Amid a widening corruption scandal, two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were arrested on Monday on charges of soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for offering preferential treatment in the department’s fire prevention bureau.
According to local authorities, Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco, who served in the Bureau of Fire Prevention, were taken into custody Monday, marking the latest development in a widening corruption investigation across New York City’s government.
The bureau is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout the city and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed.
In an indictment, the two were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges, alleging that they solicited and accepted bribes from 2021 to 2023.
In addition, the charges include conspiracy to solicit a bribe, solicitation and receive of a bribe, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme to solicit and accept tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies.
According to the Associated Press, federal authorities said they would give more details about the case during a news conference on Monday as Saccavino and Cordasco are expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan.
Newsweek reached out to the New York City Fire Department via an online email form for comment.
Monday’s arrests come amid a widening corruption investigation of New York City’s government.
Firefighters battle a fire on a construction crane in New York, on July 26, 2023. Two former chiefs of the New York City Fire Department have been arrested on Monday on charges of soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.
KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images
On Saturday, Lisa Zornberg, Mayor Eric Adams’s top legal adviser, abruptly resigned. The reason for her departure remains unclear.
“It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best,” Zornberg wrote in a resignation letter to Adams, per the AP.
Zornberg’s resignation came days after New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban, 57, resigned on Thursday amid a federal investigation in which multiple city officials, including Caban’s, phones were seized.
Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office who is now leading some of the investigations into the Adams administration, wasn’t among the officials whose phones were seized.
The head of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) wrote in his resignation letter obtained by multiple news outlets, “The news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD.”
“For the good of this city and this department—I have made the difficult decision to resign as Police Commissioner,” Caban wrote.
Caban has served in the NYPD for over 30 years, starting as a patrol officer in 1991 in the Bronx, where he grew up. He worked his way up the ranks and served as the department’s first deputy commissioner before becoming commissioner last year, making him the first Latino to lead the department. Caban served as commissioner for about 15 months before resigning.
People familiar with the matter told the AP that earlier this month, FBI agents seized Caban’s electronic devices.
At least four top deputies to Adams also had their devices seized: First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright; Philip Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety; his brother David Banks, the city’s schools chancellor; and Timothy Pearson, a mayoral adviser and former high-ranking NYPD official.
The U.S. Attorney’s office is leading the investigation in Manhattan. The subject of the probe and whether the information that federal authorities were seeking is linked to one or more investigations is unclear.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Adams, a first-term Democrat, has had his electronic devices seized. In November 2023, as part of an investigation into political fundraising during his 2021 campaign, Adams, his campaign and City Hall were subpoenaed over the summer. The investigation is not believed to be connected to the probe that led to Caban’s devices being seized, two people familiar with the matter told the AP.
Adams or any other city officials have not been publicly accused of any crimes. The mayor, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
