Two Brooklyn men were indicted on Tuesday for allegedly embezzling more than $1.3 million from a nonprofit organization that provided health care services and operated homeless shelters for the city.
Jean Ronald Tirelus and Roberto Samedy were indicted on various charges and are accused of being involved in embezzlement, bribery and kickback schemes, according to Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Tirelus was the former chairman of the organization’s board of directors, and Samedy was the executive director of the organization.
In addition, the indictment charged two other men, Edouardo St. Fort and Miguel Jorge, for their roles in a related scheme in which Tirelus and Samedy steered business to companies controlled by St. Fort and Jorge in exchange for bribes and kickbacks, according to prosecutors.
Tirelus and Samedy were each charged with wire fraud, embezzlement, and bribery-related offenses, and conspiracy to commit the same, as well as money laundering conspiracy. St. Fort and Jorge were charged with federal program bribery and related charges.
The case is connected to a federal investigation into City Council Member Farah Louis, her sister Debbie Louis, who serves as Governor Kathy Hochul’s assistant secretary of New York City intergovernmental affairs, and Edu Hermelyn, the husband of state Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, the Daily News reported.
The charges arise from an investigation of a Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization that provided home care services to elderly New Yorkers and individuals with acute medical needs and also operated homeless shelters. The nonprofit allegedly received millions of dollars in Medicaid payments and has been
awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from New York City, according to prosecutors.
As a result of their leadership positions at the nonprofit, Tirelus and Samedy exercised significant control over its operations and finances. Between
August 2020 and January 2024, Tirelus and Samedy exploited their positions, allegedly stealing more than $1.3 million from the organization through several forms of embezzlement and fraud.
For example, in May 2023, Tirelus and Samedy fraudulently induced the board of directors to authorize an $800,000 payment that went to a shell company controlled by Tirelus. Tirelus and Samedy falsely advised the board of directors that the nonprofit had been approached by a bank regarding a joint venture to invest in affordable housing. After the board approved a proposal authorizing the organization to invest, Tirelus and Samedy caused one of the nonprofits to wire $800,000 to a bank account controlled by Tirelus, who diverted the funds to the benefit of himself and Samedy, prosecutors said.
Separately, St. Fort and Jorge controlled several vendor companies that provided private security services, facilities maintenance, and furniture to homeless shelters operated by the nonprofit. Between February 2023 and January 2024, Tirelus and Samedy steered millions of dollars of the nonprofit's business towards the companies controlled by St. Fort and Jorge in return for bribes and kickbacks.
“As alleged, the defendants used their leadership positions to loot public funds from an organization devoted to serving vulnerable New Yorkers,” Nocella said in a statement. “Rooting out corruption is a priority for our office, and we will hold accountable anyone who exploits charitable trust for private gain.”
