Conflict of Interest Board fines former Bronx BP $10,000

alternate
text
From left: Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr and architect Hugo Subotovsky
Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. was fined $10,000 by the city’s Conflict of Interest Board, the agency announced today, after he admitted to using an architect who was involved with a project that sought his approval to renovate his own City Island home.

Carrion hired architect Hugo Subotovsky to design a $26,000 balcony and porch extension for his home in 2006, just as Subotovsky was part of a team seeking the city’s approval for a 452-unit, $81 million Bronx affordable housing project in Melrose known as Boricua Village.

Subotovsky failed to bill Carrion until 2009 when a New York Daily News investigative reporter questioned Carrion on the matter. At that point, Carrion was billed for, and paid, $4,247.50. Carrion said the delayed billing was due to alterations that were made to correct parts of the design, and that after the permit for the project was closed, Subutovsky sent the bill.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

In an interview with The Real Deal, Subutovsky, of architecture firm Aufgang + Subotovsky, denied any wrongdoing.

Carrion said he wasn’t aware of Subotovsky’s involvement in the Boricua Village development at the time, but admitted that he should have taken more care to research the situation. He said he hired Subotovsky off of a friend’s recommendation.

Carrion currently serves as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regional director for New York and New Jersey. — Adam Fusfeld