A former correction officer from New York's Rikers Island has been hit with an array of charges stemming from allegations of falsifying medical records. Equanna Escalera, a 43-year-old Bellport, LI resident, was arraigned on charges of grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing, as reported in a recent release from the Queens District Attorney's Office.
The case against Escalera, detailed by Queens DA Melinda Katz and NYC Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber, hinges on Escalera's submission of documentation for medical treatment she allegedly never received. The documentation policy, intending to curb misuse, requires that it should detail the treatment of uniformed correction officers who take an extended sick leave.
According to the investigation, Escalera is accused of providing 31 falsified letters claiming she was treated on 29 separate occasions between March and December 2022 at a Bronx pain management center to justify her sick leave. Despite the efforts to ensure accountability, defrauded city thousands of dollars in stolen wages, as Commissioner Strauber points out, were still collected by Escalera, totaling $11,200.78. "Her conduct falls far short of the City’s high standards for correction officers whose work is critical to maintaining safety and order in the City’s jails," Strauber said in a statement obtained by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
The intricate details of the crime were brought to light by Correction Officer Investigators Matty Lupinacci and Anthony Palmer from the Office of the Inspector General for DOC, with assistance from the Public Corruption Bureau of the District Attorney’s office. Announced by the Queens District Attorney, Escalera should face serious repercussions, including a potential maximum prison sentence of 2 1/3 to seven years if convicted of the charges levied against her.
Meanwhile, the office's continued efforts to shield city resources and uphold integrity within public service, perpetrated by Escalera's submitted letters on the pain management center’s letterhead, are being seen by Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar as the promise for justice. A return to court is set for December 15, where the prosecution aims to hold accountable all individuals who commit fraud, reaffirms the DA's sense of duty.
