The city Department of Education\u2019s independent watchdog was accused Wednesday of rigging an investigation into Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels over a shady contract he signed when he was a district superintendent. <\/p>\n
The Post previously reported that Samuels was probed by the Special Commissioner of Investigation <\/a>for signing a $180,000 no-bid contract with an unapproved vendor, Sean Kreyling, whose Kreyco company helps provide foreign language teachers to schools.<\/p>\n The 2023 contract, signed by Samuels when he was the District 3 superintendent on the Upper West Side, was doled out in chunks of $25,000 under two of Kreyling\u2019s companies \u2014 in an apparent attempt to avoid financial oversight from the city. <\/p>\n Sean Kreyling, whose Kreyco company helps provide foreign language teachers to schools, accused SCI of rigging an investigation. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n His deputy superintendent, Mariela Graham, signed a second contract for the same amount the following year.<\/p>\n SCI blamed Graham in a June 2025 report, recommending she be fired \u2014 but she was quietly tapped to a $225,571-a-year post at DOE under Samuels, a Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointee, The Post previously reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Kreyling \u2014 testifying during a City Council hearing on Wednesday \u2014 claimed SCI investigators ignored evidence allegedly implicating Samuels in order to shield him, and that the probe had \u201ca predetermined conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt had a narrative that it wanted to carry out from start to finish, protecting certain individuals, and ultimately it allowed me and my organization to be the scapegoats for the very poor decisions of Kamar Samuels,\u201d he charged.<\/p>\n Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels was previously grilled by City Council members about the shady contacts. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n Kreyling also claimed SCI excluded evidence from its final report tying Samuels directly to the eyebrow-raising billing arrangement.<\/p>\n \u201cI provided them with everything that they requested. They requested very few things,\u201d he said upon questioning by Queens Councilman Phil Wong.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I offered more, they declined,\u201d Kreyling added.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Wong said that a billing email detailing the invoice split was addressed to Graham but CC\u2019d Samuels \u2013and that \u201cSCI quoted that email in its final report, but removed the CC to Samuels.\u201d<\/p>\n