James Cohen was quoted in a New York Post article about a lawsuit filed against NYCHA officials about a possible cover-up related to conditions in public housing.
Legal experts said the scams detailed by the feds amounted to felonies punishable by up to five years in prison, including making false statements and defrauding taxpayer money in the form of HUD funding.
“They committed a fraud on the federal government by hiding these problems,” said Fordham law professor Jim Cohen.
Former federal prosecutor Elliott Jacobson said the allegations also satisfied the elements of a “Klein conspiracy” — named after a 1957 appeals court ruling — by “impairing or impeding the legitimate function of HUD.”
Some of the allegations in Monday’s suit echoed those in a November report from the city Department of Investigation that said Olatoye admitted falsely certified to HUD that lead-paint inspections had been conducted in 55,000 potentially dangerous apartments.
At the time, Cohen put the odds that Olatoye would face prosecution for making a false statement at “better than 50-50,” but on Tuesday he raised the estimate for her and others referenced — but not named — in the feds’ suit to between 70 and 85 percent, “speaking conservatively.”
“Now the percentage is much higher, because more water is under the bridge and it’s now more public — and the more public you get, the more likely you get charges,” he said.