Another BMHA Scandal . . .

[kernwatch]

Two years ago, the latest of several Robert Palano housing scams got high profile media attention. However his 'partner-in-crime' got no media attention at all.

SEE:
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/200...apr27b_06.html

Palano's personal attorney was longtime #2 BMHA attorney James F Lagona, who "bought" 43 Palano houses at highly inflated prices as Palano disappeared in "retirement" to Florida.

It had 'housing scam' written all over it, but BMHA has no known ethical standards, so nobody even mentioned the powerful appearance of impropriety by a high-paid "poverty lawyer". (Charles Flynn, a corrupt former realtor & expelled former County IP Chair still sits on BMHA's board after a similarly dramatic Parlato-style HUD-FHA flip scam in 2001).

Now the scam has run full course. Lagona has sold his home and like Palano has apparently disappeared. Lagona (& his wife-partner Maria D Lagona) sold their longtime home at 165 Saranac for $85K on 2/19/08.

There are nine pages of legal filings over several months against Lagona on the County Clerk's site. Filings include 36 liens, & 99 general "COURT" filings. There are three deeds filed for already foreclosed houses, with the rest to follow soon. (foreclosed: 534 Stockbridge, 82 Sattler, 146 Olympic).

Below is my summary of the Palano-Lagona scam written in September 2006.

Watch for more.

R. Kern

COPY: http://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sho...ghlight=lagona

September 25th, 2006, #1

Housing scams: Palano pays $1.5 M + 1yr jail, BMHA's Lagona goes free
There has long been a powerful appearance that scamming poverty housing in Bflo is (politically-approved) 'good sport'.
That appearance was borne out again today when Robert Palano was sentenced in Judge Penny Wolfgang's court for walking-out about 2 years ago on about 100 inner-city Bflo mortgages to "retire" in Florida.
Repeatedly prosecuted for previous housing scams, Palano was again prosecuted this time by Jim Morrissey of the NYS AG's Office.
Last week Palano paid $1.5 million in fines & penalties; today he was sentenced to one year in prison, as reportedly he will be out in 8 months (prior time served? 'good behavior'?).
That calculates to about $15,000 per foreclosed mortgage, far less than the average foreclosed amount. Adding the costs to traumatically displaced tenants & duped rent-to own buyers, costs to already struggling neighborhoods of yet another foreclosure, plus the costs of prosecution . . .plus untold hours of (unpaid) research & advocacy in uncovering Palano scams & lobbying for prosecution . . .& Palano got off very, very cheaply.

BMHA Attorney James Lagona, retired

Incredibly, a major player in the Palano scams, but never named in the prosecution, is longtime #2 BMHA Atty, James Lagona, who served as Palano's personal attorney during the entire engineering of the latest scams.
As if to underline his role, Lagona "purchased" 43 Palano houses simultaneous to Palano's abandoning the 100 mortgages to"retire" to Florida (the whereabouts of Palano's partner, sister Janet Bryant, also never-charged, are not known to me).

See the list of the Lagona (& wife) houses below.

BMHA (or HUD , who paid his BMHA salary of about $70K), of course, has no ethical rules forbidding stealing from the poor while working for City Hall's major "welfare" agency. Lagona retired as the latest Palano scandal was breaking, so he now has a taxpayer-funded pension ($40,000 annually?) . . similar to former BMHA ED Sharon West when she "retired" to Fla with a $50,000 NYS pension, and with a new $90,000 job.
Lagona supplements his pension with rents from the poor living in his 43 Palano houses. At merely $1000 net rent per house per year, Lagona is likely getting (well over) $43,000 annually, plus the estimated $40,000 pension . . likely far exceeding $83,000 annually, all for "servicing the poor".
It will be interesting to see how the Bflo News reports this latest of a long series of inner-city Bflo housing scams.

