Nigro, a former project superintendent at Turner, pleaded guilty on Oct. 6 to first degree grand larceny and could face up to nine years in prison, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement.
Vance said former Bloomberg LP executives Anthony Guzzone, head of Global Construction, and construction manager Michael Campana, conspired with Nigro and Turner vice-president Ronald Olson, to steal more than $15 million from Bloomberg LP through inflated subcontractor bids, fictitious work orders and change orders, and misappropriation of unused subcontractor allowance funds.
Vance said Nigro pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the 1stDegree, following Olson’s earlier plea to Grand Larceny in the 1stDegree. Both were promised sentences of no more than 3-to-9 years in state prison, with a minimum of 1-to-3 years in state prison, to be determined by the presiding judge.
Previously, Guzzone pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the 1stDegree with a promised sentence of 3-to-9 years in state prison, and Campana pleaded guilty to Money Laundering in the 3rdDegree with a promised sentence of 1 year jail and $239,800 in restitution.
“All of the executives indicted in this scheme will serve jail time thanks to the efforts and expertise of prosecutors in our Rackets Bureau,” Vance said in the statement. “The integrity of New York City’s construction industry is threatened by pay-to-play corruption, which drives up costs and can drive down quality. Our Office is determined to hold accountable those who stand in the way of honest competition by cheating instead of playing fair.”
They will serve their time in state prisons.
As charged in the indictments and admitted in the defendants’ guilty pleas, the conspiracy centered on interior construction work for Bloomberg LP offices at 120 Park Avenue and 919 Third Avenue. Inside information on highly prized contracts was passed to subcontractors to help them secure bids for lucrative interior construction jobs. As part of the extensive and complex conspiracy, the defendants filed falsified documents including phony invoices and purchase orders to inflate their budgets, as well as falsified applications for status as a Women’s Business Enterprise to help secure bids. In exchange for help securing contracts, subcontractors provided the former Bloomberg and Turner executives with cash bribes and incentives including vacations and home renovations.
Thus far, 22 of the various subcontracting company owners, executives, and vendors charged with furthering the conspiracy by paying commercial bribes, engaging in bid-rigging, falsifying business records, and laundering the criminal proceeds of the schemes, have pleaded guilty to their role in the conspiracies and paid approximately $8.8 million in restitution.
As a result of the D.A.’s Office’s investigation, Campana, Nigro, Olson and Guzzone were also convicted of federal tax crimes by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Vance thanked Bloomberg LP and Turner Construction for their assistance.
