Mayor Bloomberg continues that "the DOB has made enormous strides in rooting out corruption over the past six years, but this case underscores that there remains more work to do. We are fully committed to eliminating all traces of the corrupt culture that long infiltrated the construction process, and I commend the Department of Investigation for its stellar work in this case. The arrest of this inspector is a good reminder to any City employee--or any private company--that bribery and fraud will be discovered and punished to the full extent of the law."

Delayo is a 60-year-old Bronx resident, and has worked for the DOB since 1982. Commissioner of the DOI, Rose Gill Hearn, says in a prepared release that "DOI's investigation revealed the profoundly disturbing and sobering realization that a senior inspector responsible for ensuring that cranes operating in New York City are in proper condition and are operated by qualified individuals is charged with selling out his own integrity in a way that compromised public safety, leaving it in the hands of the individuals who paid him bribes, and rendered his inspectional job meaningless."

Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert Limandri says in a prepared statement that "Employees who violate our Code of Conduct tarnish the reputation of our many hard-working employees at the Buildings Department. There is much work to be done with the Cranes & Derricks Unit, and we are in the midst of a full operational overhaul. Our number one priority is to ensure the Department's staff conduct their jobs with the utmost integrity as we continue to forge ahead with our reforms."

According to published reports, Delayo was released without bail after he was arraigned Friday. He entered no plea. His attorney, Lawrence Linzer, who did not comment to other publications, was unable to be reached for comment by deadline.