The entire staff of a NYCHA development in the Bronx has been reassigned, following allegations that supervisors were hosting rowdy orgies on city property during and after work hours, and in some cases threatening to punish employees who refused to participate.
The illicit sex parties allegedly went on in empty apartments and the groundskeeper's shop at the Throggs Neck Houses. Multiple tenants complained about the bacchanalia, and the housing authority quietly transferred the complex's entire staff—around 40 people—earlier this month, the Daily News reports.
While housing authority managers initially downplayed the mass reassignment, NYCHA spokesperson Robin Levine on Monday acknowledged "longstanding concerns about management and performance issues at Throggs Neck...coupled with troubling allegations of misconduct." The spokesperson did not respond to Gothamist's questions about whether the allegations included sexual misconduct, or if anyone had lost their jobs as a result of the complaints.
According to Monique Johnson, president of the Throggs Neck Tenant Association, some NYCHA employees were threatened with retaliation from NYCHA higher-ups if they did not participate in the sex parties. She added that workers sometimes earned overtime and claimed to be filling maintenance requests while taking part in the erotic get-togethers—particularly damning accusations for an authority currently embroiled in a lead paint scandal that the city sought to cover up.
Last year, NYCHA admitted that an investigation found traces of lead in at least 78 apartments in the Throggs Neck complex, despite the fact that residents were not told whether their homes had tested positive. "I have absolutely no faith in this agency at all," Johnson said at the time.
On Tuesday, the tenant leader told Gothamist that she was glad the sex parties were getting attention from local politicians and NYCHA, even if her faith in the authority was far from restored. "Their cover has been blown, and too many people are aware of this situation for them not to be held accountable," she said. "But, I'm still concerned about the lead."
