Massachusetts police officer faces federal bribery charges in New York
A Massachusetts police officer, who is a retired police sergeant with the New York City Police Department, is one of four people who were arrested on federal bribery charges on Tuesday.
Edouardo St. Fort, 47, a UMass Boston police officer from Taunton, served as the chief operating officer of a company that contracted with a New York City nonprofit providing home care services and operating homeless shelters, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The charges stem from a federal public corruption investigation that is also looking into New York City Council Member Farah Louis and her sister, Debbie Louis, a top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, The Associated Press reported. Neither was arrested Tuesday, although Debbie Louis was placed on leave after the governor's office learned of the investigation last week.
Federal authorities in Brooklyn accused Jean Ronald Tirelus and Roberto Samedy of embezzling more than $1.3 million from a nonprofit organization called BHRAGS Home Care Corp. Tirelus was the former chairman of the organization's board of directors, and Samedy was the executive director of the organization.
Officials say St. Fort provided bribes and kickbacks to Tirelus and Samedy in exchange for receiving the nonprofit's business.
The case was initially referred to federal investigators by New York City's Department of Social Services, which raised concerns about the nonprofit's payments to St. Fort's security company, The Washington Post reported .
"As alleged, the defendants used their leadership positions to loot public funds from an organization devoted to serving vulnerable New Yorkers," United States Attorney Nocella said in a statement. "Rooting out corruption is a priority for our Office, and we will hold accountable anyone who exploits charitable trust for private gain."
St. Fort's company in New York, called Fort NYC Security, provided security to the city's migrant shelters. After he appeared in Boston federal court Tuesday a judge ordered him released on an unsecured $500,000 bond, meaning he doesn't have to pay unless he fails to appear in court. He did not enter a plea, and he is expected to appear in federal court in New York at a later date.
St. Fort and another man, Miguel Jorge, controlled several vendor companies that provided security services, facilities maintenance and furniture to homeless shelters operated by the nonprofit.
Authorities say St. Fort and Jorge provided $75,000 in bribes and kickbacks to the two nonprofit leaders between February 2023 and January 2024, according to court documents.
The city agreed to pay St. Fort's company more than $7 million for security services, including at a Bronx hotel used as a homeless shelter, according to The Associated Press.
The nonprofit received millions of dollars in Medicaid payments and has been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from New York City, according to officials.
St. Fort is charged with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, bribery involving programs receiving federal funds, and a charge of violating a law prohibiting interstate travel for unlawful activities,.
He retired from the New York City Police Department in March 2023 and joined the UMass Boston police in 2024.
Records show that the Massachusetts Peace Officer and Standards Training Commission certified St. Fort in June 2024. He received an out-of-state exemption from the Municipal Police Training Committee the same month.
MassLive has reached out to UMass Boston for comment about St. Fort's status.
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