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OIG Finds Widespread LIRR Time Fraud Using Cloned IDs as Railroad Tightens Oversight

Prosecutors have not filed charges, citing weak facility controls.

Overview

  • The three-year OIG probe identified 36 workers, including seven supervisors, at Ronkonkoma, Richmond Hill and the West Side car shops.
  • Investigators found cloned swipe cards were made with consumer machines, sold or stashed on LIRR property, and used to clock in absent employees.
  • The report describes supervisory complicity and a permissive culture, with one boss boasting about being poolside during an overtime shift and another worker logging nearly 200 gym visits on the clock.
  • LIRR imposed administrative discipline, including forfeiture of accrued pay for those who resigned or retired and unpaid suspensions of up to nine months for others.
  • In response, the railroad reinstated biometric finger scans, installed cameras at time clocks and entrances, and ordered routine audits of facilities.