School Superintendent, Security Official Arraigned In Corruption Case

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NY — Two disgraced school officials faced the judge in a high-profile public corruption case.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace and NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said that two former officials at the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District, which serves at-risk students from kindergarten to 12th grade, were arraigned on Wednesday on an indictment charging them with several public corruption offenses.

Oliver Levy, the district's former superintendent, and Surendra Kumar, a former security system specialist, were arraigned Wednesday morning before Westchester County Court Judge Anne Bianchi on the charges of second degree and third degree grand larceny as crimes of public corruption; second degree and third degree grand larceny; and second degree and third degree corrupting the government.

The top charge, second degree grand larceny as a crime of public corruption, carries a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

Levy and Kumar both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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"Any theft of public funds represents a fundamental breach of public trust," Cacace said. "That breach is amplified when the allegations concern an institution serving our most vulnerable. The funds in this case that were allegedly diverted to the defendants could have been used for student achievement. My office will work diligently to ensure that the students and parents at Greenburgh-Graham are made whole."

According to the felony complaint, Levy, who began as a teaching assistant in 2008 and was promoted to superintendent in 2018, aided, abetted, and acted in concert with Kumar, then a security system specialist, to buy 168 gift cards between July 2018 and June 2022.

Instead of spending these funds on school-related expenses, Levy and Kumar are accused of diverting over $50,000 from the gift cards to personal expenses, such as jewelry, luxury handbags, private school fees for relatives, and veterinary services.

"School administrators allegedly stealing from students they are supposed to serve is reprehensible," DiNapoli said. "My thanks to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office for partnering with my office and continuing to pursue justice in this case and holding these individuals accountable."

55-year-old Levy, of Stony Point, and 48-year-old Kumar, of Yonkers, were arrested in May 2024 by the Westchester County DA's Office. They were released on their own recognizance. None of the charges are bail-eligible.

The investigation was conducted by the Office of the NYS Comptroller and the Economic Crimes and Public Integrity Units of the Westchester DA's Criminal Investigators Squad.