Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced the arrest of a Staten Island woman charged with stealing more than $135,000 in Section 8 rental subsidies administered by the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) over an eight-year period. The office of Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon is prosecuting the case.
MARIE RATTLER, 49, of Staten Island, N.Y., was charged by indictment with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony; Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony; five counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, all class E felonies; and two counts of Petit Larceny, class A misdemeanors. Upon conviction, a class C felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a class D felony by up to seven years in prison, a class E felony by up to four years in prison, and a class A misdemeanor by up to a year’s incarceration. RATTLER was arraigned in Richmond County Supreme Court and released on her own recognizance. Her next court date is November 16, 2023.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “As charged, this defendant concealed her household income and other information to illegally obtain more than $135,000 in public funds. I thank the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office for their partnership and commitment to protecting these precious public resources from fraud.”
Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said, “Those who use deceit to profit off the backs of taxpaying Staten Islanders by filing false documents and hoarding precious housing resources for themselves and their family members should be ashamed, and my office’s Economic Crimes Bureau, working hand in hand with the NYC Department of Investigation (DOI) and NYCHA, will do all we can to hold these lawbreakers accountable. We are grateful for our continued and successful partnership with DOI and NYCHA, and will diligently do all we can to ensure justice is secured in this case in the days and weeks ahead.”
According to the indictment and statements made in court, between March 2015 and April 2021, RATTLER caused NYCHA to make an overpayment of approximately $86,000 on her behalf by concealing the fact that her husband resided in her Section 8 apartment in Staten Island and failing to report his income. The investigation also found that in May 2021, RATTLER received a transfer to a second Section 8 apartment in Staten Island. Instead of moving into the apartment, RATTLER subleased it to a friend, and failed to report this to NYCHA, causing NYCHA to overpay rental subsidies of approximately $49,560 between May 2021 and May 2023. RATTLER is charged with illegally obtaining a total of approximately $135,560 in Section 8 subsidies between 2015 and 2023.
DOI Commissioner Strauber thanked the Office of Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon for their partnership on this investigation.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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