerged that the trio had any connection with the fatal batch of heroin that killed the “Capote” actor.

“I want to make it very clear not only was my client not involved in distribution of the deadly dose to Mr. Hoffman, she was never involved in the distribution of narcotics to anyone,” said Turano as he left court.

Rosenblum also took a no-jail plea deal. And Vineberg, a friend of Hoffman, was diverted to a rehab program instead of jail. The jazz musician, who has recorded with Amy Winehouse and Wyclef Jean, had 250 glassines of heroin in his apartment, authorities said.

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City Marks Two Years Since Sandy Struck

It was two years ago today that Hurricane Sandy came ashore and to mark the anniversary, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered flags on all state government buildings to be flown at half-staff.

He has also called for a moment of silence at 8 tonight.

Both the Governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio are expected to visit parts of the city hard hit by the storm today.

Sandy came ashore on October 29, 2012 with strong winds and rain, and a record 13 foot storm surge.

It killed more than 60 people across the state, destroyed thousands of homes, and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Two years after Sandy hit, state health officials say about 700,000 New York residents are still experiencing mental health issues related to the storm.

The Mental Health Association of New York City launched a program last week called iHelp: Sandy Stress Relief.

The free program offers access to counselors and help with anxiety, substance abuse and other issues.

For more information go online to ihelpcbt.com or call 1-866-793-2765.

Meantime, City Comptroller Scott Stringer says the city must do more to protect itself from another storm like Sandy or face a devastating economic impact.

A new report by Stringer’s office says there are now 85-thousand buildings worth a combined value of nearly $ 130 billion in flood zones across the city.

There were 24,000 buildings worth nearly $ 60 billion in those zones before the flood maps were redrawn last year.

Stringer says the report underscores the urgent need for projects that can protect the city against future storms.

Those projects include a storm drainage system, and the construction of seawalls.

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Feds shutdown drug rehab kickback scheme

The feds filed suit Tuesday to shut down a kickback scheme that funneled tens of millions of dollars to a drug-treatment program called Narco Freedom, whose owner and his son were busted last week on charges that they pulled off a massive insurance fraud.

The operation allegedly forced homeless junkies to enroll in Medicaid-funded outpatient rehab in exchange for beds in 18 substandard shelters — known as “Freedom Houses” — that Narco runs in Brooklyn, Queens andThe Bronx.

The alleged scam dates to a least 2006, when Narco Freedom founder Alan Brand began opening the Freedom Houses, said Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara.

The Manhattan federal-court suit seeks an injunction barring Narco Freedom from making enrollment in its programs a condition for living in a Freedom House.

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City Announces Initiative Aiming to Curb Inmate Self-Harm

The city Department of Correction is experiencing a shakeup as the city announces a new initiative to keep inmates from harming themselves. NY1′s Michael Herzenberg filed the following report.

Johnny Perez, 35, just got out of prison last year.

“Feels good. Sort of a culture shock. Feels like I’ve been trapped in a time zone. Touch screens and all of that,” Perez says.

He spent his entire adult life behind bars—13 years. He spent two of them in Rikers and two months there in solitary confinement.

“The only human contact I had was basically when the officer came to my cell and gave me food through the slot on the door. The doctor comes by once a week and talks to me. You know, ‘Do you feel like killing yourself?’” Perez says.

The city says eight inmates at Rikers island did kill themselves between 2007 and 2011 and there were more than 2,500 instances of prisoners harming themselves.

The de Blasio administration says suicide in city jails is below the national average but instances of self harm have increased, so they hope a three-year project studying these “sentinel events” will help.

“Sentinel events is a method which is designed to be non-blaming, so it’s not designed to be an investigation to assign blam. It’s designed to be a way of understanding the multiple causes of serious errors,” says Jim Parson, Vice President and Research Director of Vera Institute of Justice.

There have been serious errors at Rikers recently and consequences. The city Department of Investigation alleges some guards smuggled drugs. Charges have been filed.

Also two supervisors withheld information from a federal probe about violent incidents. One of them, William Clemons, appointed Chief of Department in May, announced his resignation on the same day as the announcement of the study.

“There still abuse going on at Rikers Island. That’s never change,” Perez says.

Former inmate Perez says he’s changed though by studying in jail. Now working for the nonprofit Urban Justice Center’s Mental Health Project, he’s optimistic the study of jail behavior will make a difference for others.

