long-tailed keyword: NYC woman accused of bribery offer, city test failure.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : A Brooklyn resident employed as a lunch helper for the Department of Education has been accused of attempting to bribe a city official with $50 following her failure in a food protection certificate exam, as per an announcement made by the Department of Investigation on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as 53-year-old Caselle Whyte, allegedly tried to bribe an Associate Public Health Sanitarian with money upon learning that she had not passed the food protection certificate exam in October 2023, according to a criminal complaint.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber expressed concern over the incident, stating, “This defendant used bribery to try and obtain a certificate confirming she had passed an exam about the safe handling of food, when in fact she had failed the exam.” Strauber added, “This kind of corruption can jeopardize the health of New Yorkers, but thankfully, the Department of Health employee who was offered the alleged bribe rejected the offer and reported it to DOI, consistent with the legal obligation of all City employees to report corruption.”
Upon receiving the bribe offer, the Associate Public Health Sanitarian promptly reported the incident to the DOI, leading to the initiation of an undercover investigation.
In December 2023, DOI investigators monitored a recorded call between the Associate Public Health Sanitarian and Whyte, during which the defendant acknowledged holding $50 in her hand after failing the test. Subsequently, Whyte confessed that she would have offered a larger sum if the APHS employee had accepted her initial offer, according to DOI.
In February 2024, DOI investigators, along with the APHS, provided Whyte with the contact information of a colleague who could assist her in passing the exam in exchange for money. Unbeknownst to Whyte, the colleague was an undercover investigator.
By May 2024, DOI investigators arranged and recorded a call between the undercover DOI investigator and Whyte. Records indicate that Whyte agreed to provide $200 for help in passing the exam. The defendant reportedly handed $100 to the undercover investigator on Monday to obtain the exam answers, with a promise of an additional $100 after successfully passing the exam.
Whyte has been charged with two counts of bribery in the third degree, a felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of up to seven years. She was released on her own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court in August.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding integrity in public service and the consequences of engaging in corrupt practices. The DOI’s swift action in uncovering and addressing this alleged bribery attempt highlights the commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability within government institutions..
– NYC woman accused of offering bribe after failing city test officials
– NYC woman accused of offering bribe after failing city test officials.
