According to reports, on the morning of November 10, local time in the United States, three prison guards at Rikers Island Prison in New York City were arrested on suspicion of fraud and appeared in federal court in Brooklyn in the afternoon of the same day for trial. It is reported that the three defendants took sick leave for a long time on the grounds of illness or injury, and did not go to work for more than one year, but they still received their salaries as usual during this period, and the three defrauded a total of 380,000 US dollars (equivalent to about 2.7 million yuan).
↑3 defendants: Eduardo Trinidad, Monica Coxum, Steven Kanji (left to right)
Frequent gatherings during sick leave, travel abroad Defendant: Lying at home has money
It is reported that the three prison guards are Steven Kanji, 49, Eduardo Trinidad, 42, and Monica Coxum, 36, of which Eduardo and Monica are engaged.
The prosecutor handling the case said that Steven began taking sick leave in March 2021 on the grounds that he had serious side effects and frequent dizziness after injecting the new crown vaccine, and he also provided more than 100 medical receipts to prove that he was not lying, and later successfully deceived the management of the unit and obtained leave of absence.
During his sabbatical, he "immersed himself in" in the comics he loved, successfully published a comic book, and repeatedly hyped the new book on social media.
Investigators found that more than 100 documents provided by Steven were forged or tampered with. According to reports, from the beginning of the vacation in March last year to this month, Steven received a total of 160,000 US dollars (about 1.14 million yuan) in empty pay.
↑ Steven Kanji and his own new book
It is reported that the other defendant, Monica, took leave from March 2021 to May 2022 on the grounds that she had to seek medical treatment several times due to multiple work-related injuries and could not return to work before undergoing surgery. But investigators found that she postponed the surgery several times, not only going out to parties frequently, but also singing and dancing at parties. Later, when Monica was investigated, she admitted that she had forged more than 50 fake medical documents to defraud trust. She told the unit that she had received 75 treatments during her 15 months of leave, but had only actually gone to 6 times.
Investigators said Monica's chat records showed that when a friend said "you have a perfect life, but you are cheating on your unit," she replied "yes, I have money at home, I am a baby who has been sick."
Three months after Monica's leave began, her fiancé Eduardo also began to take leave in June 2021 on the grounds that he had suffered two work injuries, and did not return to work until November 2022 after being warned by the employer.
A prosecutor revealed that whenever Eduardo needed to meet with the unit's paramedics, he would deliberately put on a broken forearm sling or wear crutches to pretend to be pitiful. But investigators found that he often did housework during his vacation, bowled with friends and traveled with his fiancée Monica and other places many times. It is reported that during the tour, he submitted relevant materials to the unit to prove that he was receiving treatment. According to reports, the two received a total of 220,000 US dollars (about 1.17 million yuan) in salary during the leave.
↑ Eduardo Trinidad goes out to bowl while on sick leave
Unlimited number of sick days? The president of the trade union with serious absenteeism: should be thoroughly held accountable
According to reports, the purpose of the investigation is to solve the chronic shortage and corruption in the Rikers Island prison. Last summer, the "shortage of personnel" in Rikers Island Prison peaked, with about one-third of prison guards absent from work, up to 2,000 people, leading to chaotic prison management and a crisis of violence. It is reported that in the past two years, the death toll of prison staff has reached a 10-year high.
According to a person familiar with the matter, the FBI and the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York began a joint investigation at the end of 2021, mainly targeting prison guards who were paid on the pretext of sick leave, and similar cases are expected to follow.
It is understood that since the 70s of the last century, the government has allowed prison guards unlimited sick leave, and a survey conducted earlier this year showed that prison guards abuse sick leave with almost no consequences, and it may take up to 1 year for the unit to investigate. Various factors have made some prison guards more unscrupulous.
Bosio, president of the New York City Prison Guards Union, responded: "These three people are selfish, abuse their power, and escape when their work units and colleagues need them most, and they should be completely held accountable, but their actions do not represent the remaining 99% of prison guards." ”
Red Star News reporter Wang Yalin intern reporter Liang Hong
Editor Peng Jiang Responsible Editor Wei Kongming
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