Dick Kern (in Mpls)





COPY:
http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/applicat...ropsearch.aspx

1
SBL House Number Street Primary Owner
0902400003035000 604 AMHERST EAST LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904800008023000 83 BERWYN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906300005032000 439 CAMBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0907400004037000 123 COURTLAND LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906600007039000 253 COURTLAND LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012700004014000 22 EAST END LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1014300004002000 61 ELLER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0898200004029000 241 FLORIDA LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1013400003008000 2124 GENESEE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0883500007012000 22 GERMAIN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0883500007011000 26 GERMAIN LAGONA JAMES F & MARIA D View Information
0883500007009000 30 GERMAIN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012200001053000 123 GRIDER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906200006029000 415 GRIDER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798000006025000 166 HEWITT LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798100007010000 341 HEWITT LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1014300004025000 10 HUMASON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904600006004000 723 KENSINGTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904600006006000 731 KENSINGTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0902500003040000 1250 KENSINGTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1013300001038000 46 KERNS LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1017300003004000 68 KEYSTONE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012500008015000 55 LANG LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012600008027000 117 NEWBURGH LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906400001026000 146 OLYMPIC LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0905600002064000 275 OLYMPIC LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904700001025000 19 PALOS LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0898300002014000 32 REGINA LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012600006013000 44 ROGERS LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1013300005017000 26 ROSLYN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0786500002018000 82 SARANAC LAGONA JAMES F & MARIA View Information
0785700006017000 165 SARANAC LAGONA JAMES F & MARIA D View Information
1015000002007000 82 SATTLER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798100006007000 431 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798200007032000 534 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798200007031000 538 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798200007023000 562 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1015000001046000 37 THEODORE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1015000001047000 39 THEODORE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1015000001048000 41 THEODORE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0908200004014000 94 WEBER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906600009003000 159 WESTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1014200001019000 142 ZELMER LAGONA JAMES

[kernwatch]

In Bflo, scamming housing in poor neighborhoods has been simply "good sport".

This scam by retired BMHA # 2 attorney James Lagona, engineered with infamous scammer Robert Palano as Lagona was a long time top BMHA staffer, but never been publicly exposed.

Lagona retired from BMHA as the newest Palano scam broke, the 40-some houses "gifted" to him by Palano for whom Lagona served as "personal attorney".

Now virtually all of the Lagona/Palano scam houses, "inherited" from Palano as he was skipping town, are on the In-rem (tax-foreclosure) list for sale in October. There have been 13 pages of Lagona filings with the County Clerk site over the past year, all related to the housing scam, but there has been no public mention of another BMHA scandal.

There is no known ethical standard at BMHA that top employees may not scam the poor, so apparently Lagona (& his generous taxpayer-funded retirement) is safe.

With "friends" like this, it is no wonder Bflo's poor are struggling.


Here are Lagona houses, virtually all on tax auction list:

http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/applicat...ropsearch.aspx

SBL House Number Street Primary Owner
0902400003035000 604 AMHERST EAST LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904800008023000 83 BERWYN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906300005032000 439 CAMBRIDGE (foreclosed 3/18, $46905) LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906600007039000 253 COURTLAND (forecl 3/10, $34.2K) LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012700004014000 22 EAST END LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1014300004002000 61 ELLER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0898200004029000 241 FLORIDA LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1013400003008000 2124 GENESEE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0883500007012000 22 GERMAIN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0883500007011000 26 GERMAIN LAGONA JAMES F & MARIA D View Information
0883500007009000 30 GERMAIN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012200001053000 123 GRIDER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906200006029000 415 GRIDER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798000006025000 166 HEWITT LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798100007010000 341 HEWITT LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1014300004025000 10 HUMASON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904600006004000 723 KENSINGTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904600006006000 731 KENSINGTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0902500003040000 1250 KENSINGTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1013300001038000 46 KERNS LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1017300003004000 68 KEYSTONE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012500008015000 55 LANG LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012600008027000 117 NEWBURGH LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0905600002064000 275 OLYMPIC LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0904700001025000 19 PALOS LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0898300002014000 32 REGINA LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0898300002013000 34 REGINA LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1012600006013000 44 ROGERS LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1013300005017000 26 ROSLYN LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0785700006017000 165 SARANAC (sold 2/19, $85K) LAGONA JAMES F & MARIA D View Information
1015000002007000 82 SATTLER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798100006007000 431 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798200007032000 534 STOCKBRIDGE (forecl. 2/19, $51903) LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798200007031000 538 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0798200007023000 562 STOCKBRIDGE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1015000001046000 37 THEODORE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1015000001047000 39 THEODORE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1015000001048000 41 THEODORE LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0908200004014000 94 WEBER LAGONA JAMES F View Information
0906600009003000 159 WESTON LAGONA JAMES F View Information
1014200001019000 142 ZELMER LAGONA JAMES F View Information


SBL House Number Street Primary Owner
0786500002018000 82 SARANAC (Residence?) LAGONA JAMES F & MARIA View Information

[kernwatch]

BMHA has long operated as a closed system, rarely accounting to anybody about their legendary waste & corruption.

