Pubdate: Sun, 10 Jul 2005
Source: New York Daily News (NY)
Copyright: 2005 Daily News, L.P.
Contact:  http://www.nydailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/295
Author: Jose Martinez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

LAB TECH FLUSHED IN TEST SCAM

Charged With Taking Bribes To Swap Urine

Armed with heroin-laced urine, authorities busted a Brooklyn lab 
worker yesterday for allegedly taking bribes to alter the drug tests 
of potential city workers.

The technician, Ada Stephen, 41, tried to destroy evidence against 
her - by flushing a $100 bribe down the toilet - when investigators 
arrived to arrest her following an unusual sting operation, authorities said.

"All city employees should know that these tests are not a game and 
tampering with the results is illegal," said Rose Gill Hearn, 
commissioner of the Department of Investigation.

The city began investigating Stephen after getting a tip last week 
that a worker at Bay Park Medical/Occupational Health Services in 
Park Slope was accepting cash to alter drug-test results, authorities said.

Hoping to catch Stephen in the act, investigators first went to the 
city medical examiner and obtained urine tainted with cocaine and 
heroin by a toxicologist, authorities said.

An undercover investigator then smuggled the laced urine into the 
Brooklyn lab where he pretended to be applying for a job at the city 
Housing Authority.

When the investigator met Stephen, he told her he was anxious he 
might test positive for drugs, and then went into the bathroom and 
poured the dirty urine into the specimen cup, authorities said.

After testing the urine, which not surprisingly came back positive 
for drugs, Stephen allegedly told the investigator that she would 
alter the results in exchange for a $100.

She allegedly took the payoff and then filed paperwork with the 
Housing Authority that falsely claimed the investigator had passed 
the drug test.

"She later admitted to flushing the money" down the toilet when city 
investigators showed up to bust her, said Emily Gest, a Department of 
Investigation spokeswoman.

Stephen faces up to four years in prison on charges of accepting a 
bribe, forgery and tampering with evidence.

She was released yesterday after being arraigned and could not be reached.

The Park Slope lab where she works as a technician is paid by the 
city to handle drug tests for prospective Housing Authority 
employees, including truckdrivers, maintenance workers and administrators.

"Vendors who do drug testing for the city should be warned," Hearn 
said. "You will be caught if you tamper with drug-test results and 
there will be serious consequences."
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MAP posted-by: Beth