Crime & Safety

Teaneck Woman Accused of Falsely Claiming Disabled Vet Owned Her Business

Miriam Friedman, 54, owner of Office Dimensions Inc., charged with wire fraud.

A Teaneck woman was accused last week of fraudulently obtaining more than $1.2 million worth of government contracts by falsely claiming her small business was owned by a disabled veteran, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Miriam Friedman, 54, the owner of Office Dimensions Inc., a Teaneck-based furniture and design services company to industrial and government customers, was charged Wednesday with wire fraud.

According to a criminal complaint, Friedman and her husband control the revenue and day-to-day operations of Office Dimensions. Neither of them served in the military, but Friedman's father-in-law is a retired U.S. military veteran, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Friedman certified on Nov. 23, 2009 in a central registry for government contractors that the company was a service-disabled veteran-owned business, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Friedman claimed her father-in-law was the owner and operator of the business, the complaint said. However, "he had very little involvement with Office Dimensions and was not service-disabled," the complaint said.  Friedman then bid for VA contracts set aside from disabled veteran business owners, the complaint said.

Friedman obtained more than $1.2 million in VA contracts between January 2010 and November 2011, the complaint said.

Friedman faces as much as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the gross loss or gain caused by the wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.


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