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Former Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District Superintendent Oliver Levy, age 55, and the district's former security specialist, Surendra Kumar, age 47, were both arrested and arraigned on Thursday, May 30 in connection with the scheme, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced.
According to officials, Levy, a Rockland County resident who lives in Stony Point, and Kumar, a Yonkers resident, both abetted and acted together in the scheme between July 2018 and May 2022.
As part of the scheme, Levy approved Kumar's purchase of 168 gift cards originally meant for students. The duo then allegedly used more than $12,000 of these gift card funds for personal expenses including jewelry, handbags, private school fees for their relatives, and veterinary services, officials said.
The duo both worked for the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District, which is based in Hastings-on-Hudson and serves disabled students.
Both Levy and Kumar now face the following charges:
- Third-degree grand larceny as a crime of public corruption;
- Third-degree corruption and corrupting the government.
They will next appear in Hastings-on-Hudson Village Court on Wednesday, June 26.
Both Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah and DiNapoli condemned the duo's actions:
"This alleged act of public corruption by those responsible for the care of students in need betrayed the trust of the entire school district community," Rocah said.
DiNapoli didn't have anything better to say about them: "Levy and Kumar were entrusted with money meant to enrich the lives of students with disabilities; instead, they allegedly enriched their own lives by spending the money on lavish gifts for themselves."
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