Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress - Tax the rich… explained 👗

 

Every day is a good day to talk about taxing the rich.

Whether the message is on a sweatshirt or something more formal , the facts are the same. Politicians spent the better part the last 40 years cutting taxes for the rich – expecting wealth to “trickle down” to the rest of us (spoiler alert: it doesn't).

In order to reshape our economy and make it work for all of us — not just those who can self-fund their trips to space — we absolutely must Tax the Rich. That’s why Alexandria has been pushing for higher taxes on the rich and large profitable corporations in the Build Back Better bill.

In case you get into a conversation today about what exactly we mean when we say “tax the rich,” here’s some more info to help you out:

So, why do we need to tax the rich?

• The super rich pay lower taxes than the poorest Americans. The United States has a regressive tax system in which the richest people actually pay lower effective tax rates across all levels of government than the poorest people in our country. Seems hard to believe, right? But it’s true.¹
  
  
• Taxes on the rich are much lower than they used to be. Check out this graph from The New York Times comparing rates from 1950 to 2018.²

  

• Two men — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — own more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans combined.³
  
  
• During the pandemic, U.S. billionaires saw their wealth go up 55% from $2.95 trillion to $4.56 trillion. Just the gains they made over the last year of this pandemic alone could pay for almost 70% of Biden’s jobs plan.⁴
  
  
• U.S. income inequality has returned to Gilded Age levels from the early 1900s. Our inequality levels are the highest of all G7 countries (UK, Italy, Japan, Canada, Germany, France).^5,6
  
  
• CEOs at large companies in the U.S. now make an astonishing 264 times what the average U.S. worker makes.⁷ In 1989, the ratio was 58-to-1, and in 1965, it was 20-to-1.⁸
  
  
• Polls show Americans don’t believe the rich pay their fair share, but Republicans keep lowering their taxes. Gallup polls as far back as 1992 have shown that the vast majority of Americans want to tax the rich more.⁹ Even then, Presidents Bush and Trump pushed through massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.

Are you fired up and ready to tax the rich?

Good — because we can’t win this fight without grassroots activism and organizing. If you know someone who might benefit from reading the facts above, please forward them this email. When the rich finally pay their fair share, we can have the funds to provide universal Pre-K, transition our economy off of fossil fuels, rebuild our crumbling schools, and so much more.

Thanks for continuing the conversation,

– Team AOC

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

 

40,017 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours  

28 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday   

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.  

"Wearing a mask, washing your hands, getting your vaccine - it's that easy to keep yourself and your community safe," Governor Hochul said. "If you haven't gotten your vaccine already, now is the best time to do so. It's safe, effective, free, and readily available anywhere across the great state of New York."

 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

·         Test Results Reported - 117,753
·         Total Positive - 4,098
·         Percent Positive - 3.48%·         7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.16%
·         Patient Hospitalization - 2,476 (+85)
·         Patients Newly Admitted - 296
·         Patients in ICU - 552 (+8)
·         Patients in ICU with Intubation - 279 (-3)
·         Total Discharges - 196,464 (+182)
·         New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 28
·         Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 44,005

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

·         Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 56,097

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

·         Total vaccine doses administered - 24,387,543
·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 40,017
·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 352,623
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 79.2%
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 71.5%
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 81.7%
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 73.4%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 66.9%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 60.2%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 69.2%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 61.8%

114 Day and Counting

 

Yeah I know Riker's Island is a mess, but I'm going to leave that to the next mayor to take care of. Good luck Eric. 

Broadway is open tonight, don't forget you must be vaccinated and wear a mask. We don't want people to catch or spread the COVID virus and its variants. 

All is well in our public schools. We didn't have to close any building, and the children seem to like going back to school so they can really learn something. Charlene how were your schools you visited? Charline? Charline? Her phone must be dead.

