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06
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES, NEW YORK CITY HUMAN RESOURCES
ADMINISTRATION COMMISSIONER ROBERT DOAR, AND NEW YORK CITY
DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION COMMISSIONER ROSE GILL HEARN
ANNOUNCE 32 INDICTMENTS AGAINST WELFARE CHEATS
DEFENDANTS STOLE $1
MILLION IN BENEFITS
Brooklyn, April 27, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, New York
City Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar
and New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner
Rose Gill Hearn today announced the indictment of 32 people
– including business owners, landlords, and real estate
developers – charged in separate cases with stealing close
to $933,500 in welfare benefits from the city of New York.
“The city’s Human Resources
Administration is not there for the personal enrichment of
financially secure families who would rather not pay for
their own health insurance or groceries, and it is certainly
not designed to help drug dealers obtain cheap narcotics,”
said District Attorney Hynes. “All these scams and schemes
significantly reduce the available funds for those who
actually need public assistance. I would like to thank
Commissioner Gill Hearn and Commissioner Doar for their help
and hard work in investigating these cases.”
“HRA is committed to
protecting the integrity of the benefits that we
administer,” said HRA Commissioner Doar. “Those who conceal
information to obtain benefits for which they are not
eligible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.”
DOI Commissioner Rose Gill
Hearn said, “We cannot afford to waste public money on
unscrupulous individuals who conceal substantial assets and
income to obtain public assistance. They should know that
City investigators and prosecutors are zeroed in and
determined to root out these abuses. DOI welcomes this
opportunity to stand with District Attorney Hynes and
Commissioner Doar and their staffs in our joint commitment
to this effort.”
The largest theft is charged
to Liz Sobeida, 37, who collected $460,000 in Medicaid
benefits for herself and her two children, between 2004 and
2009. Sobeida is charged with claiming to be a single mother
on assistance applications, when in fact, her husband, with
whom she lived, was employed as a technician at a Cadillac
dealership – earning $70,000 in 2009 – and she worked at
Brooks Brothers.
Another defendant, Marlowe
Gershenson, 35, is charged with collecting $63,000 in
Medicaid benefits, over the course of six years, despite the
fact that her husband, with whom she lives and owns
property, owns a clothing wholesale manufacturing company –
AV Denim – and a real estate business, MDK Leasing. At one
point in 2007, her husband’s checking account had a balance
of over $110,000, and on an automobile loan application –
she owns a Bentley Coupe and a Land Rover SUV – she claimed
annual earnings of $500,000, according to the indictment.
Ariel, 31, and Joyce Soudry,
28, are charged with stealing $59,000 in Medicaid benefits
over five years, while their bank balance exceeded $2.2
million. The couple’s real estate companies own and manage
rental properties and develop condominiums in Long Branch,
NJ and in Brooklyn. They currently make payments on three
luxury cars, including one Mercedes.
Shawana Kennedy, AKA Shawana
Wade, 33, is charged with stealing $55,000 in Medicaid and
Food Stamp assistance during a five-year period. On
applications she claimed to be a single mother, when in
fact, she lives with her husband, the father of her
children, who works for the city Sanitation Department.
The District Attorney’s
Public Assistance Crimes Unit recently secured a felony
conviction, for Attempted Criminal Possession of a Forged
Instrument in the Second Degree and Criminal Use of a Public
Benefit Card, against a defendant who sold the use of his
benefits card for $10, so it could fill a forged
prescription for a controlled substance. He faces two to
four years, when he is sentenced May 11.
Also charged in the cases
announced today are 11 defendants who either forged drug
prescriptions or allowed others to use the defendants’
Medicaid cards to bill Medicaid for forged prescriptions
totaling $13,000.
Of the 32 cases announced
today, nine defendants live in Nassau County, Westchester
County or New Jersey, but are charged with using fake
addresses on Medicaid applications, to claim they lived in
Brooklyn and steal approximately $182,000 in benefits.
The cases are being
prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Frank Dudis,
Chin-Ho Cheng, John Vourderis and Sabrina Thanse. Lauren
Mack is Chief of the Public Assistance Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
05
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES HONORS TWO VETERINARIANS WITH
“MAKING A DIFFERENCE” AWARDS FOR THEIR ROLES IN FIGHTING
ANIMAL CRUELTY
Brooklyn,
April 23, 2010 – Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today honored two
veterinarians with “Making a Difference” Awards for their
roles in the recognition and treatment of victims of animal
cruelty. District Attorney Hynes presented certificates to
Dr. Robert Reisman from the ASPCA (American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and Dr. Brett Levitzke,
the Founder and Medical Director of VERG (Veterinary
Emergency Referral Group).
