3 weeks ago
A New York City Department of Homeless Services fraud interrogator has been charged pinch fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits during nan COVID-19 pandemic, nan Department of Social Services (DSS) confirmed.
Olabanji Otufale, 41, of Brooklyn, is accused of "exploiting nan accusation of susceptible New Yorkers during a nationalist emergency for individual gain" a connection from a DSS spokesperson said.
Otufale is accused of accessing astatine slightest 10 bum people's names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and photos. He past allegedly sold nan accusation to personality theft scammer Mark Lazarre of New Jersey, national authorities allege.
Lazarre is accused of utilizing nan victims' identifies to record COVID unemployment claims pinch nan authorities Department of Labor, abusing nan national CARES Act economical stimulus package that provided much than $2 cardinal successful emergency COVID relief.
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Facade of nan national tribunal successful Brooklyn, New York, connected Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (The Associated Press)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams' management says this each occurred successful 2020, anterior to Adams taking office. The accusations came to ray aft an indictment unsealed Wednesday was obtained by nan New York Daily News.
"As soon arsenic nan agency was alerted, we instantly instated termination charges should this individual effort to return to work," nan DSS connection read. "The actions of this individual are successful nary measurement a reflection of nan difficult activity of countless staffers who show up each time and grant nan agency’s ngo to service and support tens of thousands of households experiencing homelessness."
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A bum man partially blocks a subway stairway successful New York City connected Sept. 10, 2022. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
An soul audit of nan agency's database shows Otufale fraudulently accessed nan accusation of 13 households successful shelter, DSS said.
A LinkedIn floor plan pinch Otufale's sanction says he has been moving pinch nan metropolis of New York since November 2008. Records obtained by nan NY Daily News opportunity he has been pinch DHS since 2015, and he had a net of $69,000 successful 2020, erstwhile he took location much than $84,500 aft overtime and different pay.
A NYC fraud interrogator faces COVID-related fraud charges, an indictment unsealed connected Wednesday states. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Both Otufale and Lazarre were reportedly indicted connected aggravated personality theft and conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud charges. Otufale awaits arraignment successful Brooklyn Federal Court.
Federal authorities opportunity Lazarre has a history of personality theft convictions. He is presently successful jailhouse for a national slope fraud lawsuit successful New Jersey, nan Daily News reported.
