DOI charges 3 contractors with bribery

From The Brooklyn Eagle:

Three men who allegedly tried to bribe buildings inspectors at two unrelated construction sites in Brooklyn were arrested by the city’s Department of Investigation.

Property-owner Shu Ming Li, 46, of Brooklyn, and his associate You Q. Liang, 57, of Manhattan, were charged with allegedly offering $5,000 to a city Department of Buildings (DOB) inspector in return for allowing construction to go forward without a permit.

According to the criminal complaint, on May 5, a DOB inspector observed the basement of a home under construction in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The basement was being transformed into what appeared to be an apartment, although no paperwork had been filed with DOB and DOB had not granted permission for the construction.

Li introduced himself as the owner of the property, and with Liang present, Li agreed to give $5,000 in exchange for the inspector not issuing a violation and stop work order. Li instructed Liang to place the money on the floor to complete the transaction. The inspector reported the incident to the Department of Investigation (DOI).

Li and Liang were charged with third-degree bribery and face up to seven years in prison. In the second incident, contractor German A. Leybinsky, 42, of Staten Island, allegedly gave $60 to an undercover DOI investigator as part of another bribery attempt.

According to the criminal complaint, on January 22, 2010, a DOB inspector conducted an electrical inspection at a home in Coney Island, Brooklyn, and noticed that workers were doing electrical work without a permit. The defendant offered money to the Inspector in exchange for not issuing a violation and the defendant provided his phone number to arrange a time for payment. The DOB Inspector notified DOI, which followed-up with an undercover operation on January 25, 2010, in which Leybinsky paid the undercover operative $60.

Leybinsky was charged with third-degree bribery in May and could face up to seven years.