LIRR time sheet fraud committed by 2 former workers, MTA inspector general finds

Two former LIRR employees submitted fraudulent time sheets, one while flying to Texas and the other claiming $1,200 in false overtime, according to the MTA inspector general.

Officials said a Long Island Rail Road gang foreman claimed hours he didn’t work and was swiped out by a colleague while he worked a side real estate job.

The gang foreman, who is typically responsible for monitoring work progress and maintaining records, was fired in February, and officials planned to recoup about $1,200 from his final paycheck, according to an inspector general's report. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority also withheld a sick leave cash-out payment from his final check.

An LIRR machinist also claimed to be working while he was on a flight to Texas, investigators found. His two supervisors did not address his fraudulent timekeeping, according to the report. The machinist retired in July, before the investigation concluded, so the machinist avoided any penalties, according to the inspector general.

Neither of the employees was identified in the report.

Officials said the timekeeping fraud was discovered as part of an investigation since early last year into the workers at the Hillside Maintenance Complex in Queens.

"The behavior in these latest LIRR cases — flying out of state while on the clock, collecting unearned overtime pay, workers swiping each other out — shows a concerning lack of ethics and supervision," MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort "said in a statement. "Time abuse can impact safety, efficiency, and morale — and our office will relentlessly pursue the offenders."

The inspector general's report said the gang foreman claimed more than 14 hours of false overtime while leaving early or leaving work for long periods. Officials said the foreman spent time getting his car repaired or visiting his mother’s house. The foreman told investigators he had another foreman swipe him out multiple times, while also running a real estate investment business buying and selling properties out of state that he used for rental income, according to the report.

The gang foreman failed to fully cooperate with the investigation by refusing to identify the gang foreman who fraudulently swiped him out, the report said.

Investigators conducted an attendance audit into the machinist and found him missing from work in March 2024, when he left his shift and boarded a flight to Texas. The machinist asked a co-worker to swipe him out for the day after he was caught, according to the report. Inspector general officials said one of his two supervisors also deleted phone records for the day he was missing.

The inspector general’s office recommended that LIRR recoup payments for hours that the gang foreman was paid when he did not work and to also take action against the supervisors.

LIRR officials said they received the inspector general’s report in November and immediately removed the gang foreman without pay. LIRR officials said in an official response that they had "re-instructed" employees and supervisors about approving personal days and reporting fraud.

The MTA also implemented biometric scanning in September.

“Stealing time will not be tolerated and employees in the report are no longer employed by the LIRR, which has improved its time keeping capabilities with biometric finger scanning technology," LIRR President Rob Free said in a statement. "In addition, enhanced supervisor training and continual auditing assure real-time accountability in time reporting.”

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.