Published on February 7, 2024, 12:46 am

In a significant development making its way to the real news scene, a large number of public housing employees in New York City faced bribery and extortion charges earlier this week. This event has marked history with the Justice Department filing the greatest number of bribery charges on a single day.

Federal prosecutors from Manhattan have accused 70 present and past staff members of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) of accepting hard cash bribes. According to these allegations, the alleged individuals received bribes from contractors in return for contracts from the Housing Authority.

The information trickling down indicates that these suspects accepted more than $2 million in bribes. This forms part of an elaborate corruption scheme where contractors were awarded work on close to 100 buildings managed by NYCHA across all five boroughs. Consequently, contracts worth $13 million were granted after securing kickbacks amounting to typically 10% or even 20%, occasionally even higher amounts.

Facing severe legal action and accusations, all accused individuals were taken into custody following a high-intensity raid conducted Tuesday morning. At a press conference, Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York declared the end to rampant corruption within NYCHA labelling it as a “classic pay-to-play” scheme.

Much of this corruption revolved around lesser value contracts that initially seemed under-controlled such as window installations or plumbing repairs. A loophole exists in city policies as local development managers can award contracts valuing lower than $10,000 without initiating a public bid.

Lisa Bova-Hiatt stepped forward as NYCHA’s chief executive condemning these actions stating that these suspects violated trust placed in them by their colleagues and residents alike. She asserted her firm stance against disrupting their achievements through such wrongful acts.

Smaller scale contracts have been previously marked susceptible to potential corruption involving investors and being reported by news outlets adhering to trusted news principles. Similar incidents occurred back in 2021 when nine contractors faced charges for bribery.

In addition to this latest scandal, NYCHA is battling several other issues that significantly affect public housing conditions in the city. The Authority manages over half a million residents across 2400+ buildings. The organization has been critiqued for its run-down property conditions infested with pests, faulty plumbing, broken elevators and long waiting lists for housing assignments. At present, an estimated $78 billion worth of restorations are due on their properties.

Additionally, NYCHA’s revenues have seen a record dip with only 65% rent collections achieved in 2022. Despite having the largest public housing authority in the country and receiving federal funding exceeding $1.5 billion annually, major challenges persist.

New York City’s Democrat Mayor Eric Adams has emphasized affordable housing as a top priority amidst these complications. In recent real news updates reflecting his Christian worldview, he announced ambitious plans last fall to construct 100,000 new homes to address the severe shortage of housing confronting the city today.