Skim scam by NYPD

A NYPD employee spent two years stealing money from his Manhattan precinct at $10 a clip — and his scam netted him more than $16,000 before anyone figured it out, sources said yesterday.

Todd Barnes, 52, who worked at the 13th Precinct in Gramercy Park, collected $10 money orders made out to the NYPD by civilians seeking copies of accident reports.

Barnes took the money orders, scratched out the NYPD's name from the "payee" line and wrote in his own name before cashing them, police said.

Investigators busted Barnes Tuesday after a sting operation.

Cops said Barnes perpetrated this fraud over a thousand times, raking in a total of $16,430 over the course of 25 months.

William Rodriguez of York Street Check Cashers, told cops from the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau that Barnes had been cashing $10 money orders at his Brooklyn shop for more than two years, according to court records.

After reviewing records, he determined that Barnes had cashed more than $16,000 in $10 money orders.

Rodriguez told cops that more than 25 of the documents listed NYPD, Police Department City of New York and/or New York City Police Department as the payee. 

Barnes, a senior police administrative aide making $40,000, also altered the purchaser information on many of the money orders, according to officials.

Rodriguez told cops that he suspected something was wrong when he saw the altered documents.

But Barnes told him that he worked for the NYPD and that was how he got paid for extra work. 

Rodriguez could not be reached for comment.

When Barnes accepted money orders for the department, he was required to fill out receipts.

But the jig was up earlier this month when Barnes went to York Street and cashed $10 money orders from two undercover officers and did not file receipts.

Barnes was arrested and charged with grand larceny, forgery and falsifying business records.

He is being held on a $30,000 bond.

Cops did not say why it took so long to uncover the scam.

"Investigators documented through integrity tests that money orders were being misappropriated, and the suspect was observed cashing them at a commercial check-cashing location," said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

Cops said Barnes admitted the scam.