Thursday 10 November 2022 10:17 PM Engaged Rikers Island guards are charged after faking sick leave for a YEAR trends now
Three New York City prison guards, including two who are engaged, were arrested for faking sick leave for over a year and collecting their taxpayer funded salaries.
All three defendants work at Rikers Island, the problem-riddled and chronically understaffed prison located in Manhattan's East River.
Steven Cange, 49, Monica Coaxum, 36, and Eduardo Trinidad, 42 were charged with federal program fraud for abusing the system's paid sick leave policy.
United States Attorney Breon Peace said of the case, 'In the midst of an ongoing staffing crisis at Rikers Island, the defendants defrauded New Yorkers by fraudulently obtaining their full salaries while taking over a year of sick leave.
'These correction officers abandoned their oath to protect inmates and put the safety of their fellow correction officers at risk.'
Cange, who has been a correction officer with the DOC since late 2014, has allegedly been on sick leave since March 2021, all the while collecting a full salary of approximately $160,000.
Likewise, Trinidad collected more than $140,000 in salary while reporting to be suffering from multiple injuries.
Monica Coaxum, who is engaged to Trinidad, collected her $80,000 salary while allegedly faking multiple injuries and illnesses from March 2021 to May 2022.
Coaxum and Trinidad, who met at work in 2020, have been in the process of planning their wedding during their time off, according to their website for their nuptials.
New York's Rikers Island prison in Manhattan's East River, where three guards were arrested for defrauding the system by calling out sick for more than a year each while continuing to collect their salaries
Each officer submitted dozens of fraudulent doctors' notes to the New York Department of Corrections while on their extended paid leave and leading perfectly healthy and active lifestyles
According to each guard's union contract, the DOC officer unlimited paid sick leave covers 'the full period of any incapacity due to illness, injury or mental or physical defect, whether or not service connected.'
However, if an officer needs to be on medical leave for more than two days in a row, the individual must report to the Department of Corrections' Health Management Division.
Furthermore, if an employee has been on sick leave for more than eight days in the calendar year, the officer is not allowed to leave home outside of the hours of 1pm to 5pm to ensure that the system is not abused.
If a medical appointment falls outside the hours of 1pm to 5pm, an officer must 'log out' of their house by calling the DOC prior to leaving and after returning. He or she must also submit documentation to the DOC within 48 hours of the appointment confirming its
