Suffolk social expert services employee fraudulently obtained positive aspects for spouse and children, Sini says

A Suffolk County Office of Social Expert services examiner utilized her posture to fraudulently attain $5,000 in positive aspects, including foods stamps, for her mothers and fathers and grandmother, according to District Lawyer Timothy Sini.

Paola Masi, 30, of Patchogue, was billed Monday with third-degree corrupting the governing administration, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, general public corruption, third- and fourth-diploma welfare fraud and to start with-diploma tampering with public data. She was released on her possess recognizance.

“This specific allegedly employed her placement of believe in and her information of the method to steal more than $5,000 from Suffolk County taxpayers that was meant for family members actually in have to have,” Sini reported. “This kind of scheme goes directly against our responsibilities as community servants.”

Ian Fitzgerald of Central Islip, Masi’s protection legal professional, declined to remark.

Masi’s father, Luis Bustamante, 62, of Brentwood, was also arrested and billed in link with the plan.

He was charged Tuesday with third-diploma corrupting the authorities, fourth-diploma grand larceny, public corruption and fourth-diploma welfare fraud, and produced on his very own recognizance, authorities reported.

Bustamante is represented by the Authorized Help Modern society of Suffolk County, which did not straight away answer to a request for comment.

Masi, who has worked as a social products and services examiner since 2013, was liable for evaluating apps to establish if an specific met the conditions to be eligible for benefits.

In 2018 and 2019, Masi manipulated the department’s welfare administration method to falsely qualify her mother, father and grandmother for gains, like the Supplemental Diet Help System, or food items stamps, prosecutors explained.

Masi deleted digital notices that would have alerted the social providers division that her mother and father earned income for the duration of the period when they had been applying for positive aspects, prosecutors claimed. She also fraudulently acquired SNAP rewards for her grandmother by falsely certifying her eligibility right before the certification approach commenced, officers stated.

Bustamante is owing again in court Jan. 25 while Masi is up coming scheduled to seem Jan. 28.