Suffolk County worker from Wading River admits taking bribes in license scheme

A Wading River woman who worked for Suffolk County pleaded guilty Wednesday, March 25, to accepting cash bribes and falsifying license paperwork in a scheme involving her husband, the district attorney’s office announced.

Brianna Hassett, 33, admitted to a charge of attempted bribe receiving in the third degree, a Class E felony, in Suffolk County Supreme Court. She faces a sentence of 1.5 to 3 years in prison when she returns to court May 27.

“This defendant’s conduct constitutes an egregious and systematic breach of public trust,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “My office will continue to have zero tolerance for corruption within any government agency or department.”

Prosecutors said Ms. Hassett acted with her husband, Esteban Bermudez, 35, who was not a county employee. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to offering a false instrument in the first degree and is expected to be sentenced to five years’ probation on May 27.

Ms. Hassett worked as an office assistant in the licensing unit of the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs in January 2025 when she accepted the cash bribe and falsified a home improvement license application. 

In a separate incident, she also provided questions and answers for a required vocational licensing exam in exchange for cash.

The couple was arrested Feb. 13, 2025. Ms. Hassett resigned from her county job on May 14, 2025.