Allege Fireman Lied About Military Duty
By ARI PAUL
A Firefighter has been arrested on charges of stealing $6,500 in military leave pay by pretending he had enlisted in the armed services, the Department of Investigation announced Aug. 29.

Firefighter Brian Ferrera of Ladder Company 18 in Manhattan was accused of falsely stating that he was serving in the U.S. Marines in the months of February and March of this year and applying to his Fire Department supervisor for 240 hours of military leave benefits.

He was charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

In a statement, DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn called the alleged crime a "cynical abuse of a benefit intended for the city's true citizen soldiers."