SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A former New York medical university official will not have to repay any of the money earned on the taxpayer’s dime after lying on his resume to secure a $340,000 salary, according to the hospital.
Sergio Garcia pleaded guilty to lying on his resume by claiming background that included a high-ranking position in the U.S. State Department, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported.
Garcia was Upstate Medical University’s chief of staff for over a year starting in 2017 before he resigned in relation to a separate controversy in which he fabricated a story that he was involved in an Afghanistan car bombing while in the service of the State Department.
Garcia’s lawyer, Joseph Bergh, acknowledged that his client did lie on his resume but contended that his client has experience in hospital administration and a graduate degree from Case Western Reserve University.
Prosecutors initially argued that Garcia should have to repay most, if not all, of his salary as he would not have secured the position had he been truthful.
Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy argued that the situation was more complicated than repaying wages since Garcia showed up to work during his tenure. Cuffy asked prosecutors to calculate how much the labor is worth after subtracting compensation for the experience Garcia did not have.
Upstate’s Vice President of Human Resources Eric Frost determined that Garcia earned his compensation and would not be required to repay the salary.
The decision was announced Wednesday at a virtual hearing where Garcia said that he was “sincerely apologetic for what happened” and that he was “paying for the consequences to this day.”
Cuffy sentenced Garcia to a one-year conditional discharge and he will pay a $250 surcharge to the court.
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