“I really hope so. I think that we have made some strides,” he says.

A $ 400,000 federal grant funds the study. Work begins next year.

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Charter advocates, teachers union are state’s biggest lobbying spenders

The fierce battle over control of public schools led to a torrent of more than $ 10 million in spending on lobbying in New York over just six months, according to a report released Tuesday.

The city and the teachers unions spent a combined $ 3.3 million trying to influence government officials in the first half of 2014 and was listed first in the state by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which released the report.

New York State United Teachers led the pack with $ 2.6 million.

The United Federation of Teachers, which represents teachers in the city, spent an additional $ 718,306.

But the semi-annual report didn’t tell the entire story.

Because of what officials called a snafu, the analysis didn’t capture spending from a major pro-charter-school advocacy group.

Families for Excellent Schools shelled out $ 5.95 million during the same period, dwarfing the union spending.

The group, while disclosing the spending in its bimonthly reports, did not list the totals in a semi-annual filing, a JCOPE spokesman said.

“Any discrepancy will be addressed by the commission,” the spokesman added.

The pro-charter organization said it fully complied with the law and insisted the semi-annual filing isn’t required.

Gov. Cuomo and the state Legislature have grappled with numerous touchy education issues in ­Albany this year.

Under pressure from the unions, Albany power brokers delayed for two years using Common Core standardized exams to rate teachers.

Union muscle also defeated a measure sought by private and parochial schools to provide tax credits to stimulate fund-raising at public as well as non-public schools.

The School Choice Coalition — representing private and parochial schools — spent $ 982,243 in a losing cause.

“When your issue is opposed by the Number 1 big-spending special-interest group in Albany, you have to spend money yourself,” said coalition spokesman Robert Bellafiore.

But charter-school advocates also claimed a major victory — and spent roughly $ 6 million to do it.

Cuomo and the Legislature passed a law requiring the city to provide space in public-school buildings for new and expanded charter schools, or cover their rent at private facilities.

Mayor de Blasio tried to deny several Success Academy charter schools space in public-school buildings — triggering a monumental Albany battle.

As part of its advocacy, Families for Excellent Schools spent $ 3.6 million in ads attacking the mayor.

The unions defended their spending.

“We lobby on behalf of 600,000 educators from pre-K all the way up to SUNY and CUNY. That’s in contrast to hedge-fund billionaires that are pouring millions of dollars into campaigns and issue advertising,” said NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn, referring to charter-school backers.

Families for Excellent Schools had no immediate comment.

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NY1 Exclusive: Medical Examiner’s Office to Match Families to Missing Persons

It’s called the nation’s silent mass disaster. Tens of thousands of unidentified people around the country in the custody of medical examiners. NY1 Criminal Justice Reporter Dean Meminger says there are more than a 1,000 such cases in the city. He spoke exclusively to staff at the ME’s office about the city’s first ever Missing Persons Day.

Hundreds have been buried without being identified. Now the city’s medical examiner office is urging New Yorkers and people from across the country to come forward if they have missing family or friends.

“In the last six years, we’ve done a very exhaustive audit of all the cases going back to 1990, and so from 1990 to the present we currently have about 1,200 long term unknown cases. These are individuals we really have no idea who they are,” says Benjamin Figura, the OCME Director of Identification.

The medical examiner’s office says it does have DNA samples of the 1,200 unidentified people. Now it just needs to compare those to DNA from family members to make a match. On Saturday November 8, the city’s ME is hosting it’s first ever Missing Persons Day.

“We are going to have the National Center for Missing and Exploited children here. We are gong to have the Department of Health. We’re going to have the Red Cross. The NYPD will be present as well as a multitude of volunteers that are going to come, whose job is to help families that are missing loved ones,” says Mark Desire, Assistant Director in the DNA Division of the OCME.

DNA technology is rapidly changing and making it possible to identify people who couldn’t be just a few years ago. New DNA samples were taken from bodies at the potter’s field on Hart Island in the Bronx, where the unclaimed or unknown are buried.

“We had those individuals disinterred from city burial, brought back to our office to do another examination and collect information that maybe we weren’t collecting back then, particularly DNA samples,” Figura says.

Those could also possibly match ten of thousands of missing people in other states. Families can show up and provide DNA on November 8.

“You just come in. You just provide a cotton swab. It is like a Q-Tip. It is soft. It goes inside the cheek cell and that’s all the sample we need. There is no blood. There is no pain,” says forensic scientist Jaime Renta.

