MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas and the Nassau County Police Department announced the arrests of a married Glen Head couple for allegedly stealing the identity of the husband’s first wife and using it to obtain medical care and prescriptions.
Mohammed Aziz, 61, was arraigned today on charges of Identity Theft in the First Degree (a D felony) and Health Care Fraud in the Fourth Degree (an E felony). Bail was set at $3,000 bond or cash and the defendant is due back in court on January 17. If convicted, the defendant faces 2-1/3 to seven years in prison.
Anna Khaled, 42, was arraigned on October 28 on charges of Forgery in the Second Degree (a D felony), Identity Theft in the First Degree (a D felony), Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (a D felony) and Health Care Fraud in the Fourth Degree (an E felony). Bail was set at $4,000 bond or $2,000 cash and is due back in court no February 16, 2018. If convicted, the defendant faces 2-1/3 to seven years in prison.
“The victim visited a hospital and was shocked when a doctor asked about her recent childbirth experiences, when in fact she had not given birth,” DA Singas said. “The allegations of identity theft in this case are particularly troubling because mixing medical records could have led to serious health consequences for the victim. I thank the Nassau County Police Department for their work on this case.”
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said, “The in-depth investigation by the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office is a prime example of a collaborative effort to reduce criminal activity. By doing so, we are protecting our residents and their insurance carriers from falsified insurance claims which cost our communities an exorbitant amount of money every year.”
DA Singas said in September 2014, the victim visited the emergency room at Winthrop Hospital in Mineola. During her examination, the doctor asked the victim about the medication that she was taking. When she explained that she did not take that specific medication, the doctor told that her medical records stated that she suffered from specific condition and was having her prescriptions filled at Glen Head Pharmacy in Glen Cove, New York.
The doctor also said that according to the chart’s medical history, she had recently given birth to a child at North Shore Long Island Jewish - Glen Cove Hospital. That too, was untrue.
After the conversation at Winthrop, the victim went to Glen Head Pharmacy and reviewed security footage of a woman picking up the medications under the victim’s name. The victim also went to Glen Cove Hospital, where she requested the medical records that were in her name and discovered that someone had used her identity and medical insurance to receive medical care and deliver a baby under her name. After reviewing the records, she found that Mohammed Aziz, was listed as the person responsible for the medical bills and some of the forged records.
The victim reported the alleged crimes to the NCDA in May of 2017 and Khaled was arrested by the Nassau County Police Department’s Third Precinct Detective Squad on October 27, 2017. Following a further investigation by the NCDA, Aziz was arrested on November 29.
The victim is Aziz’s first wife, and they are in the process of getting a divorce.
Assistant District Attorney Betty Rodriguez of DA Singas’ Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting this case. Khaled is represented by Joshua D. Kirshner, Esq. and Aziz is represented by Barry Agulnick, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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