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THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025

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Dear New Yorkers,

One year after a sweeping corruption takedown at the New York City Housing Authority, dozens of NYCHA employees have received prison sentences for taking bribes from contractors. In fact, out of the 70 people who were arrested, 64 have been convicted.

But on the other side of the corrupt transaction, it’s a very different story.

Since the February 2024 sweep, NYCHA has awarded hundreds of contracts — worth a total of $7.8 million — to eight companies whose operators have publicly confessed to participating in the decade-long bribery scheme, an investigation by THE CITY has found.

All of these contractors admitted under oath that they regularly handed over cash bribes in the basements and stairwells of NYCHA developments, sometimes for years. But none of them were charged with a crime: all were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for their testimony.

And this crooked cash-for-contracts system has worked out pretty well for them: over the years, those eight vendors have racked up $70 million in taxpayer-funded contracts from everything from installing vinyl tile to painting apartments.

So why did NYCHA keep hiring them?

Read more here about the contractors still benefitting from a pay-to-play mentality in housing developments.

Weather ☀️

Sunny and warm, with highs in the low 60s.

MTA 🚇

The 3 train isn’t running overnight, from 11:45 p.m. tonight to 4:30 a.m. tomorrow. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s suspended today, April 17, for Holy Thursday.

By the way…

It’s Cherry Blossom season! Central Park is bursting with blooms and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is on its way.

Our Other Top Stories

The City Council, comptroller and fiscal watchdogs agree: the mayor needs to set aside more money for the city’s reserve, to the tune of $1 billion in case of a recession and another billion to be used if President Donald Trump cuts federal funds. Unfortunately for Mayor Eric Adams, celebrity attorney Alex Spiro doesn’t come cheap: the mayor’s legal defense fund has not raised a single dollar in 2025 and is now $3.2 million in the red. We could be seeing a competitive New York House Republican face-off for the gubernatorial primary next year: Rep. Mike Lawler, who’s openly flirted with running against Gov. Hochul, could be pitted against Rep. Elise Stefanik — who, according to New York GOP officials, “is looking into it” after Trump’s allies encouraged her to run.

Reporter’s Notebook

Gone With the Wind?

Earlier this month, at-sea construction began on Empire Wind 1, New York’s first major offshore wind project — looking like it would squeak past President Donald Trump’s executive order to halt federal leases and permits for wind.

But on Wednesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to issue a stop-work order on Empire Wind’s construction and to review the project’s permitting, which it received under the Biden administration.

Equinor, the company developing the project, said it would “not comment about the potential consequences until we know more,” and would directly engage with the federal authorities.

Construction on the land-side parts of the project began last year.

In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated she would “not allow the federal overreach to stand.”

“This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the President’s executive orders — it’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on,” she said.

— Samantha Maldonado

City Council Pushes Rikers Island Bills

City Hall should establish a czar to oversee the plan to close Rikers Island, analyze the Department of Correction’s early release program and give people locked up better access to evidence against them, according to a set of bills introduced by the City Council on Wednesday.

The legislation is aimed at lowering the city’s incarcerated population and speeding the $16 billion effort to close the jails on Rikers by 2027 and replace them with new ones in four of the boroughs.

The new smaller jails are only expected to have a capacity for 4,400 detainees, but there are currently over 7,000 people on Rikers and rising. The Manhattan jail, meanwhile, isn’t set to be completed until 2032.

“I would remind you that Rikers is behind schedule in terms of closing because of a lack of urgency and a lack of will,” former State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, chair of the Independent Rikers Commission, testified before the Council.

— Reuven Blau

Things To Do

Here are some free and low-cost things to do around the city this week.

Thursday, April 17: Join the movement to advocate for a swimmable Bronx River by becoming a volunteer water quality monitor. Attend the training at the River House in The Bronx, 10 a.m. Thursday, April 17: Visit the Museum of the Moving Image for free from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (every Thursday!)  Thursday, April 17: See a tribute to the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, at Lincoln Center as part of Migguel Anggelo’s “Icons” series. Free tickets — first come, first served! 7:30 p.m.

THE KICKER:  Gothamist has a look at the auditions to join the New York Liberty’s cheerleading squad — exclusively for dancers over 40.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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