[EXTERNAL] Re: [OpenRecords] Request FOIL-2023-836-00688 Closed - Mayor Eric Adams and Bitcoin

"I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, King called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given its colored people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Gunnar Larson Date: Sat, Dec 23, 2023, 3:05 PM Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: [OpenRecords] Request FOIL-2023-836-00688 Closed - Mayor Eric Adams and Bitcoin To: FoilAppeals (DOF) , < district3@council.nyc.gov> Cc: Best, Joan (DOF) , FOIL , , Reader, Shaun , < letitia.james@ag.ny.gov>, Harris, Adrienne A (DFS) < Adrienne.Harris@dfs.ny.gov> Erik: How could there be no records? Gunnar Gunnar Larson xNY.io - Bank.org 917-580-8053 On Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 3:53 PM Gunnar Larson wrote:

Dear Dara:

Thank you for your email.

Have a nice weekend.

Thanks & Regards,

Gunnar

Gunnar Larson 917-580-8053 xNY.io - Bank.org

On Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 3:46 PM FoilAppeals (DOF) < FoilAppeals@finance.nyc.gov> wrote:

...

Dear Gunnar Larson,

I received your appeal email below regarding FOIL 2023-836-00688, which was submitted on July 16, 2023, and acknowledged by DOF on July 21, 2023. After informing you of extensions, on December 15, 2023, DOF’s Records Access Officer sent the response below informing you that “a diligent search for records responsive to your request did not locate any such records. Accordingly, your request is denied.” On December 15, you sent this appeal.

I have reviewed your appeal. DOF’s FOIL office conducted a diligent search for responsive records of the New York City Department of Finance. As the December 15 email explained, the search did not identify any responsive records of the Department of Finance. To further address your question below, DOF’s Records Access Officer did not withhold or redact any responsive records. As a result, I affirm the determination of the DOF Records Access Officer.

Pursuant to Public Officers Law §89(4)(b), a denial of a FOIL appeal may be appealed to the Supreme Court in a proceeding for review pursuant to CPLR Article 78.

Thank you,

Dara

Dara Jaffee

FOIL Appeals Officer

Assistant Commissioner, Legal Affairs

NYC Department of Finance

375 Pearl Street, 30th Floor

New York, NY 10038

FoilAppeals@finance.nyc.gov

*From:* Gunnar Larson *Sent:* Friday, December 15, 2023 3:11 PM *To:* FOIL ; FoilAppeals (DOF) < FoilAppeals@finance.nyc.gov> *Cc:* cypherpunks@cpunks.org; Harris, Adrienne A (DFS) < Adrienne.Harris@dfs.ny.gov>; letitia.james@ag.ny.gov; Corey Johnson < district3@council.nyc.gov>; Reader, Shaun ; PressOffice@cityhall.nyc.gov *Subject:* [EXTERNAL] Re: [OpenRecords] Request FOIL-2023-836-00688 Closed - Mayor Eric Adams and Bitcoin

You don't often get email from g@xny.io. Learn why this is important https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification

*CAUTION:* This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Forward suspect email to phish@oti.nyc.gov as an attachment (Click the More button, then forward as attachment).

Dear Department of Finance (DOF):

xNY.io - Bank.org kindly elects to appeal this response.

xNY.io - Bank.org aims to understand if DOF is suggesting no New York City records are available. Or, if DOF has redacted in part or withheld due diligence records in entirety concerning "Mayor Adams to Receive First Paycheck in Cryptocurrency... Paycheck to Be Automatically Converted Into Bitcoin and Ethereum" quoted by NYC.gov.

From our research, there are several New York City records available. For example:

https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/041-22/mayor-adams-receive-firs...

Furthermore, New York City's press office has said "Cryptocurrencies are at the forefront of Web3innovations and can bring greater accessibility to financial services."

Mayor Eric Adams also touted New York City's approach to digital asset innovation on Bloomberg radio:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-03/mayor-elect-eric-adams-to...

According to Bloomberg, "New York City Mayor-Elect Eric Adams said he wanted to turn New York into a crypto-friendly city and wagered a “friendly competition” with the mayor of Miami, who was the first to set up a so-called CityCoin cryptocurrency.

“He has a MiamiCoin that is doing very well -- we’re going to look in the direction to carry that out,” Adams said in a Wednesday interview on Bloomberg Radio. He vowed to “look at what’s preventing the growth of Bitcoin...""

As a matter of urgency, xNY.io - Bank.org kindly requests DOF's response by December 31, 2023.

