A biologist working for the DEC is accused of drinking for hours at a time while on the clock, wasting thousands and thousands of taxpayer dollars. Innae Park has the details.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- The New York State Comptroller's Office says Christopher Keim, 43, defrauded taxpayers of thousands and thousands of dollars, all over regular trips to a local bar. However, he was logging normal work hours while allegedly drinking alcohol.

Mark Johnson, spokesman for Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, said, “Based on his average salary and calculations, we came up with about $38,500 in salary and fringe benefits that it cost New York State taxpayers.”

Investigators say Keim admitted to going to the Albany Pump Station in Quackenbush Square a couple of times a week, sometimes for hours at a time, in a span of almost two years. As part of the investigation, they also obtained his bar tabs there, which confirmed the dates and times of his excursions and the fact that he was indeed, purchasing alcohol.

The wildlife biologist was part of the DEC's Natural Resources Damage Unit since 2007. Investigators believe Keim started skipping out on work a year later, after receiving a tip from a witness, leading them to review his timesheets.

“This has happened at a time when many state employees were concerned about keeping their jobs, and at the same time, the individual took advantage of his position and the trust of his supervisor and employers, to cheat state taxpayers,” said Johnson. “We have made no determination about whether he was sober or not when he went back to work, and we'd have to direct questions to the DEC to answer those.”

Keim has been charged with grand larceny, defrauding the government and offering a false instrument for filing. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison.

We reached out to Keim, but he was unavailable for comment.