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 ...
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We used to be a High Trust society.
We used to laugh at other countries with corrupt officials.
We used to be better than this.
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.
“...from four unnamed contractors..”
This is a joke. If the money was not handed over from someone, you can’t have a bribe without a person doing it. If thee were ignored points of safety or security that did not get it done and were approved, and they had to know the process was under the table against the law, then if they follow the money trail, it will lead right to the giver for the other half of the transactions. Did the money come out of a bank at each job site, or was it paid for with trips to Atlantic City by someone. Even the web has a trail. Look under the carpet.
wy69
Didn’t the former mayor of New York Adams fast track the Turkish Consulate for cash and other prizes ?
Yes, federal prosecutors indicted former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, alleging he accepted over $100,000 in luxury travel, illegal campaign contributions, and other benefits from Turkish officials and businesspeople.
In exchange, Adams allegedly pressured FDNY officials to fast-track the safety inspection and opening of the 36-story Turkish Consulate (Turkish House) in 2021 despite fire safety concerns.
Key details regarding the allegations include:The “Prizes” (Bribery Allegations): Adams is accused of receiving free or heavily discounted luxury hotel stays and flights on Turkish Airlines from 2016 onward. He also allegedly received illegal “straw donor” campaign contributions.
The Action (Fast-Tracking): Prosecutors allege that in September 2021, Adams—then-Brooklyn Borough President and incoming mayor—pressured officials at the FDNY to allow the Turkish consulate to open without a necessary fire inspection.
The Motive: The consulate was set to open for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Response: Eric Adams has denied all wrongdoing, stated he did not plan to resign, and has suggested he was unfairly targeted.The indictment, unsealed in September 2024, includes charges of bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy, making him the first NYC mayor to be criminally charged while in office.Adams indictment focuses on connections to Turkey - Politico Sep 26, 2024 —
According to the charges, Adams accepted free travel on Turkish Airlines and luxury hotel rooms...
Politico Feds charge NYC mayor with selling his influence to foreign nationals. He says he won’t resign |
The Associated Press Sep 27, 2024 — The indictment also alleges that Adams took actions that appeared to benefit Turkey’s leaders.
...and I’d bet you a dollar that no one on East Hampton is wondering why the existing process can be whittled from months to hours.
those are mighty low bribes for the hamptons
Bribery is why leftists love regulations.
so that the builders could sidestep the months-long approval process
“There may be the REAL crime....................”
Exactly my first thought, IOW the overly burdensome process created the opportunity to solicit or accept the bribes. By just meting out justice & punishment to the offenders, they are merely addressing the symptoms but not the true cause.
If the money was not handed over from someone, you can’t have a bribe without a person doing it.
Government officials create months-long processes as a way to extort bribes. Sometimes they extort public improvements and fees (beyond what the applicants project creates a need for). Sometimes they want cash for themselves or their gang. Sometimes both.
They said ‘unnamed contractors’, not ‘unknown contractors’. So the bribers are identified, easily so just by looking at the permits timeline.
The permitting process has become a racket by the bloated bureaucracy. So this is just a case of the gangster state defending its turf.
Since both venues are corrupt, expect more people going the corrupt who gets things done fast.
“...is doing time for trafficking underage women to no one.”
There were some witnesses that stepped forward concerning her “work.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/29/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-accusers-stories
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/29/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-accusers-stories
Unfortunately for her there were plenty of collaborating witnesses.
wy69
“So the bribers are identified, easily so just by looking at the permits timeline.”
Soon the unnamed contractors will become the unknown ones. This one will get shoved under the living room rug. The dollar amounts for this location is peanuts. The people who live there play monopoly with real buildings.
wy69
Really? Ya don't say? LOL. The one function of government where you can be absolutely sure that employees are taking bribes is in permitting. Prostitution may be the oldest profession, but the very first government bribe given when government was first created thousands of years ago was to get a permit.
I wasn’t saying she’s innocent, but who did she traffic the women to?
“...but who did she traffic the women to?”
From the files, notable figures mentioned in Epstein-related documents: Former US President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, John Glenn, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Michael Jackson, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to name a few.
The documents mention various politicians and entrepreneurs. Judge Loretta Preska ruled there was no longer any legal justification to withhold the names of more than 150 people mentioned in the defamation case filed by Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser, against Maxwell.
wy69
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