A former FDNY chief accused of expediting fire safety reviews and inspections in exchange for nearly $100,000 in bribes pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal conspiracy charge.
Brian Cordasco, 50, admitted to the scheme in a brief statement to Judge Lewis Liman in a federal courtroom in Lower Manhattan. The former fire chief said he and others agreed to accept bribes, and he affirmed to the judge that he knew it was wrong.
“I plead guilty, your honor,” Cordasco said.
Cordasco, was dressed in a dark suit, red tie and black square glasses, sat up straight throughout the half-hour hearing. He repeatedly told the judge “yes, your honor," and “I do, your honor,” when asked if he understood what was going on and whether he consented to the terms of the agreement as well as its potential consequences.
The judge said Cordasco faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of post-release supervision and a fine of up to $300,000. The former FDNY official also agreed to forfeit $57,000 as part of the deal, the judge said.
Cordasco and another former FDNY chief, Anthony Saccavino, were indicted on federal bribery and fraud charges last month. Prosecutors said Cordasco publicly criticized corruption within the department's inspection and review process while privately engaging in it himself.
The indictment describes a scheme where City Hall officials allegedly asked the FDNY to prioritize certain buildings for reviews and inspections. The list included schools, hospitals, a movie theater and a luxury gym, according to legal papers.
Cordasco vocally opposed this practice, saying in an email to his FDNY colleagues that it was “extremely unfair to the applicants who have been waiting at least eight weeks for their inspection,” according to an excerpt in the indictment. He also condemned the practice in messages to friends, the indictment states.
Meanwhile, he was quietly doing the same thing for apartments, restaurants and hotels across the city, and collecting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes, said the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors said Cordasco and Saccavino fast-tracked some reviews and inspections as the fire department struggled to recover from a pandemic-induced backlog, which had stretched the average wait time to two months or longer. They partnered with a retired firefighter who started a business to help people with the logistics of the review and inspection process, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Between 2021 and 2023, the retired firefighter paid them a combined $190,000 for their influence, prosecutors allege.
Cordasco and Saccavino both initially pleaded not guilty to a handful of federal charges, including solicitation and receipt of a bribe, wire fraud, conspiracy and making false statements. Saccavino has maintained his not-guilty plea. Cordasco agreed to admit guilt as part of a deal with the government and pleaded guilty to just one of the charges in the indictment: conspiracy to solicit and receive bribes by an agent of a federally funded institution. Judge Liman is scheduled to sentence him in mid-February.
Cordasco’s guilty plea comes as the FDNY’s safety inspection process faces heightened scrutiny from federal prosecutors. The fire department also appears in the recent indictment of Mayor Eric Adams. Prosecutors accused Adams, who was Brooklyn borough president at the time, of pressuring FDNY officials to approve the opening of a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan when the 36-story skyscraper didn’t yet have a functioning fire alarm system.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But his administration is embroiled in a swirl of investigations, and federal agents have descended on the homes of many members of his inner circle. A growing number of administration officials have also resigned in recent weeks, including the deputy mayor for public safety, the schools chancellor and the NYPD commissioner.
