(WNY News Now) – Two former officials of the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District face public corruption charges, accused of misusing over $50,000 meant for at-risk students.
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced Wednesday the arraignment of two former officials from the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District on multiple public corruption charges.
Oliver Levy, 55, the district’s former superintendent, and Surendra Kumar, 48, a former security system specialist, were arraigned in Westchester County Court on charges of Second- and Third-Degree Grand Larceny as Crimes of Public Corruption, Grand Larceny, and Corrupting the Government in the Second and Third Degrees. Both pleaded not guilty.
“School administrators allegedly stealing from students they are supposed to serve is reprehensible,” DiNapoli said. “My thanks to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office for partnering with my office and continuing to pursue justice in this case and holding these individuals accountable.”
“Any theft of public funds represents a fundamental breach of public trust,” D.A. Cacace said. “That breach is amplified when the allegations concern an institution serving our most vulnerable. The funds in this case that were allegedly diverted to the defendants could have been used for student achievement. My office will work diligently to ensure that the students and parents at Greenburgh-Graham are made whole.”
According to the felony complaint, Levy, who served as superintendent from 2018 to 2022 after joining the district as a teaching assistant in 2008, allegedly conspired with Kumar to misuse funds earmarked for school-related expenses. Between July 2018 and June 2022, the pair reportedly purchased 168 gift cards, diverting over $50,000 toward personal expenditures, including luxury handbags, jewelry, private school tuition, and veterinary services.
Both men were arrested in May 2024 and released on their own recognizance. None of the charges is bail-eligible under New York State law.
If convicted of the top charge, Second-Degree Grand Larceny as a Crime of Public Corruption, Levy and Kumar face up to 25 years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the New York State Comptroller’s Office and the Westchester District Attorney’s Economic Crimes and Public Integrity Units.
As are all persons accused of a crime, the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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