Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe, Haverstraw Village Mayor Michael Kohut, Mr. Luis Mancini, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, HUD Office of the Inspector General, Town of Haverstraw Police Chief Charles Miller, and other federal and local officials today announced the arrests of three Haverstraw residents on various welfare fraud and narcotics charges, which are the result of a concerted Multi-Agency investigation which was sparked by the concerns of the local community.

Acting on concerns from residents of downtown Haverstraw, on July, 10th, 2009, Mayor Kohut met with members of the District Attorney’s Office and the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force. Kohut requested that the District Attorneys Office investigate 5A Broadway, a residence which had been brought to his attention by members of the community who had expressed concern that criminal activity was taking place at that address.

In the months that followed, a working group, spearheaded by Senior Assistant District Attorney Kristen Conklin and Detective John Casey initiated a probe into the activity at that location. Utilizing the basic concepts of Intelligence Led Policing, Community Policing and Community Prosecution, an assessment of the location was developed, a game plan was designed and an investigation was initiated.

The working group, which, in addition to the District Attorneys Office and the Task Force, included the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit, the Town of Haverstraw Police Department and HUD conducted the two month probe, which resulted in the arrest of the following individuals;

Charged are:

• Phyllis Harris (DOB 09/25/68) 5A Broadway, Haverstraw, New York 
• Tory Means (DOB 01/22/85) 5A Broadway, Haverstraw, New York 
• Heather Burch (DOB 10/28/89) 5A Broadway, Haverstraw, New York 

Additional arrests are expected as the investigation of the books and records related to this location are examined.

Between 2007 and 2009, Harris illegally received more than $7,000 in federal Section 8 housing benefits from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

When applying and recertifying for government benefits, the defendant misled the government agencies involved in overseeing the welfare programs by providing false information.

Harris falsely reported her personal assets to allow her to appear to qualify for the government benefits. Additionally, the defendant reported to the housing authority that she and two adult children resided in the home, when, in fact up to as many as six additional people actually lived in the apartment.

On September 18th, 2009, while executing a search warrant at Harris’ apartment, investigators uncovered evidence of narcotics dealing, including cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

Harris is charged with:

• One count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony 
• One count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class “E” Felony 

Means is charged with: 

• Five counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class “B” Felony 
• Five counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class “B” Felony 

Burch is charged with: 

• Three counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class “B” Felony 
• Three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class “B” Felony 

A search of the defendants’ home led to evidence further substantiating the Grand Larceny charge against Harris, who may face more serious charges. Other evidence was obtained linking several others to the scheme, which may result in additional arrests.

“This case is the essence of Community Prosecution. These arrests are the result of government agencies working smarter and more efficiently. Agencies gather all the information available and solved a problem. The community came together with prosecutors from my office and various village and federal officials. Together they formed an effective partnership. Proactive neighbors supporting the work of local prosecutors and police serve to effectively target crime at its core. In this case, concerns from the community helped to crack a criminal scheme to abuse the system designed to help those who are most in need. In addition, the complaints of Haverstraw residents led to the takedown of an illicit narcotics selling operation, a continuing scourge on our community” said Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe.

The arrests result from an extensive investigation by the District Attorney's Office Special Investigations Unit, the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force, the Rockland County Department of Social Services, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Rockland County Sheriff and the Town of Haverstraw Police Department.

Harris was arraigned September 18th in the Town of Haverstraw Justice Court by the Honorable John Grant. She has been released on her own recognizance. She faces up to seven years in state prison.

Means, who is the son of Harris, was arrested Friday on a sealed indictment handed up by a Rockland County Grand Jury. He was arraigned today in Rockland County Court by Acting Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bartlett. Bail was set in the amount of $100,000. He faces a maximum of nine years in state prison.

Burch, who is Means’ girlfriend, was arrested Friday on a sealed indictment handed up by a Rockland County Grand Jury. She was arraigned today in Rockland County Court by Acting Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bartlett. Bail was set in the amount of $2,500. She faces a maximum of nine years in state prison.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Kristen Conklin will prosecute the cases.