Articles for J. Dale Shoemaker

Feb 20

2025

ICE abuse of detainees in Batavia facility

Recent federal audits of the ICE detention facility in Batavia have documented instances of inhumane treatment of detainees by guards. The audits, conducted in 2023 and last year, found instances of excessive use of force, the shackling of detainees held in solitary confinement for the little time they were allowed out of their cells, and the use of physician assistants to perform dental work on detainees. Former detainees and their representatives paint an even darker picture of conditions inside the facility. Guards beating up detainees is not uncommon, they said. Solitary confinement is a frequent punishment, sometimes in lengthy durations[...]

Posted 2 days ago

Feb 12

2025

More subsidies for restaurateur accused of wage theft

The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency on Wednesday unanimously approved nearly $247,000 in tax breaks to a fast food operator being investigated on allegations of wage theft and other labor law violations. The IDA board did not discuss the allegations before granting the subsidy to Muhammad Shoaib, whose other fast food operations previously have received subsidies totaling close to a half million dollars. The latest round of assistance for Shoaib’s businesses comes as the state labor department probes allegations of wage theft made by several of his former employees. At least two have submitted complaints to the labor department that[...]

Posted 1 week ago

Feb 6

2025

Fate of Braymiller Market remains in limbo

The now-shuttered Braymiller Market at 225 Ellicott Street. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker The future of the downtown building once home to Braymiller Market remains in limbo. For one, Evans Bank is moving to foreclosure on the property as a way to recoup the multi-million dollar mortgage it granted to owner Stuart Green. The bank has begun “pre-foreclosure” proceedings, according to Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope. At the same time, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency is weighing whether to call in a $561,000 loan the city granted to Braymiller Market in 2023. The money, meant to be a lifeline[...]

Posted 2 weeks ago

Feb 5

2025

OTB still doling out health coverage despite warnings

OTB Chairman Dennis Bassett and then president and CEO Henry Wojtaszek. Photo by Garrett Looker In defiance of the state comptroller, the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. continues to provide gold-plated health insurance to its chairman and his wife, a dozen former board members and the widows of three others. In some cases, the former board members enrolled in the health plan haven’t served on the OTB board in two decades. Over the last three years, OTB spent an average of $149,000 annually providing the current and former board members with the insurance. OTB’s largess doesn’t end with the board. [...]

Posted 2 weeks ago

Feb 3

2025

Prospect of huge subsidies for data center at STAMP

Around 50 people gathered at the Alabama fire hall for a series of public hearings about a data center locating at STAMP. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker. TOWN OF ALABAMA — Three data centers vying to build at the STAMP industrial park in rural Genesee County are seeking subsidies worth anywhere from $838,000 to $3.9 million per job. The proposals were the subject of three public hearings Monday at which about two dozen nearby residents voiced their strong opposition. Concerns ran the gamut: Some speakers said data centers — via water runoff and noise — would harm the surrounding environment,[...]

Posted 3 weeks ago

Jan 30

2025

State investigating claims of ‘Falls wage theft

The Moe’s and A&W owned by Muhammad Shoaib on Rainbow Boulevard. Photos by J. Dale Shoemaker. The New York State Department of Labor is investigating claims that a Niagara Falls fast food restaurateur failed to pay overtime and withheld tips from employees. Two former employees of Muhammad Shoaib’s fast food restaurants have filed a complaints with the labor department and one has since been contacted by an investigator. Other former employees said they are in the process of filing complaints of their own. In a statement, a labor department spokesperson confirmed that it was in receipt of complaints but declined[...]

Posted 3 weeks ago

Jan 27

2025

Comptroller to audit OTB again

For a third time in recent years, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office will audit the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. In a statement Monday, comptroller spokesperson Mark Johnson said the agency will audit “the financial operations of WROTB.” He said the comptroller’s office informed OTB of the audit last week and that it would begin in February. The review, broader in scope than the comptroller’s past audits, will take several months to complete, Johnson said. In a statement, OTB spokesperson Michael DeGeorge said the audit could include a review of agency finances stretching back three to five years.[...]

Posted 4 weeks ago

Jan 23

2025

Subsidized ‘Falls restaurateur accused of wage theft

A Niagara Falls business owner who is seeking a second round of tax breaks for his growing portfolio of fast food restaurants cheats workers out of wages and tips, nine current and former employees have told Investigative Post. Muhammad Shoaib, who owns 10 fast food restaurants — including the Moe’s Southwest Grill, A&W Restaurant and Papa Johns Pizza in Niagara Falls — frequently fails to pay hourly employees overtime and managers the weekly minimum salary set in state law, six current and former employees said. Six employees also alleged that Shoaib has withheld thousands of dollars in credit card tips[...]

Posted 1 month ago