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Con Ed Workers Arrested for Taking Bribes For Service Inspections: Police

By Heather Holland | December 10, 2014 3:09pm
 Three Con Ed workers were arrested for taking $200 bribes before doing service inspections, police said.
Three Con Ed workers were arrested for taking $200 bribes before doing service inspections, police said.
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Facebook/Con Edison

UNION SQUARE — Three Con Edison employees were arrested for taking bribes before doing service inspections in various Manhattan neighborhoods, NYPD said.

Con Ed inspectors Danny Cruz, Robert Tarter and Thomas Lloyd were arrested on Dec. 3 in the Con Ed headquarters at 4 Irving Place, after they were each discovered to have accepted $200 bribes before doing service inspections in the past two years, police said.

A Con Ed spokeswoman said the utility had been the one to report the crimes to police, and the employees have since been fired.

“Con Edison demands and expects the highest level of professional behavior by its employees and does not tolerate unethical conduct,” said spokeswoman Joy Faber.

The earliest incident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2012, when 35-year-old Tarter accepted a bribe in exchange for doing an inspection at 167 Orchard St., just before the gas was supposed to be turned on, police said.

Tarter accepted a bribe at the same Lower East Side address before performing another Con Ed inspection on April 26, 2013, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

Cruz, 40, also solicited and accepted a $200 bribe before doing a Con Ed related inspection on the Upper East Side at 124 E. 64th St. at about 11:40 a.m. on Feb. 15, 2013, police said.

Lloyd, 59, pocketed $200 in exchange for doing an inspection just before the gas was supposed to be turned on at 78 Reade St. in Tribeca, police said.

It wasn't immediately clear what the bribes were for, but the criminal complaints for each of the inspectors arrested states, they "solicited, accepted and agreed to accept a benefit...upon an agreement and understanding that the benefit would influence [their] conduct in relation to [Con Ed's] affairs."

The property owners and their attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

The three men were charged with commercial bribery. Tarter and Cruz are due back in court on Jan. 5, 2015. Lloyd is due Jan. 30, 2015.

Tarter and Cruz’s attorneys did not respond to request for comment. Information regarding Lloyd’s attorney was not immediately available.