In what appears to be another case of "jobbery" -- Jobbery is defined by Mirriam-Webster as "the improper use of public office or conduct of public business for private gain" -- on August 10, 2023, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Oswego County District Attorney Gregory S. Oakes, and State Police Acting Superintendent Steven Nigrelli announced that Oswego County adult literacy teacher William Fisher was charged with falsifying his timesheets to steal more than $4,000 from his employer, the Center for Instruction Technology and Innovation (CiTi) BOCES.
“William Fisher was supposed to help adults earn their GED and open a path to greater opportunities, but instead falsified timesheets to line his own pockets,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to my partnership with District Attorney Oakes and the New York State Police, he will be held accountable.”
New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli said, “I thank our State Police members and partners from the State Comptroller’s Office and Oswego County District Attorney’s Office for their collaborative work on this investigation. Mr. Fisher was placed into a position of leadership and trust by his employer and students. For his own advantage, he chose to use that trust to falsify timesheets for personal financial gain. The New York State Police will remain vigilant in ceasing public corruption and those who use their position to take advantage of others.”
Fisher worked for CiTi BOCES in the town of Mexico, NY. During an internal audit, CiTi BOCES found discrepancies with Fisher’s timesheets. CiTi BOCES reported this to the New York State Police, who in turn, contacted DiNapoli’s office to partner in the investigation.
Fisher, who has been suspended, was required to meet with students for tutoring sessions and provide them with work packets. The investigation found that from January-September of 2022 he did not provide these sessions to at least three students and instead submitted false timesheets to be paid for sessions that never occurred.
He was allegedly paid at least $4,409 that he was not entitled to based upon his deception. During the course of the investigation, Fisher was hired by the Oswego Central School District, but has since been suspended.
Fisher was charged with three counts of Falsifying Business Records, Grand Larceny and Corrupting the Government, all felonies. He was arraigned in Oswego County Centralized Arraignment Part and is due back in court on August 22, 2023.
The charges filed in this case are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the Comptroller's toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at investigations@osc.ny.gov, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.