Gravesend Man Arrested For Bribing DOB Inspector

At least one inspector with the Department of Buildings can’t be bought. This honest worker reported two men to the city’s Department of Investigation after they allegedly tried bribing him with $5,000 to overlook illegal construction in a Gravesend home.

As reported by the Brooklyn Eagle, Shu Ming Li, of Brooklyn, and his partner in crime, You Q. Liang, of Manhattan, tried to get the building’s inspector to look the other way as they went on to convert the home’s basement into an apartment without filing any paperwork with the agency. Too bad for them they got the wrong inspector. He reported them and now they face up to seven years in prison.

Maybe they would have had better luck if they upped the ante and offered more money. Five grand is nice and all, but with a state shutdown on the way, the Department of Buildings must find a way to bankroll their continued inadequacy.