New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced the arrest and conviction of Marc Silverman, Jr., a former captain with the New York City Department of Correction. Silverman, aged 57 from Staten Island, was found guilty of fraudulently collecting over $200,000 in Social Security benefits over several years. He applied for disability benefits in 2020, claiming work-related injuries had left him unable to work. However, it was discovered that he had been employed as a full-time special education bus driver since 2017.
Silverman worked for NYC DOC from 1990 until 2016 and then joined Vinny’s Bus Service as a bus driver. To maintain his employment, he submitted annual paperwork to the New York State Department of Education confirming his physical capability to work.
In 2021, Silverman’s application for disability benefits was approved by the Social Security Administration (SSA), resulting in approximately $212,000 being paid out based on false claims of disability.
Silverman pleaded guilty before County Court Judge Alexander Jeong in Richmond County to charges of Welfare Fraud in the Fourth Degree and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, both class E felonies. As part of his plea agreement, he is required to complete 300 hours of community service by September 15 or face potential jail time.
The Office of the Attorney General acknowledged the cooperation and assistance provided by the Office of the Inspector General Social Security Administration. This includes contributions from Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Julian Lugo and Special Agent-in-Charge Conor Washington from the Eastern Cooperative Disability Investigations Division.
The investigation was conducted by Detectives William Fitzgerald and Joseph Buffolino under the supervision of Deputy Chief Walter Lynch and Chief Juanita Bright. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Abigail Margulies with oversight from Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy and Deputy Bureau Chief Kiran Heer.
Both the Investigations Bureau and Public Integrity Bureau are components of the Division for Criminal Justice led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
