A New York Metropolis public housing plumber who out-earned practically each municipal worker final 12 months is below investigation after data present he logged hundreds of extra time hours whereas apparently operating two non-public plumbing companies on the aspect.
Jakub Markowski, a plumber supervisor with the New York Metropolis Housing Authority, earned greater than $465,000 through the metropolis’s 2025 fiscal 12 months after racking up practically 2,560 hours of extra time, the very best complete of any metropolis worker, the New York Instances reported. Town’s Division of Buildings is investigating whether or not his outdoors work violated licensing guidelines.
Markowski, a licensed grasp plumber, labored in NYCHA’s hearth security division whereas additionally being listed on permits tied to greater than 70 non-public plumbing jobs in neighborhoods together with the Higher East Aspect and Brooklyn Heights throughout the identical interval. The tasks have been dealt with by two firms, Tremendous Plumbers Corp. NYC and Dynamic Blue Water Mechanical.
In response to the Instances, Markowski obtained a waiver in 2019 permitting him to keep up a non-public plumbing enterprise whereas working for town. However NYCHA stated he didn’t get hold of a brand new waiver after being promoted to a supervisory position in 2024, elevating questions on whether or not his outdoors work remained licensed.
The Buildings Division can also be analyzing Markowski’s relationship with Robert Tarnawa, who’s tied to one of many plumbing firms however just isn’t a licensed grasp plumber. Beneath metropolis legislation, plumbing work involving licensed actions should be carried out both by a licensed grasp plumber or below that individual’s direct supervision.
NYCHA referred questions on its personal evaluate to town’s Division of Investigation, which declined to remark as a result of the matter stays lively.
NYCHA has confronted repeated scrutiny over its practices in recent times. Federal prosecutors charged dozens of NYCHA staff in a sweeping bribery and extortion case in 2024. The authority beforehand fired a minimum of 18 employees following an extra time fraud investigation.
The scrutiny comes at an ungainly second for NYCHA, which has struggled for years with deteriorating buildings, persistent underfunding and a string of corruption scandals.
The authority estimates it wants tens of billions of {dollars} in capital repairs throughout its portfolio, the place roughly 300,000 New Yorkers dwell. These circumstances have made extra time commonplace for expert tradespeople tasked with conserving ageing developments operational, however Markowski’s workload appeared to face aside, even by NYCHA requirements.
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