NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Officials on Thursday charged a former NYPD sergeant over a 9/11 disability scam in which she falsely claimed to have spent hundreds of hours working at a Staten Island landfill filled with dangerous World Trade Center debris.
According to prosecutors, 55-year-old Sally Spinosa filed paperwork with the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund stating that from Sept. 20, 2001, to Nov. 20, 2001, she worked at the Fresh Kills landfill for two hours, 62 days straight.
Spinosa was actually pregnant on parental leave or doing limited work outside the offices of the NYPD's Patrol Services Bureau, prosecutors allege.
About 1.8 million tons of twin towers debris were dumped at the Fresh Kills, which served as a forensic site for the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Workers searched the debris for human remains and other evidence from the attacks and the toxic material has caused high rates of cancer among those who worked or lived near the site.
Prosecutors said Spinosa, a New Jersey resident, submitted fraudulent "proof of presence" documents in connection with an application for 9/11-related compensation including a signature from her supervisor declaring they'd both supervised subordinates at the landfill.
That officer said he never signed the paperwork, prosecutors added.
The complaint states that in 2014 Spinosa's application was denied, but she reapplied in 2017 and 2018 using the same false information before retiring from the NYPD in July 2019.
"As alleged, former NYPD Sgt. Sally Spinosa exploited her position by brazenly – and falsely – claiming to have worked hundreds of hours in the recovery effort," Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said.
The Fresh Kills landfill was converted into a city park in 2015, opening in phases, with its completion projected in 2036.