The veterinarians were recognized for their
contributions to the investigation of animal cruelty and
forensic support that allows these cases to be effectively
brought and successfully prosecuted. The Award is presented
each year to those who have made a significant contribution
to the battle against animal cruelty and fighting.
District Attorney Hynes said, “My office
aggressively investigates and prosecutes the crimes of
animal neglect, fighting and cruelty. We seek jail time for
every defendant convicted of felony animal cruelty or
fighting. Research shows that animal cruelty can be part of
domestic violence and is a precursor to violence against
others. Children who are cruel to animals may be victims of
abuse, bullying or neglect themselves. Brooklyn has many
unique programs, and animal cruelty cases are handled in
traditional criminal courtrooms as well as a full service
family/criminal court, the Red Hook Community Court and our
Mental Health Court. My office also works to prevent animal
cruelty through our training programs and project Legal
Lives in Brooklyn classrooms. It is important to recognize
outstanding individuals such as Dr. Reisman and Dr. Levitzke
who play such a significant role in keeping animals safe and
healthy.”
The District Attorney’s Office handles cases of
animal cruelty, fighting and neglect each year. Just last
year, the District Attorney’s Office indicted two teens for
torturing and killing a cat by lighting it on fire. Both
VERG and the ASPCA assisted in the prosecution of Dudley
Ramsay, who was convicted last month for beating his
dachshund puppy to death.
“Dr. Reisman’s
expertise and dedication is unparalleled. He makes an
extraordinary difference in every case he handles,” said
Stacy Wolf, Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel of Humane
Law Enforcement at the ASPCA. “He consistently works to
mitigate the problem of animal abuse and neglect within the
community and is an asset to the ASPCA Bergh Memorial
Hospital staff.”
As the ASPCA’s Humane Law
Enforcement program has expanded, Dr. Reisman has served as
an invaluable support to the animals under his care,
receiving many distinctions for his dedication, including
the ASPCA’s Angel Award, the 2008 Veterinarian of the Year
from the Veterinary Medical Association of New York City,
and the Maxwell Award from the Dog Writer’s Association of
America. He has been on the executive board of the
Veterinary Medical Association of New York City for ten
years and in 2007 was Association President.
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA®
(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals®) is the first humane organization established in
the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for
animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s
mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of
cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501
[c] [3] not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national
leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and
animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in
New York City, offers a wide range of programs,
including a mobile
clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement
team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and
mobile animal CSI unit.
VERG was founded by Dr. Levitzke in 2005 as a
multi-disciplinary referral-only hospital, located in Cobble
Hill. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and
have an Emergency/Critical Care Unit where no referral is
needed.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
04
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES, NEW YORK STATE RESTAURANT
ASSOCIATION DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS ANDREW RIGIE AND
COUNCILWOMAN LETITIA JAMES ANNOUNCE “SAFE DELIVERY PROGRAM”
TO STOP ATTACKS ON RESTAURANT DELIVERY WORKERS
NOISEMAKERS WILL SOUND
ALARM
Brooklyn, April 21, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, New York
State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) Director of Operations
Andrew Rigie and Councilwoman Letitia James today announced
the creation of the “Safe Delivery Program” designed to
protect restaurant delivery workers as they go about their
business. The pilot program will begin with restaurants in
Councilwoman James’ 35th District which consists
of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and parts of Crown Heights and
Prospect Heights, where there have been an alarming number
of incidents where delivery people have been assaulted and
robbed. Due to the attacks on delivery workers, some
restaurants have suspended their takeout service because it
is too dangerous. The plan is to expand the program
state-wide.
Several deliverymen who have
been victimized attended the press conference announcing the
pilot program including Assami Semde, the 19-year old pizza
deliveryman who fended off a gunman in East Harlem a few
weeks ago who was trying to rob him of his pizza pies. He
was accompanied by Frank Grecco, his boss and owner of
Famous Famiglia Pizza.
