NEW YORK POST: More than 70 current and former NYCHA workers have been busted in a bribe-and-extortion scheme that authorities say involves the largest number of federal bribery charges in a single day in Department of Justice history.
According to the New York Post, the suspects—accused of accepting cash payments from contractors in exchange for lucrative New York City Housing Authority contracts—were hauled off in handcuffs in a widespread raid Tuesday morning, according to the Southern District of New York.
The charges may be linked to “micro-purchase” projects, or contracts for smaller repairs and other construction at city housing developments, sources told The Post.
As long as city contracts are worth under an estimated $10,000, local development managers can award them without going through the public bidding process—a system ripe for such potential corruption, sources said. “NYCHA has ZERO tolerance for wrongful and illegal activity,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt in a statement.