NY 'Buffalo Billion' Bribe Execs Sentenced to Jail, Hefty Fines
Four construction, developer and owner executives central to the so-called Buffalo Billion bid-rigging scheme in upstate N.Y. received jail time, with three also fined, in sentences handed down by the U.S. District Court in Manhattan earlier this month.
Steven Aiello, president of Syracuse-based COR Development and Joseph Gerardi, the firm’s general counsel, received prison terms of three years and 30 months, respectively, for their roles in gaining the state-funded contracts for COR.
Sentenced to 28 months in jail for involvement in a separate bid-rig scheme was Louis Ciminelli, former chairman and CEO of Buffalo contractor LPCiminelli, which has sold off most of its assets.
Alain Kaloyeros, former founder and head of a state university technology institute in Albany, was sentenced on Dec. 11 to a 42-month jail term for channeling more than $850 million worth of state-funded contracts to donors of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). The governor was not among those indicted and did not testify.
All executives except Kaloyeros also were fined $500,000.
Briefs will be filed in January on additional amounts the executives must forfeit. The government seeks $26.2 million from Ciminelli and $8.4 million from the COR execs, amounts it says represent profits from their selection as “preferred” on the state projects.
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask ENR →