District Attorney Hynes said,
“Delivery men and women are put in dangerous situations as
they are sometimes called to areas that are not well-lit or
asked to make deliveries at late hours, they carry money,
and they are alone. Predators have assaulted these workers
and tried to rob them of their food and money. One
advantage of these noisemakers is that it will distract
offenders long enough that these innocent victims will be
able to flee or at least notify police.”
The “Safe Delivery Program”
will equip delivery people with patches for their hats,
coats or bicycles so that the public is aware that these
employees are part of the program. In addition, the NYSRA
will provide delivery workers with cell phones with a
built-in GPS system. The phones will be programmed to call
911 in case of an emergency. They will also carry a
noisemaker which is an alarm worn on the wrist with a
flashlight. When the noisemaker is activated, it emits a
loud, piercing sound of 130 decibels. In addition,
participating restaurants will have stickers in their
windows, informing people that they are participants in the
program.
According to the Myrtle
Avenue BID Association, approximately 10% of their member
restaurants in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have reported
that their delivery workers have been assaulted in the
past. However, it is believed that there are more
occurrences as these crimes often go unreported. There is
currently no system in place to document it.
NYSRA Director of Operations
Andrew Rigie said, “Restaurant
delivery service is quintessential to New York City and is
part of our culture. The recent reports of assaults on
delivery men and woman are a concern for all the members of
the communities where these attacks occur. The Safe
Delivery program will help ensure the safety of these
individuals and allow restaurants to deliver delicious meals
to people’s homes.”
Councilwoman Letitia James
said, “There have been repeated instances where restaurant
delivery people in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have been
threatened and/or robbed. I have always sought innovative
solutions to public safety issues and this Safe Delivery
Program is the latest collaboration. I am pleased that we
have been able to partner with District Attorney Hynes and
the New York State Restaurant Association in developing this
pilot program so restaurant delivery workers can be safer
when working.”
The New York State Restaurant
Association serves to protect, promote and educate their
members to better serve the public and serve as a
“legislative watchdog” on federal state and municipal
levels. They have over 8,000 member units statewide which
include caterers, college and university food service
providers, contract feeders, country clubs, franchised
restaurants, independent restaurants, purveyors and
post-secondary students majoring in food service/hospitality
management.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
03
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES HOSTS FIRST ANNUAL BROOKLYN CRIME
VICTIMS’ RIGHTS “VOICE-OUT”
WORLD PREMIER OF A SONG
COMPOSED WITH CRIME VICTIMS’ OWN WORDS PERFORMED BY
LAGUARDIA ARTS CHORUS
EVENT CORRESPONDED WITH
NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS WEEK
Brooklyn, April
20, 2010 – Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, in partnership
with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the
Brooklyn Community Pride Center, today hosted the First
Annual Brooklyn Crime Victims’ Rights Voice-Out (Victims on
the Impact of Crime Event) at Brooklyn Borough Hall. The
event, which took place during National Crime Victims’
Rights Week, recognized the strength and celebrated the
voices of those citizens of Brooklyn who have been the
victims of violent crime.
The event began with an Information Fair, in the
Borough Hall courtyard, where agencies that serve crime
victims answered questions and provided information on their
services. Following the Fair, Brooklyn Borough President
Marty Markowitz provided welcoming remarks, victims of
violent crimes gave testimonials and shared stories of their
experiences. District Attorney Hynes made the keynote
address.
Capping off the night was the world premier
performance of They Are Here, composed by Steven Fisher. The
lyrics were inspired by and drawn directly from “victim
impact statements” made by violent-crime victims at their
attackers’ sentencings. It was performed by the chorus from
the Fiorello H. Laguardia High Schoool of Music & Art and
Performing Arts, or Laguardia Arts.
National Crime Victims’ Rights week originated
in 1981 and is a program of the US Department of Justice’s
Office of Justice Programs.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
02
KINGS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES
INDICTMENTS IN FOUR-YEAR,
$2 MILLION MORTGAGE FRAUD AND IDENTITY THEFT
RING
“FLIPPED” BUILDING FOUR TIMES
CRIME
REPORTED THROUGH DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S ACTION CENTER
Brooklyn, April 20, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced an 82-count indictment against seven people
charged with buying and selling the same house four
times over four years, stealing one woman’s identity,
and securing four mortgages worth $2 million.
