Nine New Jersey residents were among 70 current and former employees of the New York City Housing Authority arrested Tuesday on bribery and extortion charges in “the largest single-day bribery takedown in the history of the Justice Department.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said at a news conference that the corruption was so widespread over the past decade that it affected nearly a third of the 335 housing developments citywide where 1 in 17 New Yorkers lived.
“Instead of acting in the interests of NYCHA residents, the City of New York, or taxpayers, the 70 defendants charged today allegedly used their jobs at NYCHA to line their own pockets,” Williams said. “NYCHA residents deserve better.”
Williams said housing superintendents, assistant superintendents and other employees demanded over $2 million in bribe money from contractors in exchange for over $13 million of work, which usually involved small but essential jobs such as plumbing or window repairs that did not require competitive bidding.