Monday, December 14, 2015

Report: Contractor with ties to deadly East Village explosion receives probation in unrelated case

Contractor Dilber Kukic, who's under investigation in the deadly Second Avenue explosion, was sentenced to probation today in an unrelated bribery case.

As the Post reports, Kukic, 40, "copped to felony bribery in October ​in ​exchange for three years probation, 200 hours of community service and a $4,000 fine as part of a plea deal."

He reportedly admitted to paying an undercover investigator $600 last year to dismiss building violations at properties he owns on West 173rd Street.

Defense lawyer Mark Bederow had argued that the prosecutor’s hardline approach in the bribery case “results from the people’s ongoing investigation into the East Village explosion.”

Kukic was inside 121 Second Ave​. on March 26, where he had a permit to do renovations, when the building exploded. He dragged the landlord’s son to safety.

Bederow declined to comment on the status of the Second Avenue explosion investigation, according to the Post. Authorities have said that an illegally tapped gas line at 121 Second Ave. may have caused the fatal blast.

The Post reported in April that investigators have "six prime suspects" in the blast at 121 Second Ave.: Landlord Maria Hrynenko, her son Michael Jr., Kukic as well as an unidentified subcontractor and two workers.
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6 comments:

  1. Scuba DivaDecember 15, 2015 at 9:08 AM

    So again: are the investigators ever going to go after these "prime suspects"? This is dragging on too long, methinks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 15, 2015 at 10:39 AM

    what is it, 9 months?

    seriously, bring charges already.

    ReplyDelete
  3. cmarrtyyDecember 15, 2015 at 12:22 PM

    The sad part about this slo-mo spectacle of justice is that the building owner will walk and... walk away with millions in profit from the new building on her lot. WHAT ABOUT THE RICCO LAW?! She shouldn't be allowed to profit from her crime.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 15, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    Three words: Hang 'em high,

    ReplyDelete
  5. Scuba DivaDecember 15, 2015 at 10:16 PM

    At 2:26 PM. Anonymous said...

    Three words: Hang 'em high,

    Hang 'em dry. Just hang 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Louis E.February 6, 2016 at 3:00 AM

    I expect that Mrs. Hrynenko will have to sell the lot to someone who can afford to put up a new building in order to pay the civil suits against her.(Note that she owned two of the buildings that fell,the Pasternack family owned the third...not sure whether they have a case against her for their building being destroyed by her negligence,or if the loss of 123 Second actually made their lot more valuable which would make it hard to claim "damages").

    ReplyDelete

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