Liberty, NY – The Sullivan County Welfare Fraud Task Force has made the following arrests for the second and third quarters of 2022:
- John Isaacs, 50, of Liberty was arrested and charged with the class A misdemeanors of Insurance Fraud in the 5th degree, Healthcare Fraud in the 5th Degree and Falsifying Business Records in the 2nd Degree. It is alleged that Isaacs would “punch in” via his cellphone as a caregiver for his mother while he was actually working at his primary place of employment. Isaacs would then submit timesheets to Medicaid containing falsified hours. Isaacs was processed and released on an Appearance Ticket to return to the Town of Liberty Court.
- Ramon L. Martinez, 38 and Chaneen A. Franklin, 38, both of Monticello, were arrested and charged with Welfare Fraud in the 3rd Degree, a class D felony, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree, a class E Felony. It is alleged that Martinez and Franklin failed to report that they were living together and that Franklin was employed full-time and had been collecting Unemployment Insurance Benefits. Martinez and Franklin also submitted a SNAP Application, SNAP Periodic Report and a SNAP Recertification, all three containing false information which allowed Martinez and Franklin to collect $5,797 in fraudulent SNAP benefits. Martinez and Franklin were processed and released to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a later date.
- Keyona D. Gibson, 27, of Hurleyville was arrested on a Bench Warrant for failing to appear in the Town of Liberty Court for an October 2020 welfare fraud arrest. Gibson was processed and released to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a later date.
- Alana Y. Oates, 33, and Deivi Diaz, 38, both of Monticello, were arrested and charged with Welfare Fraud in the 4th Degree, a class E felony, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree, a class E felony. It is alleged that defendants stole $2,680 in Temporary Assistance by failing to report to the Department of Social Services the true amount of Unemployment Insurance Benefits they were receiving. Oates and Diaz also filed a New York State Recertification for Certain Benefits containing false information. Oates was processed and released to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a later date. Diaz was arrested on a warrant and, due to his criminal record, was committed to the Sullivan County Jail without bail.
- Andrew G. Dean, 35, of Wallkill was arrested on a Sullivan County Family Court Warrant for failing to pay child support. Dean was taken into custody in Orange County after a lengthy joint investigation by the Sullivan County Welfare Fraud Task Force, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Sullivan County Child Support Enforcement Unit. Dean was arraigned in the Town of Thompson Court and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail.
- Kathleen R. Gizinski, 44, of Monticello was arrested and charged with Welfare Fraud in the 4th Degree, a class E felony, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree, a class E felony. It is alleged that Gizinski stole $2,716 in SNAP benefits by failing to report she was in receipt of Unemployment Insurance Benefits and that she had a second job. Gizinski also filed an Employment Form which she had forged. Gizinski was processed and released on an Appearance Ticket to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a later date.
- Amberose N. Kelly, 28, of Monticello was arrested and charged with the class E felony of Grand Larceny 4th Degree. It is alleged that Kelly stole $1,308 in SNAP benefits from the Sullivan County Department of Social Services, by failing to disclose that she was in receipt of Unemployment Insurance Benefits from May 21, 2020 through December 31, 2020, at which time she was collecting SNAP benefits. Kelly was processed and released on an appearance ticket to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a later date.
- Tanya L. Gattling, 50, of Monticello and her daughter Joshalin L. Gattling-Jackson, 23, of Clifton, New Jersey were both arrested and charged with Healthcare Fraud in the 4th Degree, a class A misdemeanor. It is alleged that the defendants billed a home health care service funded by Medicaid $440 for hours they both claimed Gattling-Jackson worked as a caregiver for her disabled mother. Gattling-Jackson was actually working at another job in the State of New Jersey during the hours claimed. The two defendants were processed and released on appearance tickets to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a later date.
- Christopher A. Finch, 27, and Tiffany L. Turk, 25, were both arrested and charged with two counts of Welfare Fraud in the 3rd Degree, a class D felony, and two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing, a class E felony. It is alleged that in two separate cases both defendants failed to provide truthful and accurate information regarding their household income when applying for public assistance, which resulted in the pair receiving a total of $10,582.46 in public assistance benefits that they were not entitled to. Both Turk and Finch were processed and arraigned in the Town of Liberty Court and released on their own recognizance pending a future court date in the Town of Liberty.