Michael Lucchesi, 67, the former Chairman of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, was sentenced Wednesday, Aug. 6, to an indeterminate term of one to three years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree grand larceny.
Lucchesi admitted to using a business credit card for personal expenses, racking up approximately $1.44 million in unauthorized spending between December 2016 and January 2023.
Among the charges:
- $176,000 on pet care, including $120,000 paid to The Greenleaf Pet Resort & Hotel in Millstone, New Jersey
- $348,000 on personal travel
- $109,000 to New York Sports Club
- $92,000 for premium tickets to concerts, sports games, and Broadway shows
- $52,000 on catering
- $46,000 in tuition payments
- Plus expenses for online shopping, liquor, flowers, and electronics
Lucchesi held several leadership positions at SUNY Downstate, including Chief Medical Officer and acting head of both the hospital and its medical school…