Lawrence woman charged with stealing taxpayer money

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced that a sweep targeting county residents who stole undeserved Medicaid and public assistance benefits has resulted in the arrest of 10 people, including one Lawrence resident, who collectively stole more than $216,000. The sweep was the result of joint investigations by the District Attorney’s Medicaid Fraud Unit and the Nassau County Department of Social Services, and Health and Human Services Medicaid Investigations Unit.

“We will be seeking full restitution for the money these defendants stole from the taxpayers,” Rice said. “I started the Medicaid Fraud Unit so this office could aggressively prosecute individuals who attempt to abuse a healthcare system set up to protect our society’s most vulnerable members. These people are hurting the system and stealing from taxpayers, and it must be stopped.”

Audra Saltman, 40, of Lawrence, was arrested September 23 and charged with grand larceny in the third degree, welfare fraud in the third degree, and two counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Rice said that between January 2005 and June 2007, Saltman posed as a member of her former doctor’s office and called in prescriptions to multiple pharmacies. Saltman then picked up the medications and paid for them using more than $8,700 in Medicaid benefits. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison. She is represented by Joel Reback, Esq. and is due back in court December 22.

Charged in the most recent sweep along with Saltman are Danial Kidanian and Mojgan Kidanian, of Roslyn; Rabi and Siona Kamel, of Great Neck; Galit Fatir and her husband, Pedram Nazarieh, of Great Neck; Edgar Maldonado, of Uniondale; Marguarite Kundla, of Bethpage; and Marlene Pessoa, of Bay Shore.

In April 2007, Rice created a Medicaid Fraud Unit within her office. To date, the unit has been responsible for 40 arrests connected to more than $1.52 million in fraud and $380,000 in restitution to Nassau County. Medicaid is a state-run program that provides free public health insurance to more than 40 million low-income individuals nationwide. It is funded jointly by federal, state, and county governments.