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Associated Press
31-03-2025
- Associated Press
Ex-FDNY chief gets nearly 2 years in federal prison for accepting bribes
NEW YORK (AP) — A former New York City Fire Department chief was sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison Monday after admitting he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to expedite fire safety inspections. Brian Cordasco, who was chief of the department's Bureau of Fire Prevention, was also ordered to complete two years of supervised release after his prison term, pay a $100,000 fine and forfeit $57,000. Jocelyn Strauber, commissioner of the city's Department of Investigation, which investigated the bribery scheme along with federal authorities, said Cordasco 'prioritized his personal financial interests over delivering ethical leadership and equitable service to all New Yorkers.' 'The sentence imposed today sends a clear message that government officials who betray the public trust to line their own pockets will be met with just punishment,' Matthew Podolsky, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said. Judge Lewis Liman said in Manhattan federal court that the prison sentence of 20 months was warranted in order to deter others from committing such 'opportunistic' crimes of greed, The Daily News reports. 'You betrayed the hardworking people under you, who perform such an important service for New York,' the judge told Cordasco, according to the newspaper. The 50-year-old, who lives in the New York City borough of Staten Island, is scheduled to report to prison June 17, according to prosecutors. His lawyers didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday. Cordasco pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to solicit and receive a bribe. At the time, he admitted he and others accepted bribes in order to issue fire safety inspections to individuals and companies 'earlier than they were entitled to.' The city's Bureau of Fire Prevention approves the installation of fire suppression systems in commercial and residential buildings. In many cases, bureau approval is required before a building can be occupied or opened to the public. Cordasco was arrested along with another FDNY chief, Anthony Saccavino, in September. Prosecutors say Cordasco pocketed $57,000 of the $190,000 in bribes generated by the scheme between 2021 and 2023. Saccavino, 59, of New York, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive a bribe in January. He's scheduled to be sentenced May 14.
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Prosecutor resigns after being told to drop case against NYC mayor
The top US prosecutor in Manhattan has resigned days after the US justice department told her office to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Danielle Sassoon, a conservative lawyer recently promoted by Donald Trump, said dismissing the case would have set a "breathtaking and dangerous precedent". Adams is alleged to have accepted gifts totalling more than $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours, such as waiving safety regulations at the Turkish consulate in the city. He denies the Monday, a Department of Justice official said the case "restricted" the mayor's ability to address "illegal immigration and violent crime" in the city. The order from Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, did not address the merits of the case against Adams, a Democrat, and noted that the department would reserve the right to reinstitute the charges after New York City's mayoral election in November. Sassoon refused to drop the case, however, setting out her reasoning in a letter to Bove's boss, Attorney General Pam Bondi, on Thursday."Because the law does not support a dismissal, and because I am confident that Adams has committed the crimes with which he is charged, I cannot agree to seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations," she said she had a duty to enforce the law impartially, "and that includes prosecuting a validly returned indictment regardless whether its dismissal would be politically advantageous, to the defendant or to those who appointed me."Bove shot back in a letter accepting her resignation. He accused Sassoon of attempting to "continue pursuing a politically motivated prosecution despite an express instruction to dismiss the case". He also said that other prosecutors who worked on the Adams case would be placed on leave and subject to an internal investigation - and that Sassoon would investigated as well. The New York mayor met with Trump in Florida days before his inauguration, and then attended his swearing in ceremony on 20 January. Adams denied at the time that he discussed his legal issues with the incoming president. Later on Thursday, Trump told reporters that he had not asked for the case against Adams to be dropped. However Bove's letter described his instructions as "direct orders implementing the policy of a duly elected President". Adams also met Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan on Thursday to discuss the administration's immigration crackdown. After the meeting he said he would allow federal immigration authorities to re-establish an office at the city's Rikers Island jail. In a statement, Adams said: "I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers."Adams was indicted in September 2024 on charges of wire fraud, bribery, and receiving campaign contributions from foreigners. According to a 57-page indictment, the mayor allegedly accepted more than hotel stays, lavish meals and airline upgrades from Turkish nationals beginning in 2016, when he was president of the New York City borough of one instance, Adams is alleged to have paid $600 for a two-night stay at a luxury hotel in Istanbul, a visit that was valued at approximately $7,000.
