FDNY EMT Sidelined After Padding Overtime to Increase Salary

New York Daily News

The FDNY has sidelined a city EMT suspected of bilking the city out of thousands of dollars in overtime he never performed, the Daily News has learned.

Emergency medical technician Ray Laurie, 51, allegedly padded his overtime sheets when he handed them in to his bosses at FDNY EMS Station 58 in Brooklyn.

On some occasions, he claimed he worked up to 30 additional hours a week at his Canarsie station, where he answered to EMS Division 3 Chief Stacey Scanlon, sources said.

As a Fire Department EMT with over 20 years on the job, Laurie’s base pay is $53,163.
But last year, the medical tech’s salary ballooned to to $127,553, more than double his base pay, according to the website seethroughny.net, which tracks the salaries of city employees.

Laurie earned $89,703 in 2018—roughly $36,000 more than his annual salary.

Today, Laurie is getting little to no overtime. He hasn’t been suspended but the department has barred him from responding to emergency calls as the city’s Department of Investigation looks into the allegations. He is left with little to do but wash and maintain ambulances, sources said.

“The member in question is on restrictive duty,” an FDNY spokesman said.

A Department of Investigation spokeswoman said they are aware of the probe but declined further comment.

Calls to Laurie were not returned.

Sources said the EMT, who lives on Staten Island, got tripped up when the officer who normally signs his time sheets went on vacation. The sharp-eyed supervisor who was tapped to fill in for the vacationing officer questioned the abundant overtime on Laurie’s time sheet and asked for further verification, sources said.