New York state lawmaker charged with fraud obstructing justice
Pamela Harris
In four alleged schemes between 2012 to 2016  Assemblywoman Pamela Harris  57  submitted falsified documents to obtain government funds for personal use  according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
 Harris  was arraigned on Tuesday at a U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.
 Her  attorneys said in a statement that  Harris   who represents a district in New York City’s Brooklyn borough  has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
 Harris   who was elected in November 2015 in a special election and returned to office in 2016  is also accused of defrauding a bankruptcy court and falsely claiming to have been forced out of  her  residence by Hurricane Sandy to get financial assistance  it said.
Before and during  her  tenure as assemblywoman   Harris  allegedly went to great lengths to defraud local and federal agencies  FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said in a statement.
“In fact  at a time when many residents in  her  district were dealing with the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Sandy   Harris  was busy brewing a storm of  her  own ” Sweeney said.
 She  was also accused of obstructing justice by instructing witnesses in 2017 to lie to FBI agents after becoming aware of the grand jury’s investigation into  her  alleged crimes.
“We look forward to  her  day in court and an opportunity there to present the full facts ”  her  attorneys Joel Cohen and Jerry Goldfeder said.
In one of the four alleged schemes  between August 2014 and July 2015  when  Harris  was executive director of a not-for-profit organization in Brooklyn   she  is accused of defrauding New York City Council of $22 800 by falsely claiming the money would go toward rent for a studio art space for community use.
After submitting a forged lease agreement   Harris  transferred the funds to  her  personal checking account and used the money to pay for personal expenses  including monthly mortgage payments  clothing and travel tickets  prosecutors said.
In another scheme   she  is accused of defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency of nearly $25 000 in temporary housing assistance by falsely claiming that  she  had been forced out of  her  Coney Island residence by Sandy  claiming that it was uninhabitable.
In four alleged schemes between 2012 to 2016  [TGT]57  submitted falsified documents to obtain government funds for personal use  according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
 [TGT]was arraigned on Tuesday at a U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.
 [TGT]  attorneys said in a statement that  Harris   who represents a district in New York City’s Brooklyn borough  has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
 Harris   who was elected in November 2015 in a special election and returned to office in 2016  is also accused of defrauding a bankruptcy court and falsely claiming to have been forced out of  [TGT]  residence by Hurricane Sandy to get financial assistance  it said.
Before and during  [TGT]  tenure as assemblywoman   [TGT]allegedly went to great lengths to defraud local and federal agencies  FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said in a statement.
“In fact  at a time when many residents in  her  district were dealing with the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Sandy   [TGT]was busy brewing a storm of  [TGT]  own ” Sweeney said.
 [TGT]  was also accused of obstructing justice by instructing witnesses in 2017 to lie to FBI agents after becoming aware of the grand jury’s investigation into  [TGT]  alleged crimes.
“We look forward to  [TGT]  day in court and an opportunity there to present the full facts ”  [TGT]  attorneys Joel Cohen and Jerry Goldfeder said.
In one of the four alleged schemes  between August 2014 and July 2015  when  [TGT]was executive director of a not-for-profit organization in Brooklyn   [TGT]  is accused of defrauding New York City Council of $22 800 by falsely claiming the money would go toward rent for a studio art space for community use.
After submitting a forged lease agreement   [TGT]transferred the funds to  [TGT]  personal checking account and used the money to pay for personal expenses  including monthly mortgage payments  clothing and travel tickets  prosecutors said.
In another scheme   [TGT]  is accused of defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency of nearly $25 000 in temporary housing assistance by falsely claiming that  [TGT]  had been forced out of  [TGT]  Coney Island residence by Sandy  claiming that it was uninhabitable.