D.A. Arrests 50 in Building Department, HPD, Construction Bribery Schemes
The Manhattan D.A. Tuesday announced it has arrested 50 in a sweeping sting for bribery connected to construction and housing in Brooklyn as well as elsewhere in the city. Those arrested included 16 employees of the Department of Buildings and Housing Preservation and Development, 22 property managers and owners (many in Brooklyn), six expediters, two contractors and one…
The Manhattan D.A. Tuesday announced it has arrested 50 in a sweeping sting for bribery connected to construction and housing in Brooklyn as well as elsewhere in the city. Those arrested included 16 employees of the Department of Buildings and Housing Preservation and Development, 22 property managers and owners (many in Brooklyn), six expediters, two contractors and one engineer.
“Our investigation revealed a widespread network of corruption in the construction industry and among the city workers charged with keeping that industry safe,” said Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters in a prepared statement. “We found that these 16 City employees, including several senior supervisory staff, took bribes to clear code violations, including some that presented real safety threats. Today’s arrests shows that the city and law enforcement have zero tolerance for criminal conduct that undermines the city’s mandate to protect its citizens.”
Many of the schemes involved unregistered expediters who paid off the Chief of Development for Brooklyn construction, inspectors and other DOB employees to dismiss stop work orders and other violations and make sure their buildings under construction passed inspections. Over at HPD, property owners and managers paid off city employees to dismiss an astounding number of violations at many dozens of rental buildings in Bushwick, Williamsburg and Bed Stuy. In two separate cases, HPD inspectors were bribed to evict tenants from two buildings with two separate owners in Bushwick under false pretenses of a nonexistent HPD vacate order.
You can read all the details with the names of the charged here, although unfortunately the document does not list building addresses. Above, the Brooklyn Department of Building at 210 Jeroleman Street.
Do you think the arrests will go a long way toward routing out corruption in Brooklyn construction and housing? Or is this just the tip of the iceberg? Is bribery in the building trades in Brooklyn the norm or the exception?
Arrest and Criminal Charges in Widespread Bribery Schemes [Manhattan D.A.]
Photo by Bridge and Tunnel Club
Think any of these inspectors were involved in Ratner’s projects? Or did he simply buy all the relevant politicians?
It’s a good start but they have a LONG way to go. At least this regime didn’t turn their heads the other way and let the corruption continue.
Without room for backdoor deals, grease palming and corruption how would anything get done. The City is terrible and building and maintaining it’s housing
@miserable1971
Everything will grind down in to a bureaucratic nightmare and pray no one calls DOB or HPD on you, they will write a boatload violations just to be in compliace and avoid trouble.
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The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
The real corrupt investors behind the big development projects won’t be identified. They’ve been bribing local politiciana and buying up land in minority neighborhoods for the past 15 years. Why is it the local politicians are the only ones getting arrested? They using the guise of affordable housing to build skyscrapers all over the borough.
There was an Overhall of DOB and HPD under Bloomberg!
Before Ten Years ago you did not have all this Bullshit!
It’s OK Fucktards, it’s your show now, you have to deal with it! I get to watch and laugh!
You better hope they finish all the New Construction in Downtown Brooklyn!
The Skyline with unfinished Condos/Apartment Buildings is not a good look!
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The What (Let the Butthurt Flow)
Someday this war is gonna end…
You are very strange.
Anyone that has any dealing with HDP or DOB knows both are prime examples of inefficiently. We shame third world countries with claims of bribery but the most corruption I’ve even seen was at the DOB.
I hope this helps and makes people think twice about accepting bribes. My hope is that the entire DOB is cleaned up and we remove the need for expeditors.
Hey Sparky,
I’m not over there anymore—->
Please stop feeling Butthurt and go back to the Cat Litter Box.
You’re acting like a Jilted Lover, LMMFAO!
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The What
Someday this war is gonna end…