There has still been no publicity about the dramatic Palano-style housing scam of now-retired BMHA Atty James Lagona (see above) whis is winding its way through the courts.

And no public information about the hiring, & quick departure, of Golumbek-aide Kenneth Kerr, who had utterly no known qualifications to become a BMHA Assistent Executiuve Director.

And no news about whether BMHA Tenant Commissioner Joseph Mascia's $220,000 of bad debts was discussed in his re-election campaign . . . . as he oversees $10's of millions of taxpayer BMHA subsidies.

And, of course, there is the dramatic HUD-FHA housing scam of BMHA Commissioner Charles Flynn, while he was Chair of the Independence Party & City Residency Officer, which I exposed in January 2001.

DA Frank Clark relentlessly prosecuted me for four years, even assigning FELONY PROSECUTOR Michale McHale, on Flynn's perjured charges . . until I left town after Flynn's attempt to run me down outside a public BMHA Board mtg was also covered-up.

Here is the latest. The rest of this story is yet to be seen

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8481241

Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority administrator arrested
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority administrator was arrested by FBI agents Thursday morning at the agency's headquarters on Perry Street.
Paul Wolf, an attorney with the BMHA, confirms that John Fischer, an agency administrator, was taken into custody in the parking lot as he arrived for work Thursday morning.
Wolf, says he's not aware of what the arrest involves, adding that "we're all in a state of shock."
We'll have the latest coming up on News 4 and WIVB.com.

[Linda_D]

BMHA has long operated as a closed system, rarely accounting to anybody about their legendary waste & corruption.

What's "legendary" is your slander-mongering and stalking. None of the people you've slandered in your posts on this message board have been run out of town, which is something that can't be said about you.

There has still been no publicity about the dramatic Palano-style housing scam of now-retired BMHA Atty James Lagona (see above) whis is winding its way through the courts.

Because there is no "Palano-style housing scam" except in your warped mind. Contrary to your claims on the original thread about this, Lagona acquired his properties at various times and for various prices. He's owned many of these homes for 5 or more years, and most were acquired long before the Palano scandal (2006). There was only 1 house that I found that he acquired for $1 (I looked up about half the list, Kern). Since Lagona's personal residence on Saranac was foreclosed upon, it would seem that he's suffered some serious financial problems rather than is trying to run a "scam", except, of course, if somebody has any connection to the BMHA, they he/she is "guilty" of something, and you and your "sources" will certainly find it -- even if you have to make it up.

And no public information about the hiring, & quick departure, of Golumbek-aide Kenneth Kerr, who had utterly no known qualifications to become a BMHA Assistent Executiuve Director.

There's an entire thread on this. Why didn't you post this slander there?

And no news about whether BMHA Tenant Commissioner Joseph Mascia's $220,000 of bad debts was discussed in his re-election campaign . . . . as he oversees $10's of millions of taxpayer BMHA subsidies.

What, the LWV didn't think you needed to have them send you the election results first??? I suppose they're in league with the crooked BMHA, too? (pun intended).

And, of course, there is the dramatic HUD-FHA housing scam of BMHA Commissioner Charles Flynn, while he was Chair of the Independence Party & City Residency Officer, which I exposed in January 2001.

DA Frank Clark relentlessly prosecuted me for four years, even assigning FELONY PROSECUTOR Michale McHale, on Flynn's perjured charges . . until I left town after Flynn's attempt to run me down outside a public BMHA Board mtg was also covered-up.

ROTFLMAO.

If Flynn tried to run Kern down, why was Kern and not Flynn prosecuted?

A) Said incident never happened.
B) Kern tells so many lies that nobody believes him.
C) Every politician in Buffalo and Erie County was sorry Flynn missed him.
D) There's a conspiracy in City Hall against crackpots who stalk and harass city officials and workers.
E) All of the above.

Here is the latest. The rest of this story is yet to be seen

Too bad you missed this one. This is actually a story, although hardly on the same level as the other "scandals" you "exposed" since it actually involves facts rather than innuendo and slander that is your stock-in-trade.

