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‘Heroes’ to zeroes: The $2M NYCHA bribery scandal hall of shame
The charges represent the largest number of federal bribery raps brought in a single day in Department of Justice history.
nypost.com
‘Heroes’ to zeroes: The $2M NYCHA bribery scandal hall of shame
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Published Feb. 6, 2024, 8:59 p.m. ET
The NYCHA workers charged in the largest single-day bribery takedown in Justice Department history include a father who boasted about lavish globetrotting vacations, an administrator named a “hero” by his local project, a superintendent selected to partake in a “leadership academy” — and even an employee once suspended for appearing naked in bed with a woman during a staff video call.
In total, 70 current and former employees of the nation’s biggest public housing authority were charged Tuesday in a “classic pay-for-play” corruption scheme, which saw superintendents and administrators pocketing a collective $2 million in bribes over 10 years to secure work contracts at their properties.
The charges, brought by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, represent the largest number of federal bribery raps brought in a single day in Department of Justice history.
“Instead of acting in the interests of NYCHA residents, the City of New York or taxpayers, the 70 defendants charged today allegedly used their jobs at NYCHA to line their own pockets,” said US Attorney Damien Williams.
Here are some of the NYCHA workers charged:
7 Dwarka Rupnarain enjoys a champagne toast with his family. He allegedly took over $80,000 in bribes.
Dwarka Rupnarain
Dwarka Rupnarain allegedly collected at least $83,100 in bribes from $508,000 worth of contracts while serving as the superintendent for three different Bronx housing projects between 2007 and 2022, according to court filings.
The 63-year-old dad’s social media are littered with snaps from grand overseas vacations, showing his family frolicking on beaches, raising glasses of champagne and smiling in front of Italian vistas in Venice and Rome.
His Facebook profile also suggests a love of luxury European sports cars.
Rupnarain retired from the NYCHA in 2022 and now lives in Middletown, New Jersey, according to court documents.
7 Dwarka Rupnarain poses alongside a canal in Venice in one of many vacation photos on his social media profile.
Rigoberto Charriez
Rigoberto Charriez pocketed at least $70,000 from $377,000 in contracts while serving as groundskeeper or superintendent between 2016 and 2024 at six different housing projects across Brooklyn and Queens, according to prosecutors.
Just over a year ago, the 34-year-old was selected to participate in NYCHA’s Coaching and Mentorship Leadership Academy — a 16-week program aimed at enhancing “leadership and management skills through mentorship.”
“Mr. Charriez said he’s guided by a Mark Twain quote, ‘The secret to getting ahead is getting started,'” a profile on the Leadership Academy website reads.
“My message to all is this: If you want something in life, go after it and be relentless; don’t give up and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Charriez wrote in a separate profile on NYCHA’s website.
7 Rigoberto Charriez worked as a superintendent and groundskeeper at six NYC housing projects.
Nymiah Branch
Nymiah Branch allegedly took about $3,000 in bribes from $22,000 worth of contracts while working as a superintendent at two Brooklyn housing projects between 2018 and 2019, prosecutors alleged.
The 44-year-old, who grew up in Brooklyn projects himself, was touted as a NYCHA “hero” by administrator Eva Trimble in 2020.
“He cares so deeply and gives his all to his job!” Trimble said of Branch at the time.
The super was photographed being loaded into a police van alongside other defendants charged in the scam on Tuesday afternoon.
7 Nymiah Branch, 44, was named as one of NYCHA’s “heroes” by administrator Eva Trimble in a 2020 accolade. NYCHA
7 Nymiah Branch being loaded into a police van alongside other defendants in New York City on Tuesday afternoon. Michael Nagle for NY Post
Alex Tolozano
Alex Tolozano allegedly made off with at least $41,000 from $205,000 in contracts while serving as a Bronx superintendent between 2016 and 2019, according to court documents.
But it seems Tolozano, 57, is no stranger to trouble at work. In 2022, he was suspended for 30 days after he was caught naked in bed with a woman during a work-related video conference call.
The routine work call took a salacious turn when the face of a woman suddenly appeared on his video feed.
Moments later, Tolozano revealed himself, apparently stark naked, as his co-workers cried, “Oh my God!” and “No!”
Tolozano, who started working for the NYCHA in 1988, was also suspended two other times over the years — in 1995 and 2015 — and received an official reprimand in 2014. It remains unclear what led to his prior suspensions.
He only stopped working for the NYCHA in January, sources told The Post.
NYCHA's bribery and extortion scandal explained
- Seventy current and former New York City House Authority employees were arrested in a “classic pay-for-play” corruption scheme on Feb. 6, 2024.
- The defendants allegedly received more than $2 million in bribes between 2013 and 2023, according to officials.
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- The bribery and extortion crimes were committed in about a third of NYCHA’s 35 developments.
- The typical kickbacks were between $500 and $2,000 — or about 10% to 20% of the contracts’ values.
- The bust was the largest number of federal bribery arrests in Department of Justice history.
7 Defendants charged in the widespread NYCHA extortion and bribery case are loaded onto a police bus on Tuesday. Michael Nagle for NY Post
Elizabeth Tapia
Elizabeth Tapia allegedly took $11,000 in bribes across $66,000 worth of contracts while working as a superintendent in Brooklyn between 2019 and 2021.
In 2022, the 54-year-old was suspended for 15 days after she admitted to approving the timesheets of her domestic partner, who worked maintenance at properties under her supervision, without authorization.
She also reassigned her partner’s work to give him preferential schedules, according to court records.
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Henry McPhatter
Henry McPhatter allegedly made at least $15,000 in bribes from contracts worth $90,000 while serving as a superintendent at two buildings across Brooklyn and Harlem from 2020 to 2022.
In 2020, McPhatter, 44, was suspended for eight days after he admitted to charging a subordinate $50 to review a resume while using his work computer, the Daily News reported at the time.
Juan Mercado
Juan Mercado, 49, allegedly took a whopping $314,300 in bribes from at least $1,761,000 in contracts between 2014 and 2023.
Mercado worked as a super at three different NYCHA housing projects beginning in 2013, according to court documents.
He collected a salary of $99,478 under that job last year, records show.
7 Juan Mercado is detained by police on Tuesday. He allegedly took over $300,000 in bribes as a superintendent. Michael Nagle for NY Post
Other notables include Nirmal Lorick, who allegedly made off with $153,000 from contracts worth about $1,335,000; Jose Hernandez, who prosecutors said took $95,000 in bribes from $640,000 in contracts; and Veronica Hollman, who allegedly took $80,000 in bribes from around $400,000 in contracts.
Frankie Villanueva allegedly took $50,000 from $200,000 in contracts; Victor de Los Santos allegedly made $35,000 from contracts worth about $280,000; and Patrick Butler allegedly took $39,000 in bribes from $330,000 in contracts.