By Thomas Moriarty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Shimon Nussbaum is taken to a police vehicle after he and and his wife and Yocheved Nussbaum were arrested Monday, June 26, 2017, in connection with a public-assistance fraud scheme in Lakwood, N.J. Their arrest was part of a larger operation, led by federal and state authorities, that netted the arrests of six others. (Peter Ackerman/The Asbury Park Press via AP)

14 arrested since Monday morning

Since law enforcement officers began knocking on the doors of homes throughout Lakewood early Monday morning, 14 people have been arrested in a joint investigation by local, state and federal authorities into what's been described as the widespread abuse of public assistance programs, including Medicaid and Section 8 housing.

Law enforcement officials have indicated the arrests are just the tip of the iceberg, but they've already sent shockwaves through the Ocean County community, with the Asbury Park Press reporting hundreds of people have called township officials wondering how they can avoid arrest.

Here's what you need to know about the events of the past three days:

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(Left to right) Zalmen Sorotzkin, Tizpporah Sorotzkin, Mordechai Breskin, Jocheved Breskin. (Ocean County Prosecutor's Office)

Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, who runs the Congregation Lusk synagogue, was arrested on state charges Monday morning along with his wife Rachel and another couple, Mordechai and Jocheved Breskin.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said all have been charged with second-degree theft by deception for wrongfully collecting Medicaid, food stamps, Housing and Urban Development, and Supplemental Security Income benefits.

Prosecutors said the Sorotzkins collected more than $338,000 in benefits, while the Breskins collected more than $585,000.

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Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, top left, appears via video feed in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Steven Nemeth on Monday in Toms River. (Michael Mancuso | For NJ.com)

All four made initial appearances by video in state Superior Court in Toms River before Judge Steven Nameth, who ordered them released after prosecutors declined to pursue pre-trial detention.

An attorney for the Sorotzkins told reporters after the hearing that the couple will "seek exoneration in court," while an attorney for the Breskins declined to comment.

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(Left to right) Yocheved Nussbaum, Mordechai Sorotzkin, Rachel Sorotzkin, Shimon Nussbaum. (Cristina Rojas | For NJ.com)

Court records show the FBI on Friday filed criminal complaints under seal against Yocheved and Shimon Nussbaum, and Mordechai and Rachel Sorotzkin. The complaints, unsealed following their arrests Monday in Lakewood, accuse the couples of concealing income of more than $1.5 million each on applications they made for Medicaid and other benefit programs.

Investigators said the Sorotzkins wrongfully collected roughly $96,000 in benefits, while the Nussbaums are accused of collecting more than $178,000 in benefits.

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Mordechai Sorotzkin, center, brother of Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, walks outside Trenton federal court after a hearing Monday on charges related to alleged public assistance fraud. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Investigators said the Sorotzkins received more than $1.5 million through Rachel's position as a partner in a limited-liability corporation, a stream of income she's accused of hiding from investors. The Nussbaums allegedly made more than $2.2 million from various business entities they controlled, but established under the names of relatives.

In April 2014, the state Medicaid Fraud Division sent the Nussbaums a letter informing them that the agency was investigating their eligibility for the program, according to the federal criminal complaint filed against the couple, who subsequently terminated their Medicaid benefits that August.

All four were released after making an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Trenton. If convicted, prosecutors said they face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the government's loss.

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Yitzchok Kanarek (top left), Chaim Ehrman (top middle), William Friedman (top right), Sora Kanarek (bottom left), Liatt Ehrman (bottom middle), and Faigy Friedman (bottom right). (Ocean County Prosecutor's Office)

Late Tuesday night, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office arrested Yitzchok and Sora Kanarek, Chaim and Liatt Ehrman, and William and Faigy Friedman on charges of second-degree theft by deception, the same alleged offense as those arrested Monday on state charges.

Authorities said the three couples had wrongfully collected a combined $674,537 in Medicaid, food stamps, federal housing benefits and SSI by misrepresenting their incomes, which were too high to qualify for those programs.

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Yitzchok Kanarek appears in state Superior Court in Toms River by video conference on Wednesday after being arrested Tuesday night. (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The Asbury Park Press reported Faigy Friedman is the registered agent of a payroll company, while Chaim Ehrman owns several businesses, including a cosmetic company. Yitzchok Kanarek was previously the rabbi of a now-closed school for special needs children, the Press reported.

As with the other eight defendants arrested earlier, those arrested Tuesday were all released the following day after making video appearances in state Superior Court, but were required to surrender their passports.

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Authorities have said the criminal investigation, which has grown to encompass multiple local, state and federal agencies, was initiated by the Red Bank office of the FBI's Newark Division along with the Medicaid fraud division of the state Comptroller's Office. The participating agencies now include the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the U.S. Social Security Administration and the state Treasury Department's Office of Criminal Investigation.

Officials have described the arrests as the result of a sting operation, and one law enforcement source told The Star-Ledger that some of the defendants had transferred funds through an unlicensed money transmitting business run out of a Lakewood beeper store. The beeper store's owner, Yisroel Malamud, pleaded guilty in federal court in February and is awaiting sentencing.

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Defense attorney Edward Bertuccio, who represents Zalmen and Tzipporah Sorotzkin, is interviewed by reporters outside the Ocean County Courthouse on Monday. (Michael Mancuso | For NJ.com)

Authorities have said more arrests will be made, and that additional charges including tax offenses may be filed against some of the defendants already charged.

"We are sending a message to this community that the party is over," one law enforcement source told The Star-Ledger, adding that the investigation is "far from over."

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has asked anyone with information about the abuse of public assistance programs to contact Sgt. Mark Malinowski at 732-929-2027.

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Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.