Daycare Owner Sentenced for Stealing Government Funds in Buffalo, NY
BUFFALO, N.Y.
A 42-year-old Buffalo man who ran a daycare center has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for stealing government funds.
Tariq Butt, a resident of Buffalo, was convicted of theft of government funds and sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. In addition to the prison term, Butt was ordered to pay $305,000 in restitution to the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O’Donnell, who handled the case, Butt and his wife, Halima Mohammed, opened Twinkle Stars Day Care Center in February 2015 and Candyland Daycare in July 2015, both located in the City of Buffalo.
Between January 2016 and September 2016, Butt submitted hundreds of false and fraudulent claims to Erie County seeking reimbursement for daycare services supposedly provided by Twinkle Stars and Candyland to children eligible for Child Care and Development Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The defendant knew that the children listed on the claims did not actually attend Twinkle Stars on the dates and times claimed, making the daycare ineligible for reimbursement. In total, between January 2016 and September 2016, Erie County paid Twinkle Stars and Candyland approximately $305,000 for daycare services, which were never rendered.
Halima Mohamed, Butt’s wife, was previously convicted and sentenced to five months in prison and three years supervised release, to include five months home detention.
The case was the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Scott Lampert, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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