NEW YORK: US prosecutors have charged 49 current and former Russian diplomats and their family members with participating in a scheme to get health benefits intended for the poor by lying about their income.
According to the charges, filed in November and unsealed yesterday, the diplomats’ families got around $1.5m in benefits from the Medicaid programme for families with very low monthly incomes — in many cases around $3,000 or less. The benefits covered costs related to pregnancies, births and infant care, the charges say.
Meanwhile, according to the charges, the family members spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on vacations, jewellery and luxury goods from stores like Swarovski and Jimmy Choo.
Each of the 49 people was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to steal government funds and make false statements relating to healthcare matters, according to the charges.
A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Peter Donald, said no one was arrested.
A person briefed on the matter said the diplomats all had diplomatic immunity and Russia would have to waive it in order for any arrests to be made. The person said US prosecutors had coordinated with the US State Department on the case.
A spokeswoman for the State Department did not comment. The Russian mission to the United Nations was not immediately available for comment on the case.
The charges say the defendants obtained letters to prove their false incomes from officials at the Russian UN mission, including a former counselor and a former second secretary, as well as from former top officials at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York and the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in the USA.
AFP
