Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 31-year-old Danielle K. Bush of the Town of Tonawanda was arraigned yesterday afternoon before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case, acting as a Buffalo City Court Judge, on one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree (Class “E” felony).
It is alleged that on February 7, 2023, the defendant, knowingly with the intent to defraud, submitted a written instrument containing false information to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. The defendant allegedly presented falsified medical records, purported to show a cancer diagnosis, through her defense attorney three days before she was scheduled to be sentenced in another criminal case. An investigation by our office found that the medical provider, listed in the falsified documents, had no record of the defendant as a patient.
Bush is scheduled to return on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. for a pre-trial conference. She remains held without bail.
If convicted of the charge, Bush faces a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.
Bush is accused of committing the crime while pending sentence in another case. On June 9, 2022, she pleaded guilty, as charged, to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class “D” felony).
The defendant admitted to stealing gaming tickets and placing fraudulent bets while employed as a server at a restaurant on Lake Shore Road in the Town of Hamburg. Between June 2, 2019 and February 8, 2020, the defendant stole tickets while processing bets placed by customers for a number of games of chance, including Quick Draw, Mega Millions and Power Ball. The defendant’s actions resulted in an estimated total loss of approximately $50,000 to the restaurant.
The theft was discovered after the restaurant owner conducted an internal audit of monthly billing statements from the New York State Gaming Commission in February 2020. The statements revealed abnormally high gaming activity, unusual betting amounts and unique betting patterns, which corresponded with the defendant’s work schedule. The crime was corroborated by video evidence. The defendant was subsequently fired from her job.
As part of her guilty plea, Bush signed Confessions of Judgment to pay the full amount of restitution by the date of her sentence. To date, she has paid no restitution to the owner of the restaurant.
Bush faces a maximum of 7 years in prison when she is sentenced on the grand larceny case.
DA Flynn commends Detective Howard Widman and Detective Scott Fraser of the Town of Hamburg Police Department for their work in this investigation.
Both cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Jurusik from the Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Bureau.