Famed Harlem politician and businessman Percy Sutton was investigated by the FBI in the 1980s for allegedly taking a bribe from Genovese capo William “Billy the Butcher” Masselli in exchange for city construction contracts, newly released federal files show.
Sutton’s alleged bribe-taking — during his days as Manhattan borough president from 1965 to 1977 — grew out of a larger FBI wiretapping probe into Masselli.
The taped conversations led investigators to dozens of potential bribery and extortion cases against politicians and union heads, but the prosecution was dropped when a key informant who worked with Masselli turned out to be tainted. He was suspected of murdering as many as 10 people.
Sutton was never charged with wrongdoing.