Eurasian organized crime loots public coffers

Well placed government sources claim that the government loses $300 billion a year in healthcare fraud - with about half of this figure being stolen from immigrant gangs - many of whom hail from the former Soviet Union.

Troy Anderson of the LA Daily News reports on one small part of the overall problem:

Lana Michael and her husband collected welfare benefits in 2003, claiming they earned less than $24,000.

But authorities say Michael, the former office manager of a job-training center for immigrant welfare recipients, also owned a liquor store and recycling business.

And, authorities say, she drove a $76,000 luxury car, shopped at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue and had $147,980 stashed in her bedroom dresser.

Lana Michael is also known as Svetlana Djangarian was part of an elaborate scheme, where welfare to work checks were issued from the inside and cashed using fake ID. Fraudulent tax returns were also filed.

Daily news story, here.

No wonder programs designed to help the less fortunate are in trouble!