Former New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) superintendent Corey Gilmore has been found guilty on charges of bribery and extortion, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced yesterday. Gilmore's conviction is the latest in a significant corruption sweep that has seen 70 NYCHA employees charged back in February 2024.
According to the statement from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Gilmore accepted thousands of dollars from contractors, as payment for awarding NYCHA contracts over approximately six years. Williams highlighted the grave nature of the crime, saying, "Corruption is an insidious crime—difficult to detect, corrosive in its effect on government agencies, and damaging to the public’s trust in government institutions." Gilmore's role at NYCHA included overseeing developments in the Bronx, and, the authority is the largest of its kind in the nation, relying on over $1.5 billion in federal funding annually. His duties allowed him the discretion to choose contractors for projects below a certain budget threshold without a bidding process.
The trial, which concluded four days before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, revealed that Gilmore demanded $1,000 per contract and received tens of thousands in bribes. This misconduct resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contracts being compromised. Of the 70 individuals initially charged, 59 have already pled guilty, whereas Gilmore is now the third to be convicted following a trial.
Gilmore, 46, residing in Garnerville, New York, potentially faces a maximum term of 10 years for federal program bribery and another 20 years for extortion under color of official right. The U.S. Attorney's Office remarks that the sentences provided here are the statutory maximum and any actual sentencing would be at the discretion, of the presiding judge. The notable investigation efforts were a collaboration between several agencies, including the New York City Department of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations.
The prosecution is a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Deininger, Matthew King, and Derek Wikstrom led the effort, with Paralegal Specialist Braden Florczyk's assistance. The public, especially those with relevant information regarding bribery, extortion, or illegal activities involving NYCHA employees, is urged to contact the Office of the Inspector General for NYCHA or self-disclose through the SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program.
