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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Erin Duggan |
DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES WELFARE FRAUD CHARGES |
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| Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the arrests and filing of criminal complaints against 11 individuals for stealing nearly $150,000 from, and for falsifying applications submitted to, the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) for the receipt of Medicaid Benefits [1]. Four of the defendants are also charged with filing false tax returns over a 3-year period. All 11 defendants have prior arrests for selling counterfeit goods in Lower Manhattan “The defendants took advantage of the public assistance system, by stealing money intended to help individuals and families struggling in this economic downturn,” said District Attorney Vance. “In addition to victimizing the taxpayers of the City and State of New York, the counterfeiting done by these defendants hurts legitimate manufacturers and those they employ. I want to thank the New York City Police Department, the HRA, and the City and State Tax Departments for their help in this investigation.” According to the criminal complaints, YUN SUE HUANG, CUN LIANG LIN, XING YUN HU, CHOI MUI HA, YUN LIU JIN, CHUN FEI CHEN, YUN LING HUANG, LING DI GAO, SHENG LI WENG, XIULIAN WANG, and WEI BI ZOU sold counterfeit handbags, wallets, and other items for cash out of vans and storefronts in Chinatown. The defendants did not have vendors’ licenses to sell the goods. As specified in the complaints, records maintained by the HRA revealed that all of the defendants had been receiving Medicaid benefits. However, records also revealed that most of the defendants owned expensive and even multiple homes, possessed luxury vehicles, and had multiple bank accounts. A review of bank records by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance revealed that some of those defendants failed to accurately report their income for several tax years, instead reporting incomes low enough to entitle each of them to Earned Income Credit returns from approximately $1,700 to $2,300 during a 3-year period. New York City pays for Medicaid and Health Care Plus insurance benefits for City residents, but only for those with low income and few assets. For example, to qualify, a single adult must make less than $10,830 and possess assets worth less than $13,800. A couple with two children must have income under $33,075 and assets worth less than $26,130. District Attorney Vance thanked the NYPD Organized Crime Investigation Division-Trademark Infringement Unit, including Detective Myles Mahady and Detective Nelson Yu, and the NYPD Asset Forfeiture Unit. He also thanked the investigators at the New York City Human Resources Administration Bureau of Fraud Investigation; the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, including Auditor Mukaila Rabiu; and Allegiance Protection Group, Inc., a licensed and bonded private investigation and security firm, including James Ricaurte, Harry Cheng, and William Ryan. Assistant District Attorney Emanuel Weisgras, Trial Bureau 50 is handling the prosecution under the supervision of Public Assistance Fraud Unit Bureau Chief and Assistant District Attorney Marcy Chelmow. Also assisting in the investigation were: Executive Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the Investigation Division Adam Kaufmann; Trial Bureau 50 Bureau Chief and Assistant District Attorney Warren Murray; Unit Chief of the Money Laundering and Tax Crimes Unit and Assistant District Attorney Gilda Mariani and Assistant District Attorney Seth Blumenthal of the Money Laundering and Tax Crimes Unit; Unit Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Unit and Assistant District Attorney Tara Christie Miner; Chief of Financial Crimes Frank Puma, and Principal Account Investigator Michael Vecchio. HRA serves more than 3 million New Yorkers through essential and diverse programs and services that include: temporary cash assistance, public health insurance, food stamps, home care for seniors and the disabled, child care, adult protective services, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS support services and child support enforcement. Yun Sue Huang Cun Liang Lin: Charges:
Xing Yun Hu Cail Mei Xia, a.k.a. Choi Mui Ha Yun Liu Jin Chun Fei Chen Sheng Li Weng Xiulian Wang Charges:
Yun Ling Huang Ling Di Gao Charges:
Wei Bi Zou: Charges:
A class C felony is punishable by up to 5 to 15 years in prison, a class D felony is punishable by 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison, and a class E felony is punishable by up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. [1] The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### Additional news available at: www.manhattanda.org |
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