Town Division of Schooling’s unbiased watchdog was accused Wednesday of rigging an investigation into Colleges Chancellor Kamar Samuels over a shady contract he signed when he was a district superintendent.
The Submit beforehand reported that Samuels was probed by the Particular Commissioner of Investigation for signing a $180,000 no-bid contract with an unapproved vendor, Sean Kreyling, whose Kreyco firm helps present overseas language academics to varsities.
The 2023 contract, signed by Samuels when he was the District 3 superintendent on the Higher West Aspect, was doled out in chunks of $25,000 beneath two of Kreyling’s firms — in an obvious try and keep away from monetary oversight from town.
His deputy superintendent, Mariela Graham, signed a second contract for a similar quantity the next yr.
SCI blamed Graham in a June 2025 report, recommending she be fired — however she was quietly tapped to a $225,571-a-year submit at DOE beneath Samuels, a Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointee, The Submit beforehand reported.
However Kreyling — testifying throughout a Metropolis Council listening to on Wednesday — claimed SCI investigators ignored proof allegedly implicating Samuels with a view to defend him, and that the probe had “a predetermined conclusion.”
“It had a story that it wished to hold out from begin to end, defending sure people, and in the end it allowed me and my group to be the scapegoats for the very poor selections of Kamar Samuels,” he charged.
Kreyling additionally claimed SCI excluded proof from its ultimate report tying Samuels on to the eyebrow-raising billing association.
“I offered them with every part that they requested. They requested only a few issues,” he stated upon questioning by Queens Councilman Phil Wong.
“Once I provided extra, they declined,” Kreyling added.
Wong stated {that a} billing e-mail detailing the bill break up was addressed to Graham however CC’d Samuels –and that “SCI quoted that e-mail in its ultimate report, however eliminated the CC to Samuels.”
Samuels was grilled by council members, throughout a Monday listening to, over the contracts.
“I remorse the lapses in coverage and procedures that passed off whereas I used to be the superintendent, and the actions in query had been all meant to [be] within the pursuit of instructional alternative,” Samuels testified — earlier than DOE Normal Counsel Liz Vladeck stopped him.
Vladeck suggested Samuels to not reply additional questions concerning the contracts, citing “lively hypothesis within the press” concerning the SCI investigation being reopened.
She’s additionally stated she personally signed off on overruling SCI’s advice to fireplace Graham.
SCI spokesperson Anna Corea stated the unbiased DOE watchdog was “conscious of those new allegations and can deal with them accordingly” and “stand by the findings in our earlier investigation.”
Metropolis Corridor didn’t reply to a request for remark.
