From The Real Deal, August 19, 2009A Queens police officer was charged with filing bogus pay stubs with the city's Housing Preservation and Development in an effort to continue receiving a housing subsidy valued at about $7,600, authorities said.
Simone Smith, stationed in the 108th precinct in Long Island City, was arrested today and faces multiple charges including welfare fraud, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument and attempted grand larceny, the office of the Manhattan District Attorney said.
Smith, 31, a Queens resident, gave doctored pay stubs and W-2 forms to HPD in Manhattan to keep receiving the housing assistance which she was no longer eligible for after earning a higher salary on the police force, prosecutors said. She was placed on modified leave in May.
The most severe charges each carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
8 comments:
There are more than then just her.Detectives,sgts andthis is just the tip of the iceberg.These apartments are handed down like a house.Too bad the nypd's IAB vand the nycha are so incompetent! Or are they just turning a blind eye so they don't get the old "you're only doing this cause we black " bullshit.I'd say both!
Why in God's name would anyone want to live in housing if they had the means to get out?
She was making a decent salary.
Why would they live there...............?If you pay $230 for rent the you can gets a Lexus wif 22inch rims,sucka!
Some people would like to live in a free or subsidized crap apartment rather than spend money on a good place. They simply cannot pass up the opportunity to rip off the system. This whole mentality of cops being above the law with petty stuff like illegal parking, free meals, intimidating neighbors, financial scams, etc. all with an attitude -- it undermines the whole idea that they deserve respect from civilians on the street or deserve a break when we are sitting on a jury.
Why would you think you could get away with this having a city job? Wouldn't the city know your salary?
It sounds like she was receiving a housing "subsidy," which could be some kind of rental assistance. It doesn't necessarily mean that she was living in crappy apartment. She could have been renting a "private" apartment, and some of her rent could have been paid direct to the landlord on her behalf.
Regardless...pretty disgusting that she committed forgery and fraud to receive this benefit when there are tons of poor folks out there that could use some help.
Is she related to Rangel?
Not to excuse crooked behavior in a cop, but a beginning cop doesn't make enough to afford these 1,300/month rents either.
If we don't get these insane housing costs under control, we will have no ability to attract or keep vital workers including police, fire, teachers, sanitation, clerical, customer service, hotel staff, transporation, and so forth.
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