Poor Planning By Brooklyn Heights Real Estate Fraudster

Brooklyn Heights-based financial planner Jennifer Wilkov was a member of a gang of rip-off artists who conned unsuspecting real estate investors out of roughly $40 million, the NY Post reports. Wilkov had worked as an adviser for American Express Financial Advisors in Midtown until 2005, but was also the author of several books, including "Dating Your Money."

Her web site blurb says, "She is one of today's sought-after speakers and trainers on how to build businesses through proper planning, effective networking, and sound marketing strategies that work."

But while her partners pocketed the bulk of the millions, Wilkov only managed to turn a $147,000 profit. Now what kind of financial planning is that?

More here.

Finally -- Trader Joe's Coming to Brooklyn

In April, we heard rumors that Trader Joe's was considering opening shop at One Brooklyn Bridge Park. But the second shoe never fell.

Now, the Brooklyn Eagle has learned that Trader Joe’s will soon be trading in Brooklyn at the corner of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue. The Eagle's Dennis Holt reports that the upscale food market will take all the space within the former Independence Savings Bank building now owned by Two Trees Management.

Why that's a good thing here.

Photo by Hyku on Flickr, Creative Commons license.

Prospect Park Rapist May Have Attacked Women in Queens

NY1 reports that the man who allegedly raped a woman in Prospect Park this month may have attacked other women in Queens. Cops also have come up with his M.O.

"The individual they're looking for attacks young women after they've been with a male. They're either leaving park by themselves, he intimidates them, and says there may be pictures that he would make public,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

See the full story here.

Update: Prospect Park Rape Victim's Boyfriend is a Cop
Rape Reported in Prospect Park

Get the Scoop on Congestion Pricing, Brooklyn Development on BCAT's Reporter Roundtable

We're expecting a certain amount of fireworks on tonight's (that's Friday night's) Reporter Roundtable on Brooklyn Independent Television. The show will feature moderator Gersh Kuntzman (editor of the Brooklyn Papers), Sarah Ryley of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Tom Tracy of Courier Life Publications and Rich Calder of the NY Post -- a lively mix.

The panel will tear into hot button issues including Mayor Bloomberg’s plan for congestion pricing on traffic in parts of Manhattan (an issue that will affect thousands of Brooklyn commuters); as well as the growing tension between developers and local residents and businesses in neighborhoods such as Coney Island, Downtown Brooklyn, and Red Hook.

The show will premier Friday, June 29 at 9 p.m., with encore presentations all next week. (See web site for schedule.) Catch it on Time Warner channel 56 and Cablevision channel 69, or streamed live at www.bcat.tv/bcat.

F Train Rally Today

The Kensington (Brooklyn) blog sends us word of a rally in support of the restoration of express service on Brooklyn's F line today at 2 p.m. at the Church Avenue Station at Church and McDonald Avenue.

Council Members Bill de Blasio, Simcha Felder, and Domenic Recchia will stand with community activists and representatives of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Transportation Alternatives in support of the plan.

An online petition launched by community activist Gary Reilly has generated 2,500 signatures in two weeks.

More at the Kensington (Brooklyn) blog.

'F Train Express' Petition Drive On Track, But MTA Says Changes Could Take a L-O-N-G Time

Photo courtesy of MShades, Creative Commons license.

Bookmakers Reel as Nathan's Hot Dog Champion Kobayashi Develops Jaw Ailment

It's not only competitive eating fans who are in shock at the news that Nathan's Famous hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi is in so much pain he can barely open his mouth. Kobayashi was expected to battle last year's second-place finisher Joey Chestnut in a hot dog battle of the titans this Fourth of July.

Bookmakers are frantically scrambling to adjust their odds boards. Betting site AcesAce temporarily took down their Nathan's contest board -- which gave roughly even odds to Kobayashi and Chestnut -- after the situation became murky. Oddschecker and Betting Zone also wiped their boards.

On Wednesday the story received yet another twist as the New York Times’s Tokyo bureau passed on the word to the City Room that Mr. Kobayashi (aka 'The Tsunami") received treatment for his jaw problems and intends to catch a flight to the United States on Thursday.

