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By: Rob Otto
Two retired FDNY fire chiefs have been indicted on federal bribery charges, accused of accepting $190,000 in payments to fast-track fire inspections, a case that has added to the mounting corruption scandals within Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. According to an exclusive report by The New York Post, Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco, once top-ranking officials in the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention, allegedly engaged in a secret partnership to manipulate inspection processes in exchange for bribes.
The charges, filed in Manhattan federal court, detail a nearly two-year-long scheme in which Saccavino and Cordasco conspired with retired firefighter Henry Santiago Jr. to expedite fire inspections for apartment buildings, restaurants, bars, and hotels. Santiago, who transitioned from firefighting to running a fire safety business, is accused of acting as the middleman, delivering cash and checks to the chiefs during dinners at upscale steakhouses and even within the FDNY’s Brooklyn offices, The New York Post reported.
The corruption took place over 30 projects throughout New York City, stretching from the de Blasio administration into Adams’ tenure. Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, described the case as a “classic pay-to-play corruption” scheme, where Saccavino and Cordasco created a “VIP lane” for expedited inspections, available only to those willing to pay.
Santiago, 46, has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and is cooperating with federal investigators, according to court records cited by The New York Post. Santiago and Saccavino were close friends, and as early as 2020, they began discussing a partnership to offer fire safety services to commercial and residential property owners. By 2021, Santiago had shifted his hospitality and nightlife business into a fire safety operation, with the two fire chiefs as silent partners.
The bribery scheme capitalized on the growing backlog of fire inspections caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2021, wait times for inspections stretched to over 30 weeks, making Santiago’s offer to expedite the process highly attractive. According to the indictment, Santiago promised clients, including high-end Manhattan restaurants and hotels near JFK Airport, that he could accelerate their inspections for a price.
One particularly egregious case involved a Manhattan restaurant whose representatives paid $10,000 to expedite the review and inspection of a fire suppression system, according to The New York Post. After the payment, Santiago texted his partners, “Brother, I am your shadow,” indicating the job would be handled swiftly. Within weeks, the inspection was completed, and Santiago joked in a group chat about it being a “Hanukkah present.”
When asked about the case, Mayor Eric Adams sought to distance his administration from the scandal, emphasizing that the wrongdoing began under former Mayor de Blasio’s tenure. Adams noted that his administration took proper steps to report the corruption once it was uncovered.
Saccavino and Cordasco, who retired earlier this year, pleaded not guilty to all charges during their arraignment. Both were released on $250,000 bonds, but they surrendered their passports pending trial. Saccavino’s attorney, Joseph Caldarera, urged the public to remember his client’s long service as a firefighter and 9/11 first responder, insisting he deserves the presumption of innocence. Similarly, Cordasco’s lawyer, Frank Rothman, highlighted his client’s two decades of dedicated service to the FDNY.
Both former chiefs will continue to receive sizable pensions—Saccavino’s at $261,789 and Cordasco’s at $125,573 annually.
