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02
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
CHARLES J. HYNES ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY
FATHER AND SON BEAT CAT TO DEATH
WITH STICK AND TOSSED HIM OUT ON THE STREET
Brooklyn, July 18, 2012 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes
today announced the indictment of Jean Rog Murat, 60, and
his son, Robenson Murat, 29, on charges of Aggravated
Cruelty to Animals and Overdriving, Torturing and Injuring
Animals and Failure to Provide Proper Sustenance for
Animals, for beating their cat to death with a stick and
then disposing of the dead cat on a street corner.
If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum of
two years in jail.
The indictment
alleges that on July 12, an eyewitness heard a noise coming
from Jean Murat’s house.
The eyewitness noticed Jean and Robenson Murat
hitting their black cat with a stick inside their home.
They then allegedly placed the cat inside a bag.
Afterward, Jean Murat tried to dispose of the dead
cat by taking him out of the bag and placing him on their
street corner, it is charged.
The next morning, Jean Murat allegedly placed the cat
inside a bag and tossed the cat into his garbage.
The eyewitness called
police. The
ASPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement department was notified and
retrieved the deceased cat on consent from Robenson Murat.
The officers obtained a search warrant on July 13.
The defendant’s home was searched and cat fibers,
blood and a broken stick were found in the attic.
Jean Murat was arrested on July 16.
Robenson Murat was arrested on July 18.
District Attorney
Hynes said, “Cruelty to animals is unacceptable behavior in
any society and is a serious crime in New York. It is often
a pre-cursor to domestic violence and is known to be early
evidence of potential serial killing.
There is no reason for such senseless killing of an
animal. The
defendant in this case will be prosecuted to the full extent
of the law.”
Stacy Wolf, vice
president and chief counsel of the ASPCA’s Humane Law
Enforcement department said, “This was a heinous act on an
innocent animal and a clear case of violent abuse.
We praise District Attorney Hynes for his commitment
to hold these perpetrators accountable for their cruel and
callous acts.”
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a
defendant’s guilt.
The case is being
prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ron Carny, Counsel
to the Trial Bureau Red Zone.
Deputy District Attorney Dianne Malone is Chief of
the Animal Cruelty Unit.
Contact:
Sandy Silverstein
(718) 250-2300
01
KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
CHARLES J. HYNES AND NYC HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION
COMMISSIONER ROBERT DOAR ANNOUNCE THE INDICTMENT OF A
HUSBAND AND WIFE WHO STOLE OVER
$100,000 IN FOOD
STAMPS AND MEDICAID BENEFITS OVER SIX YEARS
COUPLE USED ALIASES
TO HIDE PROPERTY, JEWELRY AND LUXURY CARS
Brooklyn,
July 23, 2012 –
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and Human
Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar today
announced the indictment of Rivka Baror, 51, and her husband
Avraham Baror, 64, for fraudulently collecting $108,715.57
in Medicaid and food-stamp benefits, from January 1, 2006
through June 30, 2012.
Charges against Mr. and Mrs. Baror include Welfare Fraud in
the Second Degree, Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, and
Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.
If convicted of the top count, the defendants face a
maximum of 15 years in prison.
According to the defendants’ welfare application
forms filed under the names Avraham Baror and Rivka Baror,
during this period, the couple had minimal income and no
assets, making them eligible to receive Medicaid and
food-stamp benefits. Investigators from HRA and the District
Attorney’s office uncovered documents showing the defendants
used aliases to maintain bank accounts and purchase
property, cars, and vacations.
District Attorney Hynes said, “These defendants
carried out an elaborate scheme using aliases to buy
property, travel, and live the high life for years, while
stealing benefits designed to help truly needy and deserving
individuals.
Anyone who intentionally conceals information to obtain
illegal benefits will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of
the law. I would like to thank Commissioner Doar and HRA for
their assistance in this investigation.”
According to the indictment, the couple claimed that
they rented their home at
1349 East 2nd Street in Brooklyn from the
landlord, Avraham Bachbuth for $1,100 a month. Avraham
Bachbuth was the alleged alias used by Avraham Baror.
According to property documents, Avraham Bachbuth purchased
the property in April 2004, along with Rivka Yedidia.
Yedidia is Mrs. Baror’s maiden name. Like her husband, Mrs.
Baror allegedly used the name as an alias.
The indictment also alleges the defendants had several bank
accounts under the names of Rivka Yedidia and Avraham
Bachbuth and made average monthly cash deposits of $4,400.
The couple had two safe deposit boxes at two separate
banks. One contained $72,700 and €1,500.
The other had jewelry and a foreign passport in
Avraham Baror’s name.
Credit card account statements showed
purchases at restaurants, movie theaters and stores
including The Home Depot, Ikea and Victoria’s Secret. The
investigation also uncovered NYS Department of Motor Vehicle
records for a 2006, 2007 and 2008 BMW as well as a 2007
Lexus registered to Rivka Yedidia.
“This case is an egregious example of individuals who abuse
New York City’s public benefit programs. It also
represents a good instance in which our Finger Imaging
System photos helped us weed out Food Stamp fraud,” said HRA
Commissioner Robert Doar. “Every fraudulent dollar spent in
this case, was a dollar taken away from New Yorkers truly in
need of Food Stamps and Medicaid and it will not be
tolerated. I would like to thank District Attorney Hynes and
his team for their continuing support in the fight against
public benefit fraud.”
HRA investigator Thomas Toth said he
uncovered the couple’s fraud after he met Rivka Yedidia at
the agency’s Manhattan office in 2010. He learned she
had been coming to the office since 2009, working on behalf
of individuals seeking HRA benefits. Yedidia would
help them with paperwork, interviews and eligibility issues.
After they met, Toth said Yedidia told him that she had paid
off the mortgage on her home with the proceeds she received
from a lawsuit.
Toth suspected Rivka Yedidia’s
knowledge of the Medicaid program could be based on her own
receipt of benefits. Toth found no records for welfare
benefit recipients named Rivka Yedidia. A subsequent search
of the records using the home address that Yedidia had given
him revealed that an individual by the name of Rivka Baror
lived there and had the same date of birth as Rivka Yedidia.
Investigator Toth confirmed that Rivka Yedidia was a
food-stamp and Medicaid benefit recipient under the name of
Rivka Baror.
Photos confirmed that the two individuals were in fact the
same person.
The defendants are expected to be
arraigned today at Kings County Supreme Court, Part 10, at
320 Jay Street.
An indictment is an accusatory
instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
The case was investigated by
Investigator Thomas Toth, of the Human Resources
Administration Bureau of Fraud Investigations, Supervising
Detective Investigator Clyde Augustine, and Detective
Investigator Efrain Alvarado, both from the District
Attorney’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by
Assistant District Attorney Joel Greenwald of the Public
Assistance Crimes Unit. Lauren Mack is the Chief of the
Public Assistance Crimes Unit.
Contact: Mia
Goldberg
(718) 250-2300
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