A Brooklyn bookkeeper and two accomplices on Thursday were arraigned on an indictment that charged them with stealing more than $1.1 million though a long-running fraud.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who identified the defendants as Maya Roytlender, 44, Ihor Dubno, 61, and Michael James, 33, said the three individuals ran a scheme that involved fake jobs, inflated salaries and business checks.
The defendants allegedly used a former Brooklyn realty company to generate fraudulent payroll checks, which they deposited into accounts they controlled. They then used the stolen funds to pay personal expenses and debts, he said.
According to the investigation, between 2015 and 2020, Roytlender, while working as an office manager for D. Malek Realty, LLC, allegedly orchestrated a scheme in which fraudulent payroll checks were issued to her co-defendants Michael James and Ihor Dubno, among others. James was placed on the company’s payroll despite never having worked there, and received salary payments to which he was not entitled. Dubno, who did work for the company, allegedly received inflated paychecks in excess of his actual compensation.
The checks were drawn from the company’s business accounts and deposited into accounts controlled by the defendants or their associates. The stolen funds were allegedly used to pay credit cards, auto lenders and other creditors, including Roytlender’s Capital One and Chase accounts, and toward Michael James’ personal debts.
“This defendant, along with two accomplices, allegedly carried out and coordinated an extended scheme to steal over a million dollars through lies and manipulation," Gonzalez said in a statement. "By exploiting trust and fabricating work arrangements, they were able to siphon off money to cover personal expenses and business debts."
