


A Rikers Island corrections officer who once claimed he was working more than 100 hours a week was hit with federal charges Wednesday for allegedly cheating the city out of more than $170,000 in bogus overtime.
James Internicola, a 26-year veteran of the city Department of Corrections, was allegedly on vacation soaking up the sun in Aruba or on the Jersey Shore while claiming he was actually on duty at Rikers, according to a 13-page complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.
Between July 2021 and January 2023, the 56-year-old Rikers guard pocketed more than $390,000 in pay and overtime — despite having a base salary of just $92,000 a year, federal prosecutors said.
“Instead of being at work, the defendant was often at home or even on vacation,” Brooklyn US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement announcing the charges.
“Correction officers who steal tax dollars by fraudulently obtaining compensation should take note of today’s arrest and know that this office is working with our law enforcement partners to root out corruption on Rikers Island,” the statement said.
Internicola, of Staten Island, logged more overtime hours than any other city employee in the fiscal year ending in June 2022 — an average of 111 hours every week, The Post reported last year.
That’s an average of 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to the federal complaint, Internicola doctored timesheets to reflect that he worked 2,250 hours at the jail during the 18-month period when he was actually home or on vacation.
He was arrested at his home on Wednesday, hauled before US Magistrate Judge Marcia Henry and released on a $150,000 bond pending his next court appearance.
“Internicola’s alleged crime taints every law enforcement officer who takes an oath to uphold the law,” James Smith, FBI assistant director-in-charge of the New York Field Office, said in a statement. “The FBI maintains a zero-tolerance policy for individuals who commit fraud and steal from law-abiding taxpayers.”
Internicola’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment from The Post.

A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Correction said he had been suspended.
“This alleged conduct is despicable and diminishes the public’s trust in our workforce,” the department said in a statement. “New Yorkers can rest assured that our agency is relentless in going after employees who steal from hard-working taxpayers.
“We will work with our partners in law enforcement to prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law,” the statement said.