Staff
August 7, 2025
DOWNTOWN — Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang, announced that a now-retired emergency medicine doctor has been sentenced to one to three years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty in June to grand larceny for stealing approximately $1.44 million by using a business credit card for personal purchases and cash advances.
“This defendant was entrusted with a leadership role at a critical Brooklyn medical institution and violated that trust by stealing nearly $1.5 million,” Gonzalez said. “SUNY Downstate does vital, lifesaving work, and these stolen funds could have been used to support patient care and medical services. Instead, they were diverted for personal expenses over a period of years.
The DA thanked the prosecutors, the Inspector General’s Office and the Department of Taxation and Finance, expressing commitment to public institutions from fraud and abuse.
“SUNY took immediate action and alerted authorities when these illegal activities were uncovered by SUNY’s auditors, and we greatly appreciate the partnership of the District Attorney and Inspector General, in particular, in bringing this matter to a close,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said.
“With more stringent internal controls and comprehensive oversight systems in place, SUNY Downstate is now in a stronger position.”
The DA identified the defendant as Dr. Michael Lucchesi, 67, of Staten Island. He was the Chairman of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and at various points was the acting head of Downstate Hospital and the medical school, and was also the Chief Medical Officer.
He was sentenced to an indeterminate term of one to three years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun.
The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree grand larceny on June 13, 2025. In addition, the defendant agreed to make restitution in the amount of $720,000, which included $63,926 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance on the day of the guilty plea and $656,074 to Downstate Hospital’s clinical practice.
Lucchesi made personal purchases using a credit card meant to be used for business purposes only by members of the clinical practice, University Physicians of Brooklyn, which is affiliated with SUNY Downstate.
According to the investigation, the defendant’s spending totaled approximately $1.44 million and included cash advances of approximately $115,000; pet care totaling $176,000, including $120,000 paid to The Greenleaf Pet Resort & Hotel in New Jersey; $348,000 spent on personal travel; $109,000 in payments to the New York Sports Club for membership and personal training; $92,000 for premium seating for sporting events, concerts and Broadway shows; $52,000 in catering expenses; $46,000 in tuition payments for his children; and assorted payments for online shopping, flowers, liquor, electronics and other items.
