Former Hempstead affordable housing leader convicted on fraud charges

A federal jury in Central Islip last week convicted Cornell Bozier, chairman of the Hempstead Village Housing Authority from 2011 to 2013, of taking $100,000 in bribes to bypass a U.S. Housing and Urban Development competitive bid process to steer projects to hand-picked contractors and shell companies, Newsday reported. Bozier, who faces up to 20 years in prison, was found guilty on charges of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery related to three low-income village properties. Bozier ran his racket with construction consultant Peter Caras and a contractor, James Alimonos. In one instance, prosecutors claimed the three men padded the cost of fixing a Totten Avenue intercom system by $50,000, which they then split between them. Bozier was accused of inflating the bid of a $23,000 roofing project on Yale Street to $250,000. He was also indicted for his role in a piping project at a Gladys Avenue apartment building. In that matter, Bozier steered a $164,000 contract to Alimonos’ wife, while Alimonos himself then hired another construction company to do the repairs for $26,000, as noted by Patch. Alimonos and Caras both pleaded guilty to honest services fraud and testified against Bozier to get a lighter sentence. Like Bozier, they also face up to 20 years behind bars. [Newsday]