A total of 106 former New York City public employees, including former police officers and firefighters, are facing charges for allegedly faking mental illnesses they say were brought on by the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
According to ABC News, the indictment states that the massive fraud netted awards of up to half-a-million dollars for the uniformed personnel and cost taxpayers millions of dollars more. The arrests made conclude a two-years-long investigation.
Four men stand accused of running the multi-million dollar scheme, according to the New York Times. They are: Raymond Lavallee, a Long Island lawyer, Thomas Hale, a pension consultant, Joseph Minerva, and Joseph Esposito, both former police officers. Lawyers for the four alleged ringleaders denied the accusations. All four men were released on bail.
Many of the former police officers and firefighters charged blamed 9/11 for their supposed mental illnesses, per the Times. But they were living full lives and were employed in private-sector jobs.
The 9/11 attacks took their toll on the New York City police and fire departments, with 23 police officers and 343 firefighters among the 2,700 who lost their lives on that terrible day.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance was quick to blast the accused swindlers. He said, according to the Times, "The brazenness is shocking."
"It's a particularly cynical part of the charged scheme that approximately half the defendants falsely claimed that their psychiatric disabilities were caused by the 9/11 attacks," he added.
Newly minted New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton did not hold back either.
"The retired members of the NYPD indicted in this case have disgraced all first responders who perished during the search and rescue efforts on September 11, 2001, and those who subsequently died from 9/11 related illness, by exploiting their involvements that day for personal gain," said Bratton, according to AFP.
The inspector general for the Social Security Administration said more arrests were expected, per the Times.
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