Staten Island Cop Swindles $212k in Benefits, Pleads Guilty

New York Attorney General Letitia James has dropped the hammer on Staten Island’s Marc Silverman Jr., a 57-year-old former Correction Captain, for swindling over $200,000 in Social Security disability benefits. The AG announced today that Silverman has pleaded guilty to two felonies.

Silverman, who had been working as a full-time special education bus driver since 2017, falsely claimed injuries from his previous job left him unable to work, thus qualifying for SSD benefits. Between 2020 and 2021, he raked in approximately $212,000 based on this fraudulent claim.

Despite the fraud, Silverman continued to submit annual paperwork affirming his ability to work as a bus driver, which is required by the New York State Department of Education for licensure. The SSA approved his benefits application, and Silverman admitted to using false paperwork in his plea today before Richmond County Court Judge Alexander Jeong.

Today’s guilty plea lands Silverman with one count of Welfare Fraud in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, and one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, also a class E felony. He faces 300 hours of community service or potential jail time as part of his sentence.

The investigation was led by Detective William Fitzgerald and Detective Joseph Buffolino under Supervising Detectives Walter Lynch and Anna Ospanova, all under Deputy Chief Juanita Bright’s watchful eye. Assistant Attorney General Abigail Margulies is handling the prosecution with backing from Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy and Deputy Bureau Chief Kiran Heer.

The Office of the Attorney General extends its gratitude to the Social Security Administration’s Inspector General Office for their partnership in this matter, including Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Julian Lugo and Special Agent-in-Charge Conor Washington.