Paul Fishbein, Rental Assistance and Medicaid Fraud, New York NY, 2023

A New York City real estate investor has been convicted of defrauding the city’s rental assistance programs and Medicaid system. Paul Fishbein, 49, of Queens, was found guilty of multiple counts of fraud and aggravated identity theft after a trial in federal court.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Fishbein stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the city’s rental assistance programs by renting out properties he didn’t own and collecting made-up broker fees. He also lied to the city about his income to collect Medicaid benefits.

The investigation found that Fishbein rented out properties to low-income New Yorkers through the city’s rental assistance programs, collecting rent payments as the purported owner of the properties. However, he was never the owner of the properties and lied to the city to collect the rent payments.

In addition, Fishbein used an actual real estate broker’s license and name without her authority to collect made-up broker fees from the city. He also lied to the city about his income to collect Medicaid benefits, claiming he made only $150 a week when in reality, he was raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Through these schemes, Fishbein fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars from the city, including more than $90,000 in federal funds. He was also convicted of healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft.

“New York City assists millions of low-income and vulnerable New Yorkers through different types of programs, including rental assistance programs and Medicaid,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “These programs were designed to help New Yorkers in need. But, as a jury has now found, for years, Fishbein abused those programs to enrich himself.”

Fishbein faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire and mail fraud charges, 10 years for the theft of government funds and healthcare fraud charges, and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. The sentences must run consecutive.

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