Former NYPD School Safety Director Charged with Bribery
The former director of school safety for the New York City Police Department has been charged with taking substantial bribes from those identifying themselves as “sugar daddies.” These individuals were looking to secure lucrative contracts with the city for a school shooting response application.
Kevin Taylor, age 52, reportedly obtained a $19,830 contract for a pilot program set for September 2023 from the Florida-based company Safewatch. He did this without any competing bids, allegedly trading cash and benefits for favorable treatment from CEO Gino Lofaro, as revealed in a federal court indictment in Manhattan.
Moreover, Lofaro is accused of covering the costs for Taylor’s trip to Las Vegas, where he reportedly enjoyed a date—complete with a helicopter tour and a “medieval-themed dinner”—with the NYPD School Safety Division leader, according to the court documents.
The indictment claims that Taylor also pushed for the police department to award Safewatch an $11 million contract, even testifying before the City Council to highlight the app’s merits.
Not long after his testimony, Lofaro, 39, facilitated another extravagant trip for Taylor that included flights to the Bahamas and a lavish dinner at a high-end steakhouse.
However, Lofaro later expressed frustration regarding the arrangement, suggesting that Taylor was not delivering enough value in exchange for the bribes. In a rather strange message sent via the encrypted app Signal, he lamented, “It was fun, but it’s not fun or funny anymore… My company needs to report on real, important things by year-end. If that’s not the case, then I’m crazy,” he allegedly wrote, adding that he didn’t want to feel cheated, referring to himself in a peculiar manner as “your whore and your sweet daddy too.”
Taylor, who joined the NYPD in 1996, became the head of the Office of School Safety in June 2023 and resigned in 2022. Despite their efforts, Lofaro’s company never obtained the $11 million contract it sought.
He faces further accusations for allegedly attempting to intimidate a vendor responsible for supplying bulletproof vests, attempting to extract $75,000 in return for continued business.
Taylor was apprehended Thursday morning and entered a not guilty plea during his initial court appearance in Manhattan that afternoon. He was subsequently released on $600,000 bail secured by his Yonkers residence.
Lofaro was arrested in Florida and made his first court appearance there on the same day.
Lawyers for both individuals were unavailable for immediate comment. Should they be convicted, each faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
This incident joins a series of corruption allegations to have surfaced during Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.
An NYPD spokesperson commented, “The NYPD expects the highest standards from its officers, and any breaches of these standards are unacceptable. We uphold zero tolerance for misconduct, which is why our role in this investigation was significant. We appreciate the cooperation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this matter.”
