FDNY Chiefs Raided By FBI In Corruption Probe: Reports

NEW YORK CITY — Two top FDNY chiefs' homes were raided by FBI agents as part of a probe into whether they accepted $100,000 in payments as part of a crooked safety inspection scheme, according to reports and officials.

The raids Thursday — first reported by the New York Times — appeared centered on chiefs Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino, who have been proactively placed on modified duty, an FDNY spokesperson said in a statement to Patch.

Cordasco and Saccavino had not been accused of wrongdoing, the Times reported.

Details about the investigation remained unclear Thursday, but apparently FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh had been aware of accusations now being investigated by the city's Department of Investigation.

"As soon as Commissioner Kavanagh was alerted to these allegations last year, she immediately referred them to DOI to investigate them," the FDNY's statement read.

FDNY inspections have been a controversial issue in recent months after Gothamist reported the department and City Hall had a list of "prioritized" projects that fast-tracked inspections for certain favored projects by politically connected developers.

City Hall officials adamantly denied that the list existed, although it was mentioned in a lawsuit and confirmed by unnamed fire officials to a Gothamist reporter.

The New York Daily News reported Thursday, citing "sources," that the investigation apparently centered on Cordasco and Saccavino has nothing to do with the list.

Instead, it's focused on whether the two chiefs received bribes to speed up fire inspections, the Daily News reported.

The Times reported there was no sign, as of Thursday, that the searches were part of an investigation into Mayor Eric Adams and fundraising for his 2021 mayoral campaign.