FBI launches technology fraud raids

Federal agents raided numerous homes and businesses across Rockland County Wednesday. Dozens of FBI agents and investigators from the Rockland County District Attorney's Office set up a staging area

News 12 Staff

Mar 17, 2016, 6:25 AM

Updated 3,149 days ago

Share:

Federal agents raided numerous homes and businesses across Rockland County Wednesday.
Dozens of FBI agents and investigators from the Rockland County District Attorney's Office set up a staging area at the Rockland Fire Training Center in Ramapo and executed search warrants throughout the county.
The raids started shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday and continued until around 6 p.m.
The investigation is reportedly linked to fraud in a federal grant program called E-rate that reimburses local governments for providing Internet and computer services in low-income areas.
E-rate began in 1998 and distributes more than $4 billion annually for computer and Internet access across the nation.
Part of the investigation includes whether some yeshivas in Rockland improperly obtained millions of dollars in federal funds.
No arrests have been made, but sources told News 12 they expected numerous arrests over the next 24 hours.
The FBI has not provided any detail about the raids, releasing a short statement that reads, "Today, the FBI conducted searches in connection with an ongoing fraud investigation. If and when charges are filed, they will eventually become public. This remains an ongoing matter, and we are unable to provide any additional information at this time."