Story by Ethan
On October 30th, 2025, the arrest of Equanna Escalera, age 43, was announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Equanna Escalera was charged with 29 counts of second-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing and fourth-degree Grand Larceny. The arrest and charges against Equanna Escalera were a result of an investigation handled by Correction Officer Investigators Matty Lupinacci and Anthony Palmer with DOI’s Office of the Inspector General for DOC.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Equanna Escalera was assigned to Rikers Island while previously employed as a correction officer, however she remained on sick leave from March 24th, 2022, to December 5th, 2022. City regulations require that correction officers that report illness for nine or more days during the calendar year must remain in their residences unless for pre-approved or special cases such as going to the hospital or seeing a physician. Any other reasons that the officer has to leave their residence must be reported to the Department of Correction’s Health Management Division (HMD) with the proper documentation being submitted. Allegedly Equanna Escalera had submitted 31 letters claiming that she was visiting a physician and/or physical therapist in order to receive treatment on the 29 dates in question. The letters submitted to HMD claimed that Equanna Escalera was being treated at Multi-Specialty Pain Management located in Bronx, New York between March and December of 2022. After an investigation detectives allege that Equanna Escalera had not received any treatment on the reported dates, and Multi-Specialty Pain Management never conversed with the defendant nor gave her permission to generate the letters claiming she was a patient. During the 29 sick days Equanna Escalera had received a total of $11,200.78 for her pay.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Equanna Escalera are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
