Four consultants to the city’s problem-plagued payroll system were busted today on charges of ripping off more than $80 million in an elaborate fraud and kickback scheme.

The wife and mother of alleged ringleader Mark Mazer — who has been paid $4.4 million to help oversee the costly CityTime project — were also accused of helping launder proceeds of the five-year flimflam.

According to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Mazer steered more than $76 million worth of bogus contracts to firms run by Dmitry Aronshtein, who is believed to be a relative, and Victor Natanzon.

To cover up the fraud, the three of them, along with co-defendant Scott Berger, allegedly cooked up phony timesheets intended to justify the spending.

Aronshtein and Natanzon then kicked back more than $24.5 million to a series of shell companies controlled by Mazer’s wife, Svetlana, and his mother, Larisa Medzon, the complaint says.

The Mazers allegedly used more than $3 million of their crooked cash to buy and renovate two homes, and also splurged on six late-model cars over the past two years.

Department of Investigations Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn — whose office uncovered the massive scam — called it a shame that “supposed experts hired and paid well to protect the city’s interests were exposed as the fox guarding the hen house.”

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara noted the irony of how “a project intended to prevent payroll waste, fraud, and abuse, was itself allegedly bilked in part by fraudulent timekeeping.”

Earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg called CityTime — which is supposed to save money by consolidating and automating municipal payroll processing — a “disaster.” The project was initially budgeted at $63 million when it was launched in 1998, but ballooning cost overruns have pushed its anticipated price tag to $722 million.

Meanwhile, only 35 percent of city workers are actually using it.

Mark Mazer, Aronshtein, Natazon and Berger each face 20 years in the slammer if convicted of wire fraud conspiracy.

In addition, everyone but Berger is charged with money laundering conspiracy, which also carries a maximum 20-year sentence.

All six defendants are expected in Manhattan federal court later today.

(Source: NY Post)