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NYC Government Employees Indicted In Ghost Gun Scheme, Pandemic Fraud Conspiracies

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11 months ago

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An investigation into a ghost gun factory in New York City uncovered an interconnected web of alleged criminal activity involving 10 city employees, including a former police officer, officials said.
“As alleged, the takedown of a sophisticated ghost gun manufacturing operation uncovered wide-ranging schemes, including the link to a massive fraud and a planned burglary,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “These alleged schemes were orchestrated and largely operated by city employees, many of whom abused their positions of public trust for personal gain. We see a clear link between those engaging in violent crimes and traditional white-collar fraud at the same time.
The 2022 investigation into a ghost gun factory at an East Village apartment uncovered two other alleged ghost gun conspiracies, a conspiracy to defraud the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and a residential burglary, leading to four new indictments against 18 defendants announced Thursday.
NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) employees were key ringleaders in each indictment, according to the District Attorney’s office. Other city employees included a New York City Police Department school safety officer, a city Housing Authority staffer, a Metropolitan Transit Authority worker, and two US Postal Service employees.
Craig Freeman, 56, and an unnamed co-conspirator worked for DHS at the Barbara Kleiman Shelter in Brooklyn, and bother are charged with conspiracy for buying ghost gun parts and manufacturing weapons between May 2022 and January 2023.
The unnamed co-conspirator is also charged in a second indictment connected to the ghost gun scheme.
Freeman and the unnamed co-conspirator were charged in a third indictment in connection with alleged PUA fraud alongside Charde Baker, 35, who worked at DHS before joining the NYPD in 2022, and after being fired in 2023 rejoined DHS, and two other DHS employees, Latricia Kitchens, 36, and Garrett Whetsell, 38.
From April 2020 to October 2021, the defendants allegedly submitted 170 false PUA applications to the New York State Department of Labor using stolen identities. Many of the victims were homeless residents.
Other alleged participants in the scheme include NYPD School safety agent Shanice Roberts, 30; NYCHA employee Dwayne Bell, 32; MTA employee David Barr, 33; and USPS employee Sabur Khalifah, 43.
A fourth indictment charges Baker, 43-year-old Sameera Roberts, and an third unnamed defendant in the burglary of the unnamed co-conspirator’s home on Nov. 23, 2020. The defendants allegedly broke in to retrieve proceeds of the PUA fraud that were being withheld by the co-conspirator.
“This case represents a particularly egregious betrayal of public trust at a time when so many New Yorkers were in desperate need. Let this serve as a resounding message: we have zero tolerance for those who exploit crises for personal gain. If you steal benefits, the New York State Department of Labor and its partners will find you and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said.
“The Special Agents of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General are dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the Postal Service and its personnel. The USPS OIG will vigorously investigate Postal Service employees who comprise their integrity for personal gain, said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
“Some of the City employees charged in this indictment had access to sensitive personal information that was entrusted to them so that they could do their job assisting unhoused families. Instead, the defendants exploited that information to fraudulently pocket over $1 million in unemployment benefits, in a scheme involving other current and former City employees, Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said. DOI is working with the City Department of Social Services to better protect clients personal information and address any vulnerabilities. DOI thanks the Manhattan District Attorneys Office for its partnership in combatting fraud and corruption.”
TMX contributed to this article.
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