Irma Azrelyant, Joshua Finkle, Defrauding FCC’s VRS Program, New York 2009

NEW YORK CITY – In a stunning turn of events, Irma Azrelyant, 47, and Joshua Finkle, 41, the former co-owners of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services Inc. (DHIS), pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service (VRS) program of more than $7 million.

According to court documents, Azrelyant and Finkle, who were co-owners of DHIS, a New York and New Jersey-based service provider, admitted to paying individuals to make fraudulent VRS phone calls that were processed through DHIS and billed to the FCC through VRS provider Viable Communications Inc. (Viable).

The scheme, which lasted from October 2007 to July 2009, involved Azrelyant and Finkle making VRS calls to prerecorded messages and other numbers for the sole purpose of generating VRS minutes. They also coordinated with others to generate illegitimate VRS minutes that would be billed to the FCC.

Azrelyant and Finkle admitted to processing illegitimate VRS calls that were routed to DHIS by Viable. The total amount of fraudulent billing to the program is estimated to be between $7 million and $20 million.

The indictment charges Azrelyant, Finkle, along with DHIS assistant bookkeeper and video interpreter coordinator Oksana Strusa, as well as video interpreters Natan Zfati, Alfia Iskandarova, and Hennadii Holovkin. Co-defendants Strusa, Zfati, Iskandarova, and Holovkin are scheduled to stand trial on May 24, 2010.

Azrelyant and Finkle each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, as well as mandatory restitution and forfeiture. Sentencing is set for June 29, 2010 at 10 a.m.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Hank Bond Walther and Trial Attorney Brigham Cannon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Department of Justice Fraud Team, and the FCC Office of Inspector General.

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