A Riverhead man accused of using falsified tax returns to obtain state pandemic relief grants for Brooklyn residents has pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny in Kings County Supreme Court.
Lasha Bukia’s plea covered the other 24 counts in the indictment, according to a court eTrack notice. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 9 before Justice Danny Chun, with sentencing and a motion listed on the calendar.
Bukia was indicted in September 2025 in connection with applications for grants from Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency. The program was intended to help small businesses cover expenses and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Bukia obtained grants on behalf of nine Brooklyn residents, including Uber and Lyft drivers and home health aides, between November 2021 and October 2022.
Prosecutors said he altered the applicants’ tax returns to inflate their income and qualify them for larger grants, submitting the falsified documents without their knowledge or consent.
The nine applicants received a total of $369,000 in state funds, and Bukia received approximately $61,000 from them for preparing and submitting the applications, prosecutors said.
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