Former Chairman of the Village of Hempstead Housing Authority Cornell Bozier has been convicted of corruption charges in New York. A federal jury in Central Islip returned a guilty verdict against Bozier on four counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and federal program bribery.
When sentenced, Bozier faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack.
“As found by the jury, having been trusted to serve the residents of low-income housing as a Village of Hempstead public official, Bozier instead lied, cheated and stole federal funds for himself,” stated United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue. “If, like Mr. Bozier, you betray the public you are hired to serve, expect to find yourself in a courtroom facing the consequences.”
“Plain and simple, this is a case of greed; Bozier and his co-conspirators engaged in public corruption for personal gain,” said HUD-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Christina Scaringi. “We are not talking about the abstract here, this is a case involving real money that should have been used to improve the lives of those living within the public housing authority that these offenders were entrusted to serve.”
The evidence at trial established that between March 2011 and November 2012, Bozier engaged in schemes with his co-conspirators – contractors James Alimonos and Peter Caras – to defraud the citizens of the Village of Hempstead (the Village) and the VHHA by soliciting and accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for Bozier using his official position to ensure that the Board of Commissioners (the Board) accepted fraudulently submitted bids for VHHA construction projects.
The schemes included the Totten Avenue Intercom Project, where Bozier fraudulently obtained an “emergency” designation from the Board for repair of the intercom system at a VHHA on Totten Avenue in the Village without the public bid requirement to ensure that the contract was awarded to the lowest qualified bidder. Alimonos then directed another co-conspirator to submit a falsely inflated bid of $95,740 to replace the intercom system. Alimonos paid Bozier approximately $30,000 for securing the Board’s acceptance of the fraudulent bid.
The schemes also included the Yale Street Roof Project, where Bozier accepted a bid of $248,000, although the bid lacked the required paperwork. Bozier then secured the Board’s approval, and the VHHA paid a total of $273,900 for the project. Thereafter, Alimonos hired another construction company to replace the roof for $23,000. In return, Bozier received a kickback of approximately $55,000 from his co-conspirators.
The schemes also included the Gladys Avenue Piping Project, where Bozier ensured that the $164,000 contract was awarded to a company established in the name of Alimonos’s wife, although the bid lacked the required supporting information. Alimonos then hired another construction company to do the repair work for approximately $26,000. In return, Bozier received approximately $30,000 in kickback payments from his co-conspirators.
Related Federal Cases
- Cornell Bozier, Bid-Rigging and Kickback Scheme, New York 2024 · New York
- James Johnson, Bribery and Obstruction of Justice, New York NY, 2023 · Arkansas
- Edward Mullins, Union Fund Embezzlement, New York NY, 2023 · New York
- James Johnson, Bribery and Attempted Assault, New York, 2023 · Washington
- Maximiliano Davila Perez, Running Cartel Operations, New York NY, 2024 · New York
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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