New York City police officer arrested for submitting forged documents in a fraudulent attempt to obtain housing assistance from the City of New York.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau announced today the arrest of a New York City police officer for submitting forged documents in a fraudulent attempt to obtain housing assistance from the City of New York.

The defendant, SIMONE SMITH, 31, who was assigned to the 108th Precinct in Queens, was arrested on charges of welfare fraud, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument, attempted grand larceny, falsifying business records and offering a false instrument for filing. SMITH, who was placed on modified duty in May, has been on the force since January 2007.

The investigation leading to today’s arrest revealed that SMITH submitted forged pay stubs as well as forged W-2s to the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in an attempt to recertify her eligibility for housing assistance. Had SMITH been successful in her deception, she would have received approximately $7,600 in assistance from the City of New York.

An investigation by the New York City Department of Investigation revealed that the documents SMITH submitted to HPD were in fact her pay stubs and W-2s from the previous year and not for the current year, as the documents purported. Under her current salary, she would not be eligible for housing assistance. SMITH admitted to HPD investigators that she forged the documents in order to continue to obtain housing assistance.

SMITH turned herself in today at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Detective Squad. The defendant will be arraigned this afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court and released on her own recognizance.

She is charged with Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree, 6 counts of Forgery in the Second Degree, and 3 counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, all class D felonies. Additionally, she is charged with Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, all class E felonies. A class D felony is punishable by up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison and a class E felony is punishable by up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.

Mr. Morgenthau thanked Rose Gill Hearn, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, DOI Investigator Jere Overton, and the New York City Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau, Group 26 for their assistance in this investigation.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Cofield, who is assigned to the District Attorney’s Official Corruption Unit, is in charge of the prosecution under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Richard Buckheit, Chief of the Official Corruption Unit.

Defendant Information:

SIMONE SMITH, 5/26/1978

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