Brooklyn DA announces bribery charges against nine contractors

The Brooklyn district attorney and the city's Department of Investigation announced Monday indictments against nine contractors.
The Brooklyn DA says the contractors are accused of cheating taxpayers by bribing NYCHA superintendents and then charging inflated prices for work. 
News 12 was told the allegations deal with so called "micro-purchase" contracts, which date back to November of 2018. The nine contractors are from Queens and Long Island, according to the Brooklyn DA. 
The New York City Department of Investigation says the program works to get small repairs done quickly without a bidding process. 
"If it gets commonplace for bribes to be paid, that really removes any incentive to do good work and be responsive,” said New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett. 
The contractors took advantage, charging the highest amount allowed of $10,000 for even small fixes, according to the Brooklyn DA. 
"The residents of NYCHA often live in conditions that are deplorable and we definitely need a system that works to their advantage to get things done quickly but they deserve to have the best contractors to fix items inside,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. 
In order to catch the contractors in the act, DOI set up an undercover operation at the Lafayette Gardens development in Clinton Hill as well as the Red Hook Houses West.
It all came to light thanks to an honest worker who contacted the city’s inspector general, according to the Brooklyn DA. 
The Brooklyn DA says all the suspects were charged with bribery and conspiracy. 
They were released and expected back in court at a later date.