4 Charged with Diverting Millions From NYC Special Ed Center

Prosecutors in Queens filed charges Tuesday against four men accused of stealing $12.5-million in New York City and state funds from an education charity serving developmentally disabled children, reports The New York Times.

The men allegedly diverted taxpayer money allocated to the Island Child Development Center to personal causes, with some $8-million going to religious schools and summer camps that one of the suspects, Rabbi Samuel Hiller, the center’s former assistant director, helped run. The Queens facility is one of the city’s largest providers of preschool special education services.

A 42-count indictment lists grand larceny and other charges against Mr. Hiller; Ira Kurman, the center’s former executive director and assistant director; Roy Hoffmann, an auditor for the organization; and Daniel Laniado, an investor. If convicted, they could each face up to 25 years in prison, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

State officials have sought to tighten oversight of special-ed providers amid spiraling costs and a series of fraud and abuse cases, according to the Times.