Long Island Man Indicted for Defrauding State Grant Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Long Island Man Indicted for Defrauding State Grant Program

Defendant Allegedly Pocketed More Than $61,000 by Duping
Hardworking Brooklyn Residents in Pandemic Relief Fraud

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with the New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang, announced today that a Long Island man has been arraigned on a 25-count indictment for allegedly stealing public funds from New York's Empire State Development agency (ESD) by submitting falsified tax returns and other documents to obtain state grant funds.

An ESD grant is financial assistance offered through Empire State Development, New York's statewide economic development agency. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic to mirror federal relief programs, these grants were intended to help small businesses cover expenses, weather the shutdown and keep workers employed. To qualify, businesses had to have revenues under $2.5 million, be in operation since at least March 2019 and show either regular expenses like payroll and utilities or proof of lost income using their 2019 and 2020 tax returns.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "This defendant allegedly exploited hardworking Brooklyn residents, including drivers and home health aides, by misusing their personal information to inflate applications for pandemic relief. By stealing funds meant to help people and small businesses recover, he betrayed the victims who trusted him and undermined a program designed to support our city and state in a time of crisis."

Inspector General Lang said, "This scheme was a calculated abuse of a critical lifeline created to support New Yorkers during a time of crisis. By allegedly submitting false documents and misusing the personal information of others, the defendant took advantage of public trust and targeted vulnerable workers - including health aides and Uber and Lyft drivers who were essential to keeping our city running during the pandemic. My office remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to safeguard public resources and ensure that those who seek to exploit emergency aid for personal gain are held fully accountable."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Lasha Bukia, 34, of Riverhead, New York. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 25-count indictment in which he is charged with one count of second-degree larceny, 14 counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, nine counts of first-degree falsifying business records and one count of first-degree scheme to defraud. He was ordered released without bail and to return to court on December 3, 2025.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between November 2021 and October 2022, the defendant allegedly applied for and obtained ESD grants on behalf of nine individuals, including Lyft and Uber drivers and home health aides, who lived in Brooklyn.

Those individuals ultimately received $369,000 in ESD funds. In exchange for preparing and submitting the applications, Bukia allegedly received approximately $61,000 from the nine grant recipients.

To receive an ESD grant, Bukia allegedly directed the grant recipients to provide him with their driver's licenses, 2019 and 2020 tax returns and a utility bill. He then altered the returns to inflate their income and make it appear the applicants were entitled to larger grants than for which they were qualified. Without the recipients' knowledge or consent, these falsified documents were submitted to ESD and used to secure the relief funds.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Libove, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney's Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Laura Neubauer, Bureau Chief, Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Chief of the Investigations Division.

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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant's guilt.