6 imputed as part of ‘birth tourism’ program that cost U.S. taxpayers millions

Six people have been charged in an elaborate “birth tourism” program that has helped Turkish women obtain US citizenship for their children and cost US taxpayers more than $ 2 million, the officials said on Wednesday. federal prosecutors.

The alleged ringleaders Sarah Kaplan and Ibrahim Aksakal, both residents of Long Island, New York, brazenly advertised their services on Facebook pages and Turkish-language websites with headlines such as “My baby should be born in America,” said prosecutors.

The defendants are accused of providing pregnant women with a full service experience: accommodation in New York, transportation, citizenship application assistance for their children and alleged “insurance” to cover all medical costs, which amounted to Medicaid benefits obtained fraudulently.

The cost of these services: about $ 7,500, almost all in cash, prosecutors say.

Between January 2017 and September this year, suspects received around $ 750,000 in fees and Medicaid disbursed more than $ 2.1 million in illicitly obtained benefits, prosecutors said.

“The defendants took advantage of the desire for citizenship from birth, and the US taxpayer eventually got stuck with the $ 2.1 million bill,” said Seth DuCharme, acting US attorney for the eastern district of New York , in a press release.

Five of the defendants – Aksakal, Kaplan, Enes Burak Cakiroglu, Fiordalisa Marte and Edgar Rodriguez – were arrested on Wednesday morning. They are all residents of Long Island, where they operated seven “birth houses,” prosecutors said.

The sixth suspect, who has not yet been taken into custody, has not been identified.

Aksakal, Kaplan and Cakiroglu have been charged with conspiracy to commit visa frauds, healthcare, wire transfers and money laundering. Marte and Rodriguez have been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering.

It was not immediately clear whether they had hired lawyers.

Birth tourism has long brought pregnant women to the U.S. The benefits are huge: the child receives U.S. citizenship, which gives her the lifetime right to live and work and receive benefits in the U.S. And when they turn 21, they can sponsor their parents’ application for a US green card.

But the six defendants on Wednesday submitted fraudulent claims for Medicaid benefits in New York state, claiming the Turkish women were permanent residents of New York who had no income and resided in one of the “homes of birth ”held by suspects, according to court documents.

The suspects submitted a total of 99 Medicaid claims for different women, according to court documents. In all, the defendants facilitated the birth of about 119 children, who now have U.S. citizenship, prosecutors said.

Two of the defendants, Marte and Rodriguez, used their experience as assistants, trained and certified people to help people in New York state apply for health coverage, to facilitate the Medicaid portion of the program, according to court documents.

The $ 750,000 brought in by the defendants was funneled into bank accounts in Turkey, preventing the government from seizing them, according to court documents.

The defendants allegedly used their web pages to attract customers. An article posted in January 2018 on the “My Baby Should Be Born In America” ​​Facebook page reads: “If you think your baby should be born in the United States and become a US citizen, you have come to the right place.”

The post also informed potential clients that the defendants ‘competitors’ fees were higher due to “misinformation that insurance would not cover expensive hospital and birth costs,” prosecutors said.