Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Anthony Saccavino has pled guilty to conspiring to solicit and receive bribes during his tenure as Chief of the New York City Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, with sentencing scheduled for May 14, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon stated, "Anthony Saccavino betrayed the City agency he was chosen to lead by repeatedly selling access to the Bureau of Fire Prevention’s services in a pay-to-play bribery scheme. This Office will continue to ensure that City officials who place their own interests above those of the public will be held accountable."
The indictment and court statements reveal that between 2021 and 2023, Saccavino abused his position by participating in a scheme involving $190,000 in bribe payments from former FDNY firefighter Henry Santiago Jr. In return for these payments, Saccavino expedited inspections and plan reviews for Santiago's clients within the BFP, personally profiting $57,000 from this arrangement. He misled his subordinates to justify improper requests and lied to law enforcement about his involvement.
Saccavino, aged 59 from New York City, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive a bribe with a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Under his plea agreement terms, he agreed to forfeit $57,000.
Ms. Sassoon commended the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation in handling this case through the Office’s Public Corruption Unit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood, Matthew King, and Daniel H. Wolf leading the prosecution.
Anyone with information related to bribery or fraud involving FDNY or BFP employees is encouraged to contact squad6complaint@doi.nyc.gov or (212) 825-2402.
