Mayor Has Zero Tolerance for DOB Corruption

NEW YORK CITY-James Delayo, the City’s assistant chief crane inspector with the Department of Buildings, was recently arrested and charged with taking bribes to allow cranes under his review to pass inspection and for collecting money from a crane company that sought to ensure that its employees would pass the required licensing exam, the authorities said.

The assistant chief inspector for the Cranes and Derricks Unit of the DOB was in charge of overseeing the issuance of city licenses for crane operators. According to a release issued by the Department of Investigation, Delayo is charged on felony corruption charges and is charged with taking the thousands of dollars in bribes over the past eight years. City investigators did not identify the company that allegedly bribed Delayo.

The DOI release claims that Delayo also provided advance copies of the written examinations that “would-be crane operators must pass to qualify for City licenses.” The case is being prosecuted by the Office of New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.