Federal criminal charges were filed today against six Chasidic Jews in Williamsburg for participating in long-running schemes to hide substantial assets and income obtained from significant business and real estate interests in order to attain government benefits designed for low-income individuals.

6 Indicted for Welfare Fraud in Williamsburg

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Mark G. Peters, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced today the filing of criminal charges against six defendants for participating in long-running schemes to hide substantial assets and income obtained from significant business and real estate interests in order to attain government benefits designed for low-income individuals.

In total, the defendants allegedly obtained more than $1.3 million of government benefits.

Sholomo Kubitshuk, Rachel Kubitshuk, Naftali Englander, and HINDA Englander were charged in one complaint, and Leib Teitelbaum and Devorah Teitelbaum were charged in a separate complaint.  The defendants were arrested in Brooklyn this morning and are scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court later today.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said:  “For over a decade, this ring of six defendants allegedly lied to city and federal officials about their financial status in order to obtain benefits that were meant for the needy.  The alleged schemes that netted them over a million dollars has been put to an end and the defendants now face federal fraud charges.”

Commissioner Mark G. Peters said:  “These defendants were millionaires stealing from the poor, as charged.  The defendants fraudulently concealed their wealth to obtain benefits, including Section 8 vouchers intended to help low income New Yorkers find housing, according to the allegations.  At a time when affordable housing is scarce, and there is a waiting list for Section 8 vouchers, it is reprehensible that some New Yorkers went without so that these defendants could have still more.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaints:

From 2001 to 2016, SHLOMO KUBITSHUK, RACHEL KUBITSHUK, NAFTALI ENGLANDER, and HINDA ENGLANDER conspired and engaged in a scheme to obtain government benefits designed for low-income residents, including Section 8 housing subsidies, Medicaid health insurance, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) food stamps, totaling more than $980,000.

In connection with applications for these benefits, they failed to disclose substantial income and financial assets, including a portfolio of multimillion-dollar residential real estate properties.  The defendants also perpetrated the fraud by providing false income affidavits for each other.

From 2007 to 2016, LEIB TEITELBAUM and DEVORAH TEITELBAUM also conspired and engaged in a scheme to obtain government benefits designed for low-income residents, including Section 8 housing subsidies, Medicaid health insurance, and SNAP food stamps, totaling more than $330,000.  In connection with applications for these benefits, they failed to disclose substantial income and financial assets, including a jewelry business and an apartment they owned.

SHLOMO KUBITSHUK, 38, RACHEL KUBITSHUK, 39, both from Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to steal government funds, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and two counts of theft of government funds, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  NAFTALI ENGLANDER, 40, HINDA ENGLANDER, 41, LEIB TEITELBAUM, 39, and DEVORAH TEITELBAUM, 36, all from Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to steal government funds, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and three counts of theft of government funds, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in these cases are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

13 Comments

    • Not News

      Lies because they got caught or the truth too much for you to handle?

      This is not news, there are a lot of frum Jews that are milking the city, and get benefits and Medicaid and low income housing and they wear the best of clothes and drive around very expensive cars, and they have summer homes and go on vacation, they just got caught

  • they have nothing better to do!

    what lies!!! go and put murders behind bars! or go and check others communities! but they are afraid of other communities because they will be murdered so they go to the Jewish community!

    • Justice for all

      Why are they lies? Assuming they didn’t, why wouldn’t people who steal from the poor go to jail as well as murderers? From what you said, it sounds like you think that stealing is okay compared to murder. If you commit a crime, you go to jail, simple? Afraid of other communities? Sounds like you are (a) _________. (fill in the blank)

  • Chani

    If this is true ever stop to think they are stealing from their own community? There are lots of us whom are low income.

  • DeClasse' Intellectual

    #’s 1/3 Get real:
    This occurs all the time, only they got caught; and, because of political correctness they (the media) will report on Jewish arrests and by pass the other minorities, especially the black in this nation!

    • Ignor

      Every time you comment you bring up specifically another minority group to compare to your own even if the topic is irrelevant. Check FBI stats since you seem to think the other group is getting a pass. Smh.

  • ouch

    wrong is wrong
    and when we even attempt to justify this behavior it is pathetic.
    I am not glad that these people are going to jail…. but I cannot exonerate them either..
    it’s just so sad that this happens..
    why do people want more and more and more?

  • Moishe

    What vile scum. This is the type of behavior that brings shame on the community. Stealing from the poor to stuff your coffers.

  • What is FRUM?

    A long time ago, a modern orthodox sheriff said this about frum: “FRUM is Food, Rent, Unemployment, and Medicaid.”

  • sww

    agree with #3, 6, 8 and 10.
    we have to educate our children. whats the use to educate them in kodesh without a direction for parnossa and then they have to hit the world w/o skills, so they want a good life for their kids and they just don’t have any training.
    the gemarah says to teach your child to swim. this means, as I heard someone say once, to navigate and to have positive self esteem.
    how can our kids feel good about themselves if they have no direction and yet they are getting married and having growing families.
    whether in chol or koidesh, our kids have to have marketable skills. Quality education.
    We cannot afford the avairas, we cannot afford any of this. we have to have honest and quality education so that our kids come out with confidence and capabilities. Alot of this cheating stuff is from the lack of ability to have a profession or skill which translates to the Jewish Torah ideals of working hard and earning for a solid Jewish life of Torah and mitzvos.
    to say the least.

  • G-d's chosen people

    Whether or not any other group gets a pass is not
    why this is such a media sensation. Isn’t it more sensational, for example, if a policeman commits an armed robbery than an ordinary person? So, we, who are at the topmost pedestal – if we do something wrong, that’s newsworthy!