May 30, 2024
By Rick Pezzullo—
The former superintendent of schools and security system specialist of the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District in Hastings-on-Hudson were arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing school district funds earmarked for students in a gift card scheme and spending them on personal and luxury expenses over a four-year period.
According to Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, Oliver Levy, 55, of Rockland County, and Surendra Kumar, 47, of Yonkers, 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.
Both defendants 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.
“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.
The Greenburgh-Graham School District services students aged five to 21 who are at-risk. Its program is designed to support students with varying ability levels who struggle academically and/or emotionally.
“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.”
Levy and Kumar were arrested by District Attorney’s Office and arraigned on felony charges of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree as a Crime of Public Corruption and Corrupting the Government in the Third Degree in Town of Greenburgh Justice Court before Judge Erin McGoey. Their next court date is June 26 in Hastings-on-Hudson Village Court.
The investigation was conducted by the Office of the New York State Comptroller and the Economic Crimes Unit and Public Integrity Unit of the DA’s Office Criminal Investigators Squad.
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