NYS Parks Employee Sentenced for Fraudulently Collecting Unearned Wages

 

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced the sentencing of Daniel Blamowski, an engineer employed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), for fraudulently collecting thousands of dollars in unearned state wages.

Blamowski, 52, of Orchard Park, who had previously pled guilty on April 30, 2024, to Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor, was sentenced today by the Honorable Debra Givens in New York State Supreme Court to a one-year conditional discharge. As part of his sentence, Blamowski made full restitution in the amount of $4,111.51, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

Following a referral from OPRHP, the Inspector General’s investigation revealed that Blamowski concurrently worked for a private development firm while on duty for the State between December 2020 and July 2021. During this period, he submitted fraudulent timesheets, falsely claiming full days of work for OPRHP. This resulted in Blamowski receiving wages for approximately 92 hours of work he did not perform.

"The beauty of New York’s State Parks is unparalleled, and stealing taxpayer dollars intended for their maintenance both undermines the public trust and risks compromising the investment we have made into these precious natural resources," said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. "I am grateful to our partners at OPRHP and the Erie County DA’s Office, as well as my own outstanding staff for their commitment to identifying and stopping such fraud."

“I am pleased to announce that not only did this defendant plead guilty to official misconduct, he made restitution to the taxpayers for wages he was paid by New York State Parks while working for another employer," said Acting District Attorney Mike Keane. "I want to thank the Offices of the New York State Inspector General and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for their work in this investigation. Together, we will continue to prosecute any public employee who steals from the taxpayers of New York. I encourage anyone with information on suspected time theft or other corruption within our state agencies to contact my office’s Public Integrity Unit or the Inspector General’s Office.”

“I commend staff who helped protect the integrity of our agency by bringing this issue to the attention of authorities," said Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons. "OPRHP is thankful to the Inspector General’s Office and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office for carefully investigating and prosecuting this matter.”

Inspector General Lucy Lang thanked the members of her staff responsible for conducting this investigation, including Investigative Counsel Jonathan Schultz, Investigative Auditor Meghan O’Dell, and Chief Investigator Martin Stanford, under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General for the Western Region Jeffrey Hagen.

Inspector General Lang also expressed her gratitude to OPRHP for their prompt referral and assistance with the investigation and to Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane and his staff for their work in diligently prosecuting this matter.