Warm regards,

Gunnar

Gunnar Larson

--

Gunnar Larson - xNY.io - Bank.org

MSc - Digital Currency

MBA - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip)

G@xNY.io

+1-917-580-8053

New York, New York 10001

On Fri, Dec 15, 2023, 12:23 PM wrote:

The Department of Finance (DOF) has *closed* your FOIL request FOIL-2023-836-00688 https://a860-openrecords.nyc.gov/request/view/FOIL-2023-836-00688 for the following reasons:

- A diligent search for records responsive to your request did not locate any such records. Accordingly, your request is denied.

You may appeal the decision to deny access to material that was redacted in part or withheld in entirety by contacting the agency's FOIL Appeals Officer: foilappeals@finance.nyc.gov within 30 days.

Please find the attached memo with reference footnotes.

--

March 10, 2023

BY ELECTRONIC MAIL

Ms. Camille Joseph Varlack

Office of the Mayor of New York City

City Hall Park, 260 Broadway

New York, NY 10007 United States

PressOffice@CityHall.NYC.gov

Re: Mayor Eric Adams NYCCoin Touting

Dear Ms. Joseph Varlack:

Today’s memo is to kindly submit xNY.io - Bank.org's inquiry into Mayor Eric Adams' promotion of NYCCoin.

The federal securities laws are clear that any celebrity or individual who promotes digital assets must disclose the nature, source and amount of compensation they received in exchange for the promotion.

As a matter of ethics, risk and compliance associated with digital asset innovation, xNY.io asks if NYCCoin promotion by the Mayor of New York City damaged the market for the xNY digital asset (by, for example, devaluing it through parody or sealed via embossed criticism).

xNY.io - Bank.org concerns made above have evidentiary support to interlocking director and officer conflicts recognized by the Department of Justice as potential threats that stifle individual and corporate freedom.

Ms. Joseph Varlack, as a matter relating to working at one of the world's most ethical companies, famous for risk management and corporate governance, and as an internationally recognized Blockchain Scholar, I must adhere to federal securities laws.

As such, I classify Mayor Adams as an individual who promoted the digital asset NYCCoin and must disclose the nature, scope, and amount of compensation associated.

A failure to disclose this information may violate the anti-touting provisions of the federal securities laws. Mayor Adams' making these endorsements may also be liable for potential violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, for participating in an unregistered offer and sale of securities, and for acting as unregistered brokers.

xNY.io - Bank.org respectfully requests the Office of the Mayor of New York City to respond to this request by Wednesday March, 15 2023 by Noon EST.

Respectfully yours with appreciation,

Gunnar Larson - xNY.io - Bank.org

MSc - Digital Currency

MBA - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip)

G@xNY.io +1-917-580-8053

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From:

Date: Fri, Jul 21, 2023, 10:22 AM

Subject: [OpenRecords] Request FOIL-2023-836-00688 Acknowledged

To:

The Department of Finance (DOF) has acknowledged your FOIL request FOIL-2023-836-00688.

You can expect a response on or about Tuesday, October 17, 2023.

Additional Information:

Hello, we are extending your request because our office needs more time to fulfill your request. We are finding and reviewing your requested records and you should hear from us by the date indicated above. We appreciate your patience as we subject each page of each record to legal review while processing other FOIL requests.Thank you for your continued patience.

Please visit FOIL-2023-836-00688 to view additional information and take any necessary action.

Your request FOIL-2023-836-00688 has been successfully submitted to the Department of Finance (DOF). The details of your request are shown below.

Request Title: Mayor Eric Adams and Bitcoin

Request Description: Dear Madam or Sir: Mayor Adams announced paychecks will automatically be converted into cryptocurrency via Coinbase, a secure online platform for buying, selling, transferring, and storing digital currency. https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/041-22/mayor-adams-receive-firs... xNY.io kindly requests access to records concerning the payment structure related to this payment vehicle. Additionally, we would like any records concerning the City’s due diligence of the online payment platform's compliance to New York State investigation. Thank you, Gunnar Larson 917-580-8053

Requester's Contact Information

Name:

Gunnar Larson

Title:

Not provided

Organization:

Not provided

Email:

g@xny.io

Phone Number:

Not provided

Fax Number:

Not provided

Street Address (line 1):

406 West 25th Street

Street Address (line 2):

Not provided

City:

New York

State:

NY

Zip Code:

10001

You can view the request and take any necessary action at the following webpage: https://a860-openrecords.nyc.gov/request/view/FOIL-2023-836-00688