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION OPENS BROOKLYN BRIDGE PROTECTED BIKE LANE, PERMANENTLY TRANSFORMING ICONIC ROADWAY FOR CYCLISTS

 

Fulfilling State of the City promise, protected bike lane to replace one vehicular lane; existing promenade space given entirely to 10,000 daily pedestrians

 The de Blasio administration today cut the ribbon on a two-way protected bike lane along the Brooklyn Bridge. The bike lane, as originally proposed in the mayor’s State of the City address this year, repurposes one lane of vehicular traffic to accommodate the cycling boom that has seen thousands of New Yorkers choose healthier, greener, and more sustainable forms of transportation across the five boroughs. The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has turned the existing promenade, which has been shared by cyclists and pedestrians for decades, into a pedestrian-only space.  

This transformation is the first reconfiguration of the iconic bridge since trolley tracks were permanently removed in 1950.

 

“There’s no better sign that the cycling boom is here to stay than permanently redesigning the most iconic bridge in America,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This bike lane is more than just a safe, convenient option for thousands of daily cyclists. It’s a symbol of New York City fully embracing a sustainable future and striking a blow against car culture.”

 

“This is a historic moment as we work to get New Yorkers out of their cars and promote sustainable modes of transportation,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman. “Bridges for the People is a step in the right direction towards a safer and more sustainable transportation future that puts people first – and we look forward to implementing similar changes to the Queensboro Bridge this year. I want to thank Council Members Lander, Chin and Levin, and of course Speaker Johnson, for their steadfast support for this groundbreaking project.”  

 

Work on the bridge began in June and finished ahead of schedule this month. It included installing barrier segments, creating a new connecting bike path in Manhattan, including new traffic signal construction, adding protective fencing on the interior of the bridge, and implementing traffic changes to help avoid greater congestion in downtown. These changes create a safer and more seamless route along the bridge for cyclists and expand the dedicated space on the bridge’s promenade for pedestrians.

 

Bike crossings reached up to over 60,000 in the month prior to construction, while pedestrians have numbered more than 10,000 per day in recent years. 

 

“This transformative change on New York’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge is a major step towards making our city more livable and sustainable,” said Ben Furnas, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability. “Creating a new high quality bike connection from Brooklyn to Manhattan and more space for pedestrians on the promenade above is a terrific example of how our fight against climate change can improve quality of life in the here and now. Congratulations to the Department of Transportation and all the New Yorkers who have been advocating for Bridges for the People.”

Attorney General James Calls on Congress to Prioritize Funding for Programs to Address Climate Crisis, Environmental Injustice

 

Coalition Urges Inclusion of Clean Energy, Air, Water, and Climate Change Initiatives in Reconciliation Bill

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 20 state attorneys general in urging Congress to respond to the climate crisis and advance environmental justice by funding critical programs in budget reconciliation legislation. In a letter to the chairs of numerous House and Senate committees, the coalition calls on Congress to pass infrastructure legislation and to allocate funding in the upcoming reconciliation bill that addresses the rapid transition to a clean energy economy, climate change, and the environmental injustices faced by low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and indigenous communities. The coalition urges Congress to fund actions that will substantially cut greenhouse gases — thereby preventing more dire climate change harms — and confront long standing environmental injustice.  

“People throughout the state and the country have long faced critical threats to their health and safety from climate change, but low-income families, indigenous people, and communities of color have endured the greatest suffering,” said Attorney General James. “New York has taken great strides in combatting the threats of environmental injustice that have plagued our communities, but the federal government must now take immediate action to support Americans in every corner of the nation. Today, I urge our Congress to deliver the necessary funding to respond to the rapidly growing climate crisis, and ensure the health and safety of our most vulnerable communities.”

All Americans deserve an equal right to clean air, clean water, and a safe and healthy environment. However, low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and indigenous communities are too often denied these rights, enduring disproportionate burdens of pollution, climate change, or other serious health and environmental harms. Those harms are only becoming more severe, as witnessed by the catastrophic storms and wildfires experienced this summer. The coalition argues that Congress should address the climate emergency by prioritizing investments in the following specific areas that — while broadly beneficial to improving the lives of all Americans — are critical steps in ending the legacy of inequity that afflicts marginalized and underserved communities:

• Ensure substantial additional funding to reduce climate change pollution at its source and foster climate resilience;
• Improve critical quality water and drinking water services, including providing adequate funding to ensure that all lead service lines are replaced;
• Invest in air quality monitoring in at-risk communities;
• Address methane pollution;
• Increase access to and investment in clean energy, including enacting the proposed Clean Energy Payment Program;
• Fund energy efficiency programs for schools and affordable housing and reduce the need for higher-polluting “peaker” power plants;
• Accelerate the electrification of transportation and goods movement, including increased funding for zero-emission schools and metro buses; and
• Support programs that advance workforce development and pollution reduction and improve the health of our communities.

