(TheRedAlertNews.com) – In new evidence that a Democrat-run New York City is ridden with corruption, two former FDNY fire chiefs, Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco, have been exposed for taking nearly $200,000 in bribes.
On Monday, Saccavino and Cordasco were charged with accepting $190,000 in bribes, marking another significant corruption case affecting Democrat Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, The New York Post reports.
Both were previously high-ranking officials within the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention and allegedly formed an illicit partnership with a retired firefighter to expedite fire safety inspections in exchange for bribes, as stated in the indictment from Manhattan federal court.
Henry Santiago Jr., a retired firefighter turned businessman, is accused of delivering these bribes personally to Saccavino and Cordasco during dinners in Manhattan and directly at the fire prevention bureau’s office in Brooklyn.
This scheme, which lasted nearly two years, involved around 30 different projects throughout New York City, affecting services during the administrations of both Mayor Adams and former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“They allegedly created a VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes. That’s classic pay-to-play corruption,” said Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Details of this corruption surfaced in February when federal and city authorities raided the homes of the accused and the FDNY’s Brooklyn headquarters.
Santiago, identified as the intermediary linking building owners and developers with the fire chiefs, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery on September 10 and is cooperating with federal authorities.
The indictment traces the origins of the scheme to as early as 2020 when Saccavino and Santiago, who were close friends, discussed starting a fire safety business.
By 2021, Santiago had rebranded his hospitality and nightlife business into a fire safety firm with Saccavino and Cordasco as hidden partners.
Their promotion by then-FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, which coincided with the demotion of three other chiefs, caused significant unrest among FDNY’s upper echelons.
Santiago assured his clients he could hasten FDNY inspections, which was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic when the backlog for such services extended to about 30 weeks by late 2021.
Despite public opposition to preferential treatment by the FDNY, Cordasco was secretly complicit, accepting bribes to prioritize certain projects, including a prominent Manhattan restaurant and hotels near JFK Airport.
“(Despite) claiming to be an opponent of the BFP giving select projects preferential treatment, Cordasco did just that in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in bribes,” the indictment states.
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