Brooklyn caseworker, three others accused in theft of over 100 emergency HRA checks
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn, and New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) Commissioner Robert Doar on Friday announced the arrests of an HRA caseworker and three accomplices who schemed to steal 123 Emergency Assistance checks worth nearly $90,000 from HRA.
Defendants Elizabeth Valentine, 41, James Whittaker, 43, James Baines, 44 and Howard Green, 47, were arrested last week. Defendants Valentine, Whittaker and Green were arraigned Friday and released on their own recognizance. Defendant Baines is awaiting arraignment.
DA Hynes said, “The main defendant in this case abused her position as a social services caseworker to steal public funds intended to prevent qualified, low-income New Yorkers from being evicted from their homes. We are committed, along with our partners at DOI and HRA, to uncover and hold accountable government workers such as defendant Valentine, who defraud those in need and, in doing so, ultimately defraud the public’s trust. I thank DOI and HRA for bringing this case to our attention and for their cooperation in conducting an investigation into the defendants’ crimes.”