Construction firm sues NYPD for $5.4 million payment

A construction company facing criminal charges wants the New York Police Department (NYPD) to pay them over $5.3 million for work done at police headquarters. MDB Development Corporation claims in a lawsuit that they should be paid for additional work even though their contract was rejected because of corruption concerns. The company says they were told to keep working on inspecting the facade of 1 Police Plaza, despite their contract being denied. They claim NYPD officials promised a new contract for necessary repairs that never came. The city's comptroller's office blocked this new contract after MDB was indicted for a kickback scheme. MDB states they have spent at least $5.37 million maintaining the building's scaffolding and ordering custom brickwork. Their attorney argues that an indictment does not mean they should not be paid for previous work. The NYPD, however, claims that MDB has not done any work since November 2022, and say that the scaffolding is all that remains. In January, both MDB and its owner pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the kickback scheme and were fined. The city’s law department is currently investigating MDB's claims.