A coalition of elected officials and labor leaders is calling on the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to immediately terminate all contracts with Griffin’s Landscaping, a city contractor whose owner, Glenn Griffin, was recently sentenced to two years in federal prison for bribery and illegal dumping as part of a $2.4 million environmental crime scheme.
Despite Griffin’s conviction and ongoing scrutiny, his Westchester-based company continues to hold two active contracts with the Parks Department worth a combined $15 million and has been awarded three upcoming contracts totaling an additional $25 million.
The sentencing has sparked widespread outrage among city officials and union leaders, who say the city must uphold higher ethical standards when awarding public contracts.
“Glenn Griffin’s indictment is just another example in a long list of corruption that Griffins and his Westchester landscaping company are involved in,” said Jackson Heights Council Member Shekar Krishnan, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation. “In light of his two-year prison sentence, NYC Parks must end all contracts with Griffins. It is unacceptable that someone indicted in a $2.4 million environmental crime scheme and accused of not paying their workers owed overtime wages has been granted control of millions of city dollars.”
Griffin was indicted in 2022 and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud in a case brought by federal prosecutors in New Jersey. According to court filings, the scheme involved illegal dumping of construction debris and bribing a municipal official to facilitate it. His sentencing in May 2024 followed a lengthy investigation that also revealed prior labor violations.
Griffin’s Landscaping has previously been accused of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law, including failing to pay workers overtime wages. As a result of these issues, the company has been placed under a monitorship by the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), yet it continues to receive taxpayer-funded contracts.
A total of 33 elected officials have joined Krishnan in demanding that the contracts be revoked immediately, including 31 members of the New York City Council and two borough presidents. The signatories span all five boroughs, with the strongest showing from Queens, where ten council members and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined the call. Brooklyn was represented by nine council members, followed by the Bronx with five council members and Borough President Vanessa Gibson. Six Manhattan council members and one from Staten Island also added their support.
“Our city must consistently prioritize integrity in hiring and contracting to ensure accountability for the public and fairness for all who seek to partner with local government agencies,” Richards said. “I believe adherence to these principles would dictate that the contracts recently awarded to Griffin’s Landscaping be terminated and awarded to one or more other qualified bidders.”
Gibson added, “We have a responsibility to uphold integrity, protect workers, and ensure public dollars are spent with accountability and transparency.”
Labor leaders also weighed in. “What message does this send to honest, qualified contractors when someone who violated labor law still gets to profit off city work?” asked Victor Rizzo, director of Laborers’ Local 1010 LECET. “The Parks Department must act swiftly—not just to cancel these contracts, but to ensure that every vendor doing business with the city operates with integrity.”
Vincent Alvarez, president of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, said the issue is about protecting worker rights and the public trust: “It’s time to send a clear message: if you cheat workers and pollute our city, you will not be rewarded with public dollars.”
The Parks Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it plans to reconsider its contractual relationship with Griffin’s Landscaping.
Griffin’s Landscaping, founded in 1991, has held multiple municipal contracts across Westchester and New York City, specializing in park maintenance, tree removal and landscape design. However, this is not the company’s first brush with controversy. In addition to the federal criminal case, Griffin and affiliated entities have been subject to state labor investigations and private wage theft lawsuits.
“This is a disgrace,” said Lowell Barton, vice president of Laborers’ Local 1010. “Griffin exploited the public, polluted communities, and cheated workers. There should be zero tolerance for corruption in city contracts, especially from someone who’s already been sentenced to prison.”
Krishnan said the Council will continue to push for oversight hearings and possible legislative action to ensure the city strengthens its vetting and enforcement of vendor eligibility standards.
“The people of New York City deserve better,” Krishnan said. “We will not stand by while public money lines the pockets of those who undermine our values, our workers and our laws.”
