Accused Woodmere medical practice embezzler indicted

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Peter Singh, the Selden resident accused of embezzling more than $3 million from Five Towns Pediatrics, PC, a local pediatric practice in Woodmere and Bellmore was indicted on June 25.

Singh, 42, was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Patricia Harrington and charged with grand larceny first-degree, scheme to defraud first-degree, and eight counts of falsifying business records first degree. Bail was continued at $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash and he is due back in court July 16. If convicted of the top charge, Singh faces 8-1/3 to 25 years in prison.

Between 2004 and 2018, allegedly embezzled more than $3 million. He was arrested on May 15. He was employed as the practice administrator and had access to bank accounts and payroll. During the time frame, he arranged for a direct deposit from the business account into his own account in the amount of roughly $83,500. He then arranged to give himself pay totaling $1,126,800.

He added his wife to the payroll for $1,726,700 with the funds going directly to himself; he also added his step-daughter to the payroll. The money — $136,053 — went to him, and he set up a false company collecting $29,600.

Having issues with the business account, Pediatrics Healthcare hired a certified public accountant to review the financial records. The alleged fraudulent activities were then discovered.

“This defendant abused the trust placed in him by the pediatricians he worked for and stole more than $3 million by inflating his salary and making bogus payments to his wife and others,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. “As technology increasingly automates business functions, fraud and abuse obscured by human deception remains difficult to detect. I am grateful to the NCPD and Five Towns Pediatrics for their assistance investigating this case.”