Ex-Cushman & Wakefield manager charged in WTC bribery scheme

James Luckie allegedly received $17,000 in gifts in exchange for preferential treatment

Attorney General Letitia James and World Trade Center under construction (Credit: Getty Images)
Attorney General Letitia James and World Trade Center under construction (Credit: Getty Images)

A state attorney general indictment alleges that a former Cushman & Wakefield electric manager and two contractors traded Mets World Series tickets, a Florida golf trip and on-demand luxury car service for preferential treatment at the World Trade Center construction site between 2015 and 2017.

James Luckie was working for Cushman & Wakefield during the time it was hired by the Port Authority to manage the construction site. He received $17,000 in bribes from the contractors in exchange for confidential information about future work at the site, New York Attorney General Letitia James said. Luckie was charged with corruption and bribery. The contractors, Paul Angerame and Michael Garrison, face similar charges. They could all serve up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The alleged scheme led to the hiring of untrained electricians for part of the work — who got $1.26 million in payments and compensation between 2016, according to the indictment. Last April, the Port Authority tapped Newmark Knight Frank to take over leasing at 1 World Trade Center.

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The Real Deal examined how construction corruption develops in its April 2018 magazine issue.

[Crain’s] — Georgia Kromrei