Court Staffer Stole $163K From Defendants' Fines, Prosecutors Say

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — A staffer at the New York City criminal courthouse has been pocketing fines paid for petty misdemeanors, helping himself to more than $163,000 over two years, according to prosecutors.

Carlos Sanchez, a worker at the New York City criminal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, was indicted on a slew of charges on Tuesday after prosecutors revealed an investigation into his wrongdoing. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said on Tuesday that in hundreds of cases, Sanchez took the fines that New Yorkers had paid in response to nonviolent misdemeanors, like public urination, or code or building violations.

Sanchez, 36, would open and sort money orders and cashier's checks that citizens had submitted to pay fines as part of his job. Between 2015 and February 2017, he forged hundreds of these payments to include his personal financial information and sent the money to his personal accounts, prosecutors said. Defendants who thought they had resolved criminal summons and paid their fines were actually recorded as not having paid in court records, Vance's office said.

In at least five cases, people were arrested because court records showed they had not paid their fines, when they had actually been paid and pocketed by Sanchez, prosecutors said.

"This court employee is accused of lining his pockets with payments submitted by hundreds of New Yorkers striving to resolve their criminal summons cases lawfully and responsibly," Vance said in a statement. "In a case that speaks to the consequences of outstanding summons warrants, at least five New Yorkers were arrested and detained for fines they had already paid."

Vance's office said it would review any cases potentially affected by Sanchez's actions. In total, prosecutors say that Sanchez stole 366 personal payments and 207 payments from business, giving himself a total of $163,242.50. He was charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and falsifying business records.

Patch was not immediately able to contact Sanchez's attorney on Tuesday.

Lead image via Yana Paskova / Stringer / Getty Images News.