Thursday, October 31, 2013

Mahopac Woman Worth Millions Charged in Medicaid Fraud

MAHOPAC, N.Y. – A Mahopac woman has been indicted on eight felony charges for allegedly scamming nearly $30,000 in Medicaid benefits, despite being employed, owning millions in real estate and having hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank.

Acting state Welfare Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott said Elizabeth Makaj, 44, applied for and received $29,310 in Medicaid benefits in New York City between 2005 and 2009, and never disclosed a 2006 purchase of a $2.05 million rental property, or that she had a bank account with $270,000. She also claimed to live in the Bronx while actually living in Mahopac.

According to the business networking website LinkedIn, Makaj is a database administrator at Hudson Valley Hospital Center. According to New York City permit records, her husband, Zef Makaj, owns TJAN Realty and owns 2363 Lyons Ave. in the Bronx, a 28-unit apartment building. The adjacent property at 2362 is a 12-unit building owned by Makaj Realty Inc.

The couple own 291 Agor Lane in Mahopac, which they bought for $875,000 in November 2005.
Elizabeth Makaj was arrested Friday after an investigation by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and the state Office of the Welfare Inspector General.

Scott said in a statement, “My investigators found that the defendant stole from a program designed to help those who need affordable health insurance. Eligible recipients of these benefits must meet certain income criteria in an application process that requires an honest disclosure of income and assets. Here, the defendant falsified information on her application in order to fraudulently obtain benefits to which she was not entitled.”

Makaj is charged with eight counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a felony; and eight counts of second-degree offering a false instrument, a misdemeanor. Each felony count carries a sentence of 16 months to four years. Makaj was released without bail and is due back in state Supreme Court in the Bronx on Nov. 21.

1 comment:

  1. Your blog is looking good and i like your blog, its looking good, so it can easily to attract the visitors. so i would like to thank for creating this interesting blog...
    Law Firm

    ReplyDelete