James Cohen was quoted in the New York Post about NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye allegedly lying about doing lead paint inspections.
The head of the city Housing Authority potentially put thousands of kids at risk of lead poisoning by blowing off mandatory apartment inspections — and then lied about it to the feds, a damning Department of Investigation report revealed Tuesday.
In an unprecedented move, DOI also called for hiring an outside monitor to ensure NYCHA follows lead-paint laws and other safety regulations.
The investigators accused NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye of submitting annual paperwork to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that falsely claimed lead checks had been performed in 55,000 potentially dangerous apartments.
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Fordham University law professor Jim Cohen called Olatoye’s conduct “clearly a false statement within the meaning of the statute,” and put the odds at “better than 50-50” she’d face charges.
“This is sort of ready-made,” Cohen said of a potential case.