Census Bureau fires 2 managers in Brooklyn after they forged questionnaires

Census Bureau fires 2 in NY after forgery probe

NEW YORK — Two U.S. Census Bureau managers in Brooklyn have been fired over allegations that they forged questionnaires.

According to reports in The New York Times and the New York Daily News on Saturday, officials said about 10,000 household interviews would have to be redone to ensure that the count is accurate.

The Census Bureau’s New York regional director, Tony Farthing, told the Daily News that the fakery took place over the weekend of June 12 when the Northeast Brooklyn office was under pressure to meet a deadline.

Farthing said instead of surveying people in their homes, the managers cheated by copying information from phone books and Internet directories. They were turned in by whistleblowers.

The two managers were fired on June 18 but do not face criminal charges, Farthing said.

Census officials did not immediately respond Saturday to calls and e-mails seeking confirmation of the reports.

Information from: Daily News, www.nydailynews.com