Attorney General James Shuts Down Architectural Expediter Firm and Bars Architect for Taking Illegal Shortcuts

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has shut down Basic Group (Basic), an architecture and construction consulting firm, for defrauding the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) and barred a licensed architect from future DOB business for his role in the scheme. Basic hired Kevin McCray, a licensed architect with professional certification privileges, to fraudulently submit Basic’s unreviewed renovation applications to DOB to secure expedited approval. Basic and McCray agreed that McCray would not review or supervise the documents that he submitted on Basic’s behalf, in violation of city code. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) reached agreements with both Basic and McCray for their violations of city code. As a result of OAG’s intervention, Basic will dissolve, and the company’s owner, Wing Huang, as well as McCray, are barred for life from doing business with DOB.

“Fair and safe housing begins with honest developers,” said Attorney General James. “Basic Group put their impatience above safety and, as a result, put New York tenants at risk. Let this send a clear message to all developers: if you cut corners or take shortcuts, you will no longer do business in New York.”

Basic, a division of PCM Architect PLLC, employs expeditors who assist clients in preparing renovation and construction project paperwork for DOB. In 2021, Basic hired Kevin McCray to file all submissions with DOB using McCray’s professional certification privileges to expedite the review process. The DOB’s professional certification program allows for faster approval of documents that are prepared and submitted by certified architects or engineers, like McCray. However, under McCray’s and Basic’s agreement, McCray did not prepare or review many of Basic’s submissions, a clear requirement of the professional certification program. The OAG’s investigation revealed that from March 2021 to June 2022, McCray filed 57 jobs associated with Basic. In accordance with his agreement with Huang, McCray neither prepared nor reviewed many of these filings.

In December 2021, BlueSky Management NY, LLC (BlueSky) hired Basic to assist in drafting and filing plans with DOB for renovations to a recently purchased apartment building located at 191 Bedford Avenue (191 Bedford) in Brooklyn. In February 2022, McCray submitted plans to DOB for BlueSky’s proposed renovations. Basic drafted all plans without McCray’s supervision, and McCray merely put his stamp on the filings to speed up the DOB approval process. The plans submitted by McCray required a Certificate of No Harassment (CONH) from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) which Basic did not obtain, and the plans were rejected by DOB. McCray then submitted a second plan in October 2023 that altered the plans so that a COHN would not be required, and DOB approved the renovations. 

BlueSky completed the renovations at 191 Bedford and followed the original renovation plan submitted by Basic to DOB, which had been rejected due to the lack of a CONH. In October 2024, Basic, through McCray, submitted a third renovation plan to DOB that was identical to the first plan. Basic hoped that by using McCray’s professional certification credentials, DOB would not notice the illegal renovations were made. The DOB conducted an audit of 191 Bedford which revealed the illegal renovations and uncovered Basic and McCray’s attempt to cover up their wrongdoings.

BlueSky denies knowledge of Basic and McCray’s scheme but has a previous separate agreement with OAG that requires BlueSky to either obtain a CONH at 191 Bedford and other buildings Basic and McCray worked on, or provide affordable housing as required by the applicable CONH regulation.

Under the settlement with OAG, Basic was required to complete all ongoing projects and dissolve by August 26, 2026. The settlements also bar Huang and McCray for life from submitting documents to or doing any business that relates to DOB. If Basic or Huang violate the terms of the settlement, they will be required to pay judgments of $200,000 for Huang and $100,000 for McCray.

“The integrity and professionalism of state-licensed architects is an important pillar we rely on to promote safe and code-compliant construction in our city,” said Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. “For the industry professionals that don’t take this responsibility seriously, understand that there will be consequences. I would like to thank Attorney General James and the dedicated team at the Attorney General's Office for pursuing this important settlement, my own colleagues in the Office of the Tenant Advocate at DOB for first discovering the fraudulent applications, and the agency investigators in our Legal Affairs Office Bureau who assisted with negotiations on this case.”

This is the latest action taken by Attorney General James to ensure tenant safety. In May 2026, Attorney General James secured an agreement to close the predatory law firm for taking advantage of New York City tenants facing eviction. In March 2026, Attorney General James announced new protections for 25 low-income families who were forced out of their affordable housing units in Rochester. In February 2026, Attorney General James sued the owners and managers of an apartment complex in Orange County for leaving residents to endure horrific conditions. In October 2025, Attorney General James stopped a Montgomery County property owner and his companies from illegally discriminating against low-income New Yorkers. In April 2025, Attorney General James secured a settlement with property owners in the Capital Region for illegally denying housing to low-income renters who were using housing assistance. In December 2025, Attorney General James announced a settlement with Steven Kashanian and BlueSky for violating city construction codes and creating unsafe and unsanitary conditions for hundreds of tenants.

This matter was handled by Housing Protection Unit Chief Brent Meltzer. The Housing Protection Unit is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.

This matter was handled for DOB by Ana Pluchinotta for the Office of the Tenant Advocate, under the direction of Assistant Commissioner Salvatore Agostino, as well as Executive Director Matthew Burdge, Director Stephan Clarke, and Senior Borough Enforcement Attorney James Morro, from DOB’s Policy and Legal Affairs Bureau.