A crew of more than 100 former New York police officers and fire fighters were indicted Tuesday for stealing more than $400 million in false disability claims, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Retired NYPD and FDNY employees claimed they suffered from stress and psychiatric disorders relating to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, using taxpayer money to live lavish lifestyles.
"The brazenness is shocking," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said, the New York Daily News reported.
Four of those charged are alleged to be the leaders of the sting operation, telling those to write on Social Security disability applications they were unfit to work because of their impaired mental health, Vance said at a press conference, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Several of the accused also "falsely claimed" their disabilities stemmed from trauma after 9/11. The conspiracy allegedly began in early 1988, ending in 2013.
"I can only express my disgust at the action of the individuals involved in this scheme," new NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton said, according to the Daily News. "The idea that many of them chose the events of 9/11 to claim as the bases for this disability brings further dishonor to themselves."
The leaders are ex-NYPD officers John Minerva, 61, and Joseph Esposito, 64, attorney Raymond Lavallee, 83, and his subordinate Thomas Hale, 89. They all received payments ranging from $20,000 and $50,000 for helping co-conspirators fill out their applications.
"You're gonna tell 'em, 'I don't sleep well at night,'" Esposito said to an applicant according to a wire tap, the Daily News reported.
Authorities became aware of the scheme when Social Security realized many of the applications appeared to be written by one person and that they all claimed similar disabilities. The false claims racked in at least $400 million in taxpayer money, the Daily News reported.
"Many said they could no longer drive or be out of the house for more than a short walk around the block," Vance said, The Wall Street Journal reported. "The investigation revealed lifestyles that were very different."
Former NYPD sergeant Richard Cosentino, 49, said he suffered from an inability to leave his house and socialize with other people. One picture shows him in a boat off the coast of Costa Rica holding a large marlin caught during a fishing trip, the Dialy News reported.
A total of 72 former NYPD officers, eight former firefighters, five ex-corrections officers and one former Nassau County police officer have been indicted, The Wall Street Journal reported. They have been charged with filing false applications.
The leaders have been charged with first- and second- degree grand larceny and attempted grand larceny. If convicted they face up to 25 years in prison, the Daily News reported.
