gvg777 2 N.Y.C. Fire Department Chiefs Arrested on Bribery Charges

Updated:2024-09-26 17:25 Views:152

Two former high-ranking New York Fire Department chiefs were arrested early Monday and accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to speed up the fire-safety approval process for building projects across the city.

The former chiefs, Brian E. Cordasco, 49, and Anthony M. Saccavino, 59, ran the Department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention until earlier this year, and they were responsible for overseeing fire safety approvals of large-scale building projects, which can often become mired in bureaucratic delays.

The six-count indictment accuses them of soliciting and receiving bribes in that role in a scheme that lasted from 2021 to 2023 and involved 30 different projects citywide. The indictment did not identify any of the projects.

“They allegedly created a V.I.P. lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said at a news conference. “That’s classic pay-to-play corruption.”

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The 44-page indictment charges the two retired chiefs with bribery and bribery conspiracy; honest services wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy; and making false statements, saying they lied to the F.B.I. about their involvement in the scheme during interviews in February.

A retired firefighter who promised clients he could expedite fire safety approvals, Henry J. Santiago Jr., was identified by federal prosecutors at a news conference on Monday as a co-conspirator who solicited and accepted bribes. Mr. Santiago cooperated with prosecutors and has already pleaded guilty to bribery, bribery conspiracy and wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, according to court papers. The New York Times had previously reported his involvement.

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