NYPD sergeant sentenced to 2 months in prison, lied about work sifting through Ground Zero debri
A former NYPD sergeant, Sally Spinosa, 56, was sentenced to two months in prison Wednesday for her years-long attempts to receive 9/11 health benefits by falsely claiming she did dangerous work sifting through toxic Ground Zero debris. The sergeant, who retired from the NYPD in July 2019, claimed on official paperwork for the the 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program and 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund that she had worked at the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island for 62 days straight from Sept. 20, 2001 to Nov. 20, 2001.
She made numerous false claims to the programs from 2008 to 2017, including that she supervised the dumping of human remains from September 2001 to June 2002. Fresh Kills served as a forensic site after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Some 1.8 million tons of Twin Towers debris were dumped at the landfill, where workers sifted through the rubble for human remains and other evidence. The toxic material has caused elevated rates of cancer among people who lived near or worked at the site. Spinosa, who worked in Staten Island’s Investigations Unit, claimed she suffered from asthma and chronic sinusitis due to her work at the landfill.
In reality, Spinosa was on parental leave or doing very limited work because she was pregnant. Police records showed Spinosa was on “limited duty” starting weeks before the World Trade Center attacks until Christmas 2001. The ex-sergeant’s repeated applications to the benefits programs over the course of nearly 10 years were denied. Undeterred, she joined lawsuits over the 9/11 attacks and received $54,000 — money she was ordered to pay back as part of her sentence. The tearful ex-cop admitted her wrongdoing in court, saying she “wholeheartedly apologized” to all 9/11 victims. “I know I made a huge mistake,” she said, before breaking down.
In an odd coincidence, Spinosa’s ex-boyfriend, Sgt. Vincent Guida, retired from the NYPD after it emerged he was living in New Jersey — violating the department’s residency requirement to live in NYC.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-nypd-sergeant-sally-spinosa-september-11-vcf-health-benefits-theft-20211201-ykg7n7de5ngtfbqn7xg4ykdunm-story.html
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