NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A city employee, involved in a scheme, pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing checks mailed to the Law Department, altering them, and depositing the forged versions into other bank accounts, according to prosecutors.
Brandon Santanoo, 27, an employee of the New York City Law Department, worked as a clerk in the mailroom since 2017 at the Law Department’s office in Brooklyn, where he had access to mail that was sent to the department, according to court documents.
From June 2021 through May 2023, Santanoo stole checks that had been mailed to the Law Department, including checks made payable to the Law Department’s Worker’s Compensation Division, which is responsible for administering claims of city employees who are injured on the job, prosecutors said.