From NBC 4:More than 100 former police officers, firefighters and other city workers faked mental disabilities in order get tens of thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits a year, NBC 4 New York has learned.
But an investigation has revealed the former city workers were pursuing other activities that appeared to negate their claims. One police officer who claimed he was so mentally disabled was allegedly working as a martial arts instructor, officials said. Another who claimed he could not work was allegedly flying helicopters.
One got benefits because of a fear of crowds and yet was found to be selling cannolis in Little Italy during the San Genarro festival. And another went on to allegedly run a private security company.
Many allegedly claimed to be affected by their efforts on 9/11, yet investigators found many were not even near ground zero that day.
All allegedly got help gaming the system from the same two lawyers, ages 89 and 83, and two former police officers who in exchange allegedly took cash payments.
Investigators said one of the attorneys who helped run the scheme is Raymond Lavallee, who worked as an FBI agent in the 1950s and '60s. Calls to Lavallee’s home and law office were not returned Monday.
The criminal charges expected to be announced Tuesday will include 106 people in all.
The more than 100 workers were allegedly taught how to claim they were mentally scarred on SSID applications in order to collect $30,000 to $50,000 in benefits annually.
Investigators said Lavallee would receive thousands in cash payments from successful applicants that were at times left for him in paper bags on a park bench near his office.
17 comments:
while this news is encouraging,it shows how damaged our city is and how easy it seems to steal from it and how this corruption will not stop no matter who gets caught.these people deserve to rot and die in jail.
especially in light of the latest financial revelations of our schools chancellor and public speaker
Book 'em all!...including any witnesses too.
Govt. spending is often wasteful, but I am all for more investigators: Medicaid fraud, student loan fraud, SS fraud, welfare fraud.... BRING IN MORE FEDS!
..And all are no doubt flag waving "Great Americans".
100 down, 100,000 to go.
The scandal is not the crime itself, but the fact that so many red flags were ignored to permit this to go on as long as it did.
J: this was a scam on the Feds (SSI) - which is not to say our City is problem free.
THIS is one of the reasons why OTHER law-abiding city workers can't a decent raise - these freaks have raided the system. BOOK them all and I want to see their faces - it should be all over the internet. Friggin' creeps.
Mostly all Italian and Irish tricksters...and I'm an Italian myself.
...and I am sure they all claimed they were 9/11 heros...what BS,,,what is the PBA going to say about this?...
Probably all live on Long Island too.
Sorry to be pessimistic-despite committing these scuzzy acts, they will serve little or no jail time-just a prediction.....
Scum of the earth. Enjoy your 20 years in the slammer.
PIGS!!
And they were probably slackers at their civil servant jobs too. Trash.
Most political clubhouses would undergo a severe labor shortage if all the volunteers they put up for diability would have to go back to work!
the nyc money laundering unions will turn this city into bankrupt Detroit.
btw Obama lost $10 BILLION dollars of GM bailout $$$$$last month when he sold the stock.
voters will forget by the 2014 election.
Unions for government employees is legitimized fraud. Unions collect dues from members, and in turn fund the political campaigns of politicians who agree to overpay government employees. When those politicians get elected, they repay the favor with MY tax money. Fraud, plain and simple.
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