Cornell Bozier Indicted in Hempstead Housing Kickback Scheme

Cornell Bozier, former Chairman of the Village of Hempstead Housing Authority (VHHA), was indicted today on federal charges tied to a brazen bid-rigging and kickback scheme that siphoned money from a program meant to house low-income families. The four-count superseding indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charges Bozier with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and three counts of federal program bribery. From April 2011 to April 2013, Bozier allegedly twisted his public role into a profit machine, leveraging his authority to steer taxpayer-funded contracts to cronies.

Bozier, arrested this morning, is set to appear before U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Prosecutors allege he didn’t just bend the rules—he shattered them. Instead of following the VHHA’s procurement policy requiring public bids for costly construction projects, Bozier orchestrated a shadow system where co-conspirators submitted fraudulently inflated bids. These fake bids bypassed oversight, ensuring contracts were awarded not to the most qualified low bidders, but to companies controlled by his associates.

To lock down the scheme, Bozier stacked the board’s inner circle, recruiting co-conspirators into key VHHA positions to rubber-stamp the rigged bids. He then applied pressure on fellow board members, twisting arms and manipulating votes to approve grossly overpriced contracts. All the while, kickbacks flowed to Bozier—totaling approximately $100,000 in cash and benefits—funneled discreetly in exchange for his abuse of power.

“The corruption and betrayal of the public trust detailed in the indictment was compounded by the fact that the defendant allegedly orchestrated this scheme to line his pockets with money stolen from a federal program that provides low-income families with safe and affordable housing,” said United States Attorney Robert L. Capers. “This Office and our law enforcement partners are steadfast in our resolve to uncover public corruption at every level of government and prosecute those responsible.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. didn’t mince words: “Bozier created a conduit for illegal activity, one that permeated the layers of oversight put in place to protect the public from the corruption in which he’s alleged to have been engaged. Misuse of public funds in furtherance of one’s own objectives is stealing, no matter how you cut it.” HUD-OIG’s Christina Scaringi added that schemes like this not only undercut fair competition but rip apart the integrity of federal housing programs.

The VHHA’s mission—providing safe, affordable housing in Hempstead—was betrayed at every turn. The indictment details one specific contract Bozier allegedly manipulated, though further specifics are under seal. But the pattern is clear: public trust sold off, competition faked, and the poor left footing the bill. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York with investigative backing from the FBI and HUD-OIG. As the system grinds forward, one truth stands: corruption has a courtroom address now, and Bozier is front and center.