A Woodstock man and his sibling have been indicted in Albany County on allegations they stole $90,000 from New York’s pandemic-era rent relief program. State comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Albany County district attorney Lee C. Kindlon and state police superintendent Steven G. James announced Jan. 12 that Denesh Melwani, 58, of Woodstock, and Shaleen Mahtani, 56, of Paramus, New Jersey, were arraigned on a sealed indictment in Albany County Court. The indictment charges them with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, grand larceny in the second degree and money laundering in the second degree.
Investigators said the siblings submitted an application to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance that contained false information to obtain funds through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, known as ERAP. The program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to help eligible households at risk of homelessness, with payments intended to cover unpaid back rent and future rent and typically issued directly to landlords. The investigation alleges the siblings jointly bought a Brooklyn condominium for $1.6 million in 2018, then transferred the property to Mahtani in February 2021 through a quitclaim deed.
According to the state, the pair later submitted documents claiming Melwani was Mahtani’s tenant at the condo and that he owed back rent from March 2020 through August 2021. Based on those submissions, officials said, Mahtani received an ERAP payment for $90,000, and the siblings then moved the money between financial institutions to conceal its source before using it for personal expenses.
Both defendants were released under probation supervision with electronic monitoring and are scheduled to return to court on Jan. 26.
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