A Buffalo daycare owner is heading to prison for stealing more than $100,000 in government funds.
A federal judge sentenced Halima Mohamed, 35, to five months in prison and three years of supervised release, including five months of home detention.
Between January and September 2016, Mohamed submitted hundreds of fraudulent claims to Erie County while operating Twinkle Stars Day Care Center with her husband. The children listed on the claims for child care and development block grants from the federal government did not attend the daycare center on the dates and times submitted.
Mohamed received $130,188 from the county for services that were never provided. As part of her sentencing, she must pay back all of that money to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Mohamed is also not allowed to own or operate a daycare during the length of her sentence.
Her husband, Tariq Butt, has also been convicted of federal charges and is awaiting sentencing.
