Ex-top doc at SUNY hospital sentenced for stealing almost $1.5M to fund lavish way of life

The former high physician at SUNY Downstate Medical Center who stole almost $1.5 million from the general public hospital will spend as much as three years in jail — after he was sentenced following his admission to utilizing the stolen funds to gas his extravagant way of life.

Dr. Michael Lucchesi, 67, was sentenced to at least one to a few years in jail in Brooklyn Supreme Court Wednesday after he admitted to stealing roughly $1.44 million from the hospital to make private purchases for journey, his kids’s faculty tuition and a whopping $176,000 on pet care.

Lucchesi, of Staten Island, appeared in courtroom in a matted blue sweatshirt and denims — and declined to talk when given the chance earlier than he was sentenced by Judge Danny Chun.

The former high medical doc, who was the Chairman of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, carried out his scheme between December 2016 and January 2023 by making private purchases with a bank card meant for use just for enterprise functions, based on Brooklyn prosecutors.

Lucchesi racked up costs on the enterprise card by pampering his pooch, spending $176,000 on pet care — which included a $120,000 invoice paid to The Greenleaf Pet Resort & Hotel in New Jersey, the place facilities embody personal doggy swim classes, based on courtroom docs.

Prosecutors say he additionally charged $348,000 to the corporate card to fund his private journey — and spent $92,000 on sporting occasions, live shows and Broadway reveals.

He even used the cash to hit the health club, stealing $109,000 to pay for a New York Sports Club membership and private coaching, based on prosecutors.

Lucchesi pleaded responsible to at least one depend of first-degree grand larceny on June 13.

As a part of the plea deal, Lucchesi additionally agreed to pay $720,000 in restitution, which included funds to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and Downstate Hospital.

“This defendant was entrusted with a leadership role at a critical Brooklyn medical institution and violated that trust by stealing nearly $1.5 million,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez stated in a press release.

He added: “SUNY Downstate does vital, lifesaving work, and these stolen funds could have been used to support patient care and medical services. Instead, they were diverted for personal expenses over a period of years.”

Lucchesi’s lawyer, Earl Ward, stated after the sentencing that Lucchesi will transfer previous the conviction.

“The only thing I’ll say is, the legacy of Dr. Lucchesi will be the 25 years of noble work for the Brooklyn community,” Ward stated.