A spokeswoman with Buffalo's FBI office said John J. Fischer,Jr., has been arrested on charges of bribery, extortion and witness tampering.
Maureen Dempsey said Fischer is accused of forcing or coercing a contractor to repair the roof of an acquaintace for free.
As Administrator of Capital Improvements for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, Fischer is in charge of all construction projects according to Board Chairman Michael Seaman. He referred all other questions regarding the issue to BMHA's Legal Counsel, Paul Wolf.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is in Washington D.C. today, but press spokesman Peter Cutler said the mayor would be issuing a statement later today.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story...58605&catid=37

[gorja]

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/368455.html

Bribery and extortion were the charges.

For leaning on a roofing contractor to do free roof work for a friend.


EDIT: Sorry Linda D., I see you have already posted this.

[kernwatch]

It is way past due for "Linda D" to explain why she trolls all my BMHA posts, alleging that I as the 'messenger' must be "shot" when exposing any misconduct at an agency legendary for waste & corruption in the second poorest & 2nd "most vacant" US city.

"Linda D", who allegedly used to live in BlackRock-Riverside, now allegedly lives in Jamestown, but is highly motivated to defend the status quo in the "flagship" of Bflo's booming "poverty industry. And she generously uses utterly untrue slander in efforts to credit my research on BMHA.

How did she become the "anonymous expert" on BMHA's purity? And BMHA's cost effectiveness?

I have spent 1,000's of hours as a social worker over the past two decades trying to promote reform of an utterly obsolete & incredibly costly poverty agency in a steadily shrinking city. How did "Linda D" become such an expert on BMHA & its purity?

Here is the latest on a new BMHA scandal. There is one error; Byron Brown has appointed 4 of 5 Mayoral appointees, not three. The other two are tenant-elected. one likely re-elected is Joseph Mascia, who has $220,00 of bad debts, which should be an ethics issue. But at BMHA, ethics & accounbtability are elusive.

The one remaining Masiello appointee is widely documented sociopath Charles Flynn, whose dramatic Parlato-style HUD-FHA scam I exposed in January 2001. Steve Casey tried to remove him shortly after Byron's term began but Flynn viciously counter-attacked, & Casey-Brown retreated. Flynn's current term ends in August, as Flynn just sold his 102 Pomona house in Bflo, where Flynn, committing more perjury, alleged that I "watched" his 5 (divorced) children playing.

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/368455.html

Buffalo Housing Authority administrator arrested on bribery and extortion charges
By Dan Herbeck and Brian Meyer, Updated: 06/12/08 1:28 PM


A top official of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority was arrested today in connection with an FBI probe into allegations of misconduct.

FBI agents arrested John J. Fischer Jr., 48, the housing authority's administrator of capital improvements, at the authority's offices this morning.

Fischer is accused of illegal dealings involving a contractor who does work for the authority. Law enforcement officials said U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn's office is prosecuting the case.

Paul W. Wolf, the BMHA's general counsel, said federal officials informed his office that Fischer has been charged with bribery, extortion and witness tampering.

"We're shocked," Wolf said. "We're not fully aware of what has occurred, and we're just as interested as everyone else to find out."

Fischer is a 20-year veteran of the city's housing agency, and was appointed head of capital improvements, a civil service position, less than a year ago.

Agents accused Fischer of pressuring a roofing contractor who does work for the BMHA into providing free roofing work for a friend of Fischer's.

Mayor Byron W. Brown said his administration and the housing agency will fully cooperate with federal investigators. Brown is in Washington, D.C. today, but his office issued a written statement.

"I think the arrest of this 20-year [BMHA] employee speaks very powerfully that this type of behavior cannot be tolerated where people working in places of the public trust are breaking the law," said Brown.

The mayor appoints five of the seven BMHA commissioners, although Brown has appointed only three current commissioners.

[knowsitall]

Dick Kern: fastest copier and paster on the web!

[Curmudgeon]

What's "legendary" is your slander-mongering and stalking. None of the people you've slandered in your posts on this message board have been run out of town, which is something that can't be said about you.

"Run out of town" is a quaint saying from long ago. It refers to a village excommunicating a community member who has offended the community in some way.

Buffalo is a big city in the year 2008. From what Kern says, he felt compelled to leave because his own personal safety was threatened. That's more in line with mafia behavior than village elders doing something good for the community.

I question your motivations and ethics...

[Linda_D]

It is way past due for "Linda D" to explain why she trolls all my BMHA posts, alleging that I as the 'messenger' must be "shot" when exposing any misconduct at an agency legendary for waste & corruption in the second poorest & 2nd "most vacant" US city.

