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More Cops & Firefighters Indicted In Multimillion 9/11 Disability Fraud
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 25, 2014
Modified Feb 25, 2014
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 25, 2014
Modified Feb 25, 2014
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More than 100 former police officers and firefighters were indicted last month for allegedly falsely claiming 9/11-related psychiatric conditions to obtain Social Security disability benefits. Now, authorities say 28 more people have been indicted as the Manhattan District Attorney's office continues to dig into the fraud allegations.
According to an indictment filed by Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance in early January, 106 defendents were implicated in the alleged fraud scandal; four principal defendants—Raymond Lavallee, 83, Thomas Hale, 89, Joseph Esposito, 64 and John Minerva, 61—are believed to have orchestrated the scheme, coaching retired cops and firefighters on the symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, referring them to psychiatrists and otherwise aiding them in stealing as much as $400 million in disability payments from the federal government.
Prosecutors have noted that the defendants claiming disability "lived lifestyles that starkly contradicted the representations made on their applications." One defendant who claimed he couldn't work taught martial arts, for instance, while another worked at the San Gennaro festival after alleging he could not leave his house. A former Brooklyn anti-gang cop who was awarded $176,000 in disability even allegedly posted online photos of himself jet-skiing despite claiming he suffered from depression and panic attacks.
The newly indicted individuals are expected to turn themselves in and be charged today, and they may not be the last round of defendants. Prosecutors have previously suggested as many as 1,000 people could be involved in the scam.
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Rebecca Fishbein
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