East Meadow woman stole $70K in Medicaid benefits, police say

Defendant, husband also accused of not paying taxes

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An East Meadow woman is facing charges for allegedly stealing over $70,000 in Medicaid benefits and failing to pay more than $36,000 in taxes, police said. She was arrested on Nov. 12 with her husband, also of East Meadow, who was also accused of not paying his taxes.

Yvette Diaz-Juarez, 49, allegedly stole $72,046.29 in Medicaid payments from the Nassau County Department of Social Services from June 2009 to December 2015, according to the county’s District Attorney Madeline Singas. Diaz-Juarez committed the fraud by falsely filing recertification forms and documentation where she knowingly underreported her household income, the DA continued, which led the NCDSS to pay her money to which she was not entitled.

Additionally, police reported that Diaz-Juarez and her husband Carlos Juarez, 49, both of who co-owned Raindrops Daycare in Park Slope, Brooklyn, failed to file personal income taxes for three consecutive tax years. Between 2011 through 2013, the couple failed to pay the approximately $36,000 in taxes owed on their household income of more than $600,000.

Following an investigation, the Nassau County Department of Social Services referred the case to the NCDA in December 2017. The defendants surrendered to NCDA investigators on November 12. They allegedly spent the money on daily expenses such as their mortgage, car payment and trips to Las Vegas and Florida.

Diaz-Juarez was charged with second-degree welfare fraud and second-degree grand larceny among charges alleging that she failed to file her income taxes. The defendant was conditionally released to probation and is due back in court on November 28. If convicted, she faces a maximum of three to 15 years in prison.

Juarez faces charges alleging that he failed to file his income taxes. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on November 28. If convicted, he faces a maximum of two to four years in prison.

When arraigned, the defendants were represented by the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which does not comment on active cases.

“As these defendants earned a comfortable income from their Brooklyn daycare business,” DA Singas said. “They allegedly defrauded the taxpayers by claiming public assistance to which they were not entitled . . . We have no tolerance for anyone who steals undeserved benefits from government programs that provide a safety net.”