A retired FDNY chief accused of fast-tracking safety inspections for thousands of dollars in off-the-books kickbacks plans to plead guilty in the case, according to new court filings.
Attorneys for Brian Cordasco said the former high-ranking official at the FDNY fire prevention unit intends to accept a deal offered by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office to plead guilty to one count of bribery, according to a Monday filing.
Cordasco and his former colleague Anthony Saccavino were charged with bribery, wire fraud, lying to the FBI, and related charges on Sept. 16 for allegedly lining their pockets with more than $190,000 in kickbacks.
The feds say the duo — who oversaw safety inspections for large projects — exploited a backlog during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic in cahoots with retired Firefighter Henry Santiago, bumping paying customers to the top of the line from 2021 through last year.
Prosecutors say the kickbacks added to Saccavino’s $263,478 salary in 2023 and Cordasco’s $257,296 yearly take-home pay.
Saccavino maintains his innocence and has not indicated that he plans to plead out.
The case was brought in the leadup to the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s case against Mayor Adams, which partly alleges he accepted bribes from the Turkish government to circumvent fire safety checks at Turkey’s consulate in Manhattan. The feds have not drawn a line between the two cases.
A lawyer for Cordasco could not be reached for comment Tuesday.