Several NY jailers pretended to be sick and collected thousands of dollars in salaries
prison officers, Steven Cange, Monica Coaxum and Edward Trinity they were arrested and charged with fraud and lying to stay on sick leave for more than a year.
Two complaints were filed in Brooklyn federal court charging three correctional officers employed by the Department of Corrections (DOC) of New York City in Rikers Island federal program fraud.
“As alleged, in the midst of an ongoing personnel crisis at Rikers Island, the defendants defrauded New Yorkers by fraudulently obtaining their full wages while taking more than a year of sick leave. These correctional officers abandoned their oath to protect inmates and put the safety of their fellow correctional officers at risk,” stated the fiscal federal Breon Peace it’s a statement.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Deputy Director in Charge, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, City of Investigation Department New York (DOI) released the charges.
The charges
New York City Correctional Officer Steven Cange fraudulently obtained more than $160,000 in salary while on sick leave from March 2021 to the present. Although Cange claimed that he suffered from symptoms of vertigo and side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, evidence obtained by police shows that Cange was able to work. During his sick leave, Cange submitted more than 100 fraudulent medical notes to the DOC showing that he was in physical therapy or another medical provider when records requested by those providers show that Cange was not at those appointments. Police also observed Cange participating in normal activities of life without apparent difficulty.
As alleged in a separate complaint, Correctional Officer Monica Coaxum fraudulently obtained more than $80,000 in salary while on sick leave from March 2021 through May 2022, and her fiancé, Officer Eduardo Trinidad, obtained defrauded out of more than $140,000 in wages while on sick leave from June 2021 to November 2022. Although Coaxum claimed to sustain multiple injuries, evidence collected by investigators showed he was able to work.
During his sick leave, Coaxum sent almost 50 fraudulent medical notes to the DOC stating that he had gone to a doctor’s appointment at a time when police determined he was elsewhere. In addition, the evidence shows that on some occasions in which she Coaxum claimed to be injured and at her house, she was traveling and at parties. When she was approached by the police, Ella Coaxum admitted to forging some medical documents.
Trinidad also got more than $140,000 claiming he was injured from work for more than a year. Although she went to DOC medical appointments wearing a combination of sling, cane, and/or boot, photographic and video evidence during the same period showed Trinidad doing normal activities of life such as home improvement work, bowling and traveling abroad, without any difficulty or help from equipment such as a boot, sling, or cane.
The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, each of the defendants faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
