For more than a decade, the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office has been awarded funding through New York State’s Crimes Against Revenue Program (CARP). As a result, the Office has dedicated resources that investigate and prosecute individuals that defraud the government and its constituencies. Since its inception, the Financial Crimes Unit has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been returned to the Schenectady County and New York State governments and agencies.
The unit prosecutes a wide variety of financial crimes, including:
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Tax Crimes
Your state and local taxes help pay for our schools, first responders, roads, and various health and social programs. Tax fraud harms the community and undermines these vital public services, while also passing on the costs to everyone else. Tax fraud comes in all shapes and sizes. It happens when a person misrepresents his true tax liability, or when a business steals the sales taxes it has collected, or when a business sells untaxed goods such as cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol, or gasoline. The office works closely with the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance to prosecute tax fraud and recover stolen funds for taxpayers.
Representative Cases:
Medicaid & Welfare Fraud
The Office works closely with the Schenectady County Department of Social Services, the New York State Inspector General’s Office, and the US Department of Agriculture in investigating and prosecuting individuals who take advantage of Medicaid and other welfare programs meant to help most vulnerable members of our community. These crimes happen whenever someone lies about their income or their residence in order to become eligible to participate in these government programs. Businesses can also steal government money by fraudulently billing Medicaid and other government programs, or by selling alcohol or tobacco to someone using their welfare benefits. The Office is dedicated to working against the misuse of these programs and returning stolen money to the taxpayers.
Representative Cases:
People v. Vishnunarin Singh, SNAP Benefit fraud
Labor Law Fraud
We routinely prosecute unemployment insurance fraud and other labor law-related crimes. We work closely with the NYS Department of Labor, NYS Department of Financial Services, and the NYS Insurance Fund to develop and pursue these cases. These crimes occur when someone lies about an injury or their employment status to receive government benefits meant to help people in need. It also occurs when an employer fails to carry Worker’s Comp insurance or lies to save money on the cost of insurance. As a result of the COVID pandemic, instances of unemployment fraud and identity theft have exploded. Our Office has been working with various state agencies to investigate and prosecute the individuals taking advantage of the COVID crisis.
Representative Cases:
People v. Bucci
Other Government Frauds
Recently, we have observed a striking uptick in individuals selling purportedly legitimate government documents, especially license plates. These crimes not only deprive the government necessary fee revenue, but they also impact public safety. For example, a car dealership can evade its warranty obligations and put unsafe cars on the road by falsely documenting how its cars were sold to consumers. Likewise, the trafficking in forged license plates allows people to evade lawful restrictions on their driving privileges. The Office works closely with the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles and is committed to prosecuting these crimes.
Representative Cases:
People v. Partak
Elder Financial Exploitation
The Financial Crimes Unit works with the prosecutors in the Special Victims Unit in cases where elderly individuals have been taken advantage of, which often involves the loss of thousands of dollars of the victim’s lifesavings. These crimes sometimes involve individuals who abuse their Power of Attorney for an elderly family member to steal money from financial assets. These crimes also include scams targeting the elderly, such as bait-and-switch paving scams and a variety of telephone scams where criminals induce an elderly person to send money or share sensitive personal identifying information.
Representative Cases:
