DOT Employee Double Dipped While Checking State Info on Competitors

Friday, October 11, 2019 | 0

Not only was he working while collecting benefits, but a New York transportation worker used his position with state government to obtain privileged information on his competitors.

New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliaferro today announced that Niccolo Mormile, 39, pleaded guilty to attempted filing of a false instrument. He must resign his position pay more than $28,000 in restitution.

“This investigator, whom we trusted to ensure vehicles are safe for New Yorkers’ daily use, instead engaged in multiple levels of fraud and deceit,” Tagliafierro said in a statement.

Mormile was a motor carrier investigator for the state Department of Transportation, conducting roadside inspections and ensuring truckers' compliance with state law. In 2016, he claimed he fell on the job and was unable to work. He collected $28,580 in workers' compensation benefits while he secretly managed a private trucking company, prosecutors said.

His company, from which he earned more than $125,000, was flagged for multiple safety violations during DOT inspections. And during that time, Mormile illegally accessed driver and vehicle examination reports on competing companies.

He gave the information to a trucking consultant whom he later married, Tagliaferro said.