A former Chelsea Piers worker should pay back his entire salary and another $80,000 he pocketed for him and his girlfriend by using phony invoices, a new lawsuit claimed.
The massive sports and athletic facility, known for its iconic 28-acre spot spanning several Hudson River piers, is suing ex-employee Gregory Rodriguez to pay back the allegedly stolen money — as well as another $208,000 he was paid in wages due to his “disloyalty and fraud,” the suit said.
Rodriguez, along with his partner, Larieny Fernandez, “commenced an unlawful scheme and blatant self-dealing” amounting to “civil conspiracy” throughout his 14-months of employment, the suit reads, netting the couple a cool $79,397.
Part of Rodriguez’s job responsibilities as senior director of operations and facilities was to approve vendor invoices and payments on behalf of Chelsea Piers, the suit stated.
“Rodriguez’s scheme was simple,” according to the lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
He and partner Fernandez created a “fraudulent alter-ego” business, called ImpactPro, and began submitting phoney invoices with amounts “grossly” inflated by as much as 100%, the suit claims.
“ImpactPro has never provided any valuable goods or services to Chelsea Piers,” according to the legal complaint. “The entity exists for no purpose other than to carry out this unlawful scheme and is a mere alter ego of Rodriguez and Fernandez.”
In one example from September, the company claimed Rodriguez took an invoice from a plumbing and heating company, approved it with the signature of a fake employee, then reissued the invoice to Chelsea Piers — this time with an additional $5,000 tacked on. ImpactPro was allegedly listed as the payee.
The suit claimed Rodriguez signed off, a practice he repeated until the alleged scheme was discovered and he was fired last month.
“In at least twenty-eight known instances, Rodriguez, together with the other defendants, falsely represented to Chelsea Piers that the services had been performed or goods supplied by another vendor known as defendant ImpactPro,” the suit claims.
An attorney for the ousted worker and his girlfriend pushed back against the claims.
“The complaint paints a picture of an elaborate scheme, but the reality is far different,” Jeremy Feigenbaum, of Spodek Law Group P.C., said in a statement to The Post.
While the statement did not share how their version of reality differs, Feigenbaum called the accusations “baseless,” and wrote that his clients “maintain that they conducted their business affairs with transparency and integrity.”
A lawyer for Chelsea Piers did not reply to a request for comment.
In addition to their 150,000-square-foot Manhattan flagship which first opened in 1995, Chelsea Piers now boasts locations in Brooklyn and Connecticut with an array of athletic offerings including soccer, tennis, hockey, gymnastics, swimming, golf and more.
Monthly memberships at the luxury gym start at $220.