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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, October 24, 2018
I n B rief
Warrant issued at NECSD
headquarters
The District Attorney issued a search warrant at the
Newburgh Enlarged School District headquarters on
Tuesday. The headquarters house the superintendent
and the administration of the school district.
Officers showed up to 124 grand street and Newburgh
Free Academy to conduct their investigation. Though
rumors surfaced that the investigators were looking
into attendance records, details of the warrant or the
investigation have not been released.
“I can confirm there’s an investigation being
conducted by the Orange County District Attorney
at the Newburgh Enlarged City School District,” said
Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Borek.
“The investigation doesn’t concern any threat of
physical violence or concern to the students’ safety.”
No further details were available.
- Katelyn Cordero
n
Bulk garbage pickup is Oct. 31
The City of Newburgh is scheduled for a bulk
garbage pickup on the morning of October 31. The
Superintendent of Department of Public Works asks
residents to put out up to three items the night before,
October 30, to be picked up in the morning. The
sidewalks will be cleaned before trick or treaters take
to the streets that evening.
- Katelyn Cordero
n
Mayoral candidates to meet
Newburgh’s mayoral candidates are scheduled to
meet Monday night in a candidate’s forum at the
Newburgh Free Library.
Mayor Torrance Harvey and former City
Councilwoman Gay Lee will debate on Monday, Oct. 29
at the Newburgh Free Library, 124 Grand St., from 6:45
to 8:30 p.m.
n
Town Hall open Nov. 3
Andrew Zarutskie, the Town Clerk in the Town
of Newburgh, will open his office for business on
Saturday, November 3, from 9 a.m. until 12 noon.
Zarutskie announced that hunting licenses will be
on sale. The sale of permits which allows sportsmen
to shoot does will be back on sale from November 1
on, until they run out statewide. Saturday, November
3, will be the perfect time for hunters to pick them
up. They were suspended for this year on October
1 by New York State, but will reopen on Nov. 1, once
it is determined how many in each region will be
appropriate, depending on their sale earlier this year.
In addition, marriage licenses can be obtained on
November 3, which is of benefit to couples planning a
wedding during the holiday season.
“Marriage licenses have to be obtained within a 60
day period prior to the actual wedding,” Zarutskie said.
“So this is the perfect time for would-be brides and
grooms to obtain their license for a Christmas or New
Year’s wedding.”
Wedding licenses are issued by Zarutskie’s office on
weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. He conducts
Saturday openings from time to time to accommodate
persons who can not come in during the week.
All other services of the Town Clerk’s office will be
available on that Saturday also, including dog licenses,
hunting and fishing licenses, handicapped parking
permits, and all notary public services. Newcomers
to the Town of Newburgh can obtain “Welcome to the
Town of Newburgh” packets of valuable information.
Zarutskie will be assisted that day by his deputies, Lisa
Ayers and Joseph Pedi.
Zarutskie, who announced the Saturday hours at a
recent public town board meeting, notes that Nov. 3 will
be a superb time to visit Town Hall.
The Town Clerk’s office in the Town of Newburgh is
located at 1496 Route 300.
n
25 charged in welfare fraud case
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler,
joined by Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois, on
October 18, 2018, announced that twenty-five defendants
have been charged with felonies, including welfare
fraud and grand larceny, for illegally obtaining over
$275,000 in public assistance benefits administered
through the Orange County Department of Social
Services (DSS). The enforcement action was the
result of the collaborative efforts of the DSS Special
Investigations Unit (SIU), the Sheriff’s Office, and the
District Attorney’s Office.
During the investigation of the cases, civil
investigators from the SIU reviewed files of twenty-
five public assistance recipients suspected of fraud,
interviewed those recipients, and forwarded cases to
the District Attorney’s Office for further investigation.
Investigators from the District Attorney’s Office then
interviewed many of the recipients before filing charges
against them. The total amount allegedly stolen from
DSS in the cases identified in this enforcement action
is $275,878.60.
This public benefits fraud enforcement action is the
eighth since District Attorney Hoovler took office. To
date, 199 individuals have been charged with welfare
fraud and other crimes in those enforcement actions.
The total dollar amount of fraud involved in those cases
is nearly $3,000,000.
So far, the County has been repaid more than
$590,000 by criminal defendants who were charged
in the enforcement actions. Since the enforcement
actions began in June, 2014, DSS has also collected
approximately $230,000 from recipients who voluntarily
paid back benefits that they received but were not
entitled to. Those recipients repaid those funds after
being contacted by DSS civil investigators, without any
additional arrest or prosecutorial action by the Sheriff’s
Office or the District Attorney’s Office. By comparison,
in the three years before the first enforcement action,
DSS civil investigators only collected approximately
$48,000 from similarly-situated recipients. In 2011, 2012,
and 2013 combined, only $12,127.31 was recovered in
welfare fraud prosecutions, and only four defendants
were charged. Three prosecutions were brought in
2011, one was brought in 2012, and no prosecutions were
brought in 2013 against those who defrauded DSS.
Defendants include the following Newburgh
residents:
Reina Calix Maldonado, 42, charged with welfare
fraud and grand larcey in the amount of $4,554 from
SNAP.
Darnella Johnson, 34, charged with welfare fraud
and grand larceny in the amount of $8,109 from SNAP.
Rodline Marthone, 30 charged with welfare fraud and
grand larceny in the amount of $3,735.42 from TA and
$282 from SNAP.
Matthew Mercado, 36, charged with welfare fraud
and grand larceny in the amount of $3,651.80 from PA
and $5,707 from SNAP.
Jean Simeon, 66, charged with welfare fraud and
grand larceny in the amount of $11,277.60 from TA and
$11,966 from SNAP.
The maximum sentence for the Class D Felonies of
Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree and Grand Larceny
in the Third Degree is 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.
“The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has a long-
standing partnership with the District Attorney’s
Office and other county agencies,” said Orange County
Sheriff Carl E. DuBois, “in this and other efforts to
ensure the proper distribution of benefits to those that
are in need, and to arrest those that choose to cheat the
system by fraudulent means. Our partnership in these
investigations is ongoing and maximizes enforcement
efforts put forth.”
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District
Attorney Tanja Beemer.
n
County to host job fair
Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus and
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Director Steve Knob have announced that the County
will hold its Fall Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, October 24 at the Newburgh Mall.
“Orange County’s job fair at the Newburgh Mall has
become a very popular event and we expect another
great turnout of both employers and job seekers this
year,” Neuhaus said. “The job fair provides those
seeking employment or career advancement with a
convenient opportunity to speak with respected
companies and firms that are hiring. Orange County
appreciates the continued support from the employers
participating in our job fairs.”
Approximately 60 employers and recruiters from
Orange, Dutchess, Sullivan and Westchester counties
will be at the Newburgh Mall to speak with potential
candidates.