Homeless Shelter Head Accused Of Passing Phony $20s

The executive director of Helping Hands for the Homeless of Rockland, a nonprofit organization that operates the county’s 75-bed shelter, has been accused of passing counterfeit money. He used phony $20s to buy a money card at a Spring Valley Walgreens, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe.

Ya’el Williams, 54, of 54 Riverglen Drive in Thiells, has been arrested on an indictment charging him with 24 counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the First Degree, class “C” Felonies.

According to the charges, on Jan. 6, 2016, Williams used $480 in counterfeit $20 bills to purchase a Netspend money card at a Walgreens in the Village of Spring Valley.

“Passing counterfeit bills is a very serious crime as it damages our national monetary system and facilitates other crimes,” Zugibe said.

Williams is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 13 in Rockland County Supreme Court before the Honorable David S. Zuckerman. He faces up to 15 years in state prison if convicted.

Williams is Executive Director of Helping Hands for the Homeless of Rockland, a Spring Valley-based nonprofit organization that operates Rockland County’s 75-bed shelter in Building D at the Robert L. Yeager Health Complex in Pomona.

It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Richard Kennison Moran is prosecuting the case.

PHOTO: Ya’el Williams/ Rockland County DA's Office