LEVITTOWN, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced the arraignment of a Levittown woman, Terry Ann Powell-Bajwa, 45, on charges of fraudulently collecting $112,000 in public assistance benefits. Powell-Bajwa allegedly submitted false paperwork to obtain SNAP, Day Care Services, and Medicaid benefits, while omitting that she owned a company with lucrative government contracts, including a $2 million contract with Lockheed Martin.
In addition to owning a company, Powell-Bajwa also allegedly failed to disclose income from her husband, who works for a well-known technology company. The District Attorney’s office claims that the defendant filed multiple fraudulent applications between 2013 and 2021.
Powell-Bajwa was arraigned on Thursday, before Judge Eileen Goggin on a grand jury indictment charging her with one count of Welfare Fraud in the 1st Degree (a class B felony), one count of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree (a class C felony), and three counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree (class E felonies).
If convicted of the top charge, Powell-Bajwa faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. Judge Goggin set her bail at $25,000 bond or $12,500 cash. The defendant is due back in court on May 9, 2023. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Diane Peress of the Economic Crimes Bureau.