In a revelation that casts a shadow on the integrity of city employees, a New York City Department of Sanitation supervisor has been slapped with serious charges over allegations of time sheet fraud. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the indictment of Steven Taylor, a 50-year-old from the Bronx, accused of submitting false timesheets to the tune of more than $21,000. "This defendant allegedly took long breaks at his home while he was supposed to be working and submitted false timesheets. He made $21,800 in fraudulent pay," Clark stated, as detailed on the Bronx District Attorney's website.
Taylor, who apparently drove his city-issued car to his Bronx home to take hours-long breaks when he should have been on duty, was arraigned on a 36-count indictment by Supreme Court Justice George Villegas on Tuesday, and is due back in court on June 2. According to the indictment, the suspect claimed false work hours between February 1, 2021, and January 31, 2022, additionally filing seven summonses for violations he didn't witness. This breach not only allegedly pilfered from city coffers but also undermined the faith in public servants who adhere to their official duties.
The Department of Investigation weighed in on the matter, expressing its mistrust when city employees indulge in unauthorized breaks and then lay claim to fraudulent work hours, as noted by the Bronx District Attorney's website. DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber remarked on the case, "City employees who falsify their timesheets and claim to be working, when in fact they are taking unauthorized breaks, commit fraud against the city and its taxpayers, as alleged in this indictment." Strauber's comments underscore the breach of trust and potential impact on the city's financial resources.
The prosecution led by Assistant District Attorney Michael Naughton and Supervising Assistant District Attorney Cassie Perez of the Public Integrity Bureau, will proceed under the guidance of Sarah Clements and higher-ups Denise Kodjo and Wanda Perez-Maldonado. The collaborative effort to bring about this indictment included contributions from numerous officials, with a special mention to Annessa Lall from DOI’s Office of the Inspector General for DSNY and NYPD Detective Daniel Angen who assisted in the investigation.
