Rat Droppings, Fake Documents Found at NYC Day Care Centers: Probe

Four day care managers were arrested and more than a dozen child care centers with which they are affiliated face closure after an investigation found animal feces on the floor in one facility and staffers with fake documents in several, among other violations, officials say.

Authorities say one of the day care centers never provided any services despite getting almost $60,000 in city money. Another had rat droppings on the floor and spoiled milk in the fridge. Others had phony staffer background checks and document issues, including fraudulent medical records and teacher certificates, which are required for operation.

The centers' owners have pleaded not guilty to possessing forged documents and other charges. One of those charged pleaded guilty to first-degree grand larceny in 2007 in connection with a mortgage fraud scam and served three years in prison, according to court records. He was released in 2011 and on parole until February 2012.

Six facilities have already been closed. A seventh is closing by year's end and being monitored meanwhile. Investigators have asked regulators to close the other two. Two of the centers under investigation are on Staten Island; the rest are in Brooklyn.

The arrests were announced Friday by Department of Investigations Commissioner Mark Peters, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson and Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan.

"Each day parents throughout the city count on child care providers to protect the safety of their children," Thompson said in a statement. "It is disgraceful that greedy operators would circumvent safety provisions for their own benefit." 

Follow Marc Santia on Twitter @MarcSantia4NY

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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