Keystone
SAWHORSE
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/lehigh-county/index.ssf/2015/02/allentown_man_65_char
An Allentown man is accused of paying off New York Department of Buildings employees as part of a massive bribery scheme.
David Weiszer of Allentown has been identified by the New York County District Attorney's Office as one of 50 defendants involved in widespread housing fraud and bribery schemes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
The defendants include 11 New York City Department of Buildings employees and five New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development employees.
The defendants last week were charged in 26 New York State Supreme Court indictments filed in New York and Kings counties with crimes including bribery, bribe receiving, falsifying business records, tampering with public records and official misconduct.
The investigation had revealed evidence of approximately $450,000 worth of alleged bribes in numerous, distinct schemes between 16 DOB and HPD employees and 22 property managers and owners, six expeditors, two contractors and one engineer, according to a news release by the New York County District Attorney's Office.
Weiszer had served as an "unregistered expediter," bribing multiple Department of Buildings employees, including a chief of development, an inspector and three clerks, according to the news release.
Beginning in September 2011, Weiszer allegedly sent a list of addresses of locations owned by his clients to the then-DOB Chief of Development for Brooklyn Construction, bypassing proper DOB channels, on a near daily basis, authorities say in the release.
The release also states Weiszer, hired by developers, allegedly paid the chief of development and his wife approximately $200,000 for home mortgage payments, a Nissan Rogue SUV, a GMC Terrain SUV and a Royal Caribbean cruise, as well as cash for airline tickets, home renovations and other personal expenses.
Weiszer is similarly alleged to have paid an inspector more than $70,000 in cash bribes for signing-off on Weiszer's necessary inspections, in addition to allegedly paying $2,000 to $3,000 at a time in cash to two clerks, who allowed him to cut past people waiting in line at DOB's Brooklyn office without showing the required credentials.
Authorities in the news release go on to say after he stopped working with the chief of development, Weiszer allegedly developed a new scheme in June 2014 involving a client manager at the New York City Department of Small Business Services.
Weiszer is charged with bribing the manager to route the DOB inspector to his properties, including those that fell outside of the mission of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. He then bribed the inspector to perform favorable inspections on his properties, the release states.
The New York Daily News reports Weiszer, age 65, has been on the lam for three months after investigators in November went to his Allentown home to seize records.
An Allentown man is accused of paying off New York Department of Buildings employees as part of a massive bribery scheme.
David Weiszer of Allentown has been identified by the New York County District Attorney's Office as one of 50 defendants involved in widespread housing fraud and bribery schemes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
The defendants include 11 New York City Department of Buildings employees and five New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development employees.
The defendants last week were charged in 26 New York State Supreme Court indictments filed in New York and Kings counties with crimes including bribery, bribe receiving, falsifying business records, tampering with public records and official misconduct.
The investigation had revealed evidence of approximately $450,000 worth of alleged bribes in numerous, distinct schemes between 16 DOB and HPD employees and 22 property managers and owners, six expeditors, two contractors and one engineer, according to a news release by the New York County District Attorney's Office.
Weiszer had served as an "unregistered expediter," bribing multiple Department of Buildings employees, including a chief of development, an inspector and three clerks, according to the news release.
Beginning in September 2011, Weiszer allegedly sent a list of addresses of locations owned by his clients to the then-DOB Chief of Development for Brooklyn Construction, bypassing proper DOB channels, on a near daily basis, authorities say in the release.
The release also states Weiszer, hired by developers, allegedly paid the chief of development and his wife approximately $200,000 for home mortgage payments, a Nissan Rogue SUV, a GMC Terrain SUV and a Royal Caribbean cruise, as well as cash for airline tickets, home renovations and other personal expenses.
Weiszer is similarly alleged to have paid an inspector more than $70,000 in cash bribes for signing-off on Weiszer's necessary inspections, in addition to allegedly paying $2,000 to $3,000 at a time in cash to two clerks, who allowed him to cut past people waiting in line at DOB's Brooklyn office without showing the required credentials.
Authorities in the news release go on to say after he stopped working with the chief of development, Weiszer allegedly developed a new scheme in June 2014 involving a client manager at the New York City Department of Small Business Services.
Weiszer is charged with bribing the manager to route the DOB inspector to his properties, including those that fell outside of the mission of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. He then bribed the inspector to perform favorable inspections on his properties, the release states.
The New York Daily News reports Weiszer, age 65, has been on the lam for three months after investigators in November went to his Allentown home to seize records.