WHITE PLAINS – Acting Westchester County District Attorney James McCarty and New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Rearden jointly announced that six individuals have been arraigned and charged with the theft of unemployment benefits.
Michael Gonzales, 46, of Linden, NJ
Severino Livramento, 60, of Purchase, NY
Edgardo Villanueva, 53, of Cos Cob, CT
Danilo Martinez, 65, Purchase, New York
Jose Noguera, 64, Yonkers
Ronilda De La Cruz, 52, Rye Brook
All face felony charges that include grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing
All six defendants at the time these crimes took place were working as seasonal workers at the Century Golf Club in Purchase, New York. Gonzales worked as a waiter; Livramento as a laundry room attendant; Villanueva as a locker room attendant; Martinez as a golf course attendant; Noguera as a kitchen attendant and De La Cruz as a housekeeping attendant.
On or about and between the years 2011 and 2015 each of these defendants claimed unemployment benefits from the New York State Department of Labor by having others falsely certifying online that they were present in the country when in fact they were overseas. A person must be present in the United States as an additional eligibility requirement in order to receive unemployment benefits.
The New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations Unit initiated the investigation and received assistance from the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office who in turn received complete cooperation from the Century Golf Club.
The total amount of unemployment benefits stolen collectively by these defendants was $109,032.
The defendants pled not guilty. They were released on their own recognizance, and as a condition thereof, had to surrender their passports and sign an agreement that they would return to court.
