4 Admit Scamming Federal Program For The Deaf

They Submitted More Than $2.5 Million In Bills

Updated: Saturday, 06 Mar 2010, 10:43 AM EST
Published : Saturday, 06 Mar 2010, 10:43 AM EST

Four former owners and employees of three companies have pleaded guilty to defrauding a federal program that assists the deaf.

Each pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Trenton to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Kim Hawkins, owner of Nevada-based Master Communications and Arizona-based KL Communications; Hawkins' business partner, Larry Berke; Alfia Iskandarova, a former interpreter for New York and New Jersey-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services, and Robert Rubeck of Surprise, Ariz., face maximum sentences of 20 years.

Prosecutors say they submitted more than $2.5 million in fraudulent billings to the FCC's Video Relay Service program, which helps people with hearing disabilities make phone calls using interpreters and Web cameras.

Marketplace Ads

Many pages in this Fox Television Stations, Inc. Website feature links to other sites, some of which are operated by companies unrelated to Fox Television Stations, Inc. Fox Television Stations, Inc. has no control over the content or availability of any linked site. TM and (c) 2010 Fox Television Stations, Inc., and its related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication, or distribution in any form is expressly prohibited.