Four physicians from Lancaster Depew Pediatrics have agreed to pay a total of $50,000 and forfeit state pension credits as part of an ongoing investigation by the state attorney general's office.

The four doctors, who work for Lancaster Depew Pediatrics, were listed as "employees" of the Lancaster Central School District over a period from 1985 through 2006. The AG's office said they received employee benefits, such as health insurance and pension credits, that are ordinarily reserved for legitimate public employees. The physicians who agreed to the settlement were identified as: Dr. Michael Terranova, Dr. Mark Bezbatchenko, Dr. Elizabeth Davis and Dr. Michael Rabice.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's investigation has focused on local governments, school districts and the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES. The investigation, he said, is widening; his office also sent letters to school districts and other public employers across the state seeking information on and justification for the listing of 102 other physicians as payroll employees earning credits in the taxpayer-funded public pension system.