Three US Officers Faked Sick Leave And Got Full Salary For A Year, Arrested
Officers Steven Cange, Eduardo Trinidad, and Monica Coaxum were arrested on Thursday and charged with fraud and cheating a federally-funded organisation.
Three New York City Correction Officers have been arrested after allegedly faking ailments and taking sick leaves for a year while still drawing full salaries. According to a press release by the United States Department of Justice, the trio worked at Riskers Island, a prison located in Manhattan's East River. Officers Steven Cange, 49, Eduardo Trinidad, 42, and Monica Coaxum, 36, were arrested on Thursday and charged with fraud and cheating a federally-funded organisation.
"As alleged, in the midst of an ongoing staffing crisis at Rikers Island, the defendants defrauded New Yorkers by fraudulently obtaining their full salaries while taking over a year of sick leave. These correction officers abandoned their oath to protect inmates and put the safety of their fellow correction officers at risk," said US Attorney Breon Peace, as per the press note.
The three officers faked hundreds of doctor's notes for different injuries and ailments. According to New York Post, Mr Cange, who drew a salary of more than $160,000 per year, went out on sick leave in March 2021, claiming he suffered debilitating side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. However, he spent time pursuing "his interest in comic books". Mr Cange also boasted about his comic book on Instagram, writing "Just had an amazing meeting for (his) book".
Eduardo Trinidad faked injuries to stay out between June 2021 and November 2022. He collected more than $140,000 a salary. His fiance Monica Coaxum also engaged in similar activity. She was out on leave from March 2021 to May 2022 on fake injuries while making $80,000 annually.
As per the post, when Ms Coaxum was approached about the claims, she admitted to investigators she forged around 50 fake medical documents justifying her injury leave. The officials also found the couple travelled to Dominican Republic, Florida and West Virginia while providing the department with doctors' notes saying she was at appointments.
Now, if convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, the US Department of Justice said.
"As alleged, in the midst of an ongoing staffing crisis at Rikers Island, the defendants defrauded New Yorkers by fraudulently obtaining their full salaries while taking over a year of sick leave. These correction officers abandoned their oath to protect inmates and put the safety of their fellow correction officers at risk," said US Attorney Breon Peace, as per the press note.
The three officers faked hundreds of doctor's notes for different injuries and ailments. According to New York Post, Mr Cange, who drew a salary of more than $160,000 per year, went out on sick leave in March 2021, claiming he suffered debilitating side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. However, he spent time pursuing "his interest in comic books". Mr Cange also boasted about his comic book on Instagram, writing "Just had an amazing meeting for (his) book".
Eduardo Trinidad faked injuries to stay out between June 2021 and November 2022. He collected more than $140,000 a salary. His fiance Monica Coaxum also engaged in similar activity. She was out on leave from March 2021 to May 2022 on fake injuries while making $80,000 annually.
As per the post, when Ms Coaxum was approached about the claims, she admitted to investigators she forged around 50 fake medical documents justifying her injury leave. The officials also found the couple travelled to Dominican Republic, Florida and West Virginia while providing the department with doctors' notes saying she was at appointments.
Now, if convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, the US Department of Justice said.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
