A former employee of New York City’s child welfare agency has been sentenced to 10 months in jail for submitting forged doctor’s notes to his employer “to avoid having to appear for work,” prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Alan Anderson, 60, of Oakdale, was arrested in August 2024 following a joint investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation.
According to investigators, Anderson forged and sent to his employer — the Administration for Children’s Services — 12 fraudulent doctor’s notes between Feb. 13 and May 7, 2024 so he could avoid commuting from his home on Long Island to the agency’s office in Manhattan.
During that time, Anderson was required to work in person at his assigned office three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays — which were the only days for which he submitted the forged documents. He didn’t give his employer any notes corresponding with his scheduled remote workdays, prosecutors said.
Anderson, who has since resigned from his position, pleaded guilty to official misconduct on Dec. 2. On Monday, Acting County Court Judge James McDonaugh sentenced him to 10 months in jail.
“This sentence sends a clear message that we take public corruption seriously, regardless of scale,” Suffolk District Attorney Tierney said Tuesday in a news release. “[Anderson’s] scheme not only defrauded taxpayers but also undermined the vital work of the Administration for Children’s Services, an agency tasked with protecting the city’s most vulnerable residents.”
An ACS spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.