NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A husband and wife who work for the Long Island Rail Road are accused of cheating the MTA out of thousands of dollars by skipping shifts and punching each other's time clocks.
According to MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny, the 27-year LIRR veterans would sign up for the same shifts and cover for each other when one of them wanted to skip work.
Pokorny notes that they were caught in the act twice last fall – once on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and again on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
"They were scheduled to work the same train during their shift, but the OIG caught them allowing one or the other to be home instead of both working the train," a press release read.
Each of the shifts also included 3 hours of built-in overtime.
Pokorny notes that during an interview with the couple, they admitted to the accusations and confirmed they did it upwards of six times – amounting to a total of $3,400 in stolen wages.
"Had they officially requested the time off on short notice, it would have resulted in potential discipline and a financial penalty. The conductors covered for each other by not reporting their spouse's absence to the LIRR's Movement Bureau as required by LIRR policy; instead, they punched each other's timeclocks to create documentation that both were present on the train," the IG's report read.
The couple claimed one of them would take off during those shifts to take care of an ailing family member.
Additionally, the couple claimed they were told not to use the agency's biometric clocks due to "contamination concerns" amid the pandemic, however, "they falsified time records by touching the clocks to punch each other into work."
As a result of the investigation, the conductors each received a 30 calendar days suspension. They also must repay the MTA for the time not worked on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21, 2020.
The conductors also cannot bid, select or accept any regular assignment to any job that the other is assigned to, for at least one year.
The MTA has not returned a request by WCBS 880 for comment.
