Two former disaster recovery experts at Hagerty Consulting, which L.A. Mayor Karen Bass appointed to lead rebuilding efforts after the recent wildfires, pleaded guilty in 2022 and 2023 to defrauding New York City of Hurricane Sandy relief funds.
Walter Melnick, who had been hired as a contractor for Evanston, Illinois-based Hagerty Consulting firm, was accused in 2022 of having claimed lodging reimbursements to which he was not entitled, and of making false statements to investigators.
Melnick was described in a press release by another firm as having “managed New York City’s post-Sandy $15 billion recovery program” while at Hagerty. He has since evidently retired from the industry…