WALLKILL, N.Y. — Five current and former correction officers at the Ulster and Wallkill prisons are facing felony charges in connection with separate actions that allegedly resulted in the theft of more than $15,000, state and county officials said Thursday.
Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji, state Inspector General Lucy Lang, and state Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced the arrests in connection with “separate schemes to defraud the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) and the State’s workers’ compensation system,” according to a press release from the Office of the Inspector General and New York State Police.
The arrests stemmed from an 18-month investigation conducted by the state Inspector General’s office into workers’ compensation abuses at the Ulster and Wallkill correctional facilities and “are a clear signal that such conduct will not be tolerated in the four Correctional Facilities located in Ulster County, or anywhere throughout the DOCCS System,” authorities said.
Defendants Christine Donovan, 41, of Lake Katrine, Jeremy LaChance, 42, of Kerhonkson, and Anthony Tacti, 34, of Kerhonkson were arraigned on Thursday before town of Ulster Judge Susan
Kesick and were released on their own recognizance. Donovan worked at Ulster Correctional Facility. Tacti works at Ulster Correctional Facility and LaChance works at Wallkill Correctional Facility.
Defendants Ashli Paulino, 36, of Mountaindale, and Brian Porter, 49, of Monticello, were issued desk appearance tickets by state police and will be arraigned at a later date. Paulino and Porter worked at Ulster Correctional Facility.
The defendants, while working as correction officers, allegedly submitted falsified medical documentation attesting to illness or workplace injuries, or engaged in prohibited employment while collecting full salaries under the DOCCS–New York State Correctional Officer and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) workers’ compensation contract benefit program, officials said.
Donovan, who was previously fired by DOCCS, is charged with the felonies of grand larceny and offering a false instrument. Donovan allegedly submitted two forged out-of-work notes documenting a nonexistent medical visit in February 2023, resulting in $5,938.44 in improperly paid workers’ compensation benefits, the Inspector General’s Office said.
LaChance, who remains employed by DOCCS, is charged with the felonies of grand larceny and offering a false instrument. He allegedly submitted 22 forged medical notes in support of personal sick leave excusing him from work as incapacitated, and one forged medical note in support of family sick leave, excusing him from work to care for a minor. As a result of these notes, he allegedly received about $3,021.13 in sick leave payments to which he was not entitled and entitled to take other unpaid leave that otherwise would not have been permitted, the Inspector General’s Office said.
Tacti, who remains employed by DOCCS, is facing two felony counts of grand larceny, and the felonies of fraudulent practices, insurance fraud and health care fraud. While on leave due to a claimed workplace injury, and receiving full salary benefits directly from DOCCS, Tacti is alleged to have claimed a 100% disability and inability to work to his treating physician despite working for much of that leave as a home health aide through the state Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), the Inspector General’s Office said.
Upon returning to work at DOCCS, Tacti is alleged to have continued working for CDPAP, billing for overlapping hours with his state employment. Tacti is accused of receiving more than $4,700 in improper CDPAP wages and $4,281 in fraudulent workers’ compensation benefits, officials said.
Paulino, who previously resigned from DOCCS, is charged with grand larceny and two counts of offering a false instrument for filing (all felonies). Paulino is alleged to have submitted two forged
Documentation for Workers’ Compensation Leave (DWCL) forms documenting nonexistent medical visits in November 2022 and March 2023, and resulting in $1,719.00 in improperly paid workers’ compensation benefits.
Porter, who was previously fired by DOCCS, is charged with the felonies of grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. Porter is alleged to have submitted one forged Workers
Compensation form documenting a nonexistent medical visit in November 2021 and resulting in $1,053.74 in improperly paid workers’ compensation benefits.
Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji condemned the alleged fraud, emphasizing its far-reaching consequences for both DOCCS and the public.
“Workers’ compensation fraud is not a victimless crime,” Nneji said in a statement. “Every dollar stolen through deceit is a dollar diverted from legitimate injury claims and essential State programs at a time of crisis. The fact that these schemes were perpetuated by sworn public officers, who were entrusted with maintaining the safety and security of New York’s correctional facilities and those within them, makes the charged conduct even more egregious. The type of conduct involved here gives a bad name to scrupulous public officers regardless of the amount of benefit received. This collaborative effort demonstrates that those who attempt to cheat the system and the public for personal gain will be held accountable, no matter who they are.”
New York State Inspector General Lang also underscored the broader implications of such crimes. In a statement, Lang said, “This conduct worsens already severe staffing shortages within New York’s correctional facilities, undermines rehabilitation programming, and jeopardizes the safety of both staff and the incarcerated population.”
In a statement, State Police Superintendent Steven G. James commended the joint effort and stressed the importance of integrity in law enforcement.
“Law enforcement officers are held to the highest standards of integrity,” James said. “Those who choose to defraud the system undermine the trust placed in all public servants.”
