A former top doctor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center is accused of stealing about $1.5 million from the public hospital to fund a lavish lifestyle that included luxury trips and a top-notch pet resort, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Dr. Michael Lucchesi, 66, is accused of fraudulently using business credit cards between December 2016 and January 2023 to make $176,000 in pet care payments, including from Greenleaf Pet Resort & Hotel, $109,000 in memberships and personal training at New York Sports Club, and about $115,000 in cash advances, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Said.
Lucchesi, a Staten Island resident, held several senior positions at SUNY Downstate during his long tenure, including director of emergency medicine, interim head of the hospital and medical school and chief medical officer.
“As a high-ranking physician at this important medical institution, the defendant was entrusted with access to significant funds but allegedly misused them, stealing more than $1 million to support a lavish lifestyle,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.
“The scale of the alleged theft is shocking, and my office is committed to holding accountable anyone who defrauds taxpayers.”
The district attorney’s office worked with the state’s Office of the Inspector General to investigate the case, and the alleged theft first came to light during an audit by SUNY officials.
“New Yorkers deserve to be treated by doctors who uphold their oath with the utmost integrity,” said Inspector Lucy Lang. “The waste of state money alleged here is an affront to hardworking taxpayers and the medical profession.”
But Lucchesi’s lawyers tried to present a different view of the incident.
“These allegations are certainly serious, but they will come out in due course, and the funds he used are not stolen funds,” attorney Earl Ward told the Post. “There is more to this case than is stated in the indictment, and we look forward to litigating the case to uncover what it really is.”
He argued there was “a lot of ambiguity” about how the funds would be used.
“There is more to these allegations than meets the eye,” he said.
Other alleged spending by the doctor included $52,000 on catering and $46,000 on his children’s tuition, as well as spending on alcohol, flowers and electronics, according to prosecutors.
Lucchesi was charged with first- and second-degree theft, first-degree falsifying business records, third-degree criminal tax evasion and other charges.
He was arraigned on the nine-count indictment on Tuesday and was released without bail, with a trial scheduled for Sept. 25.
Lucchesi retired from the hospital last year after 30 years of service.