Will the mustard-yellow championship belt go to American Joey Chestnut this time around? Is Kobayashi's career finished? Wanna bet?

Fourth of July Hot Dog Madness In Coney Island Is Just Around the Corner

Photo of hot dog courtesy of Nathan's Famous.

Where to Buy an iPhone in Brooklyn: The List

The excitement is building among techno-hipsters as the big Friday launch of Apple's shiny new iPhone approaches.

For those joining the camp-out, here is the list of all the stores in Brooklyn that will carry Apple's new iPhone, launching Friday. They are all AT&T retail locations (but not all AT&T stores will carry the phones).

This is how it works: The stores will close temporarily at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and reopen promptly at 6 p.m. According to AT&T, "customers may experience extended wait time on the 29th and throughout that weekend." (This is not the weekend to wander in to pay your cell phone bill.)

Brooklyn iPhone Stores:

211 Montague Street, Court and Montague, 11201 718-875-7940

476 Fulton Street, 11201 718-403-9632

21 Graham Avenue, 11201 718-302-6514

841 Flatbush Avenue, 11201 718-856-0287

453 86th Street, 11209 718-238-8026

5383 Kings Plaza, 11201 718-859-8198

5100 Kings Plaza, (kiosk) k29, 11234 718-338-2128

To see if more locations are added or to find stores carrying the iPhones in other locations, visit http://www.wireless.att.com/buy/store_locator. Make to to select "iPhone." Not all AT&T stores are selling the new phones.

2008 UPDATE HERE

iPhone Mania -- Hey That's Brooklyn!

Brooklyn in Brief

Domino Plant Likely to Become Landmark -- The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission heard overwhelmingly favorable testimony Tuesday on a proposal to designate the former Domino sugar processing plant in the Williamsburg as a landmark. Cityroom at the New York Times

Belltel Lofts 40 Percent Sold -- Since sales started last Fall, roughly a hundred buyers have dialed in to buy a place at the former New York Telephone Company building at 101 Willoughby Street: Brownstoner

Public Forum on Brooklyn House of Detention: "Who gives you the right to shove this down our throats?" Brooklyn Eagle

Parks Department Didn't Collect $8.9M in Fees from Concessions: While vendors all over the city fail to pay what they owe on park concessions, the city is going to put the concession for the long-time vendors using Red Hook Park out for competitive bid: Gowanus Lounge

Mermaids on Parade! Couldn't make it out to Coney Island Saturday for the 25th annual Mermaid Parade? Not to worry: New York Magazine was there, and brought back video: New York Magazine

iPhone Mania -- Hey, That's Brooklyn!

The Gizmodo blog brings us the latest "unofficial" iPhone ad showing diverse groups of New Yorkers -- Jews, Arabs, the deaf -- talking about the product's edgy features.

According to a Gizmodo correspondent, the barber shop in the video is the Benoit Barber shop on Park Place and Classon Avenue in Brooklyn, and the Arab guy in the deli is from the same neighborhood.

Nice ad? You betcha. Unofficial? Probably not. According to MediaPost, a casting call for individuals of diverse backgrounds to take part in an identical ad concept, to be filmed in Brooklyn and Manhattan, went out in April.

Fourth of July Hot Dog Madness In Coney Island Is Just Around the Corner

Bookmakers Give Japanese Champ and American Contender Even Odds

It's been called a a gluttonfest, a national obsession or just plain bizarre.

Call it what you want, last year 30,000 fanatics crowded into Coney Island to witness the famous Nathan's hot dog eating contest. On top of that, roughly 1.5 million households tuned in to the contest’s live broadcast on ESPN.

Maximum eater Takeru Kobayashi (known as The Tsunami) took the event for the sixth time, eating 53.75 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes.

The madness continues this July 4 at noon. Bookmakers are giving roughly even odds to Kobayashi and last year's second-place finisher Joey Chestnut.

To help Brooklynites prepare for the big event, McBrooklyn is passing along Nathan's buy-one-get-one-free hot dog coupon. Just print it, cut it out and bring it with you to Nathan's. (You don't have to stuff your face unless you want to.)

The original is on the Nathan's web site right here.