Nine Accused of Trying To Bribe Buildings Inspectors

Nine people have been accused of paying bribes to New York City Department of Buildings inspectors primarily so their violations would be overlooked.

The city's Department of Investigation says the buildings inspectors notified it they had been offered bribes and then accepted the payments as part of an operation to gather evidence.

The defendants are from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island and have been arrested. They include a building superintendent, two dry cleaners, three contractors, a restaurant owner, and a homeowner.

Investigators say a restaurant owner paid $500 to get a buildings inspector to ignore illegal electrical work. They say a dry cleaner gave $200 to an inspector who had found high carbon monoxide readings from a boiler.