Trending Topics

Retired FDNY chief pleads guilty in inspection bribery case

One of two fire prevention chiefs admitted to taking more than $5,000 over three years to fast-track inspections

NYC Corruption Fire Chiefs

Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024.

Stefan Jeremiah/AP

By Bill Carey
FireRescue1

NEW YORK — A retired FDNY chief pleaded guilty to conspiracy for accepting bribes to fast-track safety inspections.

On Oct. 8, Brian Cordasco entered a guilty plea, admitting that he took over $5,000 from 2021 to 2023 to expedite safety inspections, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York.


Two retired FDNY chiefs stand accused of accepting bribes to fast-track fire safety approvals in a corruption scandal that allegedly netted them nearly $200,000

In September, Cordasco and retired chief Anthony Saccavino were arrested after a year-long federal corruption probe, WABC reported. He faces up to five years in prison.

Cordasco’s plea doesn’t require cooperation against his co-defendant, Saccavino, but prosecutors say they conspired to create a VIP line for paid fire inspections.

Trending
The Durham Fire Department confirmed a firefighter died and two otherss were injured while fighting a fire near South Miami Boulevard
Readers named everything from fireground basics to size-up and SCBA discipline, with many arguing that fundamentals and fire-reading skills get too little attention
Durham firefighter Andrew Brokes, who joined the department in May 2025, was fatally injured searching for victims when part of the building’s roof and second floor collapsed, trapping firefighters
The Police Protective League plans to spend millions opposing the firefighters union’s permanent sales tax hike, which would generate an estimated $345 million annually to hire firefighters and build new stations across Los Angeles