Additionally, the coalition contends that in order for the Biden Administration to deliver on its Justice40 promise, Congress must ensure that 40 percent of improvements funded by the budget reconciliation bill benefit disadvantaged communities. 

The climate crisis is having devastating impacts on New Yorkers. For example, the remnants of Hurricane Ida recently brought ferocious winds, dangerous tornados, and record-intensity rain and flash floods. The storm caused an estimated $50 million in damages in the state and a death toll of 45 in the New York area. In New York City, 1.3 million people are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change by virtue of living in or adjacent to flood plains, with more than half identifying as non-White and living in low-income areas.

This letter is the latest action that Attorney General James is taking to end the scourge of environmental injustice in communities of color. Attorney General James is continuing to pursue legal actions across the state of childhood lead poisoning by holding accountable landlords that allow lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in their low-income rental properties. 

Governor Hochul Announces Major Progress in Providing Pandemic Relief to New Yorkers

 

New York State Now Ranked First Nationally in Payments Made or Obligated, with More Than $1.2 Billion

$125 Million in New State Funding Designated for Renters Previously Ineligible for Assistance Will Be Available Through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Beginning September 15

Over $1.05 Billion in Excluded Workers Program Funds Approved for Distribution to Date; $550 Million Will Have Been Released by the End of the Week, Additional $500 Million Undergoing Final Verification

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced significant progress in providing pandemic relief to New Yorkers through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the Excluded Workers Program. The amount of pandemic-related emergency rental assistance paid out has nearly doubled in the past three weeks — growing to $399 million — enabling tenants at risk for eviction to stay in their homes and helping struggling landlords to recoup unpaid rent. Beginning Wednesday, September 15, middle-income renters previously ineligible for assistance can begin applying for $125 million in state funding through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Additionally, while some is undergoing final verification, Governor Hochul announced that over $1.05 billion in Excluded Workers Program funds have been approved for distribution to date.

"When I was sworn in as Governor just three weeks ago today, I made it clear that my top priority was to accelerate getting relief money out the door as quickly as possible to New Yorkers struggling from the economic devastation of the pandemic," Governor Hochul said. "While we are ramping up those efforts, our work still isn't done. We will continue to provide critical assistance to excluded workers, pandemic-affected households that have fallen behind on their rent, and the landlords who saw their rental income drop significantly during the global health crisis."

Governor Hochul has made providing relief to New Yorkers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly and efficiently as possible a top priority of her administration. Since her first day in office, the Governor has taken several steps to ramp up the state's pandemic relief efforts, including creating the new Office of Pandemic Relief, enacting changes to accelerate the state's rent relief program and attract more applicants, and visiting New Yorkers in hurricane damaged areas to help ensure they were being connected with and receiving the help they need.

Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Governor Hochul took office in late August with a focus on ERAP and announced a series of actions, including reassigning 100 contracted staff to work solely with landlords to complete pending applications, to accelerate the process. Since then, the number of payments issued has grown from 15,548 payments totaling $203 million to landlords, to 30,781 payments totaling $399 million to landlords.

Beginning Wednesday, the state is accepting applications for rental assistance from households adversely impacted by the pandemic and earning between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income, a group that was previously ineligible to receive help from the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Under federal guidelines, only those households that were impacted by the pandemic and earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income were eligible for ERAP. Administered by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, this program is providing $2.6 billion in federal funding to pay up to 12 months arrears and three months of prospective rent directly to landlords, while providing approved tenants with up to a year of eviction protection, provided they continue to pay rent.

Area median income varies by county and by household size. Renters interested in applying for either federal or state assistance should visit otda.ny.gov/erap.

New York State is now ranked first nationally in payments made or obligated, with more than $1.2 billion, and is among the leaders in direct payments, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which tracks the state-by-state implementation of ERAP.  

