Ex-FDNY Chief Brian Cordasco pleads guilty to taking bribes, prosecutors say

A former high-ranking FDNY chief accused of taking kickbacks to expedite safety inspections pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday to conspiracy to solicit and receive a bribe, prosecutors said.

Brian Cordasco, the former chief of the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention, and co-defendant Anthony Saccavino were accused of abusing their positions of trust by accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes, according to a Sept. 16 indictment.

Cordasco, 50, of Staten Island, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman and will be sentenced on Feb. 19, according to Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He agreed to forfeit $57,000, the estimate of the bribes he received during the scheme. He faces a maximum of 5 years in prison at sentencing.

"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," Williams said in a statement.

Cordasco’s attorneys, David M. Stern and Franklin Alan Rothman of New York, did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesman for the FDNY declined to comment.

The criminal case against Saccavino, 59, of New York City, remains ongoing. Saccavino, also a former Bureau of Fire Prevention chief, is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 17, according to court documents.

The investigation into Cordasco and Saccavino began last year, after the FDNY notified New York City’s Department of Investigation about a possible scheme involving improper payments to two top officials in the Bureau of Fire Prevention. The case was investigated by the DOI, the FBI and Williams’ office.

The Bureau of Fire Prevention is responsible for ensuring that fire safety systems installed in commercial and residential buildings in New York City comply with fire safety regulations. The bureau’s approval is required in many cases before a building can be occupied or opened to the public.

From 2021 to 2023, Cordasco and Saccavino solicited and accepted bribes from a retired FDNY firefighter, Henry Santiago Jr., who operated an expediting company that promised customers he could fast-track inspections, according to prosecutors. The Bureau of Fire Prevention generally addresses reviews on a first-come, first-served basis, prosecutors said. Wait times for reviews were unusually long during that period due to staffing shortages and slowdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The alleged scheme involved inspections for about 30 projects across New York City, including bars, restaurants, hotels and apartment buildings.

Cordasco and Saccavino would order subordinates to prioritize plans submitted by Santiago’s customers. The customers would pay Santiago, who would then make payments to the two chiefs, according to prosecutors. Cordasco, Saccavino and Santiago received approximately $190,000 as a result of the scheme, prosecutors say.

Cordasco and Saccavino also lied during interviews with the FBI in February, the court documents said.