March 31, 2026, 3:34 p.m.
A retired New York City police sergeant was among four people charged Tuesday in connection with a bribery investigation that also involves a City Council member and a top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to a report and documents.
Edouardo St. Fort was arrested in Massachusetts early Tuesday, the Associated Press first reported.
A copy of his arrest warrant from the Eastern District in Brooklyn and reviewed by THE CITY, shows he was indicted on charges that included conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, a violation of the Travel Act and bribery.
The AP reported three other people were arrested Tuesday, including Jean Ronald Tirelus, the president of the New York-based home care and shelter provider BHRAGS, along with its Executive Director Roberto Samedy.
BHRAGS is a Brooklyn nonprofit organization that has received more than $185 million in city contracts for homeless shelters, including those for migrants and asylum seekers, city records show.
The AP reported that federal authorities are investigating whether City Councilmember Farah Louis (D-Brooklyn) and her sister, Esther Debbie Louis, received any bribes or kickbacks related to these contracts.
The AP also reported that investigators were looking into whether Edu Hermelyn received any benefits. He is the husband of Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who is an assemblymember and chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
Debbie Louis, who has worked in intergovernmental affairs for Gov. Hochul for three years, was placed on leave last week, a spokesperson for the governor confirmed. Farah Louis didn’t immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.
St. Fort, who retired from the NYPD in 2023, is currently a police sergeant in the division of public safety at UMass Boston, a university spokesperson confirmed. He did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.
St. Fort owns a security company, Fort NYC, which provides security at shelters operated by both BHRAGS and the Bronx Family Network, according to city data. They’ve received more than $1 million since 2023.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at an unrelated news conference Tuesday that the city “will definitely be looking into” the contracts named in the indictment, but didn’t comment further.
A spokesperson for City Council Speaker Julie Menin said the council is “closely monitoring the situation based on press reports.”
“New Yorkers deserve confidence in their government,” the spokesperson, Yoav Gonen, said in a statement. “It is essential that the federal investigation proceed fairly and expeditiously to bring this matter to a resolution.”
This press release was produced by The City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.