A former chairman at SUNY Downstate Medical Center has been sentenced to one to three years in prison following a guilty plea to charges of grand larceny. Dr. Michael Lucchesi, 67, of Staten Island, who once led the Emergency Medicine department and served in several high-ranking positions, was accused of using a business credit card for personal expenditures amounting to approximately $1.44 million.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, led by Eric Gonzalez, and New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang, detailed the misuse of funds which were intended to support patient care and medical services at the institution. The defendant was alleged to have choose to fund a lavish lifestyle instead, with expenditures including pet care, personal travel, and entertainment. Gonzalez emphasized the gravity of the defendant's actions, noting in a statement obtained by Brooklyn DA's Office how the stolen funds "could have been used to support patient care and medical services," thereby underscoring the ex-chairman's breach of trust.
According to details shared by the Brooklyn DA's Office, Lucchesi's lavish spending included approximately $115,000 in cash advances, over $176,000 on pet care services, which included payments to The Greenleaf Pet Resort & Hotel in New Jersey, and substantial amounts on personal travel and memberships at the New York Sports Club. Inspector General Lang remarked, "it shocks the conscience that a doctor entrusted with caring for our state’s most vulnerable communities would steal them to bankroll his luxury lifestyle." This statement echoes the deep betrayal such actions represent against public trust and responsibility.
The illegal activities were uncovered by an audit carried out by SUNY, which led to immediate action by the institution and subsequent investigations by authorities. SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. expressed gratitude for the collaboration between SUNY and law enforcement agencies, which brought the matter to a conclusion. As a result of the plea, Lucchesi also agreed to make restitution in the amount of $720,000. He has already paid portions to the Department of Taxation and Finance and to Downstate Hospital’s clinical practice, as confirmed by the officials.
