Mother allegedly lied to receive thousands worth of welfare benefits
JAMAICA, Queens -- A mother in Queens has been charged with allegedly lying on a Medicaid application in order to receive tens of thousands worth of benefits for herself and her four children.
Galit Levi, 37, is being charged with grand larceny, welfare fraud and other crimes. Between January 2012 and December 2015 Levi allegedly scammed the system out of $70,000.
Levi claimed she was unemployed and that her husband earned approximately $1,750 per month. As a result, she and her four children were approved for assistance. A review of bank records for Levi and her husband revealed the couple had deposits from 2012-2016 exceeding $1.13 million.
"This defendant's alleged crimes involved a breathtakingly misplaced sense of entitlement by reaping a very comfortable family income while utilizing benefits meant for those in need to cover her expenses, as if she were in dire financial distress," said Inspector General Leahy Scott.
A judge sent bail at $5,000 and ordered Levi to surrender her U.S. and Israeli passports. She is due to return in court in February. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
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