New York – A former head of the Fire Department of New York City declared himself guilty on Wednesday of a conspiracy charge, admitting that he and others agreed to accept $ 190,000 in bribes to accelerate security inspections for customers of a former firefighter of the city.
Anthony Saccavino, who at the time of the crimes led the Department’s fire prevention office, appeared at the request in the Federal Court of Manhattan, where the sentence was established for May 14.
When Saccavino was accused In September, he was arrested together with Brian Cordasco, another former firefighters from the city who declared himself guilty in October of a conspiracy position. Cordasco will be sentenced in March.
The arrests occurred in the midst of multiple federal corruption probes of the members of the administration of Mayor Eric AdamsAlthough it was not believed that Cordasco’s prosecution was related to these investigations.
Adams, a Democrat, declared himself innocent of the charges claiming that he accepted around $ 100,000 of free or deep international flights with discount, stays in hotels, meals and entertainment in exchange for illegal campaign contributions of a Turkish official and members of the community Turkish business.
The Fire Prevention Office is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring that fire safety regulations are obeyed.
A guilty agreement signed with the recommended government that Saccavino served five years in prison.
He also asked Saccavino to give up the $ 57,000 in bribes he received before discovering the scheme. The authorities said Saccavino carried out the scheme from 2021 to 2023.
The authorities said Saccavino lied to his subordinates in the department to justify the incorrect requests to accelerate inspections.
In a statement, Saccavino’s lawyer, Joseph Caldarera, said his client “made a difficult decision to declare himself guilty of a conspiracy position, prioritizing the well -being of his family.”
“He respects the judicial process and believes that this course of action is the best for his loved ones,” said Caldarera.
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