Thursday, October 4, 2012

HPD boss pleads guilty to bribetaking

From Newsday:

A Long Island man who once served as an official at the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development pleaded guilty yesterday to taking bribes from developers.

"I knew my actions were wrong and I deeply regret them," said a teary Michael Provenzano, former director of construction services at HPD, whose voice cracked as he admitted to Brooklyn U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon that he leaked inspection reports for cash.

Provenzano, 49, of Massapequa, faces up to 30 years in prison and is likely to receive 24 to 30 months under federal sentencing guidelines. He also agreed to forfeit $30,000 under his plea deal, and has resigned from HPD.

From 2004 to 2009, prosecutors alleged, Provenzano received $10,000 annual payoffs and liquor from a developer in return for supplying information on upcoming bids and inspection reports that allowed the developer to skirt prevailing wage laws.

In a related case, former HPD inspections supervisor Luis Adorno, 48, of Scarsdale, pleaded guilty to bribe-taking after Provenzano's plea yesterday. Former HPD Assistant Commissioner Wendell Walters pleaded guilty to a kickback conspiracy in March, and HPD-related corruption charges are pending against several others.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep, the classic "incumbency rot" has really taken hold in Miguel's third term.

Truth is that every few years there is a harvest of inspectors by the DA or other law enforcement.

The base cause id that developers, landlords and other cynical parasites RUN this City and have for decades.

They set the agenda and drive our living costs ever-higher.

We don't just need a new Mayor..We need a guillotine.

Anonymous said...

I hear you! Where is the perp walk for the developers?

Robespierre said...

Madame Guillotine is not prepared to do her work.

Monsieur de Paris must be sleeping late.

Wake up you fool and bring along your blade with you!

Anonymous said...

Where are the rest of the HPD paid off bastards? and the DOB lying inspectors? Is this the guy who came into my apartment when it was 9 degrees, no heat and then lied saying that there was heat on?

He's taking the fall for people above him. HPD is a rats nest of corruption.

Anonymous said...

LOL...
I'm sure that we're all shocked by this!

Anonymous said...

A few of these kind of crooks
need to be skewered and barbecued in City Hall Park.