The top NYCHA official in charge of billions of dollars of building upgrades was abruptly suspended from his job amid a probe by the city Department of Investigation, officials said Monday.
Raymond Ribeiro, executive vice president for capital projects, oversaw all of the New York City Housing Authority’s big construction contracts and a $3 billion effort to repair buildings damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye confirmed Monday that Ribeiro was suspended with pay late Friday after she’d been informed of the ongoing DOI probe.
Reached at home, Ribeiro declined to answer questions on the advice of his lawyer.
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Olatoye said she couldn’t discuss the situation while DOI is investigating, but she said she was told “it didn’t have anything to do with his tenure at NYCHA.”
DOI declined to comment or confirm Olatoye’s statements regarding Ribeiro.
The nature of the investigation remains unclear, but sources noted that city Controller Scott Stringer notified NYCHA on Sept. 10 that his auditors were looking at whether the authority is “effectively monitoring” construction contacts for “building envelopes,” which include brickwork and roof repair.
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Also on Monday, Stringer and City Council Public Housing Committee Chairman Ritchie Torres sent a letter to Olatoye demanding increased transparency in NYCHA’s contractor selection. NYCHA, which is 80% federally funded, does not have to submit contractor data to the controller on all contracts, amounts and completion dates.
“There is a decided lack of transparency, and in turn, accountability, regarding the authority’s procurement process,” Stringer and Torres (D-Bronx) wrote.
NYCHA is in the midst of a major campaign to hire contractors to upgrade deteriorating buildings, more than half of which are at least 60 years old.
Ribeiro, a licensed engineer, was hired in June 2011 from a private-sector firm, HAKS engineering. After Hurricane Sandy struck, he became NYCHA’s pointman for seeking help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
This spring he was standing by Mayor de Blasio when he announced FEMA had agreed to award NYCHA a stunning $3 billion for Sandy repairs and upgrades.
“Ray oversaw everything,” Olatoye said Monday, announcing that hours after Ribeiro was suspended, one of his top subordinates, Mike Rosen, was appointed to the job on an acting basis.
