The head of the biggest private, for-profit ambulance service in the city’s 911 system lied to get his company’s operating license and his personal Emergency Medical Technician license, the state Health Department is charging.
The multiple administrative charges could jeopardize the licenses of Steve Zakheim, who runs MetroCare.
The company handles ambulance services for three hospitals in the city.
A Health Department spokeswoman did not reveal the specifics of the charges, but the union representing city EMTs, which is fighting privatization of ambulances, has accused Zakheim of hiding a 1983 misdemeanor sexual-abuse conviction from state authorities.
“This investigation . . . is a red herring dragged out by the union to try to derail the improvement of the delivery of emergency medical services,” Zakheim’s lawyer, Bob Dinerstein, said.
A hearing on the charges is planned for July 20.