Rental Scammer: Long Island Woman Faked Income For Housing Benefits, DA Says

A woman from Long Island has been accused of lying about her income for years in order to get rental benefits – and buying a house during that time, authorities said.

Melissa Beltre, a 42-year-old South Hempstead woman, faced her arraignment for her alleged scam on Thursday, March 14, the Nassau County District Attorney announced.

Starting in October 2018, Beltre applied to the Nassau County Office of Housing, Housing Choice Voucher Program (NCHCVP) for rental assistance.

On her application, the DA’s Office said, she claimed to live in Oceanside and that her weekly income fell in the correct bracket to receive rental benefits. Her application was approved for the 2019 calendar year.

Then, Beltre did the same in October 2019 and October 2020, once again claiming to live in Oceanside with a low income – allowing her to continue receiving benefits through 2020 and 2021.

An investigation by the NCDA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General discovered that Beltre had not included all of her financial information, including $85,000 she earned from several jobs she had at Long Island car dealerships.

She also had an additional $43,000 from a 401K Profit Sharing Plan and Trust 401K.

Additionally, in April 2021 (when she was still receiving benefits), Beltre was discovered to have bought a $585,000 home in South Hempstead. According to the DA’s Office, she failed to report the purchase until October of that year, when she asked to leave the rental assistance program.

In total, Beltre’s fake information led to her getting $22,476 from 2019 to 2021, during which she was not qualified to receive such benefits.

“Rental assistance benefits are essential to thousands of low-income families, elderly, and disabled citizens in Nassau County to ensure they can afford to live in safe and sanitary housing,” said DA Anne T. Donnelly.

“ I thank the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General for their partnership in holding individuals accountable for abusing these public programs.”

Beltre is charged with:

• Grand larceny;
• Welfare fraud; and
• Offering a false instrument for filing, three counts.

She pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on Wednesday, March 20.

If convicted, Beltre faces up to two-and-one-third to seven years behind bars.