Two operators of an adult day-care center in Staten Island have been charged with defrauding Medicaid out of more than $530,000 by submitting false claims for services never provided, including billing for seniors who were deceased or living abroad, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Yangsim Oum, 79, the owner, and her daughter, 49-year-old Juyone Choe, the program director of SI Day Care Center Inc. on Forest Avenue, were arrested Tuesday as part of an investigation dubbed “Operation Golden Grift” conducted by the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office. They face a 457-count indictment alleging they submitted fraudulent billing from April 17 to August 25, amounting to over half a million dollars in payments for hundreds of seniors who did not receive services.

According to the indictment, the defendants included approximately $13,000 in claims for at least 32 individuals who were either deceased or residing outside the country when the services were supposedly rendered. District Attorney Michael McMahon described the pair as “one of Staten Island’s most lucrative con artists” during a press briefing announcing the charges, accusing them of exploiting vulnerable seniors for financial gain.

“All these defendants saw were dollar signs,” McMahon said, characterizing the scheme as a “vast criminal enterprise” that used local seniors as pawns. He also suggested that similar fraudulent activity extends beyond this case, warning that many other adult day-care providers in the borough may be involved in comparable scams.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” McMahon added, emphasizing the need for further scrutiny of Medicaid billing practices among adult day-care centers.

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional arrests or charges have not been disclosed at this time. The defendants are expected to appear in court to respond to the indictment.