Story by Ethan
On November 22nd, 2024, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced charges against Humayun Kabir. Allegedly Humayun Kabir stole pandemic relief funds intended to help small businesses and companies to aid them through COVID-19 related hardships and losses. Humayun Kabir claimed he was affected by economic harm as an Uber and Lyft driver. With the funds he applied for, the defendant then purchased residential properties in Niagara Falls, New York. Because of these claims Humayun Kabir faces charges of Grand Larceny in the second degree, three counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the second degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the third degree and three counts of Falsifying Business Records in the first degree.
District Attorney Melinda Katz stated “The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted profound challenges on millions of workers and small business owners who were unable to sustain their livelihoods. The defendant is accused of exploiting essential lifeline programs provided by our federal government for his own personal gain. My office will aggressively prosecute people who defraud our public service programs. I thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations New York, the New York State Department of Financial Services and the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force for helping us to bring the defendant to justice.”
Over the course of 2021, Humayun Kabir applied for the Paycheck Protection Program twice, and also the Economic Injury Disaster Fund. He received over $200,000 in loans and aid, and claimed that it would be used to alleviate the economic misfortune that was afflicted upon him due to COVID-19. However, after an investigation was launched to look into Humayun Kabir’s loan disbursement, it was discovered that the defendant allocated $246,966 into purchasing a property in Niagara Falls.
Humayun Kabir surrendered to police on November 21st, 2024, after learning about the charges upheld against him.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office states that the charges against Humayun Kabir are merely accusations and he is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
