Former District Manager of Community Board 6 Craig Hammerman was arraigned on Monday, May 14 on a 17-count indictment in which he is charged with, among other things, forging signatures on at least four occasions to give himself raises.
According to the investigation, between May, 2015 and October, 2017, Hammerman, a 53-year-old resident of Fort Greene, allegedly forged the signatures of CB 6 Chair Sayar Lonial and former CB 6 Chair Gary Reilly to give himself unauthorized raises.
Hammerman’s salary was $121,931 when he resigned in October, 2017 amidst accusations that he was stalking his ex-girlfriend. The forgery was discovered by the board during an internal investigation in September, 2017, just one month before Hammerman stepped down.
The Brooklyn borough president’s office, which processes salary increases for community board employees, calculated that Hammerman received $38,345 in salary that he was not entitled to as a result of his alleged fraud.
“This defendant allegedly sought to enrich himself with taxpayer money to which he was not entitled,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, whose office is overseeing the case alongside the New York City Department of Investigation. “This was a betrayal of the public trust that cannot be tolerated.”
The former district manager has been charged with four counts of second-degree forgery, four counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, four counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, four counts of first-degree falsifying business records and one count of third-degree grand larceny.
He will return to court on August 8, at which time he faces up to seven years of prison if convicted of the top count.
Community Board 6’s catchment area includes Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Park Slope.