ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — A former leader at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn received a one- to three-year sentence in state prison for stealing about $1.44 million from the hospital. Dr. Michael Lucchesi, 67, of Staten Island was both chair of emergency medicine and head of the hospital and medical school.

Lucchesi pleaded guilty on June 13 to one count of first-degree grand larceny. His plea deal requires him to repay $720,000. That's $63,926 to the State Department of Taxation and Finance and $656,074 to SUNY Downstate's clinical practice.

The sentence "serves as a stark warning to any public servant who would abuse their position of trust for personal gain," according to New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. "Public institutions like SUNY Downstate exist to serve New Y

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