2Former Rikers correction officer charged with faking 29 doctor visits to collect sick pay

QUEENS, NY — A former Rikers Island correction officer is accused of submitting dozens of fake medical documents to stay on sick leave for months while collecting more than $11,000 in city wages, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Equanna Escalera, 43, of Bellport, Long Island, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on charges including grand larceny and offering false documentation. Investigators say Escalera submitted 31 letters — all on medical letterhead — claiming she was treated 29 times by a Bronx pain management clinic between March and December 2022, in order to justify her continued paid sick leave.

Officials say the visits never happened.

Escalera was on sick leave from March 24 to Decem

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