Port Washington Woman Raided $55,000 From Bank Account: PD

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A Port Washington woman used a victim’s bank account as a personal slush fund, removing or transferring thousands of dollars over the course of a year, court records show.

Rupsha Bhattacharyya, 30, was arrested Tuesday by Nassau County police and accused of withdrawing and transferring nearly $55,000 from an Apple Bank account between Aug. 16, 2019, and May 5, 2020, according to a felony complaint filed in First District Court in Hempstead. Bhattacharyya admitted she withdrew money 81 times and used it for various bills, utilities and other payments, according to the detectives.

A family member of the victim told Patch that she is a 92-year-old Manhasset woman, whom Bhattacharyya was hired to care for as a home health aide sometime in 2019, and it took some time before the transaction discrepancies were noticed, but they were eventually discovered when a family member conducted a full review of the account.

Bhattacharyya’s was slapped with felony charges of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree identity theft, as well as a misdemeanor charge of third-degree unlawful possession of personal identification information. A spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said Bhattacharyya, who was represented by an attorney from the Legal Aid Society, was released Wednesday on her own recognizance following her arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead. Bhattacharyya was ordered to stay away from the victim, according to Singas’ office.

Based on the top charge of grand larceny, Bhattacharyya faces up to 15 years in prison. Neither Bhattacharyya nor her Legal Aid Society attorney could be reached for comment. She is due back in court on Jan. 21.