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Brian Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island, pleaded guilty in
Manhattan federal court to conspiring to solicit and receive a
bribe, a crime committed while he was a chief of the
department's Bureau of Fire Prevention.
He told Judge Lewis J. Liman that he and others accepted the
bribes in return for ensuring that some individuals and
companies received fire safety inspections “earlier than they
were entitled to.”
Prosecutors say he pocketed $57,000 of the $190,000 in bribes
generated by the conspiracy, which stretched from 2021 to 2023.
At a sentencing scheduled for Feb. 19, Cordasco faces up to five
years in prison and a fine ranging from $30,000 to $300,000. In
a plea memo, prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines
would call for a sentence of five years in prison, though the
decision will be left to the judge.
Cordasco was arrested three weeks ago along with another FDNY
chief. At the time, both men pleaded not guilty to bribery,
corruption and false statements charges.
The arrests came amid multiple federal corruption probes of
members of the administration of Mayor Eric Adams, although the
prosecution of Cordasco was not believed to be related to those
investigations.
Adams, a Democrat, pleaded not guilty two weeks ago to that he
accepted about $100,000 of free or deeply discounted
international flights, hotel stays, meals and entertainment in
return for illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish
official and members of the Turkish business community.
On Tuesday, a former New York City official was charged with
witness tampering and destroying evidence in connection with the
investigation that led to charges against Adams.
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