Seventy New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) employees have been brought to justice in a massive corruption crackdown, with all 70 workers charged with accepting bribes from contractors in exchange for awarding repair contracts.
The sweep, considered the largest single-day operation by the Department of Justice, resulted in convictions on bribery, fraud, and extortion charges. The defendants, who worked at NYCHA's five boroughs, accepted cash kickbacks ranging from $500 to $2,000 - typically around 10% to 20% of each contract's value.
According to prosecutors, 56 of the defendants pleaded guilty to felony charges, while 11 others accepted pleas to misdemeanors and three were convicted at trial. In total, they collectively accepted over $2.1 million in bribes in exchange for steering over $15 million in contracts.
The scheme affected nearly a third of NYCHA's developments, with nearly 335 properties across the city impacted. As part of their plea agreements or verdicts, the defendants have been ordered to pay restitution of over $2.1 million and forfeit an additional $2 million in criminal proceeds.
Critics say the corruption exploited NYCHA's operations, shortchanged its communities, and compromised trust with residents. The latest development marks a significant step towards exposing this scheme and holding those responsible accountable.
The sweep, considered the largest single-day operation by the Department of Justice, resulted in convictions on bribery, fraud, and extortion charges. The defendants, who worked at NYCHA's five boroughs, accepted cash kickbacks ranging from $500 to $2,000 - typically around 10% to 20% of each contract's value.
According to prosecutors, 56 of the defendants pleaded guilty to felony charges, while 11 others accepted pleas to misdemeanors and three were convicted at trial. In total, they collectively accepted over $2.1 million in bribes in exchange for steering over $15 million in contracts.
The scheme affected nearly a third of NYCHA's developments, with nearly 335 properties across the city impacted. As part of their plea agreements or verdicts, the defendants have been ordered to pay restitution of over $2.1 million and forfeit an additional $2 million in criminal proceeds.
Critics say the corruption exploited NYCHA's operations, shortchanged its communities, and compromised trust with residents. The latest development marks a significant step towards exposing this scheme and holding those responsible accountable.
. $2.1 million in bribes? It's crazy to think that people in positions of power would be so willing to compromise the trust of residents and shortchange entire communities for their own gain 
. The impact on nearly a third of NYCHA's developments is staggering, and it's no wonder that critics are saying this corruption exploited a system meant to provide safe and affordable housing 
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. And what about the residents who were affected by this scheme? How will they recover from the trust that was broken? 
how can people do that to the city they're supposed to be serving?! it's like they thought they were above the law, which is wild 
$2.1 million in bribes for what? a few extra bucks? 
anyway, i'm glad the justice department is cracking down on this and holding these people accountable 
it's about time someone held them responsible for the harm they caused to so many communities 
! It's wild that they were accepting bribes in exchange for awarding contracts - can you even imagine trying to fix the buildings you're supposed to be maintaining? 
and the bribe amounts are crazy, $2.1 million is insane 
. The fact that it affected nearly a third of NYCHA's developments is heartbreaking - those are communities that should've been getting the help they needed, not swindled out of their hard-earned cash 
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. We need more transparency and accountability like this in our city's government, especially when it comes to public housing 
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! these 70 nyccha employees thought they could just line their pockets with cash while the city foots the bill for repairs? no way 
, the feds came in and shut 'em down. i'm all for holding people accountable, but it's crazy that this many ppl were involved in something so shady. now we're gonna see some restitution paid out to the community, which is a good start 
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This is just wild how far corruption goes in places like NYCHA where people are supposed to be helping low-income families get safe housing. I mean 335 properties across the city affected? That's a huge chunk of the city's housing stock. And the amounts they got away with are crazy - $2.1 million and another $2 million... it's like they thought they were above the law or something. The fact that most of them pleaded guilty is even more telling, it shows how widespread this corruption was and how many people were either complicit or just willing to look the other way. 
70 people caught red-handed trying to cash in on some of the worst public housing in the country... like, what's next? Charging rent for breathing in the same air as the rats 
. I'm not gonna start celebrating or anything, but a slow-moving justice machine that finally starts delivering results is always welcome 
just happened in NYC! 70 people making off with millions of dollars from the housing authority? It's just disgusting 
. I mean, who accepts bribes to rig contracts? It's not like they were just a few bad apples - nearly a third of NYCHA's developments were affected, that's a whole lotta corruption 
. The fact that they got away with over $4 million in bribes and now have to pay restitution is a good start, but it should've happened sooner 
. Can't let this kind of corruption slide, we need more accountability 
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