Two Brooklyn individuals have confessed to orchestrating a massive fraud scheme, siphoning millions from a vital public health program.
On Thursday, Manal Wasef and Elaine Antao, both 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in a $68 million plot targeting New York’s Medicaid home care program.
The scheme, spanning from October 2017 to July 2024, involved paying illegal kickbacks and bribes to Medicaid recipients while billing for adult day care and home health services that were never provided.
The US Department of Justice announced the guilty pleas, noting the pair’s roles as marketers for three NYC-area businesses: Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc., Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc., and Responsible Care Staffing Inc.
Wasef and Antao, part of a group of eight initially charged, are the sixth and seventh to admit guilt, the New York Post reported. Others implicated include business owners Zakia Khan and Ahsan Ijaz, along with Oasmneah Hamdi, Ansir Abassi, and Amran Hashmi. Their actions not only drained public funds but also undermined trust in systems designed to aid the vulnerable.
Prosecutors revealed the duo laundered fraud proceeds through multiple entities to generate cash for bribes. They agreed to forfeit about $1 million as part of their plea. Sentencing is set for Antao on May 20 and Wasef on May 27, with each facing up to 10 years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva didn’t mince words on the betrayal. “The defendants were large-scale recruiters who bribed patients with laundered cash and billed Medicaid over $68 million for services that were not provided,” Duva stated. It’s a gut punch to see funds meant for the needy funneled into personal gain.
Duva also emphasized accountability. “Today’s guilty pleas demonstrate the Department’s longstanding commitment to rooting out fraud in government health care programs by aggressively prosecuting those who steal from taxpayer-funded programs,” Duva added. Yet, one wonders if prosecution alone can fix a system so ripe for abuse.
Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel echoed the sentiment of exploitation. “These defendants placed profit over people and public well-being and stole $68 million in welfare funds meant for those who need it most,” Patel said. It’s hard to argue with that when the evidence shows a calculated scheme to cheat the system.
The CDPAP, designed to let untrained individuals care for loved ones, sounds noble on paper. But with hundreds of intermediary firms acting as payroll agents with little scrutiny, it’s a setup for disaster. This case shines a harsh light on bureaucratic blind spots that allow fraud to flourish.
Taxpayers foot the bill for these programs, expecting them to serve the public good. When $68 million vanishes into thin air, it’s not just a financial loss—it’s a moral failing. The government must tighten the reins before more schemes drain resources from those truly in need.
Look at the numbers: nearly seven years of unchecked fraud before action was taken. That’s not just negligence; it’s a signal that oversight mechanisms are woefully inadequate. Reform isn’t optional—it’s urgent.
Wasef and Antao’s guilty pleas are a win for accountability, but they’re only part of the puzzle. With other co-conspirators still in the mix, the full scope of this fraud ring remains unclear. Will the remaining charges lead to bigger systemic change?
The maximum 10-year sentences looming over the pair send a message, but deterrence only works if the system itself is fixed. Fraudsters prey on loopholes, and CDPAP’s structure seems tailor-made for exploitation. Plugging those gaps should be priority one.
This $68 million scandal isn’t just about two marketers—it’s about a broken framework that let them thrive. Public trust in Medicaid hangs by a thread when stories like this surface. If the government doesn’t act decisively, expect more headlines of betrayal down the line.
