Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General Announces September Welfare Fraud Adjudications
HARRISBURG, Pa.-- Nine Pennsylvania residents pleaded guilty to welfare fraud and/or were sentenced for their crimes during September, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced today.
"Welfare fraud is not 'beating the system'; it's a crime against all Pennsylvania taxpayers," Inspector General Kenya Mann Faulkner said. "Our office works to ensure those who commit this crime are prosecuted and fully reimburse taxpayers."
The following individuals were prosecuted and sentenced for fraudulently receiving public assistance benefits:
Tyniecia Bivins, 39, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, received more than $47,700 in subsidized child care benefits. Bivens was sentenced to 84 months probation and was ordered to pay full restitution.
Michael A. Bogas, 47, of Mifflinburg, Union County, received more than $7,200 in cash assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Bogas was sentenced to 5 years probation and was ordered to pay full restitution and costs.
Teresa A. Haas, 48, of Jamestown, Mercer County, formerly of Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, received more than $2,400 in SNAP benefits. Haas was sentenced to 60 months probation and was ordered to pay full restitution, costs, and fines.
Kevin C. Heeman, 21, of Hughesville, Lycoming County, formerly of Montgomery, Lycoming County, received more than $2,800 in SNAP benefits. Heeman was sentenced to 24 months probation and was ordered to pay full restitution and costs.
Mark J. Kilian, 54, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, received more than $1,300 in cash assistance and SNAP benefits. Kilian was sentenced to 12 months probation and was ordered to pay full restitution.
Christie A. Lenker, 36, of Lewistown, Mifflin County, received more than $4,500 in cash assistance and SNAP benefits. Lenker was sentenced to 18 months probation and was ordered to pay full restitution, costs, and fines.
Julie A. Mazurek, 32, of Bechtelsville, Berks County, received more than $1,200 in cash assistance and SNAP benefits. Mazurek was sentenced to 2 years probation and was ordered to pay full restitution, costs, and fines.
Barbara A. Rollick, 53, of Woodland, Clearfield County, formerly of Weedville, Elk County, received more than $14,200 in SNAP benefits. Rollick was sentenced to 7 years probation and was ordered to pay full restitution and costs.
David Wilmer, 60, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, received more than $2,500 in SNAP benefits. Wilmer was sentenced to 18 months probation and was ordered to pay full restitution and costs.
The Office of Inspector General's Bureau of Fraud Prevention and Prosecution is responsible for investigating welfare fraud and conducting collection activities for programs administered by, or contracted through, the Department of Public Welfare.
Each year, the Office of Inspector General works with county assistance offices statewide to identify suspected cases of public assistance fraud and with local district attorneys to bring the cases to prosecution.
Anyone found guilty of welfare fraud could face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, fines up to $15,000, mandatory restitution, and program disqualification.
The Office of Inspector General also relies on tips from concerned citizens. To report suspected fraud, call the Welfare Fraud Tipline at 1-800-932-0582. Callers may remain anonymous.
Visit the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General online at www.oig.state.pa.us.
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19 comments:
I am surprised Obama doesnt have a program to bail these people out, like the student loan students
There is a marked difference between students taking out loans in order to get a quality education and carve out a niche for themselves with academic degrees and people who commit welfare fraud. Regardless of your views on Obama, there is no comparison between these two groups of people. I am a graduate student and while I do not necessarily agree with the bailout of student loans, I do know that there are more and more students with degrees that are not able to get jobs when they graduate and many of them go on for more school so they can defer their loans. In this economy it is near impossible to get hired for a job without a master's degree and even now that doesn't carry as much weight as it did ten years ago. I don't know whether you intended a direct comparison between the students who use federal student loans to go to college because that's the only way they can afford the thirty-thousand + tuition rates per year and the dishonest citizens committing welfare fraud (those who are partly to blame for the situation our country is in now), but perhaps in the future you could be a little more sensitive to the situation many of the students find themselves in after graduation - in hundreds of thousands dollars in federal student loan debt, no open jobs, and bills coming due.