For family members with missing loved ones it could be rather emotional for them coming here to the medical examiner’s office to talk about the situation, so there will be counselors and spiritual advisors here to help them cope.

“If there are any family members who can’t make it there that day, we’ll also be able to send a DNA collection kit to them at home,” says Desire.

To find out more about Missing Persons Day and to register for the event you’re urged to call 212-323-1201.

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Grimm/Recchia Debate Alternates Between Issues, Attacks

Rep. Michael Grimm and former City Councilman Domenic Recchia traded barbs Tuesday night in front of a lively audience at City University’s College of Staten Island in their only live televised debate.

Recchia, a Democrat, is seeking to the 11th district Congressional seat held by his Republican opponent since 2011.

The hour-long debate was carried live on NY1 and was moderated by Inside City Hall’s Errol Louis.

Like their two previous debates, one of which was taped and the other of which was not televised, Tuesday’s event included several clashes between the candidates.

Grimm frequently referenced his position as the only Republican congressman in the city, saying that he would work with the GOP majority to get things done in Congress, while Recchia would not even be at the table for those discussions as a member of the minority party.

In response, Recchia told Grimm, “You keep on saying you’re in the majority, but your party wants no part of you. You’re ineffective. You’re a minority of one.”

On the question of working with the de Blasio administration, Grimm said that he would reach across party lines to work with the mayor even though he and the mayor are ideologically opposed.

“You have to get along with others, and you don’t know how to do that. That’s the difference between you and me,” Recchia said to cheers from his supporters.

“No,” Grimm replied, “the difference between you and me is that you’re a rubber stamp for the mayor and his policies, and I’m not.”

Recchia was then asked to give an example of when he differed with the mayor on specific policy. He said he differed on the two bills designed to address stop-and-frisk, saying he did not vote for them despite the fact that the mayor supported them.

Earlier Grimm was asked whether he felt he had the proper temperament to serve in Congress following an incident in which he threatened NY1 reporter Michael Scotto. Grimm said that his behavior in that incident has been unacceptable, which was why he said he apologized for it.

“At the end of the day, I’m a United States marine and I’m tenacious,” he said to applause from his supporters.

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Woman harassed 108 times in 10 hours on NYC streets

A hidden camera video reveals that a New York City woman was “harassed on the street” 108 times in 10 hours by obnoxious, cat-calling men, the non-profit Hollaback! claims.

Sporting jeans and a crew-neck T-shirt, 24-year-old volunteer Shoshana Roberts drew repeated comments about her body during strolls around Manhattan — by guys who ranged from irritating to scary, the advocacy group said.

Dozens of men made comments about her figure, shouting “damn, girl!” and “nice!” — and even demanding she “say thank you!”

One creep followed her for five minutes, walking beside her in silence as she grew more and more uncomfortable.

The group released the video — which was shot over several days in late September — to raise money and awareness to combat “street harassment,” said Emily May, executive director of Hollaback!.

“I want people to see it and say, ‘Holy crap,” May said.

“All of these smaller comments add up, when you’re constantly bombarded throughout the day about how you look — it’s the sum of it all,” she said. “We hope people walk away with an understanding about how it feels.”

To shoot the video, titled “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman,” Roberts’ boyfriend, Rob Bliss, strapped a hidden camera to his backpack then walked in front of her to record the dozens of catcalls, according to Hollaback!

In the video, men also hollered, “sexy!,” “bless you, Mami” and “Hey baby!” at Roberts. When she didn’t respond, one man blasted, ‘You don’t talk?!”

The group is working with the MTA and has visited schools to spread the word about ending street harassment, May said.

“Hollaback! created the video as a “viral tool to support advocates, legislators, citizens, and victims in their fight to raise awareness and end street harassment worldwide,” according to the organization.

It defines the “108 instances of verbal harassment” as any comment that where Roberts felt intimidated or uncomfortable.

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NYC Marathon Does Not Present Greater Risk of Spreading Ebola Virus, Organizers Say

Organizers of the New York City Marathon say the event does not present a greater risk of spreading the Ebola virus.

They say none of the international participants in this year’s race comes from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone.

Most of the runners favored to win the marathon hail from the East African countries of Kenya and Ethiopia, far from the source of the outbreak.

Organizers say they assumed the city would see an Ebola case by the time of the race and have been working closely with city, state and federal health authorities.

