Marwan Awad and Lana Nasrallah of East Meadow were arrested May 18 on charges of Grand Larceny, Welfare Fraud and Offering a False Instrument for Filing, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.
Rice said that between January 2005 and December 2010, Awad, 50, and Nasrallah, 43, stole more than $60,000 in undeserved Medicaid benefits. The couple allegedly failed to report the ownership of two Nassau County homes, personal bank accounts containing more than $230,000, and the ownership of their business, All Phase Mechanical.
They are among eight individuals from Long Island and Queens who were charged recently in a sweep by the District Attorney's Public Assistance Fraud Unit, the Nassau County Department of Social Services and the Health and Human Services Medicaid Investigations Unit. Those arrested are charged with collectively stealing more than $297,000 in undeserved Medicaid and public assistance benefits.
“The burden on every honest taxpayer weighs heavier when people abuse government assistance programs,” Rice said. “My office will continue to work with our partners in state and local government to find, arrest, and convict those who steal from a healthcare system designed to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.”
They each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted and are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. They are represented by Kerry Katsorhis, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
