East Hampton building inspector, office manager indicted on bribery charges after lengthy investigation

Two people have been indicted on charges they accepted bribes in exchange for accelerating building approvals while working in the East Hampton Town Building Department, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

Ryan Benitez, 37, a former building inspector who resigned in January, and Evelyn Calderon, 46, a senior office assistant who has been suspended, acted in concert to solicit a total of $16,100 from four unnamed contractors in exchange for prioritizing and accelerating building permits and certificates of occupancy, according to prosecutors. The bribes took place on five separate occasions between June 2024 to January 2025, according to the indictment.

Both were charged with five counts of third-degree bribe receiving, a class D felony, and five counts of official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. 

Calderon, of Mastic, and Benitez, of East Hampton, surrendered to the district attorney's office on Thursday and were arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei. Both were released on their own recognizance. They are due back in court May 21 and face 2⅓ to 7 years in prison if convicted, according to the DA's office.

"Public servants are expected to act with honesty and fairness in the course of their duties," Tierney said in a statement. "The law is meant to be administered equitably for everyone, not manipulated by the corrupt actions of those who are unjustly enriched by accepting cash bribes."

The indictment comes as East Hampton Town’s Building Department is facing a backlog of applications and long wait times for permits. The town has almost entirely restaffed the department over the last year.

East Hampton officials launched an investigation in October 2024 once they were made aware of potential misconduct and brought the situation to the district attorney’s office, the town’s spokesman said in a news release.

The charges in the indictment "does not reflect the way the Building Department operates today," the town said in a statement, noting the town has hired new leadership for the department since the alleged misconduct.

"I am grateful to District Attorney Raymond Tierney and the Public Corruption Bureau for their thorough work on the allegations we brought to their attention," East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said in a statement.

"For the past 18 months, this investigation has weighed heavily on our Building Department staff and on those who rely on the department’s services," Burke-Gonzalez added. "Through it all, our staff continued to serve the public professionally under very difficult circumstances, and I am grateful to them for that."

The East Hampton Town Board suspended Calderon without pay for 30 days in April 2025 pending disciplinary charges. She has been on paid suspended leave since the 30-day period expired. Her attorney, Edward Burke Jr., did not immediately return a request for comment.

Benitez resigned from his position in January. His attorney, Austin Manghan, did not immediately return a request for comment.