Authorities arrest seven in welfare fraud cases

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. >> A number of welfare fraud arrests have been made as a result of investigations by the Ulster County Department of Social Services Investigation Unit and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Unless otherwise noted, the following were arrested by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and issued tickets to appear in Ulster Town Court:

• Sean Westlake, 59, of Kingston, was arrested Tuesday, July 16, and was charged with offering a false instrument for filing, a felony, and welfare fraud, a misdemeanor. Westlake is accused of hiding rental and employment income between January and May, 2019, and received $790 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to which he was not entitled.

• Walter Kaminski, 71, of Napanoch, was arrested on Monday, July 15, and charged with welfare fraud, grand larceny, and two counts of offering a false instrument for filing, all felonies. Authorities said Kaminski did not disclose that he was a self-employed owner of a medical transportation business and received $3,588 in SNAP benefits between December 2018 and June 2019 to which he was not entitled.

• Sean Boland, 37, of Saugerties, was arrested on Thursday, July 11, and charged with welfare fraud and four counts of offering a false instrument for filing, all felonies. Authorities said Boland did not disclose that he was employed by a local carpet company and received $6,323 in Temporary Assistance benefits to which he was not entitled between July 2018 and May 2019.

• Alfred DeGroat, 42, of Port Ewen, was arrested on Friday, July 5, and was charged with welfare fraud, a misdemeanor. Authorities said DeGroat repeatedly signed housing documents, filed with the Ulster County Department of Social Services, which contained false information and allowed unauthorized clientele to reside with him in a motel room, which had been specifically provided to DeGroat by the county agency to shelter him alone.

• Jason Cavallaro, 33, of Kingston, was picked up on an arrest warrant by Saugerties Police on Friday, June 28, and was turned over to the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, which charged him with offering a false instrument for filing and criminal possession of a forged instrument, both felonies. Authorities said that when when Cavallaro applied for SNAP benefits in November 2018, he falsified information on an employment information form and forged his employer’s signature. Cavallaro was given an opportunity to surrender himself, but refused to do so. He was arraigned in Ulster Town Court and sent to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, pending a further court appearance.

• Carol LaPorte, 64, of Kingston, was arrested on Thursday, June 20, and was charged with welfare fraud, grand larceny and three counts of offering a false instrument for filing, all felonies. Authorities said LaPorte, between January 2016 and July 2018, filed three applications for assistance with the Department of Social Services and failed to disclose her rental income or her income from self-employment, resulting in her receiving $3,836 in SNAP benefits, $2,076 in Home Energy Assistance benefits and $3,975 in Heating Equipment Replacement benefits to which she was not entitled.

• Tammy Brown, 56, of Kingston, was arrested on Wednesday, June 19, and was charged with welfare fraud and six counts of offering a false instrument for filing, all felonies. Authorities said Brown filed multiple SNAP applications with the Department of Social Services between April 2013, and May 2018, failing to disclose that she was employed as a day care provider, resulting in her receiving $8,459 in SNAP benefits to which she was not entitled.