ALBANY, N.Y. (WNYT)- Federal prosecutors said a couple used a fake transit company to steal more than $1 million and try to steal up to $13 million from government programs.
Federal officials and Albany-based investigators announced the case Tuesday at a news conference that included state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Authorities said 45-year-old Jael Watts and her husband, 42-year-old Luis Pino Copete, carried out the scheme starting around 2019.
Authorities said the couple created Pearl Transit Company with a business plan to provide rides to elderly, disabled and homeless people. They also created a list of bogus employees by stealing identities from victims, including some from the Capital Region…