2 former NYC fire chiefs charged with bribery, corruption for alleged preferential treatment

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Two former New York City Fire Department (FDNY) chiefs are in custody, accused of soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment to certain builders and developers.

Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced Monday.

The two, and an unnamed third party, are accused of soliciting and accepting bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters. The amount of bribes is allegedly more than $190,000, which was allegedly paid in exchange for “priority access to the Bureau of Fire Prevention,” Williams said.

The bureau is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed. Williams explained that the bureau’s approval is often required in order for buildings to be open to the public or occupied, and that they are supposed to operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Two former FDNY chiefs are being charged in a corruption case. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)

“They allegedly created a VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes,” Williams said.

The indictment, obtained by The Associated Press, listed the charges against Saccavino and Cordasco as conspiracy to solicit a bribe, solicitation and receive of a bribe, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and making false statements in connection with a scheme to solicit and accept tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies.

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Federal authorities will soon release more information about the case against former FDNY chiefs Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco. (Peter Byrne/PA Images)

“Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically,” Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said in a statement. “Anything less will not be tolerated. The Department will fully cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Keeping New Yorkers safe remains our top priority.”

A New York City Fire Department truck sits at a station. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)

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The arrests come amid a widening corruption investigation of New York City’s government.

Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.