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$50K Scheme: Former Top School Officials Spent Funds On Personal Items In Region, DA Says

Two former administrators at a Westchester County school district serving at-risk students have been charged with multiple public corruption offenses after using $50,000 for personal items, prosecutors announced.

Levy and Kumar both worked for the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Levy and Kumar both worked for the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Photo Credit: Google Maps street view

Rockland County resident Oliver Levy, age 55, of Stony Point, the former superintendent of the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District, and Surendra Kumar, 48, of Yonkers, a former security system specialist, were arraigned on Wednesday, Jan. 22, on charges including second- and third-degree grand larceny and corrupting the government, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office and New York State Comptroller’s Office announced. 

The Greenburgh-Graham district, based in Hastings-on-Hudson serves disabled students from kindergarten to 12th grade. 

Both Levy and Kumar were originally arrested in May 2024, but received new charges on Wednesday. 

According to the DA's Office, the allegations involve the misuse of over $50,000 in public funds intended for educational purposes. Between July 2018 and June 2022, Levy and Kumar are accused of purchasing 168 gift cards, which were meant for school-related expenses but were instead used for personal purchases, including jewelry, luxury handbags, private school fees for relatives, and veterinary services, officials said.

Levy, who began as a teaching assistant in 2008 and became superintendent in 2018, and Kumar both pleaded not guilty to all charges and were released on their own recognizance. 

District Attorney Susan Cacace emphasized the gravity of the alleged crimes: 

"Any theft of public funds represents a fundamental breach of public trust. That breach is amplified when the allegations concern an institution serving our most vulnerable," she said, adding, "The funds in this case that were allegedly diverted to the defendants could have been used for student achievement. My office will work diligently to ensure that the students and parents at Greenburgh-Graham are made whole.” 

The charges, which include second-degree and third-degree grand larceny as a crime of public corruption, carry a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. 

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