Uber and Lyft drivers duped in $61K relief fraud case

BROOKLYN, NY – A Long Island man has been indicted on multiple felony charges for allegedly defrauding New York’s Empire State Development grant program and pocketing more than $61,000 by submitting falsified tax documents on behalf of Brooklyn workers.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced Tuesday that 34-year-old Lasha Bukia of Riverhead was arraigned on a 25-count indictment before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. He faces charges including second-degree larceny, falsifying business records, offering a false instrument for filing, and scheme to defraud. Bukia was released without bail and is due back in court on December 3.

Investigators say that between Novembe

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