Editorial: LIRR disability scandal sends a message
Former train maintenance crew foreman Frederick Catalano, 53, of Nesconset, and former conductor and transportation manager Michael Costanza, 60, of Merrick, were convicted of conspiracy and fraud. Credit: Charles Eckert, 2013
100 -- That's the percentage of retired Long Island Rail Road workers who either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of fraud after being indicted on charges of participating in a decades-long conspiracy by hundreds of union workers to claim phony disabilities. The scope was breathtaking and the claims audacious. Bravo to prosecutors for the judicial equivalent of a perfect game.
The message is resonating: Applications by retiring LIRR workers for disability benefits have dropped by nearly half since prosecutors started.
