Guyanese Woman Convicted in US$28,000 Welfare Fraud Case in New York

A Guyanese national living in Rotterdam, New York, has been convicted on multiple felony charges after a jury found that she fraudulently obtained more than US$28,000 in public assistance benefits over a four-year period.

The Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office announced that 31-year-old Sonia Rajpaul was convicted on May 22 following a five-day trial before a Schenectady County jury.

According to District Attorney Robert M. Carney, Rajpaul was found guilty of one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, one count of Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree, two counts of Perjury in the First Degree, and ten counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.

Prosecutors said the convictions stemmed from a scheme carried out between 2019 and 2023 in which Rajpaul repeatedly provided false information while applying for and receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Rajpaul failed to disclose income earned through a cleaning business she jointly operated with her husband. Prosecutors also said she falsely reported her household composition by failing to disclose that her husband lived in the home and by omitting his income from benefit applications and recertification documents.

Authorities said those omissions allowed her to qualify for government assistance benefits she would otherwise not have been eligible to receive.

By 2023, Rajpaul was reportedly receiving US$740 per month in SNAP benefits.

The investigation intensified after authorities executed a search warrant at the Rotterdam residence shared by Rajpaul and her husband. According to prosecutors, investigators found extensive evidence that the couple lived together, including family photographs displayed throughout the home.

Investigators also discovered that the family owned a second property that was being rented and generating income, which was allegedly never reported to welfare authorities.

The case expanded further after Rajpaul testified before a Schenectady County grand jury on May 2, 2024.

Prosecutors said she falsely stated under oath that she did not share bank accounts with her husband, did not have access to his income, and did not receive money from the cleaning business.

However, trial evidence showed that the couple maintained three joint bank accounts and that Rajpaul signed and received cheques connected to the business, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Authorities determined that Rajpaul unlawfully obtained US$28,323.22 in SNAP and HEAP benefits through the fraudulent scheme.

The convictions carry potentially significant penalties under New York law. Rajpaul is scheduled to be sentenced on August 7.

The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement and social services agencies in New York to investigate and prosecute welfare fraud involving the concealment of income, assets and household information used to determine eligibility for public assistance programmes.