Earlier today, Luis Camarena pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to a conspiracy involving kickbacks related to contracts for installing surveillance cameras at homeless shelters managed by a non-profit organization. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Camarena conspired to pay a portion of his business’s revenue from these contracts to employees of the organization who approved the payments. He faces up to five years in prison when sentenced.
Camarena is the fourth and final defendant in this case to plead guilty. His co-defendants—Gary DSilva, Jonathan Velazquez, and Pradeep Nigam—entered guilty pleas earlier this month on similar charges. DSilva and Velazquez worked for the organization and authorized payments to Camarena and Nigam, whose businesses provided security cameras and IT services respectively. All four defendants could receive up to five years’ imprisonment at sentencing. They have agreed collectively to pay $1,025,647.78 in restitution to the non-profit.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation; and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI’s New York Field Office announced the guilty pleas.
“Camerena’s schemes enriched himself, DSilva, and Velazquez at the expense of the non-profit Organization, showing glaring disrespect towards the honest work of others,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office remains committed to seeking justice for all victims of bribery and kickback schemes and prosecuting those who perpetrate such offenses.”
“These four defendants enriched themselves at the expense of a City-funded nonprofit; two employees of the organization pocketed kickbacks in exchange for steering contracts worth millions to the businesses of two co-conspirators,” stated DOI Commissioner Strauber. “With today’s guilty plea, all four defendants have now acknowledged their involvement in a scheme to steal funds intended to support City programs. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York Office of the FBI for their continued partnership and commitment to protect public funds.”
Court documents state that DSilva and Velazquez were employed in the Management Information Systems department at a Brooklyn-based organization providing services—including operating multiple homeless shelters—to indigent residents of New York City. As part of their roles, they solicited vendors for IT projects and approved vendor payments.
DSilva and Velazquez participated in two separate schemes: one involved steering contracts for camera installation at shelters operated by their employer toward Camarena’s business in return for a share of profits; another saw them receive profits from Nigam’s business after authorizing organizational payments to it. The conspirators concealed these interests from their employer.
Records show that approximately $1.6 million was paid by the organization to Camarena’s business and about $1.9 million went from the organization to Nigam’s company during these schemes’ operation periods. As part of their plea agreements: DSilva and Velazquez will each forfeit about $714,000; Nigam will forfeit roughly $413,000; Camarena will give up about $224,000—amounts corresponding with illicit proceeds from these activities.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Turner Buford and Laura Zuckerwise with support from Paralegal Specialist Johnson Peow within EDNY’s Public Integrity Section.
The defendants are Gary DSilva (47) from Manalapan, NJ; Jonathan Velazquez (55) from Massapequa Park, NY; Luis A. Camarena (58) from Bronx, NY; and Pradeep Nigam (63) from Edison, NJ.
E.D.N.Y Docket No.: 24-CR-471 (S-1) (HG)
