Story by Ethan
On September 30th, 2025, the arrest of Lasha Bukia, age 34, was announced by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Lasha Bukia was charged with one count of second-degree Larceny, 14 counts of first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing, nine counts of first-degree Falsifying Business Records, and one count of first-degree Scheme to Defraud. The arrest and charges against Lasha Bukia were a result of an investigation handled by [Officers/Detectives].
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Lasha Bukia allegedly had applied for and obtained ESD grants (NY Covid-19 relief) for nine different individuals, all health home aids or drivers for Uber or Lyft, between November 2021 and October 2022. The total came out to $369,000 in ESD funds that the nine recipients obtained, and Lasha Bukia accumulated $61,000 as compensation for filling out and submitting the load applications. In order to get the ESD loans, allegedly Lasha Bukia would take the nine recipients’ drivers licenses, 2019 and 2020 tax returns, and utility bills and alter information on them. The defendant would allegedly inflate the victims’ incomes to qualify them for grants they would not previously have been eligible to apply for. These falsified documents were then submitted without any of the nine recipients being aware of the altercations made.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Lasha Bukia are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
