Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday the arrest of the Kingsbridge Heights Rehabilitation and Care Center CEO for allegedly failing to provide workers' compensation.

Helen Sieger, 55, is the first person to be arrested under the state's new workers' compensation law that makes it a felony for employers to fail to have such insurance.

Sieger is accused of letting coverage lapse from May 31, 2007 to June 26, 2008, affecting hundreds of orderlies, health care providers, nutritionists, administrative and other staff.

In May, News 12 The Bronx reported that one of the workers died from a severe asthma attack. Her family claimed that she could not afford her medication after her health benefits were terminated.

About 220 employees at the rehabilitation center have been on strike since February, and have been working without a contract since 2000.1199SEIU union representatives call Sieger's arrest a "tremendous victory" for workers all across the state.Sieger faces felony charges and up to four years in prison.