Rice said that her office would continue to make arrests in public assistance fraud cases and secure the repayment of every stolen dollar. “Public assistance programs are designed to provide basic necessities to the less fortunate, not to scam artists who think nothing of padding their own wallets on the backs of the taxpayer,” she said in a statement.

Federal, state and county governments fund Medicaid, which provides health insurance to more than 40 million low-income people nationwide. According to the district attorney’s office, restitution from fraud cases such as these is returned to the funding agencies, with approximately 25 percent going to the state and another 25 percent going to the county.

Additional arrests

• Mohamed, 45, and Almas Badsha, 40, of Valley Stream, on May 20. The two were charged with second-degree grand larceny, second-degree welfare fraud and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. Rice said that between August 2005 and August 2010, the Badshas stole more than $62,000 in Medicaid benefits by under-reporting their income and hiding Mohamed’s ownership of a Manhattan stationary store. They each face up to 15 years in prison.

• Eric Engvaldsen, 48, of East Meadow, on April 26. He pleaded guilty to third-degree welfare fraud in late May. Rice said that between July 2011 and February 2012, Engvaldsen stole more than $15,000 in Medicaid, food stamps and public assistance benefits for his household by falsely reporting an income of $35 per shift at a fictitious pizzeria. In reality, he worked as an executive chef at a Williston Park restaurant.

- Yeimy Gasca, 33, of Elmont, on April 12. She was charged with third-degree grand larceny, third-degree welfare fraud, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. Rice said that between March 2010 and March 2012, Gasca stole more than $18,000 in Medicaid, food stamps, and day care benefits by submitting falsified pay stubs that claimed a lower income than what she actually earned. She faces up to seven years in prison if convicted and is due back in court July 17.