• 31
  • October
    2011

Four couples New Yorkers, living in multi-million dollar homes and driving luxury cars were arrested last week for allegedly defrauding Medicaid of tens of thousands of dollars.

Last Thursday, eight Staten Islanders were charged with welfare fraud, grand larceny and falsifying business records. All eight accepted Medicaid handouts -- despite the fact that they all led lavish lifestyles, living in luxury homes, driving high-end vehicles and owning pricey New York real estate.

Investigators said believe that one of the couples, in their late 50s/early 60s, received over $40,000 in Medicaid benefits the last three years -- despite the fact that they own a home valued at $1.4 million, collect $14,000 in monthly rent from a strip mall property and recently sold a Brooklyn restaurant for $700,000.

Another couple, believed to have defrauded the Medicaid system of $36,000 since 2006, received annual benefits despite reporting an annual income of $174,000 and owning over $3.1 million in real estate.

According to the district attorney's office, a third couple filed an application for Medicaid in 2008, claiming that they made $400 a week as a day laborers. In reality, both drove Mercedes-Benzes and had just put over $350,000 down on a $1 million home.

The fourth couple owned and ran a Brooklyn chiropractic clinic, lived in a half-a-million dollar home, drove expensive cars and still collected over $30,000 in healthcare benefits in the last three years.

It is unknown when the couples are scheduled to appear next in court.

Source: New York Post, "Four Staten Island couples busted in alleged Medicaid fraud scheme," 10/27/11.