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2 former NYC fire chiefs charged with bribery, corruption for alleged preferential treatment

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2 former NYC fire chiefs charged with bribery, corruption for alleged preferential treatment

Two former New York City Fire Department (FDNY) chiefs are in custody, accused of soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment to certain builders and developers.

Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced Monday.

The two, and an unnamed third party, are accused of soliciting and accepting bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters. The amount of bribes is allegedly more than $190,000, which was allegedly paid in exchange for “priority access to the Bureau of Fire Prevention,” Williams said.

The bureau is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed. Williams explained that the bureau’s approval is often required in order for buildings to be open to the public or occupied, and that they are supposed to operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

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FILE PHOTO – Two former FDNY chiefs are being charged in a corruption case. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

“They allegedly created a VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes,” Williams said.

The indictment, obtained by the Associated Press, listed the charges against Saccavino and Cordasco as 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.

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Federal authorities will soon release more information about the case against former FDNY chiefs Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco. (Peter Byrne/PA Images)

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“Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically,” Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said in a statement. “Anything less will not be tolerated. The Department will fully cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Keeping New Yorkers safe remains our top priority.”

Back in February during the investigation, Saccavino and Cordasco participated in voluntary interviews with the FBI. They each are accused of “repeatedly” making false statements during those interviews, according to federal prosecutors.

A New York City Fire Department truck sits at a station. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)

The arrests come amid a widening corruption investigation of New York City’s government.

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Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Boston, MA

Driver charged in Norwood pedestrian crash that left man seriously injured

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Driver charged in Norwood pedestrian crash that left man seriously injured


A man was flown to a Boston hospital after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday evening in Norwood, Massachusetts, and the driver has been arrested.

Norwood police responded shortly after 7:30 p.m. to the intersection of Washington Street and St. John Avenue.

The victim was found seriously injured. Fire crews treated him at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to a landing zone to be airlifted by medical helicopter.

Police said the woman driving the vehicle was taken into custody. She is facing charges including operating under the influence of liquor.

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The crash is under investigation.



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Pittsburg, PA

Postponed: Waiting on Parkway East bridge to be demolished in explosion

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Postponed: Waiting on Parkway East bridge to be demolished in explosion


The Parkway East’s Commercial Street Bridge is about to blow – but it’s not happening on Wednesday night.

PennDOT say they were going to bring down the bridge sometime between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, but around 8 p.m officials and security said the explosion was postponed.

The demolition will be shown live on PennDOT’s project page or 511 PA, which also has cameras placed along the project’s detour routes.

Watch the live stream here:

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A crowd of about 100 people gathered Wednesday evening at the Summerset at Frick Park residential development for a front-row view of the bridge demolition.

The atmosphere felt more like a neighborhood block party than a construction event. Families brought their children and pets, while groups of friends arrived carrying pizzas and coolers of beer. Lawn chairs lined the hillside as people in shorts and sunglasses settled in to wait for the explosion. Some spectators wore earplugs in anticipation of the blast.

A man with a ukulele strummed some folk tunes to liven the expectant atmosphere as police wrapped red caution tape around the edge of the hill, denoting the 800-foot security perimeter around the bridge.

Merav Amos, from Squirrel Hill, brought her family for a picnic, complete with books, lawn chairs and glasses of wine.

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Amos said she planned the trip when PennDOT released its expected demolition window, but realized then and there that there was one thing she had forgotten.

“I actually hope it’s not going to be too loud, because we don’t have earplugs,” she said.

Amos lives near the Parkway East’s local detour route, and has had to deal with traffic increasing near her home since the bridge closed on Friday. She hoped watching the demolition live would provide a satisfying payoff.

“The last few days were very rough,” she said. “I want to see some action.”

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Jim Christy, of Robinson, parked in the South Side and made the journey over on his bike to watch the explosion.

Christy frequently bikes through the Frick Park trails — some of which were restricted on Wednesday ahead of the demolition.

“It better go off without a hitch,” he said.





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Connecticut

Connecticut Technical Education and Career System under investigation by U.S. Department of Education

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Connecticut Technical Education and Career System under investigation by U.S. Department of Education


(WFSB) – The Connecticut Technical Education and Career System is under investigation by the United States Department of Education.

In a letter sent to the superintendent obtained by Channel 3, the nature of the investigation centers around the district’s handling of rape and/or sexual assault cases by school staff.

“Due to the District’s inaccurate responses to the rape and/or sexual assault data elements involving allegations against school staff of OCR’s 2023–24 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), the directed investigation will examine whether the District has policies and procedures in place to ensure accurate data collection and reporting and that its handling of the sexual harassment, including sexual assault, of students by District teachers, administrators, and/or staff members is consistent with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and its implementing regulation,” said the letter in part.

Read it in full below:

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The school system issued a statement in response to the investigation.

Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.



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