Meanwhile, schools across the city are being urged to prepare in the event of an Ebola case among students or faculty.

The state Department of Health sent a letter to district superintendents across the state, urging an abundance of caution.

It states, “While (New York State Department of Health) does not expect to see an Ebola case in a school, they have asked that the New York State Department of Education take the opportunity to review procedures with school health personnel in the highly unlikely event that they come into contact with a person who might be infected with Ebola while at school.”

The letter describes Ebola symptoms and reminds readers that the virus can only spread via direct contact with the bodily fluids of a sick patient.

The letter comes as a 5-year-old boy from the Bronx who had traveled to Guinea tested negative for the disease.

Bellevue Hospital says the child will remain there for a few more days.

In the meantime, the Manhattan doctor diagnosed with the city’s first case of Ebola is still undergoing treatment at Bellevue.

Dr. Craig Spencer remains in serious but stable condition.

He tested positive for the virus last week after returning from Guinea, where he was treating Ebola patients.

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NTSB: Operator’s Sleep Disorder Led to Deadly Bronx Derailment

Federal officials on Tuesday released a report on the cause of the deadly Metro North train derailment late last year, and four other accidents.

The National Transportation Safety Board names operator William Rockefeller who fell asleep at the controls the cause of last year’s crash.

The train that derailed back in December was found to have been traveling at 82 miles an hour in a 30 mile an hour zone when it derailed near Spuyten Duyvil.

Four people were killed, and more than 70 others were injured.

The NTSB finds Rockefeller fell asleep due to undiagnosed sleep apnea, combined with a drastic shift in his normal work schedule.

It says the railroad did not have a policy to screen operators for sleep disorders.

The report also makes mention of several other incidents on Metro North, finding that the railroad failed to adequately maintain equipment and infrastructure, emphasized on-time performance over safety, and did not implement the latest technology which could have helped prevent accidents.

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Good Samaritan rescues elderly man who drove car into pool

A Good Samaritan rescued an elderly man from a car that drove through a backyard fence and plunged into a swimming pool in Long Island, cops said.

Joseph DiDonato,79, was in the parking lot of a foot care doctor in Commack on Jericho Turnpike and Siracusa Boulevard Monday, when he accidentally stepped on the gas of his 2010 Acura SUV, police said.

The homeowner, John Bacchi, was with his wife in the yard, which faces the Mayfair Foot Care center, when DiDonato’s car went flying into the deep end of the family’s pool.

Bacchi immediately jumped into the water, broke the driver’s side window and pulled the man to safety, cops said.

DiDonato was rushed to Huntington Hospital for evaluation, authorities said.

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Parks Department charges MTA $33K per tree it removes

The Parks Department is hitting the MTA with a massive bill because of a formula that requires dozens of expensive saplings to be planted for each tree knocked down.

The agency is charging the MTA a staggering $ 520,550 to remove and replant 16 trees — or nearly $ 33,000 a tree, according to a procurement.

Parks officials say they have to replace each tree’s total square inches, so replacing a 3-foot-tall tree requires planting up to 46 young trees, at a cost of $ 1450 per sapling.

The MTA needs the trees taken down to build a temporary ramp at the RFK/Triborough Bridge.

“It certainly is a waste of money,” said MTA board member Jonathan Ballan, who voted against the procurement the agency approved on Monday.

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Medical Professionals Discuss Ebola Response at Columbia Symposium

As the city, state and country develop their response to Ebola, doctors and scientists at Columbia University discussed the medical community’s approach to the global epidemic. NY1′s Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

Experts at The National Center for Disaster Preparedness are unequivocal: the U.S. has to step up its preparations for Ebola.

“It’s not enough to ask whether we are prepared yet. I’m worried that we’re not even serious yet,” said Dr. Robert Kanter, a research scientist at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness.

The Center held a conference Monday at Columbia University to discuss the Ebola crisis on a worldwide level. And though speakers were grim about the state of preparedness overall, they were a bit more positive about the city’s approach.

“New York City, I think relative to other places, is in pretty good shape,” said NCDP Diretor Dr. Irwin Redlener.

“That’s a combination of good preparation and good luck. New York City has resources that exceed those, and expertise that exceeds that of most states, and truth be told, the first patient was a physician who accurately identified his own exposure,” Kanter said.

The key question underlying most of the conversations here at Columbia is how to ensure science remains the driving force behind the global response to this epidemic.

