A former state corrections officer who submitted forged medical documentation to improperly obtain sick-leave benefits from the state has been sentenced to five years of felony probation. Stephanie Saber, 29, of Lewis County, was sentenced Feb. 1 in Seneca County Court by Judge Barry Porsch after pleading guilty Nov. 15, 2023, to first degree offering […]
A former state corrections officer who submitted forged medical documentation to improperly obtain sick-leave benefits from the state has been sentenced to five years of felony probation.
Stephanie Saber, 29, of Lewis County, was sentenced Feb. 1 in Seneca County Court by Judge Barry Porsch after pleading guilty Nov. 15, 2023, to first degree offering a false instrument for filing, according to a press release from New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang.
The inspector general’s investigation, prompted by a referral from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), revealed that Saber submitted 13 false medical notes to justify absences between December 2021 and July 2022 while employed as a correction officer at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus in Seneca County.
Upon questioning, Saber admitted she had created fake notes appearing to be from legitimate medical practitioners to excuse prior absences from work.
“The conduct of this correction officer abusing sick leave benefits is particularly egregious because she was in a prime position to know the impact that shortages in correctional facility staffing pose to the safety of staff and incarcerated individuals alike,”Lang said in the release. “By forging these notes to justify unwarranted sick days, she betrayed not only her oath to New York state but her colleagues.”
DOCCS terminated Saber during the investigation.
“This sentencing sends a clear message that the department does not tolerate fraudulent misconduct from staff and will refer any case to the Office of the Inspector General that defrauds New Yorkers,” New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Acting Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said in the release. “As we face critical staffing shortages, this type of behavior further exacerbates the difficulties of this job and does a disservice to the hardworking staff who show up day in and day out to help keep our communities safe.”
Seneca County District Attorney John Nabinger appeared in court at sentencing on behalf of the people. Staff involved from the inspector general’s office include Kerry Buske, investigative counsel; Joel Mercer, investigator; under the supervision of Martin Stanford, chief investigator; and Jeffrey Hagen, deputy inspector general for the western regional offices.