9/11 Responder Doctor Nabbed in Pay Scam

May 30 -- Doctors take an oath to "do no harm" — but authorities say one physician's vow was "do no work."

Michael Poyin Chang — a doctor with a part-time job performing physicals on FDNY members who responded to 9/11 — was paid more than $155,000 for about 300 days when he never provided a lick of treatment, authorities said Wednesday.

Chang was employed by the FDNY from June 2010 to December 2016. He primarily worked at the World Trade Center Monitoring Clinic Orange County Annex in Middletown and another monitoring clinic in the Fort Totten section of Queens.

His duties included annual examinations of active and retired FDNY members, court papers said.

Chang's work hours were set by the Fire Department's deputy chief medical officer and the clinics didn't accept walk-in appointments.

But an audit of the days and hours Chang logged on his CityTime account revealed "significant discrepancies" with his prepared work schedules, Brooklyn federal prosecutors said.

For example, Chang put in for pay on 220 days when the FDNY work schedule didn't list him as being on the job. The doctor also claimed he worked on 81 days when he was scheduled to be on vacation and the Middletown clinic was closed.

Court papers added the audit can show Chang was traveling internationally on 34 of those 81 days at issue.

"Physicians take an oath to do no harm, but this Fire Department physician violated that code by collecting more than $150,000 in public funds for nearly a year's worth of work he didn't perform," said Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters.

Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said Chang "allegedly stole taxpayer money designated for the medical care of FDNY first responders who put their lives and health at risk in order to save others endangered by the World Trade Center terrorist attack."

The Paramus, N.J., resident was arrested Wednesday morning and was expected to be arraigned at Brooklyn Federal Court. He faces up to 10 years if convicted on charges of scheming to steal wages.

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