Former High-Ranking FDNY Official Pleads Guilty To Bribery Conspiracy

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that BRIAN CORDASCO pled guilty today to conspiring to solicit and receive bribes in his role as a Chief of the New York City Fire Department (“FDNY”) Bureau of Fire Prevention (“BFP”).  CORDASCO pled guilty before United States District Judge Lewis J. Liman, and will be sentenced by Judge Liman on February 19, 2025 at 10:30 am.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Brian Cordasco abused the public’s trust repeatedly by selling access to the Bureau of Fire Prevention’s services in a pay-to-play bribery scheme.  Today’s guilty plea should send a message that SDNY is committed to holding our public officials accountable when they resort to corruption.”

According to the Indictment, plea agreement, and statements made in court:

From 2021 to 2023, CORDASCO repeatedly abused his position as a Chief of the BFP by participating in a scheme to solicit and receive $190,000 in total bribe payments from a former FDNY firefighter named Henry Santiago, Jr.  In exchange for those bribe payments, CORDASCO used his authority within the BFP to improperly “expedite” BFP inspections and plan reviews for Santiago’s customers.  CORDASCO personally profited $57,000 as part of this scheme.  To carry out this conspiracy, CORDASCO lied to his BFP subordinates to justify otherwise improper expediting requests.  CORDASCO also lied to law enforcement when interviewed about his involvement in the scheme.

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If you believe you have information related to bribery, fraud, or any other illegal conduct by FDNY or BFP employees, please contact squad6complaint@doi.nyc.gov or (212) 825-2402.  If you were involved in such conduct, please consider self-disclosing through the SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program at USANYS.WBP@usdoj.gov.

CORDASCO, 49, of Staten Island, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive a bribe, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, CORDASCO agreed to forfeit $57,000. 

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood, Matthew King, and Daniel H. Wolf are in charge of the prosecution.