“I think the discussion has been distracted by denial and it’s been distracted by political polemics and its been very limited by lack of guidance and resources,” Kanter said.

That criticism extended to the blanket quarantine orders imposed in New York and New Jersey.

“If we inforce these strict, in a sense non-scientific quarantines because we are anxious or maybe overly anxious we’ll end up discouraging the very treatment for the source of the epidemic in Africa by discouraging doctors and nurses from going there,” said Redlener.

While the experts say they want scientific solutions, they don’t just mean medical science.

“Social science research to understand cultural practices that might transmit the virus. It’s great to say, ‘Just don’t practice the burial rituals you’ve been doing’ or ‘Change them in these ways.’ It’s actually very difficult. We know from HIV that getting people to not share needles, getting them to practice safer sex has been incredibly difficult,” said Dr. Robert Klitzman, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.

They say eradicating Ebola will also be incredibly difficult, though all agreed it’s possible.

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Torn-up prenup is still in effect, judge tells wife

A Brooklyn businessman can enforce a prenuptial agreement against his wife of 12 years — even though he promised never to use it and even joined her in ripping up the contract and throwing it in the ocean on their honeymoon, a judge has ruled.

Ezra Braha, 44, convinced his then-fiancée, Rina Braha, 37, to sign the prenup during their “whirlwind engagement of less than three weeks” in 2012 by saying his father “threatened to cut him off” otherwise, court papers state.

He even promised they would tear up the contract together after they wed.

Rina “alleges that while they were on the cruise, both parties tore up their copies of the prenuptial agreement and threw the pieces into the ocean,” court papers state.

Rina’s lawyer, Laurie Mermelstein, deposed Ezra about the alleged deceit.

“He said, ‘I ripped it up, but I only ripped up a copy,’ ” Mermelstein said. “He said it was never his intention to rip up the original; he couldn’t betray his father.”

Ezra kept the real prenup for when the marriage hit the rocks, court papers state.

Rina “thereafter believed that the prenuptial agreement no longer existed until [Ezra], in one of his fits of rage, dumped a copy on the table,” according to Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Sunshine’s decision.

Rina also accused Ezra of hiding the fact that he held a 25 percent stake in his multimillion-dollar family business which owns apartments in Brooklyn and hotels and malls in New Jersey, court papers state.

The prenup caps alimony payments at five years and also limits Rina’s ability to win marital assets.

Sunshine ruled that the prenup stands — honeymoon shredding notwithstanding — because the document expressly states that no promises or covenants outside the prenup shall matter or be taken into account and because each Braha had their own lawyer repping them.

“In this case, defendant fails to make a sufficient showing that would warrant setting the prenuptial agreement aside,” the decision states.

Rina has two children from a previous marriage and two kids with Ezra. She lives with all four kids in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

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High-ranking Department of Correction official resigns

The highest-ranking uniformed official at the city Department of Correction resigned under pressure on Monday amid a furor over allegations that he downplayed juvenile violence in the prison system, The Post has learned.

Chief of Department William Clemons submitted his resignation Monday under pressure from Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte, sources said.

“Yes, he was told to resign or be fired, so he was forced out by Ponte,” a source said.

Clemons was allegedly involved in hiding hundreds of instances of correction officers fighting with teen inmates, resulting in a sanitized internal report three years ago, the source said.

Negative publicity surrounding that episode led to Ponte being skewered and prompted City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to call Clemons “clearly incompetent.”

“I think they had to do this. Correction is out of control, and this guy [Clemons] had some warts on him,” a senior Correction official said.

A Correction spokesman did not return a call for comment, and a message for Clemons was not immediately returned.

Preet Bharara, the US attorney in Manhattan, issued a scathing report in August, claiming a “deep-seated culture of violence” against adolescent inmates at Rikers Island.

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NY1 Exclusive: Former NYPD Officer Convicted in Case that Highlighted More Corruption

A city police officer is convicted on drug charges in a case that led the NYPD to more corruption in the department. NY1′s Dean Meminger filed the following exclusive report.

Jurors in the Bronx saw surveillance video—obtained exclusively by NY1—showing the sting operation that nabbed Jose Ramos.

He was wearing his NYPD uniform at the time. Prosecutors say Ramos thought he was working with drug dealers, transporting several kilos of heroin from the Bronx to Brooklyn.

The driver in the video was a confidential informant.

