Four Long Island Rail Road employees have been disciplined after allegedly participating in a time theft scheme at the railroad's Hillside Maintenance Facility in Queens, according to an investigation by the MTA Inspector General’s Office.

The alleged misconduct involved workers leaving before the end of their scheduled shifts, while colleagues clocked them out, making it appear as if they had worked the full day—including overtime hours. The investigation began after the LIRR noticed discrepancies in an electrician’s time records.

Video surveillance reportedly captured a second electrician swiping out the worker in question, as well as a third employee. This prompted a broader inquiry, which uncovered the coordinated effort among the four employees.

Charlton D’Souza, of Passengers United, a transit advocacy group weighed in.

“The tickets are so expensive. Many of the passengers make less money than the LIRR employees do, and they get upset when they see stories like this," he said.

Three of the workers have received disciplinary suspensions, ranging from four to nine months. The fourth employee retired before disciplinary measures could be imposed, but was barred from cashing out his remaining sick time as a result.