A Long Island lawyer whose fat state retirement checks raised questions about public pension system abuses has agreed to give New York a $240,565 refund. 
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that Lawrence Reich improperly got himself listed as a full-time employee at five different Long Island school districts. Cuomo says the lawyer was in private practice and only worked for the districts occasionally.
Those job titles entitled him to a hefty pension.
Reich’s retirement pay eventually drew the scrutiny of reporters, then the state began cracking down.
Cuomo’s office says it has recovered $2 million from 70 people who received improper pensions.
Reich’s attorney, Peter Tomao, declined to comment.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
