Low bidder on college project allegedly has organized crime ties

Eager to begin work on a $40.5 million center dedicated to preparing the county’s growing immigrant population for professional careers, Westchester Community College in Valhalla, N.Y., opened construction bids last month. Worth Construction was the low bidder. The good news was that Worth had a reputation for completing projects on time and at budget. The bad news was that the company and its president, Joseph Pontoriero, also figured in a long-running federal investigation into contract corruption in Connecticut. Worth lost a $46 million highway contract in New York two years ago after the state comptroller ruled it was not a responsible vendor because, in part, of its “long history of association with organized crime.”

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