Report: NYCHA lied about lead paint inspections

<p>Local leaders are speaking out following a report by the Department of Investigation that claims NYCHA lied about performing lead paint inspections and misled federal authorities.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Nov 17, 2017, 10:34 PM

Updated 2,357 days ago

Share:

Local leaders are speaking out following a report by the Department of Investigation that claims NYCHA lied about performing lead paint inspections and misled federal authorities.
NYCHA has more than 58,000 apartments in Brooklyn, all of which are at the center of these revelations. The report alleges NYCHA signed off on documents saying its apartments had been properly examined and inspected for lead-related dangers, when the inspections had been bypassed. The report also claims NYCHA Chairwoman Sola Olatoye knew about it before signing the paperwork.
Local leaders are speaking out against the housing authority.
"NYCHA should be honest with the public about the resource constraints that it faces and ask the city and ask the state for more funding - do not lie to us," Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres says. "Do not lie to the federal government, do not lie to the Department of Investigations, do not lie to your own residents. There's no evidence of widespread lead paint exposure, but there is evidence that NYCHA lied under oath to the federal government and by extension, to the rest of us. And so the only hope for restoring confidence among the residents is an independent monitor."
Torres did say that he does not agree with calls for Olatoye's resignation.
"I know a number of people have been calling for the resignation of the chairperson Shola Olatoye," Torres says. "I respectfully disagree with those calls, because calling for the chairperson's resignation strikes me as premature and it misses the larger issue.  The larger issue is a collapse of credibility. That will not be solved by the resignation of one person, and can only be solved by the appointment of an independent monitor. Who's going to report honestly about the reality of led pain inspections to the general public."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is said to be considering an independent monitor to oversee the city's public housing department.
Public advocate Letitia James is calling for NYCHA's chairwoman to step down following these allegations. But Mayor Bill de Blasio is not giving in.
While vacationing in Connecticut this week, the mayor took to Twitter to share his support for Chairwoman Olatoye. He says Olatoye did not create the problems but she is the one he trusts to fix them.
According to the Department of Investigation report, the lies Olatoye allegedly told are punishable to up to five years in prison.


More from News 12
1:19
Council members making a push for rat birth control

Council members making a push for rat birth control

2:15
Hazy and hot weather arrives Thursday before a weekend cooldown

Hazy and hot weather arrives Thursday before a weekend cooldown

1:43
NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

1:30
82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

1:47
RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

1:41
Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

1:47
City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

0:34
FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

2:19
Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

2:23
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

1:33
NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

1:57
Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

2:32
Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

1:36
Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

1:28
Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

1:13
Police: Wanted suspect linked to overnight shooting of teen in Claremont Park

Police: Wanted suspect linked to overnight shooting of teen in Claremont Park

0:21
Police: Newborn found dead in Melrose section of the Bronx

Police: Newborn found dead in Melrose section of the Bronx

1:51
Brooklyn animal shelter hopes to find pets forever homes on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

Brooklyn animal shelter hopes to find pets forever homes on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

1:31
Bronx mother accused of killing 6-year-old daughter appears in court

Bronx mother accused of killing 6-year-old daughter appears in court

0:28
New NYC Public Schools course will teach students about the impacts of hate crimes

New NYC Public Schools course will teach students about the impacts of hate crimes