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Dear New Yorkers,

Two former high-ranking FDNY chiefs were arrested and charged in a bribery scheme yesterday.

Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco, who retired after the FBI raided their houses earlier this year, are charged with speeding up certain inspections for those who needed fire safety system approvals in order to open new spaces and buildings.

In turn, prosecutors alleged, those property owners steered cash to them — sometimes inside the FDNY’s headquarters in Brooklyn, sometimes at steakhouse dinners in Manhattan.

“They allegedly created a VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams at a press conference. “That’s classic pay to play corruption.”

Their alleged scheme coincided with a controversial program the FDNY dubbed the “DMO List,” which THE CITY has long reported on. City Hall allegedly used the list to request expedited inspections for favored individuals at a time when those generally took eight to 10 weeks to get done.

In another notable turnover, this one at the NYPD, Raul Pintos, who’d been the chief of staff to former commissioner Edward Caban, filed for retirement at the end of last week — within days of the FBI confiscating Pintos’ phone.

Read more about Saccavino and Cordasco here, and Pintos here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 6/10. Not a bad start, but we've got increasing clouds and rising dew points as the day goes on with high temperatures in the upper 70s. A few showers move in later tonight, too. The vibes are getting a bit more unsettled out there ...

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Gov. Kathy Hochul has resisted calls to declare opioid overdoses a public health emergency — which would expand the state’s power to address the crisis. Healthbeat reports that during a meeting last Friday Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board members expressed dismay over the governor’s continued resistance to such a declaration: “When you have power, as we do, you should use that power,” one member said. Washington Heights residents are divided over a designation — which a state board just narrowly approved — that would establish a new Washington Heights-Dominican Cultural Historic District. The vote was the culmination of years of research by the Dominican Studies Institute at CUNY. But some residents say the new district would obscure other groups’ cultural contributions. Dominicans account for 44% of Washington Heights residents, while the neighborhood is also home to significant Black, Puerto Rican, Mexican and Cuban populations. “I don’t take lightly to erasure,” one opponent told THE CITY. “I don’t care who’s doing it.”  On the latest episode of FAQ NYC, the hosts dive into the latest chaos in the Adams administration — and how the mayor is trying to turn the page. Listen here.

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Tuesday, Sept. 17: An evening of poetry and art-sharing. Free from 5 to 7 p.m. at Essex Street Community Garden in Brooklyn. Wednesday, Sept. 18: Help the staff at the Citywide Nursery pot perennials and maintain its plant hoop houses. No gardening experience required. Free from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Arthur Ross Citywide Nursery in The Bronx. Wednesday, Sept. 18: A community gardening event all about saving seeds and getting ready for the next growing season. Free from 6 to 8 p.m. at Community Serenity Garden in Far Rockaway, Queens.

THE KICKER: One guide has named a Lower East Side pizza shop as the best pizzeria in the world for the third year in a row.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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