Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Joy Harris, a former superintendent for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), has been sentenced to 41 months in prison. Harris was found guilty of soliciting and accepting over $50,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for awarding them contracts worth approximately $500,000. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan imposed the sentence following a one-week trial where Harris was convicted of bribery and extortion under color of official right.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky stated, "Joy Harris was given a position of public trust in New York City. She used that position to demand bribes in exchange for approving important repair work at NYCHA buildings. As today’s sentence shows, those who abuse positions of public trust—at any level of government—to seek personal gain will face a harsh penalty."
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, NYCHA is the largest public housing authority in the country and receives over $1.5 billion annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). When repairs or construction work are needed at NYCHA housing, services are typically procured through a bidding process unless they fall below a certain value threshold, allowing designated staff like superintendents to hire contractors without multiple bids.
Harris served as an assistant superintendent and superintendent at four different NYCHA developments in Manhattan from 2015 through 2021. During this time, she demanded cash bribes from contractors upfront to award contracts and accepted payments after work completion to approve contractor payments by NYCHA. The bribes ranged between $500 and $1,000 depending on contract size, totaling more than $54,150.
Of the 70 NYCHA employees charged with bribery and extortion offenses arrested in February 2024, 61 have pled guilty while three were convicted after trial. Harris is the first among these three to be sentenced. The cases against six remaining defendants are pending.
In addition to her prison term, Harris, aged 49 from Bushkill, Pennsylvania, received three years of supervised release and must pay restitution amounting to $54,150 along with forfeiture of an equal sum.
Mr. Podolsky commended the investigative efforts by several agencies including the New York City Department of Investigation and various offices within federal departments working collaboratively as part of the HSI Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling criminal organizations through a coordinated multi-agency approach led by prosecutors.
The case is managed by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry J. Fang, Jacob R. Fiddelman, Catherine Ghosh, Meredith C. Foster leading prosecution efforts supported by Paralegal Specialists Jayda Foote and Nandita Vasantha.