Todd Faustin, a former correction officer at Rikers Island, was sentenced on July 14 to 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman for making false statements related to healthcare matters following use-of-force incidents at the facility. In addition to his prison sentence, Faustin was ordered to pay $370,336.79 in restitution and an equal amount in forfeiture.
“Todd Faustin lined his own pockets by exploiting one of the most sensitive interactions in our justice system: the use of physical force against prisoners,” said United States Attorney Jay Clayton. “Our justice system relies on correction officers to act safely and honestly while serving in our prisons. Today’s sentence demonstrates that when officers abuse the system and undermine New Yorkers’ trust, they will be held criminally accountable.”
According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, Faustin worked as a correction officer for the New York City Department of Correction at Rikers Island for several years. During this time, he falsely claimed injuries sustained during use-of-force incidents with incarcerated individuals and sought workers’ compensation benefits through the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board.
The board administers a no-fault workers’ compensation system that provides medical care and cash benefits to employees injured on duty, including those working for the Department of Correction. Payments are funded by the New York City Treasury.
Faustin actively sought out or instigated use-of-force incidents as part of his scheme to obtain fraudulent payments from the workers’ compensation system.
In addition to imprisonment, Faustin was sentenced to one year of supervised release along with financial penalties. Clayton praised investigative efforts by the New York City Department of Investigation, New York State Office of Inspector General, and agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work on this case.