DA: New Rochelle Men Among 6 Who Got $49,780 In Unearned Unemployment Benefits Over 6 Years

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Six Westchester residents were charged Thursday with the theft of unemployment benefits in a scheme that got them a total of $49,780 over six years. All six were working as seasonal workers. In a joint announcement, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. and New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Rearden said the men were overseas when they claimed to have not been working in the USA.

They were all arraigned on felony complaints in White Plains Court:

Cesar Martinez, 50, of New Rochelle, was arraigned on three felony charges:

• one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony,
• one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class “E” Felony and
• one count of Offering A False Instrument For Filing in the First Degree, a class “E” Felony.

The other five — Armando Escobar, 58, of Mount Vernon; Hector Torres-Alcarez, 51, of New Rochelle; Federico Martinez, 56, of New Rochelle; Alvaro Munguia, 28, of New Rochelle and Cristian Munguia, 30, of New Rochelle — were arraigned on:

• one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony and
• one count of Offering A False Instrument For Filing in the First Degree, a class “E” Felony.

Federico Martinez, Cesar Martinez and Hector Torres were working at Almstead Tree and Shrub Care in New Rochelle.

Christian Munguia and Alvaro Munguia were working at the Ardsley Country Club in Ardsley-On- Hudson.

Armando Escobar was working at AG Williams Painting in Pelham.

From 2010-16 each of them claimed unemployment benefits from the New York State Department of Labor by falsely certifying online or having others falsely certifying online that they were present in the country when in fact they were overseas, prosecutors alleged. A person must be present in the United States as an additional eligibility requirement in order to receive unemployment benefits.

The New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations Unit initiated the investigation and received assistance from the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

The total amount of unemployment benefits stolen collectively by the men was $49,780, prosecutors said. The defendants pled not guilty.

They were released on their own recognizance, and as a condition thereof, had to surrender
their passports and sign an agreement that they would return to court.

The next court date for Alvaro Munguia and Cristian Munguia is on October 6, 2017. The next court date for Hector Torres-Alcarez and Armando Escobar is on October 12, 2017. The next court date for Cesar Martinez and Federico Martinez is October 30, 2017.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Gamble of the Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case.