By Michele Evans / NYweeklyRecord.com / Date: 10/27/2026
Category: Government Accountability / Public Safety / Whistleblowers / Education Oversight
NEW YORK CITY, NY –
Former employees of the agency charged with investigating corruption in New York City schools say that office concealed more than 5,700 rounds of ammunition and retaliated against workers who raised alarms.
The allegations appear in an Article 78 proceeding filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by former Special Commissioner of Investigation employees Roberto El Lakkis and Richard Marin. The claims have not been proven, and the agency has not admitted wrongdoing.
SCI is an independent law-enforcement oversight agency for the city school system. It investigates alleged crimes, corruption and misconduct involving Department of Education employees, contractors and vendors.
According to reporting on the petition and its exhibits, ammunition was stored in a wooden cabinet at SCI’s Manhattan headquarters. El Lakkis allegedly reported the storage conditions in April 2023 and later contacted the FDNY and the city Law Department.
The lawsuit alleges that SCI’s gun custodian then distributed 114 boxes containing approximately 5,700 rounds to nine investigators. The plaintiffs contend that the distribution was intended to prevent fire inspectors from finding the full stockpile.
SCI officials said the ammunition was purchased for peace officers to complete annual firearms training and that the agency would stop buying it. That explanation does not resolve whether the storage complied with fire-safety rules or whether complaints were handled independently.
New York City guidance says a Fire Department permit is required to store more than 200 rounds of ammunition. The lawsuit alleges that SCI did not have the required permit.
The location adds to the public-safety concern. Reporting says the Financial District building that houses SCI also contains the Quad Preparatory School, a private school serving children with learning differences.
The petition names SCI Commissioner Anastasia Coleman and alleges that the city Law Department, Conflict of Interest Board and Department of Investigation failed to address the complaints. Those agencies’ legal positions have not yet been adjudicated.
El Lakkis and Marin also allege retaliation tied to their reports. El Lakkis says he was fired. Marin says he was suspended. A court will have to determine whether those employment actions were lawful and whether they were connected to protected whistleblowing.
Article 78 proceedings allow New Yorkers to challenge actions or failures by government bodies and officers. Filing the petition does not establish that the plaintiffs’ account is correct.
The case presents a basic oversight conflict. SCI asks school employees to report corruption and wrongdoing. If its own employees could not safely report alleged hazards inside the watchdog office, the system designed to protect the school community may have failed at its first step.
Several questions remain unanswered. The public record reviewed for this article does not establish who authorized the ammunition purchases, how long the rounds remained in the cabinet, whether an FDNY permit existed at any point or whether the distribution was documented as an official transfer.
The city now faces two accountability tests: a court review of the plaintiffs’ allegations and a public explanation of how an investigative agency stored, tracked and distributed thousands of rounds of live ammunition.
Sources
New York Post, NYC Schools Investigators Accused of Hiding Ammunition Stash
NYC Special Commissioner of Investigation, About SCI
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