OASAS Revokes Griffin's Credential

Raymond Griffin, the court-appointed substance abuse evaluator who played a pivotal role in the Westchester Family Court proceedings, was investigated and disciplined by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) for a pattern of professional misconduct. Despite being appointed to evaluate the father (the victim of poisoning), Griffin's license was revoked, forcing courts to seek new evaluators and raising serious questions about the integrity of the expert evaluations used in custody determinations.

In July 2019, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) launched an investigation into Griffin after complaints were filed. The probe revealed a staggering pattern of misconduct. Within months, OASAS revoked Griffin's license as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), forcing courts across Westchester to scramble for new evaluators.

The violations cited by OASAS included:

• Engaging in prohibited private practice using his CASAC title
• Grossly negligent handling of toxicology testing
• Failure to protect confidential patient information
• Inaccurate documentation
• Disregard for patient welfare, conduct outside the scope of a CASAC
• Unauthorized practice of medicine or misrepresenting himself as a medical doctor
• Fraudulent renewal of his CASAC license by using falsified documents
• Exploiting patients by charging for unauthorized services

On October 5, 2020, the Journal News (lohud.com) published an investigative report by Jonathan Bandler revealing that Griffin had also been working as an alcohol and drug counselor in Connecticut since 1998, and that Connecticut's Department of Public Health had reached out to OASAS about Griffin in November 2019 and was conducting its own investigation.

A spokesman for New York's court system confirmed that judges had stopped using Griffin for evaluations in July 2019, but cited only a "handful" of cases Griffin handled in Family Court and said it would be "too burdensome" to review all cases for any involvement by Griffin.

Griffin listed himself on multiple professional directories as "Dr. Raymond Griffin, PHD" and "Griffin Raymond A MD" — misrepresenting his credentials to courts, patients, and the public. His office at 5 Waller Avenue in White Plains was described as a "self-service drug-testing lab" where the integrity of urine samples was compromised.

Griffin's revocation of credentials represents a critical failure in the judicial system's reliance on expert evaluators. Despite being the appointed substance abuse evaluator in the custody case, Griffin's fundamental unsuitability for the role was exposed by state authorities. His license revocation raises serious questions about:

• The reliability of his evaluation and recommendations in the father's case
• Whether his misconduct influenced custody determinations
• The adequacy of judicial oversight of court-appointed experts
• Whether other cases Griffin handled require review