Seventy current and former employees of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) were arrested this week for allegedly accepting bribes.
“[D]ozens of employees, including superintendents and assistant superintendents, had taken more than $2 million in bribes from contractors seeking to do work at apartment buildings throughout the city’s five boroughs,” according to The New York Times.
“More than $13 million in work … was wrongly handed out, prosecutors said, with defendants demanding payment to authorize work or to approve it after it was done. The accused employees usually received kickbacks of 10 to 20 percent of the contract value, prosecutors said, though sometimes the payments were higher,” the Times reported.
But more interesting than the crimes themselves are the perpetrators’ stories, starting with the story of Dwarka Rupnarain, who allegedly collected at least $83,100 in bribes from $508,000 worth of contracts between 2007 and 2022.
“The 63-year-old dad’s social media is littered with snaps from grand overseas vacations, showing his family frolicking on beaches, raising glasses of champagne and smiling in front of Italian vistas in Venice and Rome. His Facebook profile also suggests a love of luxury European sports cars,” the New York Post notes.
He reportedly retired from the NYCHA in 2022, but two years later is now poised to face justice for his reported crimes.
He can be seen on the left in the photo compilation below:
‘Heroes’ to zeroes: The $2M NYCHA bribery scandal hall of shame https://t.co/gvEM6yHFky pic.twitter.com/sd5fpo7PEH
— New York Post (@nypost) February 7, 2024
Next is Rigoberto Charriez, who allegedly collected at least $70,000 in bribes from $377,000 worth of contracts between 2016 and 2024.
“Just over a year ago, the 34-year-old was selected to participate in NYCHA’s Coaching and Mentorship Leadership Academy — a 16-week program aimed at enhancing ‘leadership and management skills through mentorship,'” the Post notes.
“Mr. Charriez said he’s guided by a Mark Twain quote, ‘The secret to getting ahead is getting started,'” his profile on the Leadership Academy website reportedly reads.
“My message to all is this: If you want something in life, go after it and be relentless; don’t give up and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” he wrote in a separate profile on NYCHA’s website.
Next is Nymiah Branch, a supposed “hero” who allegedly collected at least $3,000 in bribes from $22,000 worth of contracts between 2018 and 2019.
“He cares so deeply and gives his all to his job!” NYCHA administrator Eva Trimble reportedly said about him four years ago.
Shoutout to Nymiah Branch, Property Maintenance Supervisor at Red Hook Houses West, who has been managing Red Hook West tirelessly through the #COVID19 crisis.
Please join us in thanking NYCHA’s many hardworking employees in the #NYCHAHeroes series. https://t.co/nl98wiTdit pic.twitter.com/p394r4rZ7a
— NYCHA (@NYCHA) August 7, 2020
Big shoutout to Nymiah Branch, Neighborhood Administrator in Brooklyn who has more than 35 years of experience at @NYCHA!
We are appreciate all that you do!https://t.co/Lsw6qVpn4s pic.twitter.com/HCrsrSyVRV
— NYCHA (@NYCHA) July 13, 2021
Next is Alex Tolozano, a troublemaker who allegedly collected at least $41,000 from $205,000 worth of bribes between 2016 and 2019.
“Tolozano, 57, is no stranger to trouble at work. In 2022, he was suspended for 30 days after he was caught naked in bed with a woman during a work-related video conference call,” according to the Post.
“The routine work call took a salacious turn when the face of a woman suddenly appeared on his video feed. Moments later Tolozano revealed himself, apparently stark naked as his co-workers cried, ‘Oh my god!,’ and ‘No!'” the Post notes.
He was reportedly also suspended in 1995 and 2015 — and he received an official reprimand in 2014. He recently stopped working for NYCHA last month.
Next is Elizabeth Tapia, who allegedly collected at least $11,000 in bribes from $60,000 worth of contracts between 2019 and 2021.
“In 2022, the 54-year-old was suspended for 15 days after she admitted to approving the timesheets of her domestic partner, who worked maintenance at properties under her supervision, without authorization. She also reassigned her partner’s work to give him preferential schedules, according to court records,” according to the Post.
Next is Henry McPhatter, who allegedly collected at least $15,000 in bribes from $90,000 worth of contracts between 2020 and 2022.
Four years ago, he was reportedly suspended after he admitted to having charged a subordinate $50 to review his resume.
Last is Juan Mercado, who allegedly collected a ridiculous $314,300 in bribes from at least $1,761,000 in contracts between 2014 and 2023.
“Mercado worked as a super at three different NYCHA housing projects beginning in 2013, according to court documents. He collected a salary of $99,478 under that job last year, records show,” according to the Post.
These aren’t all the suspects, but they are the most interesting ones.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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