Taxi Company Owner, Staff, Wife Accused In Welfare Scheme

NYACK, NY — Five Rocklanders connected to local taxi services have been arrested, accused in a conspiracy to defraud state and county government agencies of more than $95,000 in welfare benefits, income tax and other revenue — and more arrests are expected.

Calling it "a brazen scheme," Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe in the Wednesday announcement said, “These defendants are charged with stealing nearly $100,000 in welfare benefits, utilizing a pernicious plot to secure government money they were not entitled to. Public assistance is intended to help the disadvantaged and truly needy. As a result of this investigation, together with our partners in law enforcement, this fraud was uncovered and the cheats will be brought to justice.”

Angel Henriquez, of the unit block of Church Street in Garnerville, New York, is charged with one count of grand larceny in the second degree and four counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Henriquez, the owner and operator of Nyack Taxi, North Rockland Taxi and Car Service and Apple Taxi, is accused of writing fraudulent letters to the Rockland County Department of Social Services on behalf of five employees.

According to the charges, the letters under-reported the income of the employees, rendering each worker eligible to receive DSS benefits to which they were not entitled. As a result of Henriquez's false filings, the employees improperly obtained a total of $65,000 in DSS benefits, prosecutors said.

In addition, Henriquez and his wife, Karolina Diaz-Henriquez, are accused of personally submitting false documentation understating Angel Henriquez’s income. As a result of the alleged phony filings, the couple improperly received more than $29,000 in DSS benefits, prosecutors said.

Henriquez and Diaz-Henriquez are charged with one count of grand larceny in the third degree.

Two taxi employees are charged with benefiting from the fraudulent letters:

• James Simpson, grand larceny in the third degree
• Manuel Ortega, grand larceny in the third degree

Also, Henriquez’s business associate, Richard Morel, of the 100 block of Ramapo Road, Garnerville, New York, was arrested and charged with failing to report income to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (criminal tax fraud in the fourth degree).

Henriquez is additionally charged with failing to report income to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (criminal tax fraud in the fourth degree); failing to collect New York State withholding tax from his employees; failing to remit employee withholding tax to the State of New York (criminal tax fraud in the third degree); failing to obtain worker’s compensation benefits for his employees and failing to procure unemployment insurance for his employees.

The arrests are the culmination of an 18-month investigation by the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit, with assistance from the United States Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, ICE/ESU, the New York State Department of Taxation and
Finance, the New York State Department of Labor, the Office of the New York State Inspector General, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office and the Rockland County Department of Social Services.

Zugibe thanked the United States Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, ICE/ESU, New York State Police, the Rockland County Sheriff's Office, the Rockland County Department of Social Services, the Town of Haverstraw Police Department and the Town of Orangetown Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

If convicted, Henriquez faces up to 15 years in state prison.

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

PHOTOS/ Rockland DA's Office