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Four men connected to BHRAGS Home Care Corp., a nonprofit that provides at‑home health care and now runs city‑funded homeless shelters, were arrested Tuesday in a federal public‑corruption investigation, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors allege the executive director, Roberto Samedy, and former board chairman, Jean Ronald Tirelus, siphoned $800,000 that had been earmarked for “economic growth and affordable housing” in distressed Brooklyn neighborhoods. The indictment also accuses subcontractors Edouardo St. Fort and Miguel Jorge of receiving more than $200,000 in kickbacks and bribes to funnel multi‑million‑dollar contracts to businesses they control.

The investigation extends beyond the four arrested individuals. A search warrant obtained on March 19 named City Council member Farah Louis and her sister, Debbie Louis—an aide to Governor Kathy Hochul—inquiring whether they accepted bribes related to the appropriation of city funds to BHRAGS. Both women were not among those taken into custody; Debbie Louis was placed on leave by the governor’s office after the probe surfaced.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, who leads the Brooklyn office, told reporters the defendants “worked together to loot public funds from an organization devoted to serving vulnerable New Yorkers.” Tirelus’ lawyer, Todd Spodek, categorically disputed the charges, saying his client “categorically disputes the charges.” Samedy’s attorney, Seth Zuckerman, asserted that his client is intent on “clearing his name and getting back to the important work BHRAGS is doing in the community.”

BHRAGS has operated for more than five decades, originally focusing on health‑care for the sick and elderly before expanding into homeless‑services amid an influx of asylum seekers that stretched New York City’s shelter system. The nonprofit has secured nearly $200 million in contracts from the city’s Department of Homeless Services since 2022. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city would “definitely be looking into” its contracts with BHRAGS, underscoring the broader concern that misused public funds can erode trust in essential services for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.

The case highlights how layered corruption—ranging from nonprofit leaders diverting earmarked funds to subcontractors receiving kickbacks, and possible political influence through city officials—can jeopardize the delivery of critical shelter and support services. As the investigation proceeds, city officials and federal prosecutors say they are committed to pursuing any wrongdoing to protect taxpayer dollars and the people who depend on the shelter