New York City briefs

Ex-NYC cop charged in disability scam

A former NYPD officer from Yorktown was charged yesterday with scamming more than $300,000 from Social Security by claiming to be disabled since 1990 while he worked as security chief at an international luxury watch maker and retailer.

James Carson, 50, left the NYPD and began claiming disability payments for a back injury in 1990, repeatedly certifying that he had no other income, was home-bound, and couldn't drive, a complaint in federal court in Manhattan said.

In fact, prosecutors said, he took a job as security director for the watch company in 2004, drove to and from work, and in 2010 won the Loss Prevention Case of the Year Award from the National Retail Federation for a probe into credit card scams.

Although prosecutors did not name the watch company, news releases on the 2010 award indicate it was Tourneau, in Manhattan.

Carson faces up to 20 years in prison. He was released on bond after a brief court appearance. His lawyer did not return a call for comment.

3 shot in Brooklyn,

in serious condition

Several people were shot in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn last night, authorities said.

The three victims were shot about 5:50 p.m. on Pulaski Street between Lewis and Stuyvesant avenues. They were taken to Kings County Hospital in serious condition, but were expected to survive, police said.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the victims' ages were not immediately available.