Former CB 6 District Manager Indicted For Forgery, Gave Self Nearly $40,000 in Raises
After a tumultuous past that involved multiple arrests for stalking, Brooklyn Community Board 6’s former District Manager, Craig Hammerman, now faces a 17-count indictment after forging documents to give himself raises.
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced yesterday that Hammerman, 53, allegedly forged the signature of CB 6 Chairman Sayar Lonial three times and forged the signature of former CB 6 Chairman Gary Reilly one time to give himself unauthorized raises between May 2015 and October 2017.
Community Board 6 represents Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and Park Slope. Hammerman served as the District Manager since 1990.
According to the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, which processes salary increases for Community Board employees, Hammerman received $38,345 in salary that he wasn’t entitled to as a result of the fraud. When Hammerman resigned from the board in 2017 following stalking allegations, his salary was $121,931.
“This defendant allegedly sought to enrich himself with taxpayer money to which he was not entitled. This was a betrayal of the public trust that cannot be tolerated,” said Gonzalez. “I remain committed to rooting out crimes such as this that can carry a heavy cost over the long term. We will now seek to hold this defendant accountable.”
“This defendant gave himself multiple raises, including a merit increase, and falsified his manager’s authorization to get them approved by the City, according to the charges. New Yorkers expect – and deserve – public servants serving their communities with integrity that is beyond reproach,” said Commissioner Peters of the NYC Department of Investigation. “DOI will continue to pursue those City workers criminally who take advantage of taxpayers and steal City funds. We thank our partners at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their collaboration on this investigation.”
If convicted of the top count of his indictment—four counts of second-degree forgery— Hammerman faces up seven years in prison. Following his indictment, Hammerman was released without bail and ordered to return to court on August 8, 2018. Of course, an indictment isn’t proof of guilt, and Hammerman will be able to face these charges in court.
The Fort Greene man does have a history of run-ins with the law, however, having been arrested multiple times for stalking his ex-girlfriend. Despite charges in the latest round of accusations being dropped, Hammerman still resigned from the CB 6 board in 2017.
