BOSTON -- A wealthy Brookline couple has pleaded not guilty to charges they fraudulently obtained taxpayer-funded public health insurance for themselves and their three children.
Joseph and Jila Youshaei are charged with procurement fraud and larceny over $250. They were arraigned Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court.
Authorities allege that from 1999 through 2005, the Youshaeis applied for and received MassHealth benefits worth $53,000 by claiming that their only source of income was $475 a week.
An investigation showed the couple actually owned a home in Brookline assessed at approximately $650,000, as well as various businesses and commercial real estate, including three Honey Dew Donut franchises. Authorities said all three of the couple's children attended an exclusive private school in Brookline.
The couple's attorney, William Gens, told The Boston Globe his clients were never as wealthy as prosecutors claim because they were involved in several failed businesses.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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