9 Bangladeshis involved in looting Covid grants, plead guilty and return money

Hakikul Islam Khokan

Nine defendants from Queens and Long Island have pleaded guilty to embezzling New York state relief funds meant to help small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. All of them are said to be Bangladeshis. news ibn news
The accused are: Mahbub Malik (41) of Astoria, Queens, Tofail Ahmed (50) of Jamaica, Yusuf MD (45) of Elmhurst, Mohammad Chowdhury alias Khokon Ashraf (68) of Jackson Heights, Nadeem Sheikh (56) of New Hyde Park, Nassau County, Long Island, Zakir Chowdhury (59) of Jamaica, Mohammad Khan (49) of Jamaica Hills, Long Tanveer Milan, 55, of Farmdale, Nassau County, Island, and Junead Khan, 56, of Suffolk County. Among them, Mahbub Malik got a three-year conditional release after his arrest. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang confirmed the information.
According to prosecutors, the defendants submitted multiple false applications under New York State's Empire Development Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program to assist small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny and petit larceny charges.
After pleading guilty in Queens Supreme Court on various dates between May 2025 and February of this year, the court ordered them to pay a total of 1 million 91 thousand 720 dollars in restitution. Of this, 760,000 dollars have already been returned to New York State.
District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement that it is a serious crime to embezzle funds meant for struggling businesses during an unprecedented crisis like the pandemic. He said, by admitting guilt, the accused are now obliged to pay compensation.
Inspector General Lucy Lang said using disaster relief funds for personal gain is a crime and contrary to the public interest. He thanked the officers involved in the investigation.
The investigation revealed thatBeginning in June 2020, the defendants applied for grants in the name of multiple businesses. The application states that the money is needed for business salaries, rent/mortgage, utility bills and equipment purchases. However, investigators found that most of the money was transferred to private banks immediately after receiving the grant money.
A review of bank accounts and tax returns found no evidence of any effective business transactions prior to receipt of the grant by the respective institutions. The income-expenditure information mentioned in the submitted tax documents was also not reflected in the bank records.
The New York State Inspector General's Office initially opened the investigation and referred the case to the Queens District Attorney's Office in May 2024. The accused surrendered separately between 6 and 9 May 2025 after learning of the charge sheet. The case is being handled under the supervision of the Queens District Attorney's Frauds Bureau.
Meanwhile, the name of Zakir Chowdhury involved in this incident is being widely discussed. Without revealing his name, many people have praised him on social media by highlighting the identity of the leader of the United States Youth Party. New York's senior journalist, writer and world traveler Habib Rahman wrote on social media referring to this leader of the United States Youth Party.One of the 7 who embezzled the covid money is the US youth leader. After pleading guilty, he paid $100,000 on September 23 last year. Paid 75 thousand dollars on December 23 last year. The remaining 75 thousand will be paid on March 23.