Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LEROY GIBBS and JULIO FIGUEROA each pled guilty to accepting bribes for awarding no-bid contracts at the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) facilities at which they served as superintendents. GIBBS pled guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein on October 7, 2022, and will be sentenced by United States District Judge Colleen McMahon on January 25, 2023. FIGUEROA pled guilty today before United States District Judge Denise L. Cote and will be sentenced by Judge Cote on February 9, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Leroy Gibbs and Julio Figueroa betrayed the trust placed in them by the New York City Housing Authority by accepting bribes in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts. Gibbs and Figueroa now stand convicted of federal felonies and will face sentencing for their crimes.”
According to the Complaints, Informations, and statements made in court:
In February 2020, GIBBS, who was then employed as the Resident Buildings Superintendent at Douglass Houses in New York, New York, solicited and accepted approximately $2,000 in bribes from a confidential informant (the “CI”) in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts to the CI worth a total of approximately $9,950 from NYCHA for work at that NYCHA facility.
Between July 2021 and August 2022, FIGUEROA, who was then employed as the Assistant Resident Buildings Superintendent at the Ft. Independence St.-Heath Ave. Houses in the Bronx, New York, solicited and accepted approximately $6,000 in bribes from the CI in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts to the CI worth a total of approximately $46,622 from NYCHA for work at that NYCHA facility.
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GIBBS, 58, of Bay Shore, New York, and FIGUEROA, 45, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, each pled guilty to one count of solicitation and receipt of a bribe, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Under the terms of their plea agreements, GIBBS agreed to forfeit $2,000 and make restitution in the amount of $2,000, and FIGUEROA agreed to forfeit $6,000 and make restitution in the amount of $6,000.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Department of Investigation, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General, and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine Ghosh and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.
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| Component | USAO - New York, Southern; |
| OIG | Department of Housing and Urban Development OIG |