{"id":25580,"date":"2026-01-13T18:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T23:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/city-halls-nycha-scandal-indicted-former-liaison-arrested\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T18:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T23:53:01","slug":"city-halls-nycha-scandal-indicted-former-liaison-arrested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/city-halls-nycha-scandal-indicted-former-liaison-arrested\/","title":{"rendered":"City Hall\u2019s NYCHA Scandal: Indicted Former Liaison Arrested"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"70\" data-end=\"440\">Residents of New York City&#8217;s public housing deserve leadership at City Hall that genuinely serves the community, not private agendas. That\u2019s at the heart of a new federal indictment brought by the Southern District of New York (<a href='https:\/\/www.nysd.uscourts.gov\/'>SDNY<\/a>), which accuses Anthony Herbert, the former Citywide Public Housing Liaison at the Mayor\u2019s Office, of engaging in bribery, kickbacks, and fraud.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"442\" data-end=\"1032\">According to federal prosecutors, Herbert worked with the Office of the Mayor\u2019s Community Affairs Unit (\u201cCommunity Affairs\u201d) from around February 2022 until approximately September 2025. Initially, he held the position of Brooklyn Borough Director for Community Affairs (Feb 2022\u2013Feb 2023) before moving into the Citywide Public Housing Liaison role, where he was tasked with connecting with NYCHA residents on behalf of City Hall.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1034\" data-end=\"1200\">Herbert has been arrested and is expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge. The matter has been assigned to a district judge, as detailed in the announcement.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1202\" data-end=\"1413\">It\u2019s important to note that these are allegations. The announcement emphasizes, \u201cThe charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1415\" data-end=\"1461\">What the Authorities Claim<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1463\" data-end=\"1615\">U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton portrayed the case as a betrayal of public trust rooted in Herbert\u2019s capacity as the Mayor\u2019s representative to public housing residents.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1617\" data-end=\"2061\">\u201cNew Yorkers deserve honest and capable officials,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. \u201cAs stated, during his time as liaison to public housing, Herbert engaged in pay-to-play activities for personal gain. The SDNY is steadfast in prosecuting public servants who misuse their position.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2063\" data-end=\"2179\">IRS Criminal Investigation claimed that Herbert allegedly converted a government post into his own scheme for financial profit.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2181\" data-end=\"2655\">\u201cAnthony Herbert is accused of using his Mayor\u2019s Office position to run a bribery and fraud racket,\u201d said IRS-CI Special Agent Harry T. Chavis, Jr. \u201cHe allegedly exploited his city job for personal gain by giving businesses undue advantages. Today\u2019s indictment reflects strong collaboration between IRS-CI and SDNY.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2657\" data-end=\"2844\">New York City\u2019s Department of Investigation outlined the alleged crimes, stating the indictment includes accusations of specific sums and wire fraud relating to city contracts and public money.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2846\" data-end=\"3889\">\u201cThis former official was meant to connect with communities for the Community Affairs Unit and to bridge residents and public housing leadership,\u201d said DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. \u201cHe allegedly misused this trust, taking $16,000 in bribes and kickbacks in return for favors\u2014such as swaying contracts and financial assistance payments, according to the indictment. He reportedly also filed false disclosure forms to hide these payments. We thank the agencies involved for their partnership and dedication to integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"3891\" data-end=\"3956\">Alleged Pay-to-Play: City Contracts and NYCHA<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"3958\" data-end=\"4365\">The press statement notes that one scheme involved a so-called \u201cSecurity Company Executive.\u201d Herbert allegedly accepted thousands in cash in return for directing City officials toward awarding contracts\u2014including those involving NYCHA developments\u2014to that executive&#8217;s security firm.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"4367\" data-end=\"4430\">Alleged Bribes Linked to Funeral Payments<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4432\" data-end=\"4910\">A separate scheme, investigators say, involved a \u201cFuneral Home Director.\u201d Prosecutors claim Herbert influenced officials to release financial assistance for burial services, with some payments funneled back to him as kickbacks from the program proceeds.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"4912\" data-end=\"4982\">Fraudulent PPP Loan Application<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4984\" data-end=\"5306\">Additionally, in April 2021, Herbert is alleged to have filed a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan application for a non-existent baked goods business, obtaining a $20,418 COVID-19 relief loan, the indictment says.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"5308\" data-end=\"5359\">Charges and Legal Process<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"5361\" data-end=\"5824\">Herbert, aged 61 and from Brooklyn, is charged with two bribery counts, honest services wire fraud, federal program fraud, extortion under color of official right, and wire fraud. The release notes Congress sets statutory penalties, but sentencing depends on the judge\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"5826\" data-end=\"5876\">Why This Matters for Trust in NYC Government<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"5878\" data-end=\"6197\">Investigators are concerned about whether official authority was used for personal financial benefit. If bribery or kickbacks shape public policy, New Yorkers\u2019 trust in city contracts and assistance programs can be severely undermined.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6199\" data-end=\"6470\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The legal system, however, demands evidence and proof in a court of law. The announcement reiterates: \u201cThe charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Residents of New York City&#8217;s public housing deserve leadership at City Hall that genuinely serves the community, not private agendas. That\u2019s at the heart of a new federal indictment brought by the Southern District of New York (SDNY), which accuses Anthony Herbert, the former Citywide Public Housing Liaison at the Mayor\u2019s Office, of engaging in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2717,2866],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bk-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>City Hall\u2019s NYCHA Scandal: Indicted Former Liaison Arrested - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/city-halls-nycha-scandal-indicted-former-liaison-arrested\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"City Hall\u2019s NYCHA Scandal: Indicted Former Liaison Arrested\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Residents of New York City&#8217;s public housing deserve leadership at City Hall that genuinely serves the community, not private agendas. 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