Former head of Bronx Parent Housing Network charged with bribery

The former head of one of New York City’s largest homeless shelter providers was arrested and charged with taking kickbacks from contractors, the Daily News reports. 

Prosecutors are accusing the former Bronx Parent Housing Network CEO, Victor Rivera, who is still under investigation for alleged sexual abuse, of engaging in a scheme to take bribes from contractors that brought in “at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit gains.” He allegedly laundered some of those payments through entities he controlled, including a consulting company owned by one of his relatives.

“As alleged in today’s charges, by accepting bribes and kickbacks, Victor Rivera sought to leverage his position as the CEO of a non-profit into a very much for-profit situation for himself,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement. Rivera has pleaded not guilty to charges of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.

Rivera was ousted from the nonprofit in February after the New York Times reported that employees and women who stayed in the organization's shelters accused him of sexual harassment and assault. The Times also outlined evidence of financial misconduct by Rivera, who was confronted several times by New York City officials for conflicts of interest. Since 2017, Bronx Parent Housing Network has received $274 million from city contracts.