Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Freeport woman was charged with grand larceny and welfare fraud for receiving more than $130,000 in childcare and Medicaid benefits between 2017 and 2021 to which she was not entitled. The defendant allegedly failed to disclose employment income from two separate positions and rental income from properties she co-owned in Elmont and Freeport.
Angelique White, 32, was arraigned Thursday before Judge Robert Pipia on one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony); one count of Welfare Fraud in the Second Degree (a C felony); two counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a D felony); one count of Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree (a D felony); and Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (a D felony). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on January 16, 2025. If convicted, White faces up to 5 to 15 years in prison.
The case was referred to NCDA by the Nassau County Department of Social Services (“NCDSS”) Office of Investigations.
“Over the course of several years, this defendant allegedly defrauded public assistance programs of more than $130,000 while she pocketed thousands of dollars in rental payments from two properties that she co-owned and salaries from jobs at the U.S. Postal Service and Northwell Labs,” said DA Donnelly. “In yet another alleged scam, White pretended to live in Oswego to avoid paying higher downstate insurance premiums, providing illegitimate documentation to the company purportedly proving her residency. Public benefit theft compromises our social safety net and puts families truly in need of assistance at risk. We will continue to protect these essential programs and hold individuals accountable who exploit them.”
DA Donnelly said that, according to the charges, between August 2017 and June 2020, the defendant submitted yearly New York State Health Benefits Exchange applications and began receiving Medicaid benefits. In the applications, the defendant requested health care benefits for her two children and listed annual incomes for each year ranging from $0 to $24,000.
In August 2019 and July 2020, the defendant also submitted applications for Child Care Assistance and received benefits for her two children. In the applications, the defendant included bi-weekly income from employment with the U.S. Postal Service of $995 and hourly wages of $16.00 at Northwell Core Labs, respectively. The defendant also affirmed that she did not receive any rental income.
A subsequent review of the defendant’s financial records and Nassau County Land records by NCDSS revealed that the defendant’s verified income during this period exceeded both the childcare income limit and the Medicaid income limit and that the defendant co-owned two residences in Nassau County in Elmont and Freeport and made monthly electronic mortgage payments on the property in Freeport of $3,126.
Further review of the defendant’s financial records found checks with “rent” written into the memo line deposited into the defendant’s account in amounts ranging from $1500 to $3000.
The defendant’s alleged failure to accurately report her annual income and rental income resulted in an overpayment to the defendant of $39,771 in childcare benefits and $92,730 in Medicaid benefits.
In a separate scheme, the defendant owned a 2017 Infiniti insured by Geico. From 2017 through the present, the defendant allegedly reported to Geico that she resided in an apartment in Oswego, New York. The defendant allegedly provided three separate documents as proof of her residence, including a National Grid bill in her name, a paystub from Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in the name of the defendant with the Oswego address, and a Verizon bill in the defendant’s name with the same Oswego address.
Records from National Grid revealed the statement provided to the company was not legitimate and the Verizon bill included a legitimate Verizon account number belonging to a customer who resided in New Jersey. Employment records from Creedmoor Psychiatric Center revealed the paystub to be an actual paystub for an employee at the center, but the paystub was not issued to the defendant.
The six-month premium for the vehicle using the Oswego address is $1,143 and the premium for the same make and model vehicle at the defendant’s Elmont address is $2,542.
As a result, the defendant underpaid insurance premiums to Geico totaling more than $11,000.
White surrendered to NCDA Detective Investigators on January 9, 2025.
NCDA thanks the Nassau County Department of Social Services Office of Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
The case is being prosecuted by Crimes Against Revenue Unit Chief Christine Burke, under the supervision of Major Financial Frauds Bureau Chief Maureen McCormack and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Investigations Division Rick Whelan. The defendant is represented by the Alber Firm.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.