A former New York City correction captain has been convicted of defrauding the Social Security Administration out of more than $200,000 by falsely claiming he was disabled while working full-time as a school bus driver, Attorney General Letitia James announced on July 17.
The defendant, Marc Silverman Jr., 57, of Staten Island, pleaded guilty in Richmond County Court to two felonies: one count of Welfare Fraud in the Fourth Degree and one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.
“Silverman, a former Captain with the New York City Department of Correction (NYC DOC), applied for Social Security disability benefits in 2020, claiming that injuries from his job had rendered him unable to work,” James’ office stated. “However, Silverman was not disabled and had been working since 2017 as a full-time special education bus driver.”
Silverman worked for NYC DOC from 1990 until 2016. Just one year later, he began working for Vinny’s Bus Service, annually submitting paperwork to the State Department of Education affirming he was physically able to drive.
Despite his full-time employment, the Social Security Administration approved his disability claim in 2021, and he ultimately received about $212,000 in benefits.
As part of his plea agreement, Silverman must complete 300 hours of community service by September 15 or face potential jail time.
Attorney General James credited the investigation to the Office of the Inspector General at the Social Security Administration, including Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Julian Lugo and Special Agent-in-Charge Conor Washington of the Eastern Cooperative Disability Investigations Division.
Detectives William Fitzgerald and Joseph Buffolino led the case for the Attorney General’s Office, under the supervision of Deputy Chief Walter Lynch, Chief Juanita Bright, and Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.
Assistant Attorney General Abigail Margulies is prosecuting the case with oversight from Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy and Deputy Bureau Chief Kiran Heer, with additional support from Senior Analyst Crystal Bisbano.
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