A Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty in a $2.7 million fraud case that involved bribing a New York City official has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says Friday Nelson Ruiz, of Shohola, was also ordered to pay back $2.7 million to the city's department of education.
Bharara says that from 2008 to 2012, Ruiz used six companies he controlled to bill the city for sign language interpretation services provided to 11 special needs students who never received the services.
Bharara says Ruiz paid a department of education employee monthly bribes to process the fraudulent bills. That official has pleaded guilty to taking bribes. She'll be sentenced in December.
An attorney for Ruiz did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
More stories at NBC10.com:
