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Cleveland city atty. suspended over firefighter payroll scandal

Alleged to have failed to investigate illegal shift-swapping two years prior to current inquiry

By Leila Atassi
The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A city law director had been alerted to illegal shift-swapping within the Cleveland Fire Department, nearly two years ago — but he took no action.

Chief Assistant Law Director Stewart Hastings in February 2010 received an email from a Cleveland fire captain, hinting that firefighters might be paying colleagues to work their shifts while continuing to collect full salaries and benefits.

Framing it as a “hypothetical situation,” Captain Anthony Luke asked Hastings for a legal opinion. But Hastings never issued one. And investigators found the widespread abuse of the department’s shift trade policy during a series of city audits in the past year.

Full Story: Email to Cleveland Assistant Law Director described fire department payroll abuse 2 years before investigation