The son of a top FDNY official received “preferential treatment” following arrests in Brooklyn and Manhattan, a lawyer alleges.
FDNY Emergency Medical Technician Robert Gala, 21, son of Chief of Personnel Michael Gala, received two summonses in Brooklyn on Nov. 27, 2012. Both were dismissed on Feb. 14, 2013, records show.
Robert was also arrested Jan. 3, 2013, on a charge of criminal impersonation. That was dismissed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office four days later.
Attorney Peter Gleason, who represents firefighters in disciplinary cases, questioned whether the FDNY overlooked the arrests in hiring Robert Gala, who last year earned $31,931 as a department EMT.
“The notion that the progeny of high-level FDNY officials are given preferential treatment is nothing new,” Gleason wrote to FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano.
Robert Gala did not return phone calls. The FDNY refused to answer questions about the arrests.
Reached at home, the chief would not discuss his son, but attacked Gleason.
“He’s got a grudge against me and he wants to come after my family,” the elder Gala said.