“Mortgage fraud is
extremely damaging to its victims and our communities,”
said District Attorney Hynes. “Victims’ credit histories
get ruined by mortgage fraud, banks lose millions of
dollars, and property values can be artificially
inflated, even while those buildings stand vacant and
neighborhoods are destroyed due to foreclosures. I would
like to acknowledge US Senator Charles Schumer, who
secured a grant that allowed my office to create the
Mortgage Fraud Unit, which investigated and is
prosecuting this case.”
The defendants are charged
with conspiring to fraudulently buy and sell 698A DeKalb
Ave. as many as five times, between 2005 and 2009. They
first purchased the building, which was apparently
vacant since 1975, in 2005, using a straw buyer, whom
they helped to get a loan, using falsified information,
according to the indictment. That purchase was for
$600,000, and the mortgage was for $544,000. The
indictment also charges that in 2006 the ring arranged
for the building to be sold to a different straw buyer,
for $715,000. With two mortgages equaling the full sale
price, the defendants were able to pay off the first the
mortgage and profit $102,000, according to the
indictment.
The ring eventually
stopped making mortgage payments, and in 2007,
foreclosure proceedings had begun. The indictment
charges that on Feb. 14, 2008, the defendants convinced
the banks holding the mortgages to accept $524,000 to
settle the debt – approximately $200,000 less than they
were owed. On the same day, according to the indictment,
the ring sold the property to yet another straw buyer –
this one using a stolen identity – who had obtained a
$675,000 mortgage, allowing the defendants to reap a
profit of $151,000 in a single day.
In 2009, the
mortgage was in default, and the defendants were
negotiating with the bank for another fraudulent sale,
when the scheme was discovered by the Brooklyn District
Attorney’s Office and stopped.
The scam came
to light when a Brooklyn resident learned a mortgage
company believed she had defaulted on a $675,000
mortgage. Having never applied for, nor accepted, the
loan, she contacted the Brooklyn District Attorney’s
Action Center, to report that her identity had been
stolen. The case was investigated by the Mortgage Fraud
Unit of the Rackets Division.
The defendants, Ralph
Pecorale, a lawyer; mortgage brokers Thomas Debonis,
Leonard Sudler and Richard Sudler; Marco Ramos, who
recruited a straw buyer; Sophia Welsh; and Yves Mathieu,
are charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a
Class-C Felony; Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a
Class-E Felony; and other charges. They face up to 15
years in prison, if convicted.
The indictment charges
that Pecorale represented the banks in all four
transactions and made the scheme work by misleading them
into making the loans. Debonis, Leonard Sudler and
Richard Sudler are mortgage brokers charged with putting
together the fraudulent deals. Ramos is charged with
recruiting a straw buyer and creating a fake employment
record for him. Welsh is charged with assisting in the
identity theft. Mathieu and two others, who have already
pleaded guilty, are charged with creating false
employment and financial documents to aid in the
identity theft and related mortgage application.
An indictment is an
accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s
guilt.
Victims who are not in
need of emergency care and attention can report their
crimes to the District Attorney’s Action Center, by
calling (718)250-2340.
Detective Investigator
Second Grade Michael Seminara and Financial Investigator
Vincent Verlezza investigated the case.
The case is being
prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Anna Rubin and
Bureau Chief Gavin Miles, both of the Mortgage Fraud
Unit. Richard Farrell is Chief of the Mortgage Fraud
Unit. Michael Vecchione is Chief of the Rackets
Division.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
01
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES A 32-YEAR SENTENCE FOR
BOROUGH PARK RABBI CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY ABUSING A
16-YEAR-OLD BOY
Brooklyn, April 12, 2010
– Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today
announced the sentencing of Baruch Lebovits, to
10-and-two-thirds to 32 years in prison for sexually abusing
a 16-year-old boy on eight occasions in 2004 and 2005.
On March 8, Lebovits was convicted of eight
counts of Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, a Class-E
Felony. Today he was sentenced to the maximum sentence on
each count, one-and-a-third to four years, to run
consecutively, for a total of 10-and-two-thirds to 32
years.
The victim knew Lebovits as a rabbi and
prominent businessman in the Borough Park community, where
they both lived.
Lebovits is also charged in two other cases of
sexual assaults on minors. Those cases are pending.
The case was prosecuted by Miss Gregory, First
Deputy Bureau Chief in the Sex Crimes Bureau. Rhonnie Jaus
is Chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Contact: Jonah
Bruno
(718) 250-2300
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