NYC Sheriffs Bust Two More Packed Illegal Clubs as Virus Rages On

By: Serach Nissim

On Sunday, another two large illegal gatherings were shut down in New York City. Sheriff’s deputies kicked out hundreds of partygoers and busted the organizers at clubs in Tribeca, Manhattan and in Corona, Queens.

As reported by the NY Post, the first raid of the evening occurred in Tribeca after 2 a.m. Deputies showed up in response to a complaint, and found over 200 people packed into a rented space on Harrison Street. Revelers were drinking, smoking and dancing without facial masks and without social distancing, in violations of COVID-19 regulations. The police threw out the revelers and gave citations to three men. Two men—Artani Arben of East Elmhurst, Queens, and Shkelzen Dreshaj of Yorktown Heights in Westchester County — were cited for failure to protect health and safety and violating city and state lockdown orders, an offense which can carry a fine of up to $15,000 for each offender. As per the sheriff’s office, David Howard of Manhattan, who was identified as the party organizer, was cited for violating lockdown orders during the pandemic, and also for unlicensed sale of alcohol and the unauthorized warehousing of alcohol.

Just two hours later, deputy sheriffs busied themselves shutting down another illegal club, while responding to another complaint. The sheriff’s deputies discovered over 150 people at a second-floor party on 104th Street in Corona, Queens. As per the Post, the place was packed with partygoers, also drinking, smoking hookahs, not wearing masks and not practicing social distancing. Deputies said two men from East Elmhurst, Jairo Lopez and Richard Rodriguez, were the club’s promoters. Both Lopez and Rodriguez were given citations for state liquor-law violations and for failure to protect health and safety and violating the lockdown restrictions.

Three other people were cited for health, safety, and lockdown violations at the joint, including Enrique Perra of Long Island, Raymond Rivera of Brooklyn and JanCarlos Rodriguez of Kissimmee, Fla. Perra was also cited for working as an unlicensed security guard, the sheriff told The Post.

For the past several months, the city sheriff’s department has been busy cracking down on illegal parties, which can endanger communities by fueling the spread of the life-threatening Coronavirus. In February, the deputies conducted similar raids on other clubs in Brooklyn and Queens. Those raids included: a members-only club at 283 Liberty Ave. in Brownsville, Brooklyn; a house party at 1764 Pitkin Ave, Brooklyn; and an unlicensed bar at 50-00 Grand Ave. in Maspeth, Queens.