New York has also far exceeded the threshold to avoid a 'claw back' of federal rental assistance funds and now qualifies to potentially receive funding allocated to other states that aren't distributing this assistance quickly enough. Beginning on September 30, the Treasury may recapture excess funds that have not been obligated and reallocate those resources to high-performing jurisdictions that have obligated at least 65 percent of their original allocation.

OTDA Commissioner Mike Hein said, "With additional funding from the state, New York's Emergency Rental Assistance Program is even more dynamic in the protections provided to tenants and the breadth of assistance afforded to landlords. With Governor Hochul's continued attention to this critical issue, we are now seeing the powerful impact this program is having throughout our state and demonstrating once again that New York is a leader nationally in addressing the most challenging economic and social issues we face amid the global health crisis."

Excluded Workers Fund Program

Governor Hochul has identified one of her top priorities as getting relief money out the door as quickly as possible to help New Yorkers struggling from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of these efforts, the Governor has worked to accelerate the distribution of Excluded Workers Program benefits. To date, the New York State Department of Labor has approved over $1.05 billion in Excluded Workers Program benefits for distribution. Of these benefits, $550 million will have been released by the end this week, and an additional $500 million is undergoing final verification for applicants identified as eligible, which is expected to be distributed in the next month. The program application launched on August 1, 2021, in 13 different languages, and to date, NYS DOL has received over 130,000 applications, over 75,000 of which have been found to be eligible thus far.

Approved applicants receive one of two benefit amounts based on the level of work eligibility documentation they provide in addition to verifying their identity and residence. Tier 1 qualifiers receive $15,600 and Tier 2 qualifiers receive $3,200. Of those approved to date, 99 percent have qualified for Tier 1 benefits. Approved applicants receive a one-time payment on a prepaid card mailed to the address provided in the application. Cards allow for cash withdrawal or purchases with merchants.

The Excluded Workers Fund was created to bring financial relief to thousands of workers across the state who lost income during the pandemic and did not qualify for government-issued COVID-19 benefits is in the final approval stages.

Applicants can apply online 24/7, and DOL's 600-person multi-lingual call center is available six days a week. The EWF application process utilizes state-of-the-art technology, including an EWF virtual assistant that can provide applicants with their application's status throughout the process. Applicants can also speak with a live representative or receive a callback in 24 to 48 hours. The application and an FAQ document are available in 13 different languages on the Department of Labor's EWF page.

Similar to unemployment insurance claims, the safeguards and fraud detection built into the thorough review process are designed to ensure that funds go to eligible applicants, not scammers.

DOL plans to make available a real-time dashboard that will provide the latest EWF program data in the coming weeks. In the meantime, DOL will post hourly updates of EWF program data to its website.

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "The Excluded Workers Fund is providing real relief to thousands of New Yorkers who played critical roles in our state's pandemic response, but did not qualify for state or federal unemployment benefits. I encourage all eligible individuals who lost wages or income during the pandemic to apply for this vital lifeline."

In early September, Governor Hochul signed into law a moratorium on COVID-related evictions through January 15, 2022. This legislation also established a new $250 million program to serve additional households and better support landlords. Through this program, $125 million in state funding is specifically earmarked for those households with an income too high to participate in the federally-funded ERAP.

Additionally, the legislation set aside $125 million in state funding to assist those landlords with tenants that either refuse to participate in the program or have vacated the apartment with arrears. Federal guidelines require that both tenant and landlord apply to the program, so the additional state funding will allow OTDA to post a separate application for landlords seeking this assistance sometime in early October.

New York's program does, however, allow for a tenant to be provisionally approved for assistance, while the other side of the application is pending, and a robust effort is undertaken to persuade the landlord to participate. If a landlord refuses to provide information needed to complete an application or refuses to accept the funds, the tenant is provided with a letter that can be shown in court in the event of eviction proceedings.  

Tenants approved for the program cannot be evicted because of an expired lease or for failure to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a landlord accepts a payment, the tenant cannot be evicted for not paying rent during the period covered or for an expired lease during the 12 months following this payment.

Governor Hochul continues to encourage New Yorkers struggling to pay back rent that accumulated during the pandemic to apply for the program. More than 200,000 applications for ERAP have already been received.

