By: Jared Evan
The sudden and unexpected resignation of Anthony Capone, the CEO of the contentious New York migrant contractor DocGo, sent shockwaves through the corporate world and ignited a storm of controversy, NY Post reported.
Capone’s departure came on the heels of a damning revelation that he had allegedly fabricated details about his educational background, plunging DocGo into a whirlwind of uncertainty and skepticism.
The bombshell news was made public through a terse statement issued by the publicly traded company to the Securities Exchange and Commission (SEC) on a fateful Friday. It read, “On September 15, 2023, effective immediately, Anthony Capone resigned as the Chief Executive Officer of DocGo Inc. (the ‘Company’) and from all other positions with the Company due to personal reasons.”
However, the official statement left the public thirsting for more information, and it wasn’t long before the media got hold of the real reason behind Capone’s sudden departure. It all unraveled when the upstate Times Union newspaper published an expose, alleging that Capone had been less than truthful about his academic credentials.
In his professional biography and a prior SEC filing, Capone had proudly declared that he held a master’s degree in computer science from Clarkson University in St. Lawrence County. The SEC filing specifically stated, “Mr. Capone earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York College at Potsdam and his M.S. in computer science from Clarkson University.”
This educational background was a cornerstone of Capone’s reputation and was even used as a selling point to investors just the month before. He had claimed to have a graduate degree from Clarkson while discussing his company’s prospects in securing government contracts for services to migrants coming to New York from the southern border. According to the Times Union, Capone had boasted, “My graduate degree is in computational learning theory, which is a subset of artificial intelligence.”
However, the truth was far less illustrious. Clarkson University responded to the Times Union’s inquiry, stating unequivocally that Capone had never attended their institution nor earned any degree there. Capone himself eventually admitted that he did not possess a master’s degree, and the State University of New York College at Potsdam declined to confirm or deny whether he had received an undergraduate degree there.
When confronted by the Times Union, Capone attempted to downplay the deception, labeling it an “inaccuracy” that “should have been corrected.” He issued a public statement addressing the issue, saying, “I must clarify immediately: I do not have a master’s degree from Clarkson University, nor from any other institution.” He did, however, confess to having an undergraduate computer science degree with a focus on artificial intelligence from an accredited university. He accepted full responsibility for the misinformation and pledged to rectify it on all official documents and profiles.
The fallout from Capone’s falsehoods was swift and severe. DocGo, already embroiled in controversy over allegations of mistreatment and deception of migrants under a substantial $432 million no-bid contract from New York City, found itself under even greater scrutiny. The New York state Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul launched investigations into the company’s practices, responding to a deluge of complaints from migrants who claimed to have been misled and ill-treated by DocGo during their relocation upstate.
City Comptroller Brad Lander added to DocGo’s woes by rejecting their contract, citing the company’s lack of expertise beyond medical services. However, Mayor Eric Adams staunchly defended the controversial contract, brushing aside the comptroller’s objections.
