mobanmarketNEW YORK CITY — A former New York City public servant’s “ghost gun factory” didn’t just send him on a four-year trip up the river, it was the tip of the iceberg for wider criminal conspiracies, prosecutors contend.
Cliffie Thompson, 36, is “co-conspirator 1” and a ringleader in a sprawling $1.2 million fraud ring unveiled two weeks ago by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according to officials and court documents.
Thompson appeared in Manhattan court Thursday for arraignment on conspiracy charges in the COVID fraud caper, as well as in two related ghost gun cases.
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The fresh charges could lead to more prison time for Thompson, who’s serving at least four years after pleading guilty in 2023 to running a ghost fun factory from his tiny East Village apartment. Bragg said it was a probe into this “factory” that uncovered even more far-reaching crimes.
“That street crime investigation grew into and developed into a very, very important financial fraud investigation,” he said March 7.
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Investigators found that Thompson, along with four fellow city Department of Homeless Services workers, used their access to personal information of unhoused New Yorkers to submit phony applications for pandemic relief funds in 2020 and 2021, according to court documents.
An indictment details messages between Thompson and other workers that appear to show them exchanging this private information.
“I need this one done today,” read one text from Thompson, which included instructions for submitting a fake claim, according to the indictment.
Thompson, who is also charged in two ghost gun conspiracies, wasn’t just a perpetrator of crime: he was a victim, according to documents.
Officials also identified Thompson as the victim of a November 2022 burglary by fraudsters —including now-former NYPD Officer Charde Baker, 35, according to documents — who believed he had taken more than his share in the scheme.
Thompson was ordered held without bail after his arraignment. He’s next scheduled to appear in court April 4.
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