“What we learn from the conviction of Jose Ramos, who was acting as a police officer back in 2009 when he committed these offenses, is that there are people in public service that lack integrity,” says Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson.

Ramos was convicted Monday of attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance, attempted grand larceny and attempted robbery.

He was working out of the 40th precinct when the distict attorney and NYPD’s internal affairs bureau took the video.

On it, Ramos says he wasn’t worried about getting stopped at any check points. He’s heard saying, “You know what? To be honest with you, I didn’t—my heart didn’t skip a beat…You don’t know the power of the blue.”

Ramos’ defense attorney, Matthew Kluger, says he’s disappointed by the verdict, and is considering an appeal.

“None of these were instances where officer Ramos went out on his own and committed a crime. Our position is that these were all fictitious crimes to a certain extent that were set up or created,” Kluger says.

This investigation, which included several wire taps, led to the so-called NYPD ticket fixing scandal. More than a dozen cops are accused of getting rid of parking and traffic violations for friends and family. Those officers are scheduled to be in court in January.

For Jose Ramos though, ticket fixing is the least of his worries. He still faces a conspiracy case because prosecutors say he tried to get the informant killed.

“It led us to the charge while he was awaiting trial conspired to cause the death of one of the witnesses,” Johnson says.

All of those cases are expected to land Ramos back in court in December.

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MTA appoints top NTSB official as new safety czar

The MTA’s first safety czar, who will start in December, is a top official from the National Transportation Safety Board who led the investigation into the Alaskan plane crash that killed Sen. Ted Stevens.

Chief safety officer David Mayer, 50, who will report to the agency’s chairman, will oversee all aspects of safety at all of the MTA’s top agencies — including work practices and new technology.

As a managing director at the NTSB, he has led more than 50 major investigations, such as a 2009 train crash in Washington, DC, that killed nine people.

Stevens was killed in a 2010 crash when his plane flew into a mountain.

Mayer will earn $ 245,000 a year, and takes the new position after a series of Metro-North mishaps last year.

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Child in Isolation at Bellevue Tests Negative for Ebola

The 5-year-old child placed in isolation at Bellevue Hospital after developing a fever following a trip to West Africa has tested negative for Ebola.

The child was taken to the hospital Sunday night by an EMS hazmat team, but officials say the patient did not develop a fever until about 7 a.m. Monday.

The child will remain in isolation while further tests are conducted.

The 5-year-old was in one of the infected West African countries within the 21-day incubation period.

As a precaution, the Department of Health was attempting to trace all of the patient’s contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk.

Meantime, the health of Ebola patient Dr. Craig Spencer is improving, but he remains in serious condition.

Spencer, 33, contracted the virus while treating Ebola patients in Guinea.

He is being treated in an isolation unit at Bellevue Hospital.

On Saturday, city health officials said he had entered the next phase of his illness, as anticipated, with the appearance of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Officials say he is awake and communicating and seems to be responding well to plasma donated by an Ebola survivor.

Dr. Spencer’s fiancee is currently under home quarantine.

As Governor Andrew Cuomo faces criticism from the White House about Friday’s quarantine announcement, the New Jersey Health Department says nurse Kaci Hickox is being discharged.

Hickox has been quarantined in a tent outside of University Hospital in Newark since testing negative for Ebola early Saturday morning.

She has called her treatment inhumane and now has requested transport to Maine.

The health department says that will be arranged using a private carrier.

Pulling back on his announcement about 21 day quarantine requirements for travelers from West Africa, Cuomo says what he intended is to have returning medical workers quarantined at home, with daily monitoring from health officials.

Hickox was admitted on Friday, after she arrived to Newark airport from West Africa where she was treating Ebola patients.

The state will pick up the tab for any lost compensation if the person quarantined is not receiving a salary from their volunteer organization during that time.

The Obama administration has said it is concerned the policy is “not grounded in science” and could discourage medical workers from traveling to West Africa.

A senior Obama administration official has said the federal government will soon release guidelines for medical workers returning from affected West African nations.

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Decomposing body found in Queens

A naked and badly decomposed body was found alongside railroad tracks in Woodside, Queens, on Monday afternoon, police said.

A railroad worker told cops he found the corpse around 1 p.m.

The body was found face-down in gravel near a gate for the railroad yard near the intersection of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Roosevelt Avenue, police said.

Police could not immediately say whether there were signs of trauma. Investigators are waiting for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine a cause of death.

