Federal prosecutors say that eleven Con Edison supervisors (ten current and one retired) forced a contractor to give them over a $1 million in bribes so they'd approve payments on projects like clean-up from the 2007 steam pipe explosion near Grand Central Station. And what's more, the feds have wiretaps of them bragging about it. Classy!
Bribes were given in the form of Giants-Cowboys tickets, electronic gadgets and cash. According to the Daily News, "Con Ed construction manager Rocco Fassacesia lamented the difficulty of spending the dirty money on his daughters' college tuition without attracting attention." He was recorded saying, " I used to go up to the bursar's office at, at the campus and come out with their f---ing tuition for the semester in f---ing 100s." And the Post has this quote from Thomas Fetter: "From a couple of a--holes shaking down f---ing contractors, we did pretty f---ing good."
The accused were arrested yesterday, and the NY Times explains they apparently "approved invoices for work that was unnecessary or was never performed, or guaranteed faster payment for work that was performed"—and they'd get about 4% of the payment. U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell said, "These defendants used their positions at Con Ed to line their own pockets at the expense of utility customers and the residents of the New York City metropolitan area."
Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, a Con Ed critic, said he was "disappointed, but hardly surprised... While most Con Edison employees are hardworking, honest individuals, those who are not are thriving in the sprawling, unaccountable monopoly that is Con Edison. This is yet another glaring example of the need to reform this monopoly so that it will finally begin operating like a responsible corporate citizen."
