State Grant Will Help Rockland Keep Prosecuting Tax Evasion and Welfare Fraud

New York’s Crimes Against Revenue Program gives grants to district attorneys across the state to go after folks who deliberately don’t pay their taxes and those who scam Medicaid, welfare, unemployment and workers’ compensation fraud.

It’s is a self-sustaining program, because it is supported with the proceeds, be they tax revenues, fines or restitution paid by the perpetrator after prosecution. In fact, it has an impressive return on investment. Since the program began 10 years ago, $90 million in grants has been provided to district attorneys’ offices and $160 million has been gleaned by the State.

Rockland County, which has participated in CARP for years, will receive a new grant of $54,700, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week, and county officials are pleased.

“New York’s Crimes Against Revenue Program (CARP) has proven to be an extremely valuable tool in Rockland County,” said District Attorney Tom Zugibe. “In 2013 alone, dozens of offenses involving those categorized as Crimes Against Revenue were investigated, including Grand Larceny, Criminal Tax Fraud, Failure to File Tax Returns, Offering False Instruments for Filing and Possession of Untaxed Cigarettes, recovering a total of $998,000 for local taxpayers. My prosecutors not only ensure that offenders are punished, but that the victims of their crimes receive some measure of restitution, whether private citizens or branches of the state government. CARP allows victims to be made whole.”

Here are the counties getting money for the first time:

Cayuga, $100,000

Chautauqua, $100,000

Madison, $90,000

Montgomery, $35,000

Orange, $100,000

Steuben, $48,000

Here are the counties getting a new round of grant money:

Albany, $78,000

Oneida, $100,000

Richmond, $25,000

Rockland, $54,700

Schenectady, $30,000

Ulster, $100,000

The other district attorneys’ offices that currently participate in the Crimes Against Revenue Program are in the Bronx and Broome, Clinton, Erie, Kings, Monroe, Nassau, New York, Niagara, Onondaga, Queens, St. Lawrence, Suffolk, Tompkins, Warren and Westchester counties.