Feds: Guilty plea likely from former FDNY chief Brian Cordasco

A former FDNY chief is expected to plead guilty to allegations he solicited $90,000 in bribes from businesses seeking to get fast-tracked for fire safety inspections, according to federal prosecutors.

Brian Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island, the former supervisor of the department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention, had been charged along with former FDNY Chief Anthony Saccavino, 59, by federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Sept. 16 for allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from 2021 to 2023 to allow building owners to cut the line for mandatory checkups on fire suppression and alarm systems.

Cordasco is among several high-level former or current city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, to face accusations in ongoing corruption investigations.

Saccavino, of Manhattan, allegedly took $100,000 in bribes as part of the alleged scheme with Cordasco, prosecutors said.

Both men pleaded not guilty at their arraignment two weeks ago, but Cordasco has had a change of heart, according to a letter to the judge filed Monday.

"The government understands based on its discussions with defense counsel that the defendant intends to accept that plea offer," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Greenwood wrote.

Cordasco's defense lawyer, Frank Rothman, said Tuesday that his client "is accepting responsibility for his actions after an otherwise exemplary career and hopes to put this behind him very soon."

Federal prosecutors charged Cordasco and Saccavino with five counts each of bribery and lying to federal agents in connection with a February interview with the FBI.

According to Greenwood’s letter, Cordasco has been in negotiations for the past two weeks and agreed to plead guilty to one count of soliciting and receiving a bribe.

Prosecutors have requested a hearing for Oct. 9 or 10.

It’s unclear if Saccavino still intends to fight the charges.

Under the alleged scheme, the chiefs would order their subordinates to prioritize projects for which bribes had been paid, instead of first-come, first-serve. Because of the pandemic, a backlog had formed and inspections could take up to 16 weeks to be performed.

Cordasco could be sentenced to up to five years in prison for a conviction on one count of the indictment, avoiding the maximum 20 years punishment for the other counts.

His expected guilty plea would come a week after federal prosecutors charged Mayor Eric Adams with bribery, wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national for allegedly hiding thousands of dollars in election donations from Turkish nationals.

As part of the alleged quid pro quo, Adams, while he was still Brooklyn borough president, pressured the FDNY commissioner to ignore fire safety issues and open the newly built 36-story Turkish consulate ahead of a visit from the country’s president.

Adams pleaded not guilty last week and his lawyer Alex Spiro filed a motion on Monday to have the case dismissed.