Two East Hampton building department employees indicted for taking bribes
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney says Evelyn Calderon, 46, and Ryan Benitez, 37, both accepted cash bribes from multiple contractors to expedite building permits and certificates of occupancy.
More Stories
Two employees in the Town of East Hampton Building Department were indicted by the Suffolk County District Attorney for allegedly taking bribes in exchange for giving out building permits and accompanying documents.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney says Evelyn Calderon, 46, and Ryan Benitez, 37, both accepted cash bribes from multiple contractors to expedite building permits and certificates of occupancy.
Tierney says that Calderon specifically would prioritize contractors who bribed her rather than in the normal chronological order - issuing permits within days when normally it would take months.
Benitez would then allegedly help schedule the inspections quickly after he got his half of the bribe from Calderon.
“Public servants are expected to act with honesty and fairness in the course of their duties,” said Tierney. “The law is meant to be administered equitably for everyone, not manipulated by the corrupt actions of those who are unjustly enriched by accepting cash bribes.”
Once the potential misconduct was brought to the attention of Town of East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, she immediately told town officials to look into the matter, who then brought it to the DA's office, a press release from the town says.
On Thursday, both Calderon and Benitez surrendered themselves and were arraigned on five felony counts of bribe receiving and on a misdemeanor charges of official misconduct.
Both were released on their own recognizance because the offenses are not bail eligible.
They are expected back in court on May 21 and face two to seven years in prison if convicted on the top count.
Burke-Gonzalez issued the following statement:
"I am grateful to District Attorney Raymond Tierney and the Public Corruption Bureau for their thorough work on the allegations we brought to their attention. For the past 18 months, this investigation has weighed heavily on our Building Department staff and on those who rely on the department’s services. Through it all, our staff continued to serve the public professionally under very difficult circumstances, and I am grateful to them for that. Now that the District Attorney's investigation has resulted in charges, we can more fully continue our work rebuilding the Department under the leadership of Principal Building Inspector Richard Normoyle."
