LI School Aide Falsified Timesheets, Pocketed More Than $10K: DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Baldwin school aide was charged with allegedly falsifying timesheets, claiming she was working with a fourth-grade student needs student, but wasn't. It resulted in being paid more than $10,000 in wages that she didn't earn, prosecutors said.

Keenya Lessey, 48, of Baldwin, was arraigned on Wednesday on charges of third-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced.

"This defendant allegedly claimed to work with a student, even on days when the student was absent," Donnelly said. "This behavior blatantly disregards the professional trust afforded the defendant and strips resources from those who truly need them."

Donnelly said that, according to the charges, Lessey was assigned to work with a student at the Academy Charter School in Uniondale through Horizon Healthcare Staffing, a company that contracts with the Hempstead Union Free School District to provide certified nursing assistants, aides and paraprofessional services to students identified as having special needs.

She was employed by Horizon beginning in September 2021, and was assigned to work with a fourth-grade student in December 2021, the D.A.'s office said.

According to the criminal complaint, between February 7, 2022, and June 24, 2022, Lessey allegedly submitted 19 timesheets attesting that she was present for work at the school between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to assist the student.

Horizon paid the defendant $10,866 that Lessey was not entitled to receive, prosecutors said.

Lessey pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on November 8, 2024.

If convicted, the defendant faces up to 2-1/3 to 7 years in prison, Donnelly said.