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Scott Unger, 65, the former facilities director for the Lawrence Union Free School District, and his alleged co-conspirator Joseph Greenblatt, 59, were both indicted on corruption charges by a Nassau County grand jury on Wednesday, June 4.
Unger and Greenblatt created a fake HVAC company, SDF Service Plus, and used Unger’s influence within the district to secure emergency contracts, all while pretending Unger had no connection to the business, prosecutors said.
In 2023, Unger maneuvered the district into declaring an emergency HVAC need after withholding payments from the district’s legitimate vendor, Hi Tech Air Conditioning, according to investigators.
When Hi Tech walked off the job, the district declared a crisis and Unger allegedly handed the contract to SDF, which had never done HVAC work before and carried no liability insurance.
Unger used his role to expedite payments, had checks hand-delivered to him rather than mailed, and even managed SDF’s payroll, emails, and accounting — all while secretly reaping the profits, prosecutors alleged.
Greenblatt, meanwhile, funneled tens of thousands of dollars to Unger through a shell company, some of which was used to buy a 2024 Kia Telluride, investigators said.
“Scott Unger decided he wanted a bigger payday from his new position… and allegedly, with the help of his co-conspirator, twisted the district’s contracting process to fit his needs and line both of their pockets,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
In all, the Lawrence School District paid SDF more than $2 million before terminating the company in July 2024. Unger was suspended in May and resigned in November.
The district attorney’s Civil Forfeiture Unit has since seized Unger’s SUV and frozen bank accounts tied to the scheme, including one with $238,000 in it.
Both men pleaded not guilty and face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
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