Comptroller DiNapoli and District Attorney Hoovler Announce Sentences in
Case Involving Fraudulent Billing by Two Medicaid Transportation Providers Accused of Stealing $3.4 Million Dollars
Rohail Raja Pled Guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree
Shama Alam Pled Guilty to Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree
Unique Class Limo, Inc. Pled Guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree
SNR Limo, Inc. Pled Guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, October 27, Rohail Raja, age 45, of New Windsor, was sentenced to six to eighteen (6 – 18) years in prison in connection with his guilty plea to Grand Larceny in the First Degree. His wife, Sharma Alam, age 45, also of New Windsor, was sentenced to six months incarceration and five years’ probation in connection with her earlier guilty plea to the felony charge of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. Both pleas and sentences were in connection with a scheme wherein two Medicaid transportation companies, Unique Class Limo, Inc. and SNR Limo, Inc., which are owned by Raja and Alam respectively, stole from the New York State Department of Health by fraudulently billing for Medicaid transports that either did not occur at all, or did not occur in the manner that demands for payment indicated. At the time that they pleaded guilty, Raja and Alam each admitted that $3,434,730.00 was stolen from New York State’s Medicaid program pursuant to this fraudulent billing scheme. At the sentencing Raja and Alam paid $400,000.00 toward the restitution and were ordered to pay additional restitution in the amount of $3,034,730.00.
A joint investigation was conducted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the Office of the New York State Comptroller, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County White Collar Crimes Taskforce. They were assisted in the investigation by the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General and the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center. Based upon information developed during the investigation, the District Attorney’s Office applied for a search warrant which was executed at the defendants’ Town of New Windsor residence by investigators of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Orange County Sheriff’s Office, who were accompanied by investigators from the Office of the State Comptroller.
Raja is the owner of Unique Class, Limo, Inc. and also acted as a high managerial manager of SNR Limo, Inc., which is owned by Alam. Both corporations were authorized to act as Medicaid transportation providers. The two companies were paid by the New York State Department of Health to provide transportation to Medicaid recipients to go to and from approved Medicaid medical service providers.
During the investigation, claims for payments submitted by the defendants’ companies were compared to records from the Medicaid medical service providers named in the claims. A forensic auditor of the Office of the New York State Comptroller discovered that the New York State Department of Health had paid the defendants for ostensibly transporting Medicaid recipients to Medicaid health care providers on dates and time when the provider records show that no such visits occurred.
In addition, a review of the claims submitted by those companies during that same time period disclosed that the defendants’ companies were fraudulently submitting claims to the New York State Department of Health which falsely indicated that the companies had transported Medicaid recipients separately to medical appointments, when in reality they had transported multiple Medicaid recipients in one trip. It is alleged that the defendants fraudulently billed the Department of Health by claiming that the transport for each Medicaid recipient was a separate trip. As a result of all the false claims, between April 15, 2020 and September 30, 2024, the defendants’ companies received more than $3,434,730.00 than they were entitled to.
On May 14, 2026, at the time that Raja and Alam pleaded guilty, Unique Class Limo, Inc., appeared through an attorney and pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree. Unique Class Limo, Inc., through its attorney, admitted that it had stolen $2,666,634.00 through false Medicaid billings occurring at the direction of Raja, as owner of that company. On May 14, 2026 SNR Limo, Inc., pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, and through its attorney, admitted that it had stolen $768,096.00 through false Medicaid billings occurring under the direction of Raja, as a high managerial agent of that company. On October 27, 2026, both companies were ordered to pay restitution in the amounts that they admitted having stolen and were fined $5,000.
District Attorney David M. Hoovler said, “This is the largest Medicaid fraud scheme ever prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and the main offender deserved meaningful incarceration. I am grateful to Comptroller DiNapoli and his staff for partnering with the District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County White Collar Crimes Taskforce on this important investigation. The work of the investigators and forensic auditors of the Office of State Comptroller was crucial to this investigation. I also thank Sheriff Arteta for continuing to partner with my office, and the other members of the White-Collar Crimes Taskforce for their dedication to investigate complex financial crimes.”
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said, “Raja Rohail and Shama Alam conspired to scam the Medicaid Program out of over $3.4 million. They have now been held accountable for their crimes, are convicted felons, and will pay full restitution of the money they stole. My office will continue to work with law enforcement partners throughout the state and protect New York’s vital Medicaid program from fraud. I thank District Attorney Hoovler for his continued partnership in fighting public fraud.”
Sheriff Arteta stated, “As Sheriff, my duty is to protect both the residents of Orange County and the public funds they depend on. Stealing from Medicaid is an act against our most vulnerable citizens, and this scheme eroded trust in a program designed to assist those in need. The sentence serves as a clear warning that individuals who exploit public assistance programs for personal gain will be held accountable. Our investigators, in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office and the Comptroller’s Office, thoroughly uncovered the truth and ensured that those responsible were brought to justice. We will continue to uphold the integrity of our community’s resources and ensure that taxpayer money is used for its intended purpose.”
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Borek.
