A trio of Rikers Island correction officers each took more than a year of paid sick leave during a staffing shortage and lied for at least part of that time frame about not being able to work, prosecutors say.

Officers Steven Cange, 49, of Brooklyn, Monica Coaxum, 36, of Harrison and Eduardo Trinidad, 42, of Yonkers, were arrested and charged with federal program fraud in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a press release. 

All three officers “defrauded New Yorkers by fraudulently obtaining their full salaries,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement, adding that they allegedly did so “in the midst of an ongoing staffing crisis at Rikers Island.”

“These correction officers abandoned their oath to protect inmates and put the safety of their fellow correction officers at risk,” Peace said. “Today’s arrests demonstrate that this office remains committed to rooting out corruption at Rikers Island and protecting New Yorkers from public officials who steal their tax dollars.” 

Prosecutors said Coaxum earned more than $80,000 while she was out on sick leave between March of last year and May of this year, filing nearly 50 fake medical notes with the city’s Department of Correction in the process. 

Coaxum told the DOC she had “multiple injuries,” but “on some occasions where [she] claimed to be injured and at home, she was traveling and at parties,” the release said. 

Trinidad, who is Coaxum’s fiancé, earned more than $140,000 during the course of a sick leave that began in June 2021 and continued into this month, according to prosecutors, who say Trinidad claimed he was too injured to work.

At his DOC medical appointments, Trinidad wore “some combination of a sling, cane and or/boot,” but photos and videos showed him bowling, traveling internationally and doing other activities without them, prosecutors said. 

Cange, meanwhile, has been out on sick leave since March 2021, claiming he was dealing with vertigo and “side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine,” according to prosecutors. 

The Brooklyn resident filed more than 100 fake medical notes with the DOC saying he was at medical appointments and physical therapy sessions he never went to, prosecutors said. Investigators also spotted him “engaging in normal life activities with no apparent difficulty,” according to the release. 

The three officers each face up to 10 years in prison if they are convicted, prosecutors said. Coaxum’s attorney declined to comment on the allegations on Thursday, and Trinidad and Cange's attorneys didn't immediately respond to request for comment.

In a statement provided to NY1, Benny Boscio, the president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, said the union “does not in any way encourage our members to call out sick without a valid reason,” adding that “this type of behavior is a gross disservice to their fellow officers.”

“These are obviously extremely serious allegations and if true, do not represent the 99% of our officers who are working excessive amounts of overtime without meals to keep our city safe every day,” Boscio said. 

In his own statement, DOC Commissioner Louis Molina said the officers “in no way are a reflection of the hard-working women and men who represent New York’s Boldest.”

“Since day one, I reaffirmed my commitment to hold all staff accountable, especially officers who selfishly abused a privilege and didn’t report to work when their colleagues needed them the most,” Molina said. “Their conduct is unacceptable and a violation of their oath and duty to this city and our agency.”