When you stick to the facts and don't spread rumors,deal in innuendo, and make up lies to slander people, I leave you alone.

"Linda D", who allegedly used to live in BlackRock-Riverside, now allegedly lives in Jamestown, but is highly motivated to defend the status quo in the "flagship" of Bflo's booming "poverty industry. And she generously uses utterly untrue slander in efforts to credit my research on BMHA.

I don't "defend" the status quo of the BMHA. What I do is attack your modus operandus, which is using lies, half-truths, innuendo, and rumors to smear people. BTW, what exactly did I say that was untrue about you? That you were charged with harassment and stalking? That you repeatedly post nasty BS to discredit people based on nothing more than that they have some association with the BMHA and that you were able to find "something"?
-- You made the claim that Ken Kerr was unqualified for his BMHA job, but you've never produced a) the job description for his position and b) Kerr's resume.
-- You accused Lagona of running a housing scam solely based on the fact that he worked for the BMHA and that he had houses on the IN REM list.

How did she become the "anonymous expert" on BMHA's purity? And BMHA's cost effectiveness?

I have spent 1,000's of hours as a social worker over the past two decades trying to promote reform of an utterly obsolete & incredibly costly poverty agency in a steadily shrinking city. How did "Linda D" become such an expert on BMHA & its purity?

You're repeating yourself. What you've spent thousands of hours doing is snooping. Moreover, show me one instance where I claimed to be "an expert on BMHA & its purity"? You can't because I never have.

Here is the latest on a new BMHA scandal. There is one error; Byron Brown has appointed 4 of 5 Mayoral appointees, not three. The other two are tenant-elected. one likely re-elected is Joseph Mascia, who has $220,00 of bad debts, which should be an ethics issue. But at BMHA, ethics & accounbtability are elusive.

This is only a "scandal" in your warped brain.

The one remaining Masiello appointee is widely documented sociopath Charles Flynn, whose dramatic Parlato-style HUD-FHA scam I exposed in January 2001. Steve Casey tried to remove him shortly after Byron's term began but Flynn viciously counter-attacked, & Casey-Brown retreated. Flynn's current term ends in August, as Flynn just sold his 102 Pomona house in Bflo, where Flynn, committing more perjury, alleged that I "watched" his 5 (divorced) children playing.

Well, if you hadn't been stalking the guy to make sure that he wasn't committing the heinous crime of violating the city residency law, I guess you wouldn't have been arrested now would you? I'm sure you're old enough to remember the old song, "I Fought the Law (and the Law Won)". It seems to me that that about sums up your "crusade".

[Linda_D]

"Run out of town" is a quaint saying from long ago. It refers to a village excommunicating a community member who has offended the community in some way.

Buffalo is a big city in the year 2008. From what Kern says, he felt compelled to leave because his own personal safety was threatened. That's more in line with mafia behavior than village elders doing something good for the community.

I question your motivations and ethics...

Aw, poor Kern. BOOHOO. If he stuck to the facts instead of smearing people, he might actually accomplish something. In fact, there might actually be a lot of people on his side. Unfortunately, he alienates people as they get to know how he operates.

Frankly, I don't give a damn if you question my motivation or ethics.

[Save Us]

Whatever about this Kern person..can somebody sum up why the BMHA was in the news the other day? Thanks.

[kernwatch]

"Linda D" is the supreme (anonymous)expert from Jamestown on BMHA-doing-no-wrong.

She can explain the latest BMHA scandal.

Here is the latest from Bflo News:

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/369088.html

Housing Authority official charged in extortion plot
Federal probe targetswork by contractor

By Brian Meyer, Dan Herbeck, Updated: 06/13/08 7:12 AM


An administrator for Buffalo’s housing agency, described by an accuser as a bully who relished the power and control of his job, faces federal charges of extortion, bribery and witness tampering.

John J. Fischer Jr., the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority’s administrator of capital improvements, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of coercing a contractor who did work for the agency to perform free roofing work at the home of a friend. Investigators believe Fisher was going to inflate the expenses of a Housing Authority job to pay for it.

“[Fischer] was definitely going to make taxpayers pay for all of this,” said U. S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn.

Fischer, a father of four who lives in North Buffalo, has served in numerous capacities at the Housing Authority over two decades. Agency officials said he was appointed to his current $61,918-a-year post less than a year ago. Authority General Counsel Paul W. Wolf said Fischer will be suspended without pay pending an internal hearing.

U. S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr. entered a not-guilty plea on Fischer’s behalf Thursday, then released him on a $10,000 signature bond. He warned the defendant not to travel outside Western New York without getting permission, and he cautioned him not to have contact with potential witnesses. Fischer is due back in court Tuesday after Schroeder gave him time to hire an attorney.

The FBI probe alleges that Fischer pressured Michael K. Hayes, the own-

er of MKH Construction, to do roof work at the Sanborn home of the administrator’s friend. Investigators said Hayes contacted federal authorities.

The investigation focused on Fischer, but authorities would follow up on any other allegations of improprieties at the Housing Authority, Flynn said.

“We looked at one individual here, but if any other information comes to us as a result of this investigation, we’d pursue that, too,” Flynn said.

Flynn said MKH Construction counts on the Housing Authority for “about 85 percent” of its business.

“Mr. Hayes came forward and told the FBI that [Fischer] had asked him to do some roofing work on the home of a woman friend in Sanborn, in Niagara County,” Flynn said. “Fischer told him he would authorize some kind of a change order on one of Hayes’ jobs with the Housing Authority to pay for the work to the woman’s house.”

The roofing work cost about $3,500.

In February, Fischer learned he was the target of an FBI investigation, and FBI agents told him not to contact any witnesses in the investigation, specifically Hayes, Flynn said.

“Fischer is charged with witness-tampering because he contacted Hayes, despite being told not to,“ Flynn said. “Fischer was telling Hayes they would work out some other way to pay for the woman’s roofing job.”

In light of his cooperation in the case, Hayes will not be charged, Flynn said.

Hayes was “scared, frustrated and nervous” when he contacted the FBI, the prosecutor said.

“He didn’t want to lose his business with the Housing Authority, and, at the same time, he didn’t want to be shaken down,” Flynn said.

If Hayes was targeted by Fischer for extortion, do authorities believe it is possible that other Housing Authority contractors were victimized in the same way?

“That is a legitimate question,” Flynn said. He declined to comment further except to say the investigation is continuing.

Hayes agreed to let investigators monitor a phone conversation he had with Fischer and also agreed to record a conversation the two men had during a meeting.

The 16-page criminal complaint included transcripts of a taped phone conversation and meeting between Fischer and Hayes. In one exchange, Fischer said that if he’s brought up on criminal charges, “I’m gonna take down as many [expletive] with me, it won’t be pretty.”

Mayor Byron W. Brown said his administration and the Housing Authority will fully cooperate with federal investigators. Brown was in Washington, D. C., on Thursday, but his office issued a written statement.

“I think the arrest of this 20-year [Housing Authority] employee speaks very powerfully that this type of behavior cannot be tolerated where people working in places of the public trust are breaking the law,“ said Brown.

Wolf said Fischer was arrested Thursday by FBI agents in the parking lot of the authority’s headquarters.

“We’re shocked,” Wolf said. “We’re not fully aware of what has occurred, and we’re just as interested as everyone else to find out.”

Some co-workers said Fischer appeared to be a conscientious administrator who was detail-oriented. His current job was a civil service position. When his predecessor left last year, officials said, Fischer was appointed because he was the next person on the civil service list.

bmeyer@buffnews.com and dherbeck@buffnews.com

[CSense]

Whatever about this Kern person..can somebody sum up why the BMHA was in the news the other day? Thanks.

An administrator (Fischer) was arrested (FBI) for bribery, extortion and witness tampering. This was due to Fischer pressuring a roofing contractor, who does work for the BMHA, into providing free roofing work for a friend of Fischer's. Then he (Fischer) covered the contractor's expenses by including them in an existing contract the contractor had with the BMHA.

Double whammy! This guy is F***ED

[Curmudgeon]

Aw, poor Kern. BOOHOO. If he stuck to the facts instead of smearing people, he might actually accomplish something. In fact, there might actually be a lot of people on his side. Unfortunately, he alienates people as they get to know how he operates.

Frankly, I don't give a damn if you question my motivation or ethics.

seems the "people he's alienating" are often the same people who are doing bad things. Sounds like you support protecting corrupt people and officals. Why?

[GG716]

Most of us are NOT against people who tries to eliminate corruption. We are against how Kern goes about it a lot of the time.