And of course 9 Pennsylvania residents caught and convicted means that ALL welfare recipients are abusing the system and/or lazy! *sarcasm
key word..caught!
There is alot of fraud in the student loan programs also. Non citizens getting loans,buying motor cycles,new cars partying on the money,ect,ect! the list is endless! If you can't pay it back DON'T do it !
Who bailed out all the banks and auto makers ? I forget ?
8:46:00 PM -- You are so right. Our young adult child is attending college and holy hanna the money cycle is just unbelievable! Further more why is what we as parents have/earned over the last 35 years held against our young adult child as far as qualifing for grants and student aide...all while illegal's get a free degree on our tax dollar backs?!?
AND
What about the paid county and state workers that processed these claims? Were they doing their job? Will they be held accountable in any way? Seems to me IF they were doing their job some of this fraud and waste would not happen......just my take on this blog.
Don't let them fool you, disqualification does not mean for good, it is for 6 months; then they can start receivinng benfits again.
What about all the people who collect disability who supposedly can't work, then go around working being paid under the table taking work away from those who can't find a job. Maybe those people should be checked on a little bit more. Those are the ones bleeding social security dry so that those of us who are working every day will never see a day of what we have paid in because they are enjoying it.
lol they caught 9 I'm sure there are tons... what is the funniest part is there all given probation and are told to pay back all in full... Come on where are they going to get the money!!! Please just throw them in jail so we can continue to carry there lazy @sses
you forgot obimbo is buying votes with the student loan program.
All the bail out programs should be called (obama's buy a vote program)!
hmmm....let's see.....$47,700,$7,200 CASH and on and on.....and all they get is PROBATION ??????? Oh, yes, also restitution...if they were on welfare where do they get the money to repay???? Get a job?? These are only SOME who got caught...few compared to the ones who get away with it, all at the EXPENSE of those taxpayers that make welfare possible. Makes me want to work a couple more jobs to make it all possible for them!!!
@ 8:14 There are also a lot of students that do not use their student loan money in that manner. If you don't want kids to go to college who can't afford it, would you like to find them a job? Do you want to be the one to tell them that because they can't "afford" college that they can't be a doctor, a teacher, etc? I'm not in favor of the bailout, I figure that as a student you know what you're getting yourself into, but come on...if those would couldn't afford to pay out of pocket for college didn't go this would be an even more top-down society with the wealthy with the only ones with further education. I cannot even imagine how that would change the demographic of America.
On another note, I think that everyone would agree that there is corruption in every government program and that has been the case throughout the history of the world. The point is that the people who are following the laws should not be automatically looked down upon because someone else decides to cheat the system.
@10:39 I don't think that anyone said that ALL welfare recipients were lazy. You're the only who said that. Again, with every program there is going to be corruption within it, but that doesn't mean that the whole program is corrupted. It is safe to say however, that historically there has been a lot of misuse of the welfare program. Before welfare was even in place, there were mutual aid societies that looked after the needs of people who needed help. Unfortunately these societies fell victim to the Great Depression and the federal government stepped in and established the A.B.C. programs.
Boo Hoo all U people with student loans. I had 2 student loans and I had to pay them off within ten (10) years and I did.
YOU borrowed the money and now you should pay it off.
And if you continued to go to school so you didnt have to pay it off, then there will be a heck of alot of people with masters degrees out there , which is good for the country.
Now get to work and make your payments.
Walfare people having yard sales, reselling what WE BOUGHT them. Now, that sucks!
9 caught. lets see ... that leaves about 99.99999% of the cheaters running amuck.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/2309d7cfafd04c8abfaed88ca0e27114/PA--Viewing-Harrisburg/
I know how to Fix the small % of people who commit fraud, end all social safty nets. No more SSI, SSD, Medicare, Vetrans benifits, Pentions or unemployment!! Go Ron Paul!!!!
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