HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NY — A school chief and a high-ranking security specialist are accused of betraying the at-risk children they were charged with protecting.
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah and NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced on Thursday that the former superintendent of schools and a former security system specialist at the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District were arrested on corruption charges for allegedly stealing school district funds meant for students and spending them on personal and luxury expenses between 2018 and 2022.
“This alleged act of public corruption by those responsible for the care of students in need betrayed the trust of the entire school district community,” Rocah said. “We applaud the Office of the New York State Comptroller for their exhaustive investigation and bringing this case to our Office.”
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55-year-old Oliver Levy, of Stony Point in Rockland County, and 47-year-old Surendra Kumar, of Yonkers, were arrested Thursday by the DA’s Office and arraigned in the Town of Greenburgh Justice Court on felony charges of third degree grand larceny as a crime of public corruption and third degree corrupting the government. Their next court date is June 26 in Hastings-on-Hudson Village Court.
“Levy and Kumar were entrusted with money meant to enrich the lives of students with disabilities; instead, they allegedly enriched their own lives by spending the money on lavish gifts for themselves,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to my partnership with District Attorney Rocah they will now be held accountable for their actions.”
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According to court documents, Levy and Kumar “aided, abetted and acted in concert with each other in a scheme” where Levy approved Kumar’s purchase of 168 gift cards between July 2018 and May 2022. They then allegedly used more than $12,000 of the gift cards for personal expenses, including jewelry, luxury handbags, private school fees for relatives, and veterinary services.
The investigation was conducted by the Office of the NYS Comptroller and the Economic Crimes Unit and Public Integrity Unit of the DA’s Office Criminal Investigators Squad.
According to its website, the Greenburgh-Graham School District “provides a structured nurturing environment that services students who are at-risk and supports their growth so they can learn and thrive.” Their program provides support for students ages 5-21 who have behavioral, emotional and/or learning disabilities.
According to SeeThroughNY.net, Oliver Levy made $329,122 in 2023, and according to GovSalaries.com, Surendra Kumar made $149,622 in 2023.
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