Crime & Safety

Nearby: Man Pleads Guilty in 9/11 Disability Scam

Massapequa man instructed police, firefighters, and more to lie about having PTSD to get disability benefits, officials said.

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A lawyer from Massapequa pleaded guilty Friday in a vast Social Security scam involving NYPD and FDNY retirees, according to multiple reports.

Raymond Lavallee, 84, pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree conspiracy in an agreement with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

As per the plea deal, Lavallee will pay $2 million in restitution and fines, was promised a one-year prison sentence, and will help federal investigators to find other disability insurance scammers, according to The New York Times.

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Lavallee would have faced 25 years in prison for the top charge if he had gone to trial, according to the report.

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Lavallee was accused last year of directing Social Security applicants to “lie about their psychiatric conditions” to qualify for benefits, said the Manhattan DA.

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More than 130 members of NYPD, FDNY, and other city workers were involved in the scheme with many of them pretending to have post-traumatic stress from Sept. 11, 2001, according to NY Times. Most of the workers have reportedly pleaded guilty and returned the money without receiving jail time.

Lavallee was one of four charged with the crime and is the last of the quartet to plead guilty, according to New York Daily News.

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