Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes underwent successful heart surgery on Wednesday in which one valve was replaced and another repaired, his office said yesterday. Dr. Leonard Gerardi of New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center performed the operation. Spokesman Jerry Schmetterer said Mr. Hynes, 74, underwent a planned angiogram on Tuesday, and it was at that point doctors decided to perform the surgery. Mr. Schmetterer said the district attorney was already in contact with his office and planned to return home within a week, though he declined to give a time frame for Mr. Hynes’ return to the office. “We expect that he’ll make a full recovery and be back to work soon,” Mr. Schmetterer said. He added that Mr. Hynes “definitely” plans to seek his sixth term this fall. He has already been endorsed by the Democratic, Republican and Working Family parties. In Mr. Hynes’ absence, Chief Assistant Amy Feinstein is handling the office’s day-to-day operations. — Mark Fass
Chinatown Pair Accused Of Unlawful Practice of Law
Two business partners were arrested yesterday in Manhattan on charges of practicing law without a license and preying on new immigrants from China. Kevin You, 50, and Linda Chen, 36, who have an immigration assistance service in Chinatown, face a maximum of seven years in prison if convicted of the top charge, third-degree grand larceny. The pair are accused of taking $4,840 from an immigrant after guaranteeing that within six months they could get legal papers for several of the immigrant’s relatives. No papers were ever filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau said at a news conference yesterday. He added that there was no “legitimate” purpose to the business, Da Bure Immigration Consultation, and that in a similar case brought in January more than 100 victims emerged after the initial arrest (NYLJ, Feb. 25). Yesterday’s arrests represent the first use of the city’s 2004 Immigration Assistance Services Law, Mr. Morgenthau said, and the two are accused of multiple violations. For instance, they were charged with failing to post a notice that neither is a lawyer. Failure to adhere to the law is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison. Mr. You and Ms. Chen are expected to be arraigned this morning. — Daniel Wise
Judge Approves $15 Million In Fees in Madoff Matter
