Posted on 04/05/2026 4:04:10 PM PDT by Libloather
Two corrupt town workers in posh East Hampton accepted thousands of dollars in cash bribes from contractors in exchange for near-instant under-the-table building permits, according to prosecutors.
Town Building Inspector Ryan Benitez, 37, and his senior office assistant, Evelyn Calderon, 46, pocketed more than $16,000 from four unnamed contractors so that the builders could sidestep the months-long approval process and have their permits and certificates of occupancy secretly fast-tracked, Suffolk County prosecutors claimed.
The pair of government employees would sometimes jump into action within minutes of getting a request — and cut down the typical months-long process to mere hours for the right price, officials alleged.
“Public servants are expected to act with honesty and fairness in the course of their duties,” Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement.
“The law is meant to be administered equitably for everyone, not manipulated by the corrupt actions of those who are unjustly enriched by accepting cash bribes.”
The two workers — who were charged with misdemeanors, including five counts of bribe receiving and official misconduct each — ran the dirty scheme across five separate transactions between June 2024 and January 2025, according to the indictment.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Ex-NYC Mayor Eric Adams did not go to jail for accepting Turkish gifts. While indicted in 2024 on federal corruption charges alleging he took illegal gifts and campaign contributions, the Department of Justice directed federal prosecutors to drop all charges against him in February 2025.
The indictment alleged that from 2014 to 2022, Adams accepted luxury travel and improper campaign donations from Turkish officials in exchange for political favors, including pressuring the FDNY.
The charges were dropped in February 2025 following a change in federal administration guidance, which stated the investigation had hindered his ability to manage the city.
A Turkish-American businessman, a donor, was sentenced to probation for his role.
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