Syracuse, NY - The owner of a local taxi company pleaded guilty in Onondaga County Court today to stealing almost $70,000 in Public Assistance funds over a period of four years. Ramona Bellavia, 49, of 112 E. Second St., East Syracuse, pleaded guilty before Judge Anthony Aloi to a felony charge of second-degree welfare fraud. She admitted obtaining $68,043.73 in...
Syracuse, NY - The owner of a local taxi company pleaded guilty in Onondaga County Court today to stealing almost $70,000 in Public Assistance funds over a period of four years.
Ramona Bellavia, 49, of 112 E. Second St., East Syracuse, pleaded guilty before Judge Anthony Aloi to a felony charge of second-degree welfare fraud. She admitted obtaining $68,043.73 in Public Assistance benefits to which she was not entitled from June 1, 2002, through April 30, 2006, by not reporting all her income.
Assistant District Attorney Mary Gorman said Bellavia and her husband, Antonio Bellavia, failed to report they were owners of the Bellavia taxi service company, claiming instead to be employees and underreporting their income for Medicaid purposes.
Antonio Bellavia, 51, also had originally been charged with felony welfare fraud as well. But Gorman today said the prosecution would be allowing Antonio Bellavia to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of fifth-degree welfare fraud in Syracuse City Court and be sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
Ramona was sentenced by Aloi today to a three-year conditional discharge after defense lawyer Gaetano Colozzi reported he had full restitution for the prosecution.
Colozzi said the Bellavias did not willfully misrepresent their income. He said they did not realize some corporate assets counted as their income and they misunderstood the public assistance application.