Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang, announced that an emergency medicine doctor has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with grand larceny and other crimes for allegedly stealing approximately $1.448 million by using a business credit card for personal purchases and cash advances. The District Attorney identified the defendant as Dr. Michael Lucchesi, 66, of Staten Island. The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between December 1, 2016 and January 31, 2023, the defendant, a medical doctor, who was the Chairman of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and at various points was the acting head of Downstate Hospital and the medical school, and was the Chief Medical Officer, made personal purchases using a credit card meant to be used for business purposes only by members of the clinical practice, University Physicians of Brooklyn, of SUNY Downstate.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the defendant’s spending totaled approximately $1.448 million and included cash advances of approximately $115,000; pet care totaling $176,000 (including $120,000 paid to The Greenleaf Pet Resort & Hotel in New Jersey); $348,000 spent on personal travel; $109,000 in payments to the New York Sports Club for membership and personal training; $52,000 in catering expenses; $46,000 in tuition payments for his children; and assorted payments for online shopping, flowers, liquor, electronics and other items. The alleged thefts were discovered by SUNY during an audit.
