NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- One of the Long Island Rail Road employees charged in an overtime fraud scheme was sentenced Tuesday to three months in prison.
Joseph Balestra, 51, of Blue Point, apologize in Manhattan federal court Tuesday, and took responsibility for his part in the scheme, according to the New York Post.
Balestra was among a group of LIRR workers charged in the scheme in December 2020, accused of making over a combined $1 million in OT pay that year, but they submitted labor sheets with falsely reported hours, officials said.
Authorities said amongst the group, some of the men were paid while at home, on vacations or even bowling.
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Balestra was paid $348,000 by the MTA in 2018, over $240,000 of which was OT — making him among the top dozen paid employees in the entire authority.
Officials said payments were based on reported amounts of OT hours of up to 3,900 — which meant if they had worked every day in the year, would equate to 8-10 hours worked each day, in addition to their 40-hour work week.
Balestra will also make a restitution payments of almost $110,000, according to the Daily News. The 31-year employee said his decision-making ended up “derailing” his family’s future.
Another LIRR worker got five months in the scheme last year, while another who pleaded guilty will be sentenced in February. Another worker ended up going to trial, according to a report.
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