Great Neck rug businessman gets community service for welfare fraud
A rug business owner who admitted to welfare fraud was sentenced Friday to 70 hours of community service and has already paid back the $22,732 he illegally got from the Nassau County social services department, the Nassau district attorney's office said.
Omid Chaman, 39, of Great Neck, had pleaded guilty to fourth-degree welfare fraud, a felony, in September, authorities said.
As the owner of Chaman Antique Rug Gallery, which has two Manhattan locations, he lied to social services about his income from April 1, 2009 to July 31, 2012 so he and his family could get Medicaid benefits, prosecutors said.
He also failed to report rental income from his properties, according to a joint investigation by the district attorney's office and county social services.
Chaman and his attorney could not be immediately reached Friday afternoon.
He had pleaded not guilty during his March arraignment on charges of third-degree welfare fraud, third-degree grand larceny and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.
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