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Bronx Students Allegedly Bullied Over Ebola Fears

Fear of Ebola is said to be behind the bullying and beating of two middle school students of African descent.

The African Advisory Council says the brothers, who are originally from Senegal, were injured at I.S. 318 on Friday.

In an exclusive interview with NY1, the boys’ father, Ousmane Drame, says they only recently arrived in the U.S.

“They call me from the school tell me come, they’re beating your children. I rush, go there my children was very hurt, headached, he was crying, laying on the floor, more than 10 children on top of him, beating him,” Drame said.

“And all they want to do is be kids. They want to play like kids, they want to learn like kids. They go to school and they’ve been bullied over and over to the point in which it led to this situation in which they were brutally injured,” said Charles Cooper of the African Advisory Council.

NY1 has reached out to the Department of Education for comment.

A spokesperson for the African Advisory Council says the school has taken disciplinary action.

The group, which is set to hold a news conference Monday, is also working on community outreach initiatives to prevent further bias.

Meantime, the city Department of Education is sending home a letter with students this week in an effort to better inform parents about Ebola.

It contains general information on the virus, and tries to reassure parents that school nurses and medical providers have worked with health officials to develop protocols when it comes to detecting and then isolating any student who might show symptoms.

The DOE also says it has been updating principals weekly as concerns about the disease have grown.

The letter urges parents with additional questions to visit nyc.gov/health.

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‘My name is not Ebola’: African children bullied at school

“My name is not Ebola. It’s Amadou.”

That’s what young Amadou Drame told his adolescent tormentors​​ before they attacked him and his brother at a Bronx middle school infected with fear and apprehension, ​the boys’ dad said Monday.

Taunted with chants of “Ebola” from the moment they enrolled​ — just weeks after they emigrated from west Africa​ — ​​Amadou, 11, and his brother Pape, 13, were attacked Friday at IS 318 in Tremont, punched in the face and relentlessly bullied by a group of mean classmates​, all because they are from Senegal, one of several west African nations where Ebola cases have been reported.

“They call me from the school, tell me come, they’re beating your children,” said distraught dad Ousmane Drame, a cab driver who is raising the two kids on his own.​ “​I rush, go there, and my children were very hurt, Amadou was crying, laying on the floor, more than 10 children on top of him, beating him.”

Ousmane, 62, who has lived in New York for 25 years, said he brought his sons to America for the opportunity of a better education, but this was not the lesson he had in mind.

Pape Drame, an eighth grade student at IS 318 in the Bronx, has asked his father to send him back to Senegal rather than endure the frequent beatings at school from the other students.Photo: Robert Kalfus

“If they go to the gym, they say​,​ ‘​O​h​,​ you don’t play. Don’t touch the ball,” Ousman said.. “`You have Ebola. Sit down there.’ For two days, they don’t touch nobody, they just sit down.

“It’s not just them. All the African children suffer this.

“I spent seven years in college. I went to school all my life. They’re born in a teacher’s family. They have to go to school.”

Ousmane said he met with the school’s principal Monday after Amadou and Pape were kicked and punched on a concrete floor at the school​ last week​.

He also reached out to the Bronx​’s​ African Advisory Council, which is pressing the district for a solution.

“On Friday, while the younger one was in the gym, he was assaulted,” said Charles Cooper, president of the council. “They came to him calling​,​ ‘Ebola, Ebola, get out of here,’ punched him several times all over. They then went to lunch. During lunch, they were outside in the yard, which is supposed to be a safe place. There’s supposed to be someone looking over them and making sure they’re safe. That was not the case.

“The kids were yelling, ‘Ebola​​ Ebola get out of here,’ and they rushed him, threw him on the ground, kicked him, punched him. He was screaming. His brother heard him screaming from across the yard, so his brother ran to him.

“The other kids jumped on him also and started beating on him as well. The school tried to say it was a fight,” Cooper said, “We made it very clear to them. This was not a fight. This is assault. This is bullying.”

​The Department of Education ​did not immediately comment.

Senegal is one of several west African countries where Ebola cases have been reported, but there have been no new cases in that country since late August, according to the CDC.

Amadou has since told his father he wants to go home to Senegal, where their mother stayed behind. That, Ousman said, is not an option.

Ousman said the boys are American citizens, born in New York and raised in Senegal so they could learn French and math.

“This,” he told the boys, “is your home.”

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