Ophthalmologist Pleads Guilty To Seven-Year Healthcare Fraud Scheme And To Defrauding SBA Program Intended To Help Small Businesses During COVID-19 Pandemic

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that AMEET GOYAL, an ophthalmologist in Rye, New York, pled guilty yesterday to perpetrating a seven-year healthcare fraud scheme by falsely billing for millions of dollars of procedures he did not perform, and also to fraudulently obtaining two Government-guaranteed loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic while facing charges on pretrial release for the healthcare fraud scheme.  GOYAL pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel to all charges in a six-count superseding Indictment.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Dr. Ameet Goyal was an experienced eye doctor who became blinded by greed and routinely defrauded patients who trusted him to heal their eyes.  He grossly overbilled minor ophthalmological procedures, billed for tests and procedures that were never performed, falsified medical records, attempted to corrupt others in his practice to abet the scheme, and sent patients who refused to pay his fraudulent charges to collections.  Already facing charges for defrauding patients and insurers of millions of dollars, Goyal committed a new fraud in applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans on behalf of two separate businesses and lying on the applications.  Goyal looted over $630,000 in federal funds earmarked for legitimate small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Goyal has now admitted to both fraudulent schemes, agreed to forfeit $3.6 million, and faces the possibility of a significant term of incarceration.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:

At all relevant times, GOYAL owned and operated the ophthalmology practice Ameet Goyal M.D. P.C., doing business as Rye Eye Associates, with offices in Rye, Mt. Kisco, and Wappingers Falls, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut (the “Practice”).  Between 2010 and 2017, GOYAL engaged in widespread healthcare fraud by consistently “upcoding” simpler, lower-paying surgical procedures and examinations as complex, higher-paying major operations in fraudulent billings submitted to Medicare, private insurance companies, and patients.  As a result, GOYAL fraudulently obtained at least $3.6 million in payments for procedures he did not perform.  As part of the scheme, GOYAL routinely falsified patient medical records, authoring fictitious templated operative reports that matched the complex operation he billed rather than the different minor procedure he actually performed.  GOYAL also pressured other employees in the Practice to engage in the scheme, and threatened the livelihood of employees who refused to comply.  GOYAL caused patients to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for fraudulently billed charges, and initiated debt collection proceedings against patients who did not pay the full amounts of those false charges.

For example, GOYAL and others at the Practice routinely treated patients for an excision of a chalazion, a small bump on an eyelid, typically removed in less than 15 minutes.  An excision of chalazion, when billed truthfully under its associated code, paid the Practice approximately $200 on average from patients and insurance programs.  However, GOYAL systematically billed an excision of chalazion and other similar superficial eyelid procedures as if he had performed an orbitotomy together with a conjunctivoplasty, which are complex surgeries into the orbit of the eye, often to remove an orbital tumor together with grafting to close the resulting wound, that typically take an hour or more to perform.  These substantial surgeries, as billed, paid the Practice approximately $1,400 on average from a combination of insurance and patient out-of-pocket payments.  GOYAL also upcoded certain superficial procedures as an excision and repair of eyelid, a type of higher-paying eyelid surgery involving reconstruction or removal of certain lesions other than chalazions.  During the relevant time period, GOYAL billed less than 40 chalazions under the billing code designated for excision of chalazion, while billing over 1,400 orbitotomies, over 700 bundled conjunctivoplasties, and over 1,600 excision and repair of eyelid surgeries, all of which he claimed to have personally performed.  The scheme involved numerous other CPT codes for procedures and examinations not performed or upcoded, resulting in at least $3.6 million of ill-gotten gains for GOYAL.

On November 21, 2019, an indictment (the “Indictment”) was returned in the action United States of America v. Ameet Goyal, 19 Cr. 844 (CS) (S.D.N.Y.), charging GOYAL with healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements relating to healthcare matters.  On November 22, 2019, GOYAL was arraigned on the Indictment and placed on pretrial release pursuant to an order that notified GOYAL of the potential effect of committing a criminal offense while on pretrial release.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).  Applicants with pending criminal charges are ineligible for PPP loans.  The PPP also limits each eligible borrower to one loan, and a maximum loan amount calculated based on a business’s average monthly payroll expenses. 

