Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a NYC Department of Correction Captain was sentenced to a fine of $30,000, restitution of $15,000 and a pension reduction after pleading guilty to collecting at least $14,000 in pay for hours he did not work.
District Attorney Clark said, “This was a violation of the public trust that defrauded New York City taxpayers. The defendant’s dereliction of duty came at a time when Rikers Island was short staffed and experiencing a period of what can only be described as chaos. The defendant will retire with a reduced pension and must pay fines and provide restitution.”
NYC Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “Defrauding City government is a serious offense with serious consequences. This Department of Correction Captain manipulated time records and falsely claimed overtime – a blatant abuse of City resources. We are committed to ensuring that City employees who engage in misconduct are held accountable, and this defendant will now pay fines and restitution, and retire with a reduced pension. I thank the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for its partnership in protecting taxpayer funds and the DOC for reporting this matter to DOI.”
NYC Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said, "Public employees who abuse positions of trust to line their own pockets at the expense of hard-working taxpayers must be held accountable. This individual not only violated the public's trust, he also violated the sacred oath taken by every member of this department. I commend our Investigations Division for presenting this case to the Bronx District Attorney's Office, and the prosecutors for ensuring justice is served."
District Attorney Clark said Brice Williams, 42, was sentenced to a fine of $30,000, restitution of $15,000 and a pension reduction on one count of Defrauding the Government by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormack. He pleaded guilty to that charge on December 16, 2024.
According to the investigation, between May 31, 2021, through September 3, 2021, Williams, who was stationed at the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island, altered logbook and timekeeping entries, and submitted fraudulent overtime requests. On some occasions, he either arrived late or didn’t show up to work. One incident in which he claimed to work overtime, the defendant was instead at a sushi restaurant in New Jersey. From May 31, 2021, through July 18, 2021, Williams requested and was paid at least $14,000 in taxpayer funds for regular and overtime for hours when he was not actually on Rikers Island and was not working.
District Attorney Clark thanked confidential NYC Department of Correction and Department of Investigation investigators under the supervision of Assistant Inspector General Alexandra Caruana, former Inspector General Whitney Ferguson, Deputy Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives Christopher Ryan, and Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Investigations Dominick Zarrella.
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