Seven former employees of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services have been indicted for the theft of more than $959,000 in federally funded Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards following an internal audit and “months-long” investigation, state Attorney General Matt Denn (D) announced on Tuesday. The social workers created accounts for fictitious Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, and used some of the accompanying payment cards themselves, while selling others for less than the amount of funds in each account.
SNAP is the 21st-century equivalent of food stamps, with roots in the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1933 and the Food Stamp Program of 1939, both implemented as part of FDR’s New Deal. In 2015, the federal government spent about $75 billion on the program, plus another $2.4 billion on similar programs. Ironically, EBT cards, which transfer funds directly from a federal account to retailers, were instituted to reduce the fraud and misuse associated with paper food stamps. EBT is also used to distribute various “cash benefits,” popularly known as welfare.
Two of the employees, Allison Rivera and Angelette Brown, were convicted and sentenced to two years of probation in April; they took a total of nearly $44,000, which they must repay. Nicole Stevens took just over $8,000. The others — Detrich Simmons-Heath, Kamilah Laws, Jo Ellen Edwards, and Shirlene Davis — face more serious charges ranging from forgery to theft over $100,000.
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http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/delaware-social-workers-indicted-for-theft-of-nearly-1-million-in-food-benefits/
