RONKONKOMA, NY — A former New York City Department of Correction Officer from Ronkonkoma pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement in connection with a workers’ compensation claim he made relating to an alleged incident that took place at a facility, the New York State Inspector General's office said Monday.
Jovanny Concepcion, 34, pled guilty to making a false statement related to healthcare matters in District Court for the Southern District of New York and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10, officials said.
He has agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of $232,427, which represents proceeds from the commission of the offense, and restitution in the amount of $232,427, according to officials.
The state Worker’s Compensation Board administers the state’s no-fault workers’ compensation system, which guarantees medical care and cash benefits to people who are injured at work, including employees of the DOC, officials said.
Payments by the board made to DOC employees are paid from the city's treasury, and for years, Concepcion was employed by the DOC as a correction officer, and assigned to work at Rikers Island, according to officials.
During that time, he falsely claimed he was injured while on duty at Rikers Island during incidents with incarcerated individuals requiring the use of force, and made false statements to the board, their own physicians, and independent medical examiners, claiming these fake...
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