Authorities are looking into potentially questionable contracts signed by New York City Schools Superintendent Comer Samuels during his time in the role, as reported by the Post.
Recently, the newspaper disclosed that while Samuels served as the ward manager for District 3 on the Upper West Side, he engaged a vendor, Sean Kreiling, who wasn’t approved by the Department of Education (DOE). To evade city financial scrutiny, he reportedly split the payments into smaller checks of $25,000.
Kreiling’s business provided temporary foreign language teachers to schools in the area. He entered into two contracts worth $180,000 each—one with Samuels in 2023 and another with Samuels’ former deputy, Mariela Graham, in 2024.
After Kreiling signed the contract in 2024, his staffing company mistakenly placed a Spanish teacher—who had previously been banned from working for the DOE due to allegations of sexual misconduct—at two city schools.
This incident prompted an investigation by the Schools Chancellery Investigation (SCI), which ultimately determined the principal of the school failed to adequately investigate the situation.
Interestingly, the June 2025 SCI report didn’t mention Samuels at all, instead placing the blame on Graham and recommending her dismissal. Kreiling alleged that the SCI protected Samuels to shield significant appointees of Mayor Mamdani.
Instead of terminating Graham, Samuels opted to promote her to a position as senior executive director of strategy at a salary of $225,571.
Samuels himself earns $363,000 annually, which is even more than Mayor Mamdani.
Kreiling informed the Post that during the initial investigation, he reached out to the SCI about the contracts Samuels had signed and offered to share relevant documents, but they failed to follow up.
Kreiling claimed he attempted to alert city officials, including First Deputy Mayor Dean Freihan and even the Mayor through social media, but received no replies. “I had high hopes for Mamdani and I’m really disappointed,” he remarked. “I thought we could unite in trying to protect the children.”
Finally, disgraced SCI officials got in touch with Kreiling last Friday, requesting to examine his documents. One SCI attorney, David Casanova, wrote to Kreiling, asking for all related materials, including contracts and payments, regardless of whether they were previously submitted.
Cascanova mentioned he would review the documents and might schedule a follow-up meeting.
While SCI officials have yet to confirm Samuels is under investigation, education insiders suggest that the reaction from Tweed Hall indicates serious concerns about his involvement.
An official from City Hall voiced, “They are completely dismayed at the DOE. The inquiry involving witnesses and document requests shows they are looking into Samuels.”
“City Hall is in a state of panic regarding contracts and funding… From what I’ve heard, Samuels met with his team, likely to cover up this issue. He wants this to disappear without accountability,” a well-placed official at the DOE commented.
Insiders noted that Mamdani’s team advised Samuels to remain silent.
Samuels had compensated Kreiling using government grants meant for foreign language programs, but the chancellor cut the contract short in March 2025.
The DOE has not responded to inquiries about the remaining unused grant funds.
Jason Goldman, a civil and criminal litigator based in Manhattan, indicated that school principals caught up in this situation may face serious charges.
“If there’s intent to bypass the city’s financial safety measures, this could result in criminal charges for public corruption,” Goldman explained.
Possible charges against Samuels could include defrauding the DOE and submitting misleading contracts, as well as official misconduct.
Legal experts believe Kreiling may also face federal wire fraud charges related to electronic payments and payment-splitting discussions in emails.
In one email to the Post, Samuels acknowledged that Kreiling wasn’t an approved vendor and suggested a workaround. “This could escalate beyond just paperwork and ethical concerns,” Goldman warned.
City Hall has refrained from commenting on the situation.
