October 14, 2008
TIMELINE: The story so far
Feb. 14: Newsday.com reports that five Long Island school districts falsely reported to the state that part-time private attorney Lawrence Reich was a full-time employee in each district, enabling him to earn a public pension of nearly $62,000 and health benefits for life.Feb. 15: That story is published in the newspaper. A federal Suffolk grand jury opens an investigation into possible fraudulent financial double-dipping at the districts: Baldwin, Bellmore-Merrick, Copiague, East Meadow and Harborfields. FBI agents subpoena the districts' financial records. And the state comptroller's office says it will audit four of the five districts.
Feb. 17: Newsday reports that Joseph Dragone, the Harborfields school official who made light of Reich's employment arrangement in a letter warning him to "correct the record," retired from that district with a $122,000 pension and today makes $190,000 in the Roslyn school district.
Feb. 18: State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo starts an investigation into possible financial misconduct in the five districts, issuing a subpoena for records at Ingerman Smith, where Reich was employed until December. A partner with the Garden City law firm of Jaspan, Schlesinger, Hoffman said they suspended Reich, who went to work for that firm in January, and asked for his resignation.
Feb 19: Federal agents from the FBI and IRS obtain Reich's business records from his former law firm, Ingerman Smith.
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