[BwayDems] Fwd: Protecting Your Tax Dollars

[Paula Diamond Roman]

From: Eric Schneiderman <friends at schneiderman.org>
Subject: Protecting Your Tax Dollars
Date: Friday, January 28, 2011, 9:18 PM



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With New York State facing a budget crisis and a loss of confidence in its government, the public knows that we need to do everything we can to protect our tax dollars from waste, fraud and abuse.

To confront this crisis head on, I’m pleased to report that, this week, we announced an aggressive plan to root out fraud and return money illegally stolen from New York’s hard-working taxpayers. You can read more about it here, here and here.  

Our new initiative has two components:



The establishment of a new “Taxpayer Protection Unit” in the office of Attorney General to target corrupt government contractors, pension con-artists, and large scale tax cheats. The unit will conduct civil investigations and prosecutions against contractors and public officials who make or use false or fraudulent claims, records, or statements to obtain government money.


The bolstering of our office’s award-winning Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with dozens of additional prosecutors, investigators, and auditors.  The unit targets, among other things, large-scale frauds involving overbilling, kickbacks, substandard drugs and medical equipment, and “Medicaid mills” run by organized criminals. It also contains a patient protection unit that safeguards elderly New Yorkers from abuse and neglect.


By using federal funds and increased recoveries, this initiative will pay for itself and cost state taxpayers no additional money.

I’m honored to have the support of so many leaders in this effort, including our new Governor Andrew Cuomo, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and New York State Bar Association President Stephen Younger, who called the plan “groundbreaking.”

In the fight against fraud, our message to would-be criminals is clear: We will go after you with every tool we have, and you will pay the price for these crimes. The taxpayers of this state deserve nothing less. 


Thank you for your support and have a great weekend.



Sincerely,

Eric T. Schneiderman
Attorney General 






Paid for by Schneiderman for Attorney General 
Phone:212-242-5301 Fax:212-242-5303 
www.ericschneiderman.com 


131 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013



      
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