Dozens of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) workers and contractors were arrested this morning in a massive corruption investigation, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials announced.
“Today’s charges constitute the largest number of federal bribery charges in a single day in the history of the DOJ,” said an unnamed Southern District spokesperson. “The accused allegedly They accepted cash payments of contractors in exchange for awarding NYCHA contracts.”
Neither the Mayor’s Office nor the Department of Investigation (DOI) immediately responded to a request for comment this morning, he said. Daily News. More details are expected at a press conference in the coming hours.
Those detained are 55 current NYCHA employees and 15 retirees. They were arrested at their homes as well as at the Taft Houses and Martin Luther King Houses, both in Harlem, and other public housing complexes. They are expected to be charged with “crimes of bribery and extortion”, said the spokesperson for the Southern District of New York.
“They put their greed first and violated the trust of our residents, their fellow NYCHA and all New Yorkers.”
Lisa Bova-Hiatt – NYCHA Executive Director
The NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt He said that those arrested “They put their greed first and violated the trust of our residents, his colleagues at NYCHA and all New Yorkers.”
Those arrested were detained by the DOI, Homeland Security (DHS), and the city’s Office of the Inspector General of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Bribes come from construction, maintenance and no-bid contracts at NYCHA housing complexes, according to officials. The employees did not appear to be working together as part of an organized bribery scheme, a source briefed on the investigation said.
“These actions go against everything we stand for as public servants and will not be tolerated in any way,” Bova-Hiatt added. “Over the past five years, NYCHA has achieved many important milestones, while remaining vigilant to ensure integrity in every area of our work. We have already made transformative changes to our business practices and will continue to do so. “We will not allow bad actors to disrupt or undermine our achievements.”
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
2024-02-06 16:19:00
#NYCHA #workers #arrested
