Federal prosecutors charged four men Tuesday in a corruption case involving a nonprofit hired by New York City to run homeless shelters for migrants. A search warrant reviewed by The Associated Press also names a Brooklyn City Council member and a top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul as investigators examine whether bribes or kickbacks were tied to city funding.
Edouardo St. Fort, a former New York Police Department sergeant, was arrested Tuesday in Massachusetts and appeared in federal court in Boston, where he was released on bond, according to The Associated Press.
St. Fort is one of four men charged in a federal public-corruption case centered on BHRAGS Home Care Corp., a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that expanded from in-home health care into homeless and migrant shelter services as New York City’s shelter system came under strain. Prosecutors allege that two BHRAGS leaders stole more than $1.3 million from the organization and that two subcontractors paid bribes and kickbacks in exchange for contracts worth millions.
The other defendants identified by AP are Roberto Samedy, BHRAGS’ executive director; Jean Ronald Tirelus, its former board chairman; and Miguel Jorge. AP reported that Tirelus, Samedy and Jorge pleaded not guilty and were released on bond.
According to AP, the indictment describes BHRAGS as having received nearly $200 million in contracts from the city’s Department of Homeless Services since 2022. Prosecutors allege Samedy and Tirelus siphoned money from the nonprofit, including $800,000 that had been earmarked for “economic growth and affordable housing” efforts in distressed Brooklyn neighborhoods, and that they received more than $200,000 in kickbacks and bribes.
Investigators are also examining whether New York City Council Member Farah Louis, a Brooklyn Democrat, and her sister Debbie Louis—who serves as Hochul’s assistant secretary for New York City intergovernmental affairs—accepted bribes linked to the appropriation of city funds to BHRAGS, AP reported, citing a search warrant signed March 19. The warrant also names Edu Hermelyn, identified by AP as a political consultant and the husband of state Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
Neither Farah Louis nor Debbie Louis was among those arrested. A spokesperson for Hochul confirmed to AP that Debbie Louis was placed on leave after the governor’s office learned of the investigation last week.
AP reported that New York City’s Department of Social Services referred concerns to authorities after raising questions about payments made to St. Fort’s security company, Fort NYC Security. Prosecutors said the four defendants worked together to divert public funds from an organization intended to serve vulnerable New Yorkers.
The existence of the search warrant does not necessarily mean prosecutors will file charges against the people named in it; warrants are typically used to gather evidence after a judge finds probable cause to authorize the search, AP noted.
