By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — An MTA signal inspector on the No. 7 line reported phony test results on three occasions in log books kept at the Times Square subway station, prosecutors said in court Thursday.
Ilya Klyauzov, 57, pleaded not guilty to tampering with public records and official misconduct for allegedly falsifying reports about tests on the train line. Klyauzov, who worked for the MTA for nine years, was released without bail.
Prosecutors said he falsified the records "to save himself from necessary work."
He allegedly kept a signal recording device he was not supposed to have in his work locker, although it is unclear how he allegedly fabricated results.
"Crimes like these can lead to delays in service, or far worse," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement.
Klyauzov argued he was a scapegoat of the agency's and he was always a good, honest employee.
"I am the best I've never made any mistakes. All the time I was working hard," Klyauzov said.
His lawyer, Arthur Schwartz, said there are others at the MTA to blame.
"It's in the spirit of blaming public employees for the ills of society," Schwartz said.
Klyauzov's arrest is part of a larger investigation and charges against others are likely, authorities said.
He is due back in court in May and faces up to 7 years in prison if convicted.