In or about April 2020, GOYAL applied to the SBA and Bank-1, a federally insured institution, for over $630,000 in Government-guaranteed loans through the SBA’s PPP Program.  Specifically, on or about April 21, 2020, GOYAL applied for a loan in the amount of $358,700 for the business “Ameet Goyal,” with his own social security number and email address.  On or about April 29, 2020, GOYAL applied for a second loan in the amount of $278,500, with a business name “Rye eye associates,” using the Employer Identification Number for Ameet Goyal M.D. P.C and a different email address controlled by GOYAL.  To substantiate each loan, however, GOYAL submitted the exact same underlying payroll expense report, showing the same employees and payroll costs. 

On both applications, GOYAL falsely answered that he was not facing any pending criminal charges, and electronically placed his initials “AG” directly under his “No” response.  GOYAL also falsely certified, among other things, that his business would not receive another PPP loan until the end of the year.  After obtaining approval from Bank-1 and the SBA through his fraudulent misrepresentations, GOYAL executed loan notes for two loans.  On May 4, 2020, GOYAL received the first loan of $358,700, and on May 11, 2021, GOYAL received the second loan of $278,500.  GOYAL used the business checking account into which these funds were deposited to pay business and personal expenses, including by making a $1,800 payment to a country club in Westchester, New York, within days of receiving the first loan.                    

GOYAL, 58, of Rye, New York, pled guilty to all six counts in the Superseding Indictment.  The first count charged healthcare fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; the second count charged wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and the third count charged making false statements relating to health care matters, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  Counts four, five, and six charged that while on pretrial release, the defendant committed the following offenses, respectively: bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; making false statements on a loan application, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and making false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  Additionally, a conviction under counts four, five, and six, if committed while on pretrial release, provides for an additional maximum sentence of 10 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence of imprisonment.

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

GOYAL is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seibel on January 6, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.              

Ms. Strauss praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Inspector General of the SBA, whose expertise and diligence were integral to the development of this investigation and the guilty plea.

ALABAMA WOMAN WHO PRETENDED TO LIVE IN NYC PLEADS GUILTY TO STEALING MORE THAN $120K IN WELFARE & HOUSING BENEFITS

Offices of the NYS Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro

 

New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro announced the guilty plea of an Alabama woman who collected nearly $70,000 in welfare benefits in New York State by misreporting her residency, employment and marriage status and using two different Social Security numbers. She also misrepresented her residence to obtain New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) rental benefits in excess of $50,000. 

Latonja Serling, 57, of Calera, Alabama, pleaded guilty in New York City Criminal Court before Hon. Angela J. Badamo to Welfare Fraud in the 2nd Degree (C Felony) and Welfare Fraud in the 5th Degree (A misdemeanor). She was sentenced to a conditional discharge on both the felony and misdemeanor charges and must repay $50,000 in restitution within the next five years, at which point she will be able to have the felony charge removed. Serling has surrendered the NYCHA residence and one of the Social Security numbers that she used as part of her scheme. 

In November 2018, the Office of the Welfare Inspector General (OWIG) received a complaint alleging that Serling was committing welfare fraud and collecting benefits via the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA). 

OWIG’s investigation included reviewing real estate and employment records, use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, bank records, and Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn account postings. The investigation determined that from November 2012 to present, Serling misrepresented her residence as 218 West 112th Street in New York City when she resided in either Birmingham or Calera, Alabama. OWIG also determined that Serling failed to report her employment income, her marriage, and the income of her spouse – all of which she was required to report to HRA. The investigation also found that Serling used two different Social Security numbers and she misrepresented her residence to obtain $52,646 in rental benefits through a NYCHA program. 

“For years, this individual stole tens of thousands of dollars intended for actual New Yorkers truly in need by lying about her residence, employment and more,” said Inspector General Tagliafierro. “She must repay the funds and give up her NYCHA address as part of her plea. We will continue to hold individuals who steal benefits from these important safety net programs accountable for their actions.” 

Inspector General Tagliafierro thanked the New York City Department of Investigation’s Inspector General for NYCHA for partnering on the investigation, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting the case and the Social Security Administration, NYCHA and HRA for assisting in the investigation.