Retired FDNY chief pleads guilty in federal corruption case

Brian Cordasco, a retired chief in the FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to accept bribes in exchange for expediting safety inspections.

"I plead guilty your honor," Cordasco said.

The retired chief admitted that he received more than $5,000 between 2021 and 2023 to fast track mandatory safety inspections.

Last month, he and retired Chief Anthony Saccavino were arrested in a year-long federal corruption investigation.

Cordasco will be sentenced in February when he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The plea agreement contains no expectation of cooperation against his codefendant, Saccavino, but federal prosecutors said Cordasco conspired with Saccavino to create a VIP line for fire inspections for those willing to pay.

"He would expedite such matters in a way that was unavailable to the general public," assistant U.S. attorney Daniel Wolf said.

A retired firefighter, Henry Santiago Jr., has already pleaded guilty and Saccavino is expected back in court in December.

The case is unrelated to the corruption case against Mayor Adams but appears to have been an offshoot of the same investigation. Adams has pleaded not guilty to taking bribes from Turkey in exchange for help expediting an FDNY inspection at the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

ALSO READ: What is Mayor Eric Adams charged with? Read the indictment

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