Nora Mishanec
October 30, 2025
KINGSTON — Five state prison guards accused of faking illnesses and workplace injuries to collect thousands of dollars in sick pay are facing felony charges, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office announced.
The guards, all current or former employees at the Ulster and Wallkill correctional facilities, were arrested this week following an 18-month investigation by the state Inspector General’s Office.
One correction officer is accused of working two state jobs at the same time. Another allegedly submitted 22 forged medical notes to fraudulently receive thousands in sick leave payments. In total, prosecutors allege the group stole more than $15,000 in unearned pay over the course of several years.
The arrests come after years of what state investigators have called “rampant abuse” of the workers’ compensation system by correction officers. A 2023 report by the state Inspector General’s Office concluded that officers’ systemic abuse of state benefits occurs statewide and is not correlated to an increase in violence or other conditions within the prisons.
Chronic understaffing has plagued the state’s prisons for years. Prison employees across the state went on strike in February to protest work conditions, prompting officials to deploy thousands of National Guard troops at multiple facilities. At the height of the strike, which ended on March 10, there had been more than 6,000 troops deployed at multiple state prisons to help maintain order. Prison guard vacancies doubled following the strike.
“Every dollar stolen through deceit is a dollar diverted from legitimate injury claims and essential state programs at a time of crisis,” Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said Thursday in a statement.
Anthony Tacti, of Kerhonkson, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to five felony charges, including insurance fraud. The 34-year-old allegedly earned thousands as a home health aide for the state at the same time that he received workers’ compensation benefits after falsely claiming he was too injured to work his job at Ulster Correctional Facility. Tacti, who is still employed as a correction officer, allegedly received nearly $9,000 in fraudulent pay after he billed the state for overlapping hours at the two jobs, prosecutors said.
Christine Donovan, of Lake Katrine, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to three felony charges. The 41-year-old is accused of submitting two forged doctors’ notes documenting a “nonexistent medical visit” to receive nearly $6,000 in workers’ compensation benefits, prosecutors said.
Jeremy LaChance, of Kerhonkson, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to three felony charges. The 42-year-old, who is still employed as a correction officer, is accused of forging dozens of medical notes to receive approximately $3,000 in sick leave payments, prosecutors said. Records show he has worked at the Wallkill Correctional Facility since 2009 and received a salary of $80,000 last year.
Two additional correction officers were charged but had not entered pleas as of Thursday.
Ashli Paulino, of Mountain Dale, was charged with three felonies, including grand larceny. The 36-year-old is accused of submitting two forged forms documenting nonexistent medical visits to receive $1,700 in paid workers’ compensation benefits. Paulino resigned from her job at Ulster Correctional Facility.
Brian Porter, of Monticello, was charged with two felonies for allegedly forging a medical document to receive $1,050 in workers’ compensation benefits. The 49-year-old was fired from his job at Ulster Correctional Facility, where he had worked since 2014.
State Inspector General Lucy Lang said the alleged scheme further hurts prisons struggling to maintain order and keep programs for inmates running.
“This conduct worsens already severe staffing shortages within New York